Hodcastle, episode 886 for Tuesday the 15th of April, 2025.

The Cuckoo of Vresna Mountain

by Philip Haidar Dernoshik Zorko

read by Yaroslav Barsukov and rated PG-13.

Good morning, good day, good afternoon, and good evening, and welcome to Podcastle,

the Flying Castle of Fantasy Fiction. I am Caitlin Zavanovitch, assistant editor of Podcastle,

and your guest host for this week.

It's my pleasure to present, for your enjoyment,

The Cuckoo of Vresna Mountain, by Philip Heidhar, Dernoshak Zorko,

read by Yaroslav Barsukho and rated PG-13.

This episode was first published in Beneath Seaseless Skies.

Philip Heidard de Noxhzegzoriko is a Slovenian-born writer and translator. He grew up in

Slovenia, Ireland, Australia, and the UK, and currently resides just outside of Portland, Maine.

He understands that his name is a bit confusing and would like you to know that Dernoshak Zorko is the surname.

He attended Clarion West in 2019. In his spare time, he is a keen quizer. British readers may recognize him from that one time he was on University Challenge. Follow him on Blue Sky at philiphdz.bluskyy.

Yaroslav Barsukov is a writer of fantasy, science fiction, and everything in between.

He's a two-time Nebula Award nominee, both for his science fantasy noir novel, Sleeping Worlds

Have No Memory, as well as for the novella that inspired it, Tower of Mud and Straw.

His work has been long listed for the BSFAs and made the Kirkus Review's Best Books of 2021 list.

Barsukav is a full member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, SIFWA, and combines

his writing duties with volunteer work, serving as chair of SIFWA's Information Systems Committee.

And now pay attention for our tale is about to begin.

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