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Yaga
She's more than just a wicked old witch. Baba Yaga is a legend, usually known as that elderly woman who lives alone in the woods and grinds the bones of the wicked. But what if she was actually a sexy, smart, modern woman operating off of morally ambiguous motives?
A detective finds himself in a small, isolated town asking, what does the disappearance of a young heir to a yogurt empire have to do with some random lore about an old witch? Matched by an apprehensive local sheriff, a university professor with a taste for younger men, and a whole cast of curious characters, the Slavic myth of Baba Yaga twists into a new labyrinth of secret lives, ancient magic, and multiple suspects.
This genre-bending comedic fairy tale meets thrilling whodunit gives voice to an antihero of epic proportions while interrogating how her story has historically been told by men. From now on, you'll remember the name Baba Yaga for the right reasons.
A detective finds himself in a small, isolated town asking, what does the disappearance of a young heir to a yogurt empire have to do with some random lore about an old witch? Matched by an apprehensive local sheriff, a university professor with a taste for younger men, and a whole cast of curious characters, the Slavic myth of Baba Yaga twists into a new labyrinth of secret lives, ancient magic, and multiple suspects.
This genre-bending comedic fairy tale meets thrilling whodunit gives voice to an antihero of epic proportions while interrogating how her story has historically been told by men. From now on, you'll remember the name Baba Yaga for the right reasons.
144 pages, Paperback
Published May 18, 2021
297 people are currently reading
1871 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 352 reviews
March 9, 2026
yes i did read this bc of hudson williams i am a simple man
February 19, 2026
[4.75 stars]
I decided to buy a copy after seeing the news that Hudson Williams will be Henry. Not my usual genre but what a ride this has been!
Absolutely enjoyed how the story of Baba Yaga was adapted into this play, mixed with a modern day detective story and themes of magic, superstition, and female rage and justice (?). I was amazed at how beautifully this was written because it was immersive and detailed. I didn’t immediately figure out the twist at the end which was great.
I’m excited to see how this play would be as a series, and not just because Hudson will be in it. I truly loved the story, and I think there’s so many ways a series could further expand the world built here.
I decided to buy a copy after seeing the news that Hudson Williams will be Henry. Not my usual genre but what a ride this has been!
Absolutely enjoyed how the story of Baba Yaga was adapted into this play, mixed with a modern day detective story and themes of magic, superstition, and female rage and justice (?). I was amazed at how beautifully this was written because it was immersive and detailed. I didn’t immediately figure out the twist at the end which was great.
I’m excited to see how this play would be as a series, and not just because Hudson will be in it. I truly loved the story, and I think there’s so many ways a series could further expand the world built here.
February 19, 2026
So I read this because of Hudson Williams because I’m embarrassing but that was actually so good. It was exactly my kind of weird and I loved it.
February 22, 2026
will you come to my cottage this summer (baba yaga’s version)
February 28, 2026
I’m a huge fan of female rage, women’s wrongs, and Hudson Williams. This will be delightful on screen.
March 17, 2026
do not observe my behaviours that might reveal patterns in my motivations and interests
damn this was fun. i was wondering which of the many baba Yaga stories this is most based on and just from my personal extensive slavic lore knowledge it is Финист ясный сокол. in case you're curious to dig in. but yes, the play did all that i expected it to do! and i liked the casting choices. clever. i love the clever stuff in dramaturgy.
henry may you burn in hell 🖤 but not before hudson williams gets his full of you 🖤 yay 🖤
damn this was fun. i was wondering which of the many baba Yaga stories this is most based on and just from my personal extensive slavic lore knowledge it is Финист ясный сокол. in case you're curious to dig in. but yes, the play did all that i expected it to do! and i liked the casting choices. clever. i love the clever stuff in dramaturgy.
henry may you burn in hell 🖤 but not before hudson williams gets his full of you 🖤 yay 🖤
Want to read
February 19, 2026The power of Hudson Williams compels me to read this before the show airs.
March 5, 2026
4.5 ⭐️
Yes I read this because Hudson Williams is currently filming for the show. I can’t wait for him to play such a twisted character, especially with the range he’s demonstrated in his short films.
It’s been way too long since I read a play. I forgot just how entertaining and immersive they can be with nothing but dialogue and some set descriptions to paint a scene. Having known nothing about the myth of Baba Yaga before picking this up, I was immediately taken by the dark whimsy of a maybe-witch in the woods, and the mystery of Henry’s disappearance.
This was a very tonally interesting play. The majority of it reads as almost funny/jovial but without letting you forget there’s something darker that will come to head later on. When the reveal about the nature of Henry’s character came out, it was like all the lead-up fun got bottled up, and suddenly this was a completely sinister tale.
I liked pretty much everything about this. I don’t see the final twist coming, and loveee the way the Baba Yaga myth was molded and shaped by Kat Sandler, since even with no prior knowledge of it, I could tell she took interesting creative liberties with its execution. This was pure revenge and feminist rage and just so so good.
This has the potential to be a great show; I look forward to seeing it adapted!!
Yes I read this because Hudson Williams is currently filming for the show. I can’t wait for him to play such a twisted character, especially with the range he’s demonstrated in his short films.
