The Death of Achilles: A Novel (Erast Fandorin Mystery) | Boris Akunin

The Death of Achilles: A Novel (Erast Fandorin Mystery) | Boris Akunin | Delicious

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The Death of Achil...

	The Death of Achilles: A Novel (Erast Fandorin Mystery) Boris Akunin Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2006 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 19 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

In 1882, after six years of foreign travel and adventure, renowned diplomat and detective Erast Fandorin returns to Moscow in the heart of Mother Russia. His Moscow homecoming is anything but peaceful. In the hotel where he and his loyal if impertinent manservant Masa are staying, Fandorin?s old war-hero friend General Michel Sobolev (?Achilles? to the crowd) has been found dead, felled in his armchair by an apparent heart attack. But Fandorin suspects an unnatural cause. His suspicions lead him to the boudoir of the beautiful singer??not exactly a courtesan??known as Wanda. Apparently, in Wanda?s bed, the general secretly breathed his last. . . .

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The Assessor confronts the Assassin

Erast Fandorin's return to Moscow is marred by the death of his war-hero friend, The White General - Mikhail Sobolev. Although the apparent cause is an unexpected heart-attack, Fandorin, exercising his unusual observation skills suspects foul play. As he investigates the circumstances, it seems he's correct, but nobody is willing to acknowledge the reality. Fandorin, in fact, sees any support for his seeking the truth not only whither away, but become outright hostile. This is a very political crime, indeed. In an excruciatingly twisted and seemingly endless story, Akunin has again demonstrated the skills that have made him one of Russia's most popular contemporary writers.

Unlike some of the Fandorin books, such as "The Turkish Gambit" where our hero often seems limited to almost cameo roles, the "collegiate assessor" - his innocuous-sounding official title - is more present and accounted for in this story. He even demonstrates his skills at disguise to enter one of Moscow's less salubrious evening entertainment establishments in search of information for his quest. Although the politicians fail to provide Erast with any support, the "registrar's" time in the Orient enabled him to gain a helpmeet. Masahiru, who bears an interesting resemblance to Peter Sellers' "Kato" in the Inspector Clouseau films, has interesting tastes in both food and women. A samurai, he's taught Erast much, but is seriously challenged in adapting to the West. Still, it's a team with amazing potential. Akunin has a talent for giving us only a partial view of Fandorin. Even after four introductions, we remain uncertain of with whom we are dealing. Which certainly doesn't detract from the story.

In this tale, a new prose style and an unexpected element appear as a departure from the rest of the series. The style is slightly more open and there are flashes of humour rarely present in Akunin's work - if you set aside ironies. In many ways, this is the most "readable" of the Fandorin tales. Subtle differences from the rest of the series - it is less "imitative" than the previous books -providing it with a characteristic flavour. The element is to set aside over a third of the book to a [seemingly] new character - Achimas. Akunin develops this man in exquisite detail, weaving a compelling, if disturbing narrative around the forming of a dedicated killer. Known as Aksahir - the "White Wizard" - Achimas moves through Russia and into Europe building a reputation. With so much space dedicated to Achimas' story, it's clear that a confrontation with Fandorin is inevitable. Its resolution, of course, will have surprising twists. After all, this is Akunin! [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

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A remarkable series to say the least , with an incredible backdrop of Russia towards the end of the period of the Tsars. The one thought which crossed my mind when I put down the novel was , just where was Boris Akunin all this while. Erast Fandorin , a 24 carat hero, is one of the best sleuths that you will encounter in literature.
The setting is 19th century Russia flirting with enlightenment , with significant tension simmering with imperial neighbors. The nation is rocked with the death of its favourite general in rather suspicious circumstances, conveniently in the same hotel where Erast Fandorin is lodged. What follows is a remarkable story of unravelling layers of intrigue .Every murder seems to indicate an acceptable closure to the mystery , but a never say die pursuit by the detective takes you deeper into the darker forces involved. Fandorin has a remarkable Japanese man friday which tends to deviate from the usual diet of dumb counterfoils to brilliant detectives. Fandorin is Holmes with Zen nay a Bond with restraint. There's much more than just Fandorin to savor here. The rather brutal rural Russian setting gives rise to a diabolical assassin who almost proves too much for out hero.
Its a great commentary on Russian society during the 19th century, much as the pipe smoking Holmes characterises Britain. Never a dull moment , this is a book to savor.

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Complex, convoluted but in the end entertaining

This is the fourth Fandorin story to be translated (with kudos to Andrew Bromfield for a great job) of the eleven stories that Akunin has written. It would be great if the publishers could get moving and get more than one book translated each year. Much of this book is a continuation of the story line from the "Winter Queen" and the conflict between Erast and the assassin Achimas.

The book itself has an inventive structure. The first part (which is divided into chapters) deals with Erast and the 'Death of Achilles' (aka General Sobelev) who was a hero to most of Russia. We learn that the General was planning a 'coup d'etat' and that he planned to set himself up as Tsar. He dies though, inflagarante and this is just the beginning of the story. Erast is certain that the General was murdered but he is not sure why, how or on whose orders. As he works his way through the maze of misinformation, double and triple agents, just as he is about to confront Achimas, the first part ends.

The second part (where chapters are headlined by names) is the biography or history of Achimas. How he came to be an assassin for hire and his training and background. We even see how he first encounters Erast. In the end we follow him through the murder of Sobelev and fill in some of the information left out in the first part. Again this section ends as he is about to be confronted by Erast.

The third part is the short (only twenty pages, two chapters) where the two antagonists square off and we learn the identity of the man who has ordered the 'Death of Achilles' and why.

Though I would have preferred to read more about the six years that Erast spent in Japan (I assume there will be flashbacks in future novels) the background on Achimas is entertaining reading.

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great book!

i ordered this one and the 'special assignments' book at the same time and read them both back to back. the way that 'achilles' slips from fandorin's view to achimas's view is seamless and well crafted. the story moves quickly, and the internal politics between the different departments are just as interesting as the battle between our hero and his main adversary. i liked very much that akunin gives the antagonist a human side (as much as possible for a professional killer). the fact that fandorin is not entirely perfect, and he's not entirely invulnerable makes him so much more believable. this book is well worth your time if you loved earlier fandorin mysteries.

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excellent book

The author writes beautifully & this is well-translated.

The pages fly by. Terrific story, wonderful plot with twists & turns. Highly enjoyable.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

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