Customer Reviews

The Winter Queen: A Novel (An Erast Fandorin Mystery)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

by an interesting author. I recommend you search the web for "Boris Akunin" interviews, as well as other reviews of this book (they are overwhelmingly positive). Since the Editorial Review above adequately describes the novel, I'm not going to re-hash it and perhaps inadvertantly spoil something for a future reader. Instead, I'll use this space as I believe it's intended (namely, to tell you what I liked and disliked about the book).

As one of the managers employed by the world's largest bookstore chain I am exposed to, and actually find the time to read, a great number of mystery books. As such, and despite the need to overlook some of the far-fetched aspects of the plot (but hey, what's a secret agent story without a bit of unreality), I hereby pronounce this book to be A CUT ABOVE THE NORM (that's an officially copyrighted term-of-art, of course).

Seriously, though, I found this book to be quite enjoyable for, mainly, three reasons: Beautiful language, such as the opening sentence, "On Monday the thirteenth of May in the year 1876, between the hours of two and three in the afternoon on a day that combined the freshness of spring with the warmth of summer, numerous individuals in Moscow's Alexander Gardens unexpectedly found themselves eyewitnesses to the perpetration of an outrage that flagrantly transgressed the bounds of common decency;" the exotic historical settings (1876 Russia AND England); and, most importantly, superior characterization. The author does a good job of evolving a likeable but naive and pampered low-level agent (Erast Fandorin) into a more experienced but still wet-behind-the-ears, high-level agent (keep in mind the Fandorin adventures will span 12 books and many years in Erast's life, so there are probably better showings to come from our hero). Where Mr. Akunin (whose pen-name translates from the Japanese, or so I've read, as "villain" or "evil") really excels is in his creation of likable/sympathetic/ruthless "bad guys." In my opinion, nothing completes a work of violent entertainment like a great villain (think Alan Rickman in Die Hard, if you'll pardon the switch from books to movies). While it is, admittedly, pretty easy to spot the bad guys from a jaded-reader point-of-view, I can understand why Fandorin doesn't suspect them earlier given his level of experience in things cloak and dagger. Regardless, Akunin is able to overcome minor weaknesses in the story through positive characterization and interesting plot twists.

On a final note, just so you don't think this book is just for mid-thirties, male, computer-chair Jim West's, the Winter Queen was also read and enjoyed by one of my co-workers, a book-devouring, semi-retired, 70+ year-old woman.

I hope you like the book.

If I hadn't known that the author of this novel is a contemporary writer, I would have absolutely believed that he lived at the time this book is set in, which is 1876. Akunin's knowledge of the Tsarist Russian culture is remarkable. The language, the style, and the very tone of the book are exactly what you would expect to see in a classic Russian novel of that time period.

On to the story. Meet Erast Fandorin, a handsome young police investigator, poor, unknown, naive, and somewhat shy, but eager to be the best sleuth and catch all those villains out there. His chance comes when he is assigned to work on the investigation of a rather unusual, public suicide of a rich university student. Things speed up from there, introducing new leads and new characters. What first looks like a tragic love story turns out to be an international conspiracy, and you will never guess who is the master mind. Well, maybe you will, but right where the author wants you to.

Highly recommended!

Boris Akunin's The Winter Queen was a very nice `read'. The first in a series, Akunin introduces us to Erast Fandorin, a young investigator newly hired by the Moscow police force. Erast comes to the police after his father's family fortune took a dramatic turn for the worse that jolted Erast out of a life of upper-income leisure into a career as a detective. Young, tenacious, intuitive, and more than a bit naïve, Erast is assigned to investigate a clear cut case of suicide. On its surface, an easy investigation designed to ease Erasts's entry into life as an investigator. Of course, all is not what it seems and Erast determines quickly that there is more to the case than a simple suicide. Erast (and Akunin) slowly peel away the layers of mystery and reveals in the process a world-wide conspiracy centered on a series of well run and maintained orphanages endowed by a rich, influential English noblewoman. Along the way Erast encounters love, lust, gambling, and avoids a series of death defying experiences. Standing alone the series of events described above sounds rather pedestrian. A well worn theme. However, the pleasure to be derived from this book is the setting, late 19th century Russia. Akunin has a keen eye for detail and atmospherics. He conveys (as does the excellent translation) a sense of what life must have been life in 19th century Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The book ends triumphantly but Fandorin's triumph turns bittersweet n the last few paragraphs. Although this made for a disconcerting jolt at the end of the book it is quite understandable when one considers that Winter Queen is the first in a long series of Fandorin mysteries. A happily ever after ending would not leave much room for drama in the next installment.

Some have compared Fandorin to Sherlock Holmes with a bit of Inspector Clouseau thrown in for good measure. I think Fandorin's character stands on its own and needs no comparison to other literary detectives. If I had to provide any sort of comparison it would be to the protagonist in Caleb Carr's The Alienist. The characters and story lines are quite different of course. The comparison lies in the impact of the historic locale (19th century New York City and 19th century Moscow) that forms the atmospheric heart of each book.

All in all this is a very entertaining piece of mystery writing set in an exotic locale. It is a perfect book to read on the beach, on a long plane ride, or sitting on a lawn chair in the back yard. I look forward to the next installment in the series.

It seems to me that one can not possibly ride the Metro (Subway) in Moscow without seeing someone sitting there, engrossed in a Boris Akunin book. Not being fluent enough in Russian to actually sit down and read a book from cover to cover (Yet), I always wondered what all the fuss was. Now, I see...great book by a wonderful author. My hope is that all of his books get translated.

To all those waiting for the new Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle -- the wait is over. This is a must-read for the lovers of high-quality mystery novels. The storyline is suspenseful and emotional, the setting is charming, the language is delightful. You will not be able to put it down. Honestly.

