Pavel Renčín
Pavel Renčín (b. 1977) appeared on the Czech literary scene as a disruptive wave within the mainstream. His debut was the short story The Creator in 1999, which won him a number of awards in literary competitions. Since then his name has regularly appeared in prestigious anthologies of the fantasy genre. His works, No Fairy tale (2004) The Name of the Ship (2007), Labyrinth (2008), primarily cover urban fantasy and magic realism. His fantasy trilogy Urban Wars was nominated for the Academy of SFFH (Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror) award, and was awarded the Aeronautilus prize in the category of best Czech book. In 2009 a selection of Renčín’s best short stories was published in the compendium Concrete, Bones and Dreams. Trapped was awarded by the Academy of SFFH the best book in 2015. His newest book The Club of Murderers was the top Super Thursday pick in autumn 2018.
The Murderer’s Club
October 2018, 304 pages
Available material: English sample
A big literary game. If you decide to take part in it you must accept the fact that you will become a victim.
Masking itself as a detective story, The Murderers’ Club is a disquieting thriller that gradually veers off into horror territory. The protagonist tends to prefer books to people; but with a single meeting, the story of his ordinary life suddenly becomes nightmarish and as gripping as a thriller. How does a quiet, agreeable man find himself smashing up someone’s car or beating another man to a pulp? Shattering your whole life is surprisingly easy – and sometimes it can turn out to be the best thing that can happen to you. Pavel Renčín tells his story in almost cinematic language, combining genres with an ease that will keep you guessing till the end.
“A detective story, a thriller, a psychological sketch, a nerd’s reading journal. It is whatever you want it to be. You will doubtlessly devour the letters as long as there are some left. “
– sarden.cz
“The Murderers’ Club is a successful continuation of the new era of this writer who has decided to bid farewell to fantasy and turn his attention to thrillers. It has apparently been the right decision. This book is exciting and extraordinary and it will affect you deeply long time after you finish it.“
– cbdb
“The Murderers’ Club is actually a big literary game. If you decide to take part in it you must accept the fact that you will become a victim. Because this book is not an ordinary detective story even though it pretends to look like that most of the time. “
– fantasyplanet.cz
From the sample translation
“The girl doesn’t notice the gloom that has already begun clotting into clumps of dense darkness. Her white, stick-thin legs pump rapidly, and sharp pain pierces her still-childlike chest. She is running through the woods, oblivious to the cold sweat covering her body, to the goose bumps chafing against the fabric of her pants. It’s not the joy of running but the sheer terror that propels her to move even faster, like a crazed horse galloping across the night sky. The woods, which are in fact a small park just outside the neighbourhood, have become a dark, terrifying place.“