It’s been way too long since I read a play. I forgot just how entertaining and immersive they can be with nothing but dialogue and some set descriptions to paint a scene. Having known nothing about the myth of Baba Yaga before picking this up, I was immediately taken by the dark whimsy of a maybe-witch in the woods, and the mystery of Henry’s disappearance.
This was a very tonally interesting play. The majority of it reads as almost funny/jovial but without letting you forget there’s something darker that will come to head later on. When the reveal about the nature of Henry’s character came out, it was like all the lead-up fun got bottled up, and suddenly this was a completely sinister tale.
I liked pretty much everything about this. I don’t see the final twist coming, and loveee the way the Baba Yaga myth was molded and shaped by Kat Sandler, since even with no prior knowledge of it, I could tell she took interesting creative liberties with its execution. This was pure revenge and feminist rage and just so so good.
This has the potential to be a great show; I look forward to seeing it adapted!!
February 20, 2026
Yesterday I found out Hudson Williams was cast in the screen adaptation of this play.
So today I read it 🫡
Fast-paced, witty, easy to picture as a show adaptation… but I’m also a sucker for a small town detective story, complete with motel and diner (and sometimes, like in this case, also Russian folklore).
ALSO I just need to say seeing 1. a Russia connection, 2. a character named Lily and 3. a chapter called "Cottage Found" in this screenplay has me losing my poor HR mind.
So today I read it 🫡
Fast-paced, witty, easy to picture as a show adaptation… but I’m also a sucker for a small town detective story, complete with motel and diner (and sometimes, like in this case, also Russian folklore).
ALSO I just need to say seeing 1. a Russia connection, 2. a character named Lily and 3. a chapter called "Cottage Found" in this screenplay has me losing my poor HR mind.
March 4, 2026
3.5 stars rounded up.
I read this immediately upon learning Hudson Williams would be playing Henry in the TV adaptation and had a great time. Funny, dark, and feminist with a great twist at the end.
And, of course, I'm very excited to see Hudson play a character as as Henry.
I read this immediately upon learning Hudson Williams would be playing Henry in the TV adaptation and had a great time. Funny, dark, and feminist with a great twist at the end.
And, of course, I'm very excited to see Hudson play a character as as Henry.
March 11, 2026
We are all know why I am here (I love Slavic folklore) (and Hudson Williams)
It was a delightful read. I wish I could watch this play on stage.
4.75 ⭐
It was a delightful read. I wish I could watch this play on stage.
4.75 ⭐
August 5, 2023
"Are all women Yaga?"
February 19, 2026
I read Yaga because Hudson Williams is set to play Henry, and I can’t wait to see what he does with the role. The story is intriguing and sharp, with female rage and injustice portrayed in a raw, compelling and supernatural way. Now I’m especially excited to see how the TV adaptation fleshes the narrative out even more.
February 21, 2026
hell yeah this was greattt im so glad they got away with it. i CANT WAIT to see this on screen the casting is perfect omg. (hudson williams you’re a star.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2026
more comedic than i originally thought. love myth retellings, especially ones that reclaim female characters and give them justice. hudson is gonna body this. excited to see how they shape this into a tv series.
February 21, 2026
Did I read this book because of Hudson Williams? Yes, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
I loved this book because it includes elements I personally enjoy — small-town mystery, detectives, and folklore — such an interesting combination. Hopefully, a series adaptation will allow them to explore each character in greater depth. While reading the book, I understood why Hudson said yes to this, and I trust him to portray Henry well.
I loved this book because it includes elements I personally enjoy — small-town mystery, detectives, and folklore — such an interesting combination. Hopefully, a series adaptation will allow them to explore each character in greater depth. While reading the book, I understood why Hudson said yes to this, and I trust him to portray Henry well.
March 14, 2026
we all know why i am here but also this was custom engineered in a lab for me personally and i am so sad that i missed the chance to have seen the play on stage
February 20, 2026
yes i read this bc of hudson williams but i was actually way more invested than i thought i'd be cause this is definitely not my usual genre
February 20, 2026
as someone who grew up slavic i thought i knew all about yaga. my mom used to threaten me when i was a kid that if i misbehave baba yaga will come get me and eat me. this play however is a wonderful modern take on the tale of the old witch. it talks about all the prejudice, loneliness and fights that women are subjected to the moment they are born one.
(yes i did read this because of the hudson williams announcement sue me)
(yes i did read this because of the hudson williams announcement sue me)
February 24, 2026
i support women’s rights and most importantly wrongs
"Women? Oh, we’re angry about everything."
"Women? Oh, we’re angry about everything."