I was extremely pleased to discover the work of Georgian author Boris Akunin, since I have always been a fan of Russian literature and getting to experience a novel dealing with mystery / espionage from that origin was a real treat. If I had to define the writing style of Akunin, I would say that he creates characters that show the characteristic inner turmoil present in the work of several Russian authors, like Dostoyevsky, and uses storylines that can be mirrored with a mixture of John LeCarre and Arthur Conan Doyle.

This is the first installment of a series of eleven books (up to this date) featuring the Moscow detective Erast Fandorin, and was originally published under the title "Azazel". Our hero lives in the nineteenth century, and has been unlucky in life, since his family's fortune was lost quickly and completely, leaving him in a precarious condition and working as a catalyst for his decision of joining the police force. He is getting to know the ropes around the department when he is assigned to the case of a man that committed suicide in a park. It is supposed to be an open and shut case, but Fandorin's zeal and eagerness for knowing more about the poor individual leads him to discover a complicated web of lies and deceit, which at its center holds and international conspiracy.

I enjoyed how the author describes the thoughts of our main character, since this gives the story a depth that goes beyond the mystery at hand, and creates a bond with the reader that keeps us interested in the series. Besides Fandorin, there is an eclectic set of characters that provide the story with interesting dialogues and variety of personalities. Mixing a bit of espionage in the story helps too, since the pace picks up considerably when Fandorin goes around Europe trying to reach the bottom of the case. There are also a couple of very interesting and amusing comments regarding the invention of telephones and the origin of the Russian roulette, which I bet will get a smile out of you.

Finally, for those unfamiliar with Russian literature, let me warn you, since in most American novels you find that the author creates adversity as a prelude for the happy resolution and only occasionally breaks this pattern. This is not the way Russian literature works; but I guarantee that the excellent writing and interesting story will make it a pleasant experience anyway. In my case, I enjoyed the novel greatly and am looking forward to reading the next one in the series. There are a total of three books that have been translated to English thus far, and I hope that they hurry to translate and publish the rest.

If you like the detective-driven mystery genre, especially the old masters, you should enjoy THE WINTER QUEEN. Just when you think you know what will happen to our hapless hero, Erast, real life steps in and spins him in a different direction. Certain elements are expected, you will probably guess the villains' secret identities a little sooner than the detective, but other pieces will surprise and delight. The author and translator use a beautiful array of words which helps place the novel in time, so keep a dictionary near.

So FRUSTRATING!! Akunin's next book will not be out until April 27!!

This is a terrific book by an author who has evidently been selling huge numbers outside of this country for years. It is easy to see why.

Winter Queen is the first in the series that follows Erast Fandoring a very young policement in 1880's Moscow. The writing is very good (as is assumedly the translation) and the author captures the main character's youthful exuberance wonderfully. There is a certain innocence and humor underlying the writing that is very entertaining.

Through luck and youth's belief in infallibility and immortality, Fandorin stumbles into discovering an international plot. It is a typically good mystery as the plot winds into this conspiracy. Mr. Akunin then rewards the reader by making the primary culprit pretty obvious -- but then it blows the reader out of the water with an amazing ending.

It was impossible not to like the main character. The villains are an interesting lot. The plot is very good with the absolutely great ending. The place and times of the setting add to the book as well. I defy anyone who likes mysteries to read this one and not get excited about getting his hands on Mr. Akunin's next one. It promises to be an extremely entertaining series.

Such a small book and yet so richly packed. The translation is, well, delightful. You'd swear this book really was written in the 1870s. It's full of wonderful little details such as Russian Roulette being referred to as American Roulette, and Fandorin's boss having one of the first of a new invention called the telephone. The characters are intriguing, especially the neophyte detective Erast Fandorin. More than a few times I was thinking, "No! Don't do that! Pay attention to your job!" But, obviously he wasn't listening...
I was sad to see this book end and hope the rest in the series get translated NOW. If you like reading Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky (is that spelled right?), give this a shot. It's not as deep as those authors, but it captures their styles well.
Also, this had one of the most shocking and devastating endings I've read in a book in a LONG time. I am still trying to deal with it.

We learn from the book-jacket (and from the description above) that Akunin has sold millions of books in Russia, and that The Winter Queen is the first in a series of novels involving 19th century criminal investigator Erast Fandorin. I stumbled across this book on a table in Harrod's, and if the rest of the series are as fast-paced, witty and well-written as this one I am a new Akunin fan.

The book takes place in 1876 Moscow, where a good-looking, wealthy young gentleman approaches some ladies in the park and shoots himself in the head. Some in the Criminal Investigation Department wish to close the file immediately, an obvious suicide by a lovesick youth, but young Fandorin, a newcomer to the department, takes the investigation seriously. He starts uncovering all sorts of interesting secrets and conspiracies, taking him to London and back. Along the way he must deal with attempts on his life, learn how to gamble for high stakes, preserve his honor by issuing a challenge to a duel, and decide whether an agent in London is trust-worthy or a double-agent.

Some here have likened Fandorin to James Bond, or a Russian Sherlock Holmes, but he doesn't really fit either bill since he is too young, naive, eager to please and vulnerable compared to those classic characters. At various times in the novel Fandorin prepares to meet his maker, including one chilling scene in London where he gets to take a swim in the Thames, Harry Houdini style. We know he must make it to the next book in the series, but he seems to make it by the skin of his teeth. I agree with the reviewer who likens him more to the young protaginist from Caleb Carr's The Alienist, a much closer match in my opinion.

The language of the novel can get a little wooden at times, common especially with translated works, but the dialogue occasionally sparkles, and Akunin is trying to emulate a late 19th century style. Overall I enjoyed this book immensely, and will have to look for some of the later books in the series. Four stars.