Deathless is the retelling of a story from Russian folklore. Loved the tale of Koschei and Marya Morvena whose romance and marriage are full of fantasy and romance. Also read The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, a first time effort in writing for the young, by the same author. What a writer! The novels are so different but soo good. It does help to understand something about Russian folklore and have a bit of knowledge about the language to full appreciate Deathless.