December 3, 2023
I'm a big fan of contemporary feminist revisions of fairy tales and other traditional stories, especially ones in which women are presented negatively (which is most fairy tales, to be honest). Sandler reworks the Slavic folk tale of Baby Yaga, an old witch who lives in a cabin on chicken legs in the woods and can grant wishes but also eats children and kills people. In Sandler's re-telling, a private investigator comes to a small town searching for a missing yogurt fortune heir, and he finds a twisted world of sex, mysticism, mystery, secrets, murder, chickens, and bad dogs. In this town, which has virtually no men in it, apart from Detective Rapp and Henry (the missing heir, whom we meet in flashback scenes), all other characters are female--though this never strikes Rapp as odd, and honestly I didn't really think much about it until the end of the play. He works with police Detective Carson and his prime suspect is Katherine Yazov, a professor in her sixties who was having an affair with Henry, but when it turns out she has an alibi he has to find a new suspect. However, when Elena, Katherine's mom, complicates the story with some Ukrainian folktales suspiciously reminiscent of the murder, Rapp is put on a path that leads him into a twisted world of magic, superstition, female rage, and punishment for sexual violence.
https://youtu.be/6GfT7waf3bE
https://youtu.be/6GfT7waf3bE
March 12, 2026
divertidíssimo!! fazia muito tempo que eu não lia uma peça e é muito particular o quanto você tem espaço pra imaginar os pormenores... tô super curiosa com o que vão fazer com essa história e doida pra ver meu primo maluco da praça hudson williams como o personagem ontologicamente mau-caráter henry park
February 22, 2026
like essentially everyone that's been reading this one currently, i started this because i heard that hudson williams was cast in the series adaptation for this. it was just an added plus that the synopsis sounded so intriguing to me. i honestly don't read too many plays (though i love watching them on stage), so sometimes i find the format can take a bit of getting used to, but once i did, this was such a fun ride.
i love a bit of legend. i love a bit of lore. and i especially love feminine rage and anything that brings focus or critiques traditional gender roles and expectations for women (particularly in terms of folklore). this play has all of that in spades. a cast of some fun, mysterious characters with some great dialogue.
admittedly, i do think that this would be more effective if i actually SAW it performed. sometimes i can't really see or feel the true essence of a script unless i see how it's interpreted on stage or through the screen...but that's also why i feel like this will make a really fantastic adaptation if done right. there's a lot to work with and i'm really excited to see how it all plays out in the adaptation!!
3.5/5
i love a bit of legend. i love a bit of lore. and i especially love feminine rage and anything that brings focus or critiques traditional gender roles and expectations for women (particularly in terms of folklore). this play has all of that in spades. a cast of some fun, mysterious characters with some great dialogue.
admittedly, i do think that this would be more effective if i actually SAW it performed. sometimes i can't really see or feel the true essence of a script unless i see how it's interpreted on stage or through the screen...but that's also why i feel like this will make a really fantastic adaptation if done right. there's a lot to work with and i'm really excited to see how it all plays out in the adaptation!!
3.5/5
February 23, 2026
The power of Hudson Williams brought me here.
Oh the feminist in me can’t wait to see him on screen and see his fate 😈
Oh the feminist in me can’t wait to see him on screen and see his fate 😈
March 11, 2026
"No one wants to credit a witch with a happy ending."
This was such a fun, snappy read!! I don't read a lot of plays, but this felt sooo cinematic. The way punctuation was used to cue the direction and rhythm of how characters speak over each other worked incredibly well. It made it really easily to visualise everything happening on stage (and in my head).
The dialogue was fantasic: darkly comedic, fast paced, and full of energy. I absolutely flew threw this. It's a compelling folklore retelling, and the blend of a modern-day detective story with magic and female rage makes for a great combo.
The whole thing felt super immersive from start to finish. Now I want to read more work in this format. And for other reasons... I'm also very excited for the television adaptation!!
This was such a fun, snappy read!! I don't read a lot of plays, but this felt sooo cinematic. The way punctuation was used to cue the direction and rhythm of how characters speak over each other worked incredibly well. It made it really easily to visualise everything happening on stage (and in my head).
The dialogue was fantasic: darkly comedic, fast paced, and full of energy. I absolutely flew threw this. It's a compelling folklore retelling, and the blend of a modern-day detective story with magic and female rage makes for a great combo.
The whole thing felt super immersive from start to finish. Now I want to read more work in this format. And for other reasons... I'm also very excited for the television adaptation!!
March 13, 2026
yeah i read this because of hudson williams, sue me. i don’t normally read plays but i quite enjoyed this
March 17, 2026
3,5/5
The things I do for Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie…. I liked it! Good intro to unhinged women fiction. If you want something similar, get into Mona Awad or Ava Reid 🤓
The things I do for Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie…. I liked it! Good intro to unhinged women fiction. If you want something similar, get into Mona Awad or Ava Reid 🤓
Read
February 19, 2026Hudson Williams brought me here, so I’m excited
February 20, 2026
RATING: 4.75/5 STARS
Twisted, crunchy, and so satisfying. Can’t wait to see this on screen!! Hudson Williams is PERFECT to play Henry, and Noah Reid as Rapp… already sat.
Twisted, crunchy, and so satisfying. Can’t wait to see this on screen!! Hudson Williams is PERFECT to play Henry, and Noah Reid as Rapp… already sat.
February 22, 2026
wow, never read a play before but coming here because of hudson hahaha, i love it,, the story is really interesting and got me hooked. can wait for the series
Displaying 1 - 30 of 352 reviews