“Of all the pleasures given to a person, the most exquisite is to wiggle the brains.

In early 2018, Boris Akunin will complete his cycle of novels about the Russian detective Erast Petrovich Fandorin. In my opinion, this is a gorgeous detective collection written with love for the Russian language and the classic detective novel. It took Akunin almost 20 years to write a series of books. Together with the writer, the hero grew up. But, oddly enough, the books did not get worse from year to year.

For OM: writing a review in this thread with the permission of the site administration.

A little, perhaps, it is worth telling about the personality of the Author, since knowing some of the facts of his biography will allow us to understand why the events of the books are as they are.

Boris Akunin is a pseudonym behind which Grigory Shalvovich Chkhartishvili, a native of a Georgian-Jewish family, is hiding. "Akunin" is translated as "Scoundrel" (a mention of this is found in "The Diamond Chariot"). His immense love for Japan, probably, determined the choice of university specialization, Japanese historian. He is fluent in Japanese, translated a lot of history books into Russian. For some time he was married to a Japanese woman.

In Fandorin, as far as I can tell, there is a lot of Akunin himself, which is not surprising, because Erast Petrovich immediately fell in love with the readers and how else, if not through him, tell the Author?)

For this I stop wasting your time on reading reliable gossip and return to The adventures of Erast Petrovich Fandorin ... Akunin set himself the task of writing a whole series of novels using the techniques of classic detective genres. The series includes 15 books, each of which I talked about in separate reviews (according to the rules, you can add only 8 links, but reviews for all the books in the cycle are in my profile), and here I organize the information.

Five years have passed since Fandorin's departure from Russia, in the courtyard in 1882 - Erast Petrovich returns to the Golden-domed, where right upon arrival, on the report from Prince Yuri Dolgoruky, entrusts the task of investigating the death of the White General Mikhail Sobolev - the real Achilles of the Russian army.

This book is a detective story about an assassin. For the first time, the Japanese Masa helps Fandorin in his investigation, and there are references to the tenth book of the Diamond Chariot cycle. The book is divided into two, approximately equal in volume, but completely different in content, perception and response in me, parts. In the first, the main character is Fandorin, who is investigating the murder. And in the second - a complex, great and terrible person.

The score was averaged. For the first part I can put no more than two, for the second, no less than five. Generally, 4 out of 5.

All the same Moscow, all the same characters. Erast Petrovich finds himself a young assistant Tyulpanov, with whom he investigates one humorous and the second tragic case, packed under one cover.

"Jack of spades"(a detective about a swindler), in which they catch a cunning cheat who calls himself this nickname.

"The pike is not an easy suit. In all games, the youngest, only in bridge whist it covers both a worm and a tambourine. Conclusion: decide for yourself which game you play with life, and your suit will be the main one."

"Decorator"(detective story about a maniac), where you need to find the real Jack the Ripper.

“Ugly city and ugly people, I will make you beautiful.

It seems that Akunin came to his senses, or he was slapped on the back of the neck for a half-failed previous novel, but he took pride in a handful and wrapped it up that he didn't want to release the book again. Grade 5 out of 5 and nothing else.

6. State advisor

Fandorin settled in provincial Moscow, acquired a "retinue" of admirers who highly respect and love him, rose to a rise on the horizon, as the maestro of detective affairs unexpectedly came from St. Petersburg to catch a gang of terrorists who were killing the highest authorities in batches. In the last murder, they even managed to dress up like Fandorin and circled the guard of the General, who was then stabbed to death.

"The eternal misfortune of Russia: everything is mixed up in it. Fools and scoundrels protect good, martyrs and heroes serve evil."

A classic political detective story, in which the terrorists are young and hot, Fandorin is kind of stupid and in love, the women in her drive crazy all men who, by their occupation, must keep their minds cold. I didn’t like it, I rate it as taut 3 out of 5.

The time has come to crown the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II, everyone comes to Moscow for the coronation, including a huge number of criminals, including the cruel insidious Doctor Lind, who decided to kidnap the little Prince Mikhail Georgievich, and who carried out the idea.

- "What do you think of the new king?"

- "The last of Romanoff, I" m afraid "

The plot of the high society detective will revolve around attempts to simultaneously rescue the young Grand Duke and prevent this information from becoming public. An extremely amazing thing 5 out of 5.

This is my favorite book of the entire series. It is highly controversial. Everything consists of contradictions, confrontations, war and peace, deceit and loyalty, death and love. The Chariot is divided into two volumes:

"Dragonfly Catcher", whose actions unfold after the events of the Lover and the Mistress of Death. Fandorin returns from his trip around the world in 1905 and begins to investigate the case of espionage taking place inside the Russian Empire, which Japanese spies intend to destroy. The volume is short, but boring, personally for my taste.

