The Tale of the Serpent's Heart
#2554.06 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2019 Reading commitment Low Radek Rak Last reviewed 2026-08-20
Overview
A standalone Polish-language novel (2019) by Radek Rak, original title Baśń o wężowym sercu albo wtóre słowo o Jakóbie Szeli. A peasant and a nobleman swap lives through sorcery during the real 1846 Galician peasant uprising, each retaining memories of both identities, weaving folk-tale fantasy together with a documented historical revolt. No English translation is confirmed as of 2026-08-20; Hungarian and Czech translations exist.
Mythic fantasy, Historical fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Tale of the Serpent's Heart (2019) core · 4.06 (3,868 ratings); Standalone novel; no sequel. Blends folk-tale/mythic fantasy with the historical 1846 Galician peasant uprising, per this project's existing genre-boundary-transparency practice for a work that sits between fantasy and historical/magical-realist fiction (critical consensus, including the author's own description of himself as a 'twórca fantastyki', treats it as fantasy).
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Tale of the Serpent's Heart? The Tale of the Serpent's Heart's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Tale of the Serpent's Heart finished? Complete (2019).
- How much reading does The Tale of the Serpent's Heart take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~464 pages).
- How is The Tale of the Serpent's Heart ranked? #255 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 3,868 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #255?
Ranked #255 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.06 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (3,868 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #254, The Once and Future King (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 1 book · Complete · 4k ratings · Ranks #255 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment mythic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Nike Literary Award (Fiction), 2020: won: The Tale of the Serpent's Heart; Poland's most prestigious general literary award, not genre-specific.
- Jerzy Zuławski Literary Award (Main Prize), 2020: won: The Tale of the Serpent's Heart; Confirmed via the award's own official site.
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Suggestions computed from what The Tale of the Serpent's Heart and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Wood Wife Mythic fantasy / Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.20
- Between Two Fires Dark fantasy / Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.18
- Kaikeyi Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.17
- Under Heaven Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.17
Official resources
- Publisher listing (Powergraph)
- Encyclopedic overview
- Jerzy Zuławski Literary Award, official winners page
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.06 across 3,868 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: The Tale of the Serpent's Heart (Radek Rak) admitted as a standalone novel accepted 2026-08-20
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Publisher listing: Baśń o wężowym sercu Tier 1
- Encyclopedic overview: Radek Rak Tier 2
- Trade/cultural review: Baśń o wężowym sercu Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-08-20
Rule: Registered as a single-work universe, the same category this project already uses for a complete, independently-published standalone novel. Sits at the boundary between fantasy and historical/magical-realist fiction, resolved in favour of fantasy per critical consensus and the author's own description of himself as a writer of fantastic fiction, the same genre-boundary-transparency practice this project has already applied elsewhere.