The Slynx of the title is an imagined, ravenous, catlike animal that represents unknown dangers to the denizens of the civilization that exists in what remains of Moscow some two hundred years after the “Blast”; it is a community that persists in primitive, ridiculous and often brutal circumstances. Mice are the current source of food, clothing and commerce, as well as a source of humor. The artist, Luba Lukova, struck the perfect balance of creepiness and whimsy with her mesmerizing pile of mice. The author, Tatyana Tolstaya, is a great-grandniece of Leo Tolstoy.