Novel by Maria Semenova “Valkyrie”: to the problem of genre

The problem of genre specificity of Russian fantasy is considered on the basis of the novel “Valkyrie” by M. Semenova. The connection of the images of the main characters of the novel and the images of the epic heroes and heroes is revealed. Conclusions are made about following the tradition of the heroic epic in depicting the main characters of Zima and Mstivoy, about the author’s desire to create an artistic reconstruction of ancient slavic history. Russian national identity, appeal to Russian history and mythology, traditions of Russian folklore, as well as the artistic embodiment of the ideas of Russian sobornost allow the genre of the work “Russian fantasy”.