Thanks for the shoutout! And also for the recommendation. I hadn't heard of Vodolazkin, will definitely add him to my list! Normally I don't find plot premises of "[character] digs deep into the past and learns about x character" to be a clincher, just because a lot of novels, especially in translation, have a premise of that sort. In fact, come to think of it I wonder if there's a conspiracy against the historical novel? But it sounds like this novel is healthily sophisticated in the good sense.