"My dragonfly catcher,

Oh how far away you are

Today I ran in ... "

"Between the lines"- a kind of prequel to what will happen a few years later. Young Fandorin sailed to the shores of Japan to serve in the Russian consulate. On the day of his arrival, a Russian citizen was attacked, as a result of which he died. And Erast Petrovich begins to investigate the reasons that led to this. It sounds a little dry and not interesting, but this is the most "human" book of all fifteen. Fandorin is young, hot, and at times funny. And this is awesome! Most of the most important events of his life will happen in this book. Well, and in it, the reader will fall in love with Japan))

5 out of 5.

11. Jade rosary

A thick collection of ten stories of various sizes about Fandorin's adventures, among other books. In addition to Erast Petrovich himself, there will be heroes familiar from other books. Grade 3 out of 5.

12. Whole world theater

Erast Petrovich lived a good half century, became a decent person, returned to Moscow, where he met the theatrical prima Eliza Altairskaya-Luantin and lost his head from a woman with a name that belonged to his late bride. How to win the love of an actress? Of course, write a play for her in which she will shine. And along the way to unravel the business that caused several deaths.

It is a deep misconception to believe that a smart person is smart in everything. He is smart in matters that require intelligence, and in matters concerning the heart, he can be very, very stupid.

This is the first book in the cycle where senile marasmus became noticeable, which overtook Petrovich when they were not expected, namely at 53 years old. I did not expect such a setup from a nimble intelligence detective who develops body and spirit in every possible way. But no, old age did not spare Fandorin.

This book was the beginning of the disillusionment with Akunin. I appreciated her in 2 out of 5 .

13. Black City

Almost sixty-year-old Fandorin, chilled with feelings for his newly acquired wife, for some reason rolls to Baku, where her first film is being filmed and there for a long, long, long, long, tedious-tedious-tedious-tediously looking for a terrorist uncle ... nafig this generally read.

"Maybe this is old age? You can't wait for it from where. Not physical decay, not intellectual decline, but simply life energy runs out. When you run into an obstacle, there is no desire, as before, to jump higher in order to jump over the barrier. I want to sit down. , give up and be sad about the injustice of the world "

My mark 2 out of 5.

14. Planet Water

This is a collection of three stories, thrown under one cover, but not united by one idea. It makes no difference in what order you read, I will mention each as it was in the book:

"Planet water"- the story that happened to Erast Petrovich at a time when he decided to start looking for an underwater treasure. Fandorin leaves Moscow, dejected by the events described in "The Mistress of Death" and "takes a break", closely engaged in science and scuba diving on the island of Tenerife, where people from the "past life" find him, begging him to take up the case of the Lilia Maniac killing young girls. The story began just fine. I really missed the smart and sparkling Fandorin, but Akunin in this technocratic detective screwed everything up, piling up three boxes. Sat in a puddle in every sense.

"The worst defeat is that which was a victory in five minutes."

"Lonely sail"- the best that was in the book (the so-called nostalgic detective story). After the end of the events from the first part of "The Diamond Chariot", Fandorin leaves for Paris. He lives for pleasure, reads newspapers, from which he learns about one of his acquaintances. I will not describe in detail, so as not to spoil the pleasure of those who have not read previous books. It was for this story that I would put 5 sad estimates out of five possible, but Akunin chewed his tail and fucked everything up.

"Where are we going to sail?"- an idiotic detective. The name of the genre is telling, the story turned out to be stupid. Nothing. Time wasted first by Akunin's story and then by me reading it. I probably won't spend a little more on rewriting the content of nonsense.

Total I put the book stretched 2 out of 5.

15. I do not say goodbye

In the Black City of Baku, Fandorin is fatally wounded, after which he falls into an almost four-year coma. Having lost his wife, his fortune and everything in the world, except for the faithful servant of Masa, who does not leave the master even a step. Miraculously, the old 62-year-old Fandorin comes to his senses, interferes in the affairs of terrorist groups operating in the Russian Empire, and a year later falls in love with the third Elizabeth in his life, already at the dawn of his life. From the annotations and interviews with the author even before the book was published, it was clear to everyone that Fandorin would die in this book. Well, even the title hints at it. The main intrigue for me, disillusioned with the previous three books, was how this would happen.

A person, unlike a country, chooses his own hell ...

It turned out to be a book of exceptional mediocrity that did not need to be written and was not worth reading. By the way, there is no detective component in it at all, only mouse fuss at the level of the baseboard. Grade 1 out of 5.

I put the final grade of the series on the average, which came out of my own grades. It turned out 3.6 against the mathematical rules, rounded down. Although, after the WITHOUT end of the episode, I don't want to give her more than a two ...

The books were not published in the order in which the existence of this undoubtedly outstanding personality took place. If for the first reading the order of publication of the books will be enough, then you can reread it in chronological order for the sake of variety.

The complete chronology looks like this:
1876 ​​- the novel "Azazel"
1877-1878 - The Turkish Gambit novel
1878 - Leviathan novel
1878 - the second volume of the novel "The Diamond Chariot"
1881 - the story "Sigumo"
1882 - The Death of Achilles novel
1882 - story "Table talk of 1882"
1882 - play "Yin and Yang"
1883 - story "From the life of chips"
1886 - the story "The Jack of Spades"
1888 - the story of the Scarpey Baskakovs
1889 - the story "Decorator"
1890 - story "One tenth of a percent"
1891 - the novel "The State Counselor"
1891 - story "Tea Party in Bristol"
1894 - the story "Valley of Dreams"
1896 - The Coronation, or The Last of the Novels novel
1897 - the story "Before the end of the world"
1899 - the story "The Prisoner of the Tower, or the Short but Beautiful Path of the Three Wise"
1900 - the events of the novels "The Mistress of Death" and "The Lover of Death" develop in parallel
1901-1903 - the story "Planet Water"
1905 - the first volume of the novel "The Diamond Chariot"
1906 - the story "Lonely Sail"
1911 - the novel "The whole world is theater"
1912 - the story "Where Should We Sail?"
1914 - the story "The Hunt for the Odyssey"
1914 - the novel "Black City"
1918 - the novel "I Don't Say Goodbye!"

Why I love this series of books:

• Ah, what gorgeous and characteristic characters Akunin makes. "Shoot so shoot, love so love." There are geniuses, there are villains, courtesans, psychopaths, amazing professionals and outrageous robbers. Different nationalities, occupations, preferences and characters ... All this is in the books of the cycle. What is noteworthy, both good and bad characters are present among personalities of both sexes - Akunin does not perceive women as cardboard Mary Sushk, worthy only of a relationship with a man. No, there are heroes among them, there are schemers, criminals, saints, and extravagances. Who is not there))
• Some of the episodes are incredibly fun. I didn't think this would happen to me, but with the same "Leophanes" and the second part of "The Diamond Chariot" I spent nights with the company of books, not Morpheus. I remember that before that, this only happened with Harry Potter in the distant school years.
• The very personality of Fandorin - where without her. Erast Petrovich grows from novel to novel, we can trace how much everything that happens affects him. "With age" Fandorin turns into a super-human, but this is the other side of the Author's love for his creation, it seems to me. In the end, this is a character in the book: a hero, clever and just an amazing personality, what else should he be?)))
• Connoisseurs of the "golden collection of the detective genre" will surely see and appreciate a lot of references to the classic, beloved by everyone, literature. I don't see it, but I still enjoy reading pleasure)

Why I hate this series of books:

• A frankly mediocre end to a series of books. I couldn't even think about the fact that the AUTHOR could SO spoil my own character - it still started well ... But I had to stop at the Diamond Chariot. Well, as a last resort, on the Jade rosary, which read like a slight nostalgia for the times gone by. The last four books are Akunin's resounding recognition of his own worthlessness and incompetence as an author.
• Well, and a mediocre end to the plot. Those who have read the last book understand what I mean.
• On my bookshelf, thirteen books from the series are arranged in an ugly row. In ugly because, starting with volume 11, the publishing house began to pervert over the design - made the cover matte, not glossy, turns the title upside down, and then completely mirrors ... Where did the designers look ?!

And what is the bottom line?

My thirteen books will remain without continuation, because I frankly want to forget about it - there was no such episode in my life. Did not have! The last two from my collection, I hardly ever reread - they are nightmarish. But the start of the series was very promising. It is with great pleasure that I rediscover them from time to time.

And which of the books in the cycle do you love or NOT?

When I first came to Japan (the first time I went abroad at all), I had the feeling that I got from black-and-white cinema to color. The first day it was just painful for the eyes to look at all these colors. And then, when I returned to my country a year later, I saw it with different eyes: I had the feeling that I was in the film “My friend Ivan Lapshin”.

One of the most serious mistakes of all Putin years is Russia's policy towards our neighbors. We cannot only threaten constantly. In fact, Russia is a natural center in the space of the former Soviet Union. She always attracted from the periphery all the most talented also because the Russian language united all these countries. We must work to ensure that we are not afraid, but loved.

The woman whose pride is higher than curiosity has not yet been born.

My audience is a lady who wants to be conquered. Moreover, the lady is not monogamous.

It was the first of April. I was forty years old