and her books
Beyond the Curtain
Part One
FANTASY,
ADVENTURE
EUROPE
MULTI-POV
Europe is a land of magic now.
Enter.
1st book in a fantasy series.
590 pages, paperback
Published by: Oknojinam Publishing
ISBN: 978-80-11-07762-4
Release: 1 February 2026
Until then, the book is available only in Brno (soft release) or sent by post from Brno.
Europe is a land of magic now.
“We exist,” wizards announced to the world, intending to rule it. They succeeded.
Ølsa’s family didn’t share that ambition. They fought a war against it. Now Ølsa is held hostage to her parents’ good behaviour and fights only for a scrap of normalcy and the privilege of being left alone. Until an ambitious coach picks her as the wild card for her team.
Safety in obscurity is gone. Everyone’s watching now. In the outskirts of the Realm, the dissent watches too. And they make plans.
In an allegory to European history and the Iron Curtain, Marie Lunga cloaks the continent behind an impenetrable, magical veil. She takes you inside, into a changed world where magic stretches the limits of what you can do, making it all the more important to remember what you should do.
But humans remain human – and we are flawed.
Marie Lunga is a Czech-born author who writes in English.
She has a law degree and a degree in teaching English. She now happily works in neither. After 20 years of writing, she dares to hope the results might be worth getting paid for.
In her other profession, she meets people from all over the world when welcoming international talent to her home city, and helps out at her family’s winery.
She runs when she needs to expand the plot and eats croissants when it needs straightening. Sadly, it needs straightening more often.
More on:
See more on Instagram
About
the author
News & Events
2 Dec 2025
Launched in Brno
Local (soft) release of the book
Magic begins in Brno (sometimes). Brno-based fantasy writer Marie Lunga released her debut novel “Beyond the Curtain” to Brno streets a month before it hits international shelves.
We met in Martinus Brno, one of the loveliest bookshop & bookcafés I've ever been to, with a gorgeous audience of some 50+ fantasy readers (or friends who felt obliged to come). What a beautiful start of the book's journey!
Brno Daily interview:
Interview: Marie Lunga, Author of New Fantasy Novel “Beyond The Curtain”
Here are my answers to some of the questions about the book and the writing process. "Why did you decide to write the book in English? What were the biggest challenges in a project like this?"
Jack Stephens, the editor-in-chief of Brno Daily, was an absolute darling to talk to. Thank you for this interview!
