Blog Tour for Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup by Zira Nauryzbai, Lilya Kalaus. Translated by Shelley Fairweather-Vega

Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup by Zira Nauryzbai & Lilya Kalaus.  Translation by Shelley Fairweather-Vega
Publisher:  Amazon Crossing Kids
Format:  E-ARC via Edelweiss+
Number of pages: 316 pages
Publishing:   August 1st, 2023
Source:  Blue Slip Media 

Opening Line: "Batu should have been relieved." 

A warrior’s power lies not in his weapons but in his heart. Batu is just an ordinary kid in present-day Almaty, worried about bullies, school, and his mom’s new baby…until the day he meets Aspara, the Golden Warrior. Aspara steps straight out of Batu’s notebook cover―and out of Kazakhstan’s past. Aspara has been waiting hundreds of years to be summoned to the human world and to finally get his chance to search for the Golden Cup, a magical talisman sent down from the heavens. When the Golden Cup was lost, Aspara watched as many of his friends and family were killed or disappeared. Craving adventure and a sense of purpose, Batu sets out with Aspara and his own friends to find the Golden Cup, plunging them into an adventure through a world where myths come alive. But there are others looking for the Cup, and they’ll do anything to make sure the kids fail. Will Batu and his friends make it out alive (and make it home in time for dinner)?

Reviews: 

 “A promising series opener that journeys into a thrilling world.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Fans of fantasy adventures such as the Pandava series and Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond will enjoy the easy-to-root-for characters and familiar tropes that populate this action-packed tale.” ―Publishers Weekly

My Review:  

Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup is the first book I've read that is based off of Kazakhstan mythology, weaving together the Asian and Russian influences of the region, Kazakh words and the historical elements of their conflicts with Russia.  This reminded me a lot of Aru Shah and the End of Time with its brightly colored cover and promise of adventure.  It also has strong themes of honor, bravery, kindness and courage.

I wish I was less conflicted with Batu's character; he was not entirely likeable and tended to behave in a similar manner to the boy that was bullying him. Batu also appeared at times to be indifferent to his friends attempts to communicate with him.  Lacking patience, he even verbally lashed out at them.  On the other hand, he does appear to sort of apologize and does seem to have a great respect for his family, elders and their traditions.  I especially liked how protective he was about his sibling.  But I also couldn't help thinking that he didn't really personify the character traits of a great warrior, despite Aspara thinking he was one.  Batu instead played along, pretending that he could do all of these wonderful feats.  Even though, Batu had never been properly trained and seriously lacked the self-confidence.  So yeah, a little conflicted about my feelings towards him. 

Despite this minor quibble, I quite enjoyed the adventure.  Especially the use of the Dombya, a musical instrument that when played while standing in a doorway, opens doors between worlds allowing Batu to freely pass into the past.  The inclusion of information about the frets on an instrument and how important they are to the stringing of the cords was interesting.  And I enjoyed how the story emphasized the importance of storytelling and passing on these cultural myths.  Overall, this was a very unique setting and a wonderful introduction into the Kazakh culture, their history and mythology.  At times I would have liked a few more details as I wasn't familiar with the folklore, but it also encouraged me to look for the details online for things I wanted to learn more about.  This is the first book in the authors series to be translated from Russian, and hopefully we'll see further books in the series in the future. 

About the authors:  

Lilya, left and Zira on the right

Zira Nauryzbai is a writer and cultural anthropologist. She is the author of multiple books and of more than three hundred articles, all written in Russian. She is also a translator from Kazakh into Russian. She is the coauthor, with Lilya Kalaus, of Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup (and its sequels), which was a bestseller in Kazakhstan. Links to her publications can be found at www.otuken.kz. She is currently based in Astana, Kazakhstan. In her free time, Zira volunteers in the search for petroglyphs, rides horses, and practices shooting from a traditional Turkic bow.

Lilya Kalaus is a philologist, author, literary editor, scriptwriter, radio presenter, visual artist, and creative writing teacher from Almaty, Kazakhstan. Her stories and narratives have been published in various magazines and online periodicals in Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Germany, Ukraine, and the US. Lilya is the author of seven books, both for kids (together with Zira Nauryzbai) and for adults. Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup was a bestseller in Kazakhstan and became a series that now includes three books. Lilya is a member of the Writers’ Union of Kazakhstan and the Kazakh PEN Club, and she runs her own publishing company. Learn more at www.kalaus.tilda.ws.

Shelley Fairweather-Vega is a translator who works from Russian and Uzbek into English. She has translated for attorneys, academics, authors, and activists around the world. Her translated works have been published in the US and UK, and in the Critical Flame, Translation Review, Words Without Borders, the Brooklyn Rail, and more. Shelley is a past president of the Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society and a cofounder of the Northwest Literary Translators. She lives in Seattle, where she also plays the French horn and is helping raise two kids and a cat. Learn more at www.fairvega.com.