The specifics of the fantastic space in P. Fehervari's novel "The Fire Caste"

The subject of the study is the means and images through which the fantastic space is created in P. Fehervari's novel "The Fire Caste." This text is part of the artistic universe of "Warhammer 40,000", making its study more relevant and adding novelty to it. The aim of the research is to analyze the means and images used to create the space in P. Fehervari's novel "The Fire Caste." The fantastic space created in the novel combines both archetypal images and unique ones presented only on the pages of this work. For instance, the image of a distant planet engulfed in war, while typical for the Warhammer universe, is infused with unique features in the text, such as a complex structure, disrupted connection with time, themes of guilt and redemption, etc. The main research methods are comparative and hermeneutic approaches. The methodological basis includes the works of Yu. M. Lotman, M. M. Bakhtin, V. N. Toporov, and other researchers. The study shows that the planet Fedra combines features of many mythological images: a dangerous and unknowable space of forests; a river-labyrinth embodying the image of the river of the dead; Fedra is simultaneously hell and purgatory for various heroes. The key characteristics of the space can be described as illogicality, danger, and unknowability. These motifs are intensified by the disruption of the connection between space and time: a long journey through the tangled jungles actually takes less than a year, and one of the characters finds himself belonging to multiple temporal planes at once. Moreover, the space of the planet "turns inside out" many mythological motifs. Thus, the cultural hero, who undergoes trials and returns to humanity, brings not blessings and knowledge but blind faith and suffering. Consequently, the space in the novel combines features and characteristics of various fantastic and mythological spaces, while also creating new unique traits. This allows for a fresh perspective on familiar motifs and images in terms of their value content.