Herkulesvár. This fictional settlement, located in the Danube Bend and intriguing even to historians, already carries in its name the essence of a novel interwoven with mythological elements. Here, on the Roman Limes, culture clashes with barbarism, and it is here that Péterfy places the dream fortress where a peculiar society of exiled citizens and aristocrats gathers around the Waldstein family. The novel captivated me from its very first pages with its powerful visuality: it opens with a description of an Instagram story, followed by images from a strategy game.