While Europe was still unfamiliar with the word 'vampire', the Balkans had long been living with them. Locals told each other stories of how the risen dead took their relatives with them, destroyed livestock and crops, and brought natural disasters. But if vampires are all-powerful and so thirsty for blood, why haven’t the villagers in the north-west seen a monster in 40 years? The answer is found by a girl named Dragana, who is lost against her will between the world of the living and those who have already died once
While Europe was still unfamiliar with the word 'vampire', the Balkans had long been living with them. Locals told each other stories of how the risen dead took their relatives with them, destroyed livestock and crops, and brought natural disasters. But if vampires are all-powerful and so thirsty for blood, why haven’t the villagers in the north-west seen a monster in 40 years? The answer is found by a girl named Dragana, who is lost against her will between the world of the living and those who have already died once
Working on the novella was a really interesting adventure into the world of Balkan culture and mythology. We tried to show how people lived before and during the Second Serbian Uprising, with all the dark details of the past.
We tried to understand the phenomenon of the Balkan vampire, which is very different from its later, but more popular, Transylvanian counterparts. But the main themes are human relationships, generational conflict, women’s emancipation and the nature of fear of the supernatural.
This is your chance to get to know a bit more about a history you might not have come across before. It’s also an attempt to answer the question of what true evil really is.
We tried to understand the phenomenon of the Balkan vampire, which is very different from its later, but more popular, Transylvanian counterparts. But the main themes are human relationships, generational conflict, women’s emancipation and the nature of fear of the supernatural.
This is your chance to get to know a bit more about a history you might not have come across before. It’s also an attempt to answer the question of what true evil really is.
Authors
GLOOM is the first book by the emerging independent publishing house HOYA BOOKS, created by scriptwriter Denis Musaev in collaboration with illustrator Yan Vernes
Yan: "I have long wanted to try my hand at this style with its delicate contours, bold colours, and intriguing use of light. I drew every page alone, which made the project very personal to me. Creating a story about one of the most iconic symbols of art, the vampire, in its homeland was also very exciting"
Denis: "Slavic mythology is often thought of as a single thing, even though the beliefs of the Eastern, Southern and Western Slavs are different. While there’s a lot of common ground, the differences show off their unique local identities. What I found most interesting was that local vampires weren’t seen as royalty, but more like outcasts, hanging out with the sick, wounded and insane. I was curious about the reasons why we fear things that are outside of what's considered normal, even after we die"
Denis: "Slavic mythology is often thought of as a single thing, even though the beliefs of the Eastern, Southern and Western Slavs are different. While there’s a lot of common ground, the differences show off their unique local identities. What I found most interesting was that local vampires weren’t seen as royalty, but more like outcasts, hanging out with the sick, wounded and insane. I was curious about the reasons why we fear things that are outside of what's considered normal, even after we die"
Myths weren’t created according to manuals, and many contradictory descriptions of the same monster have survived to this day. That’s why we put together a little bestiary of all the mythical creatures that live around the village in the novella. We had a bunch of illustrators helping out with this project, and they each did their own take on the monsters
Truth is in the eye of the beholder…
Aleksa Stajsić
Ognjen Pavkovic
Samson Set
PRKREST
Mi-nami
alpendraw
FIL
polyanitsa
Julia Zinkevich
onyhead
Darko Stojanović
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We will mail the book to you right after its release in January 2026 if you live in Serbia, Montenegro, or Bosnia. For other countries, choose the digital version and receive it immediately by email
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After placing your order, we will contact
you to discuss the delivery details
Hardcover
250+ colored pages
A4 size
250+ colored pages
A4 size
- Denis Musaev PR Beograd
- Novi Beograd, Jurija Gagarina 231, lokal 344
- Matični broj: 67762070
- PIB: 114669547
- E-mail: hoyabooksrs@gmail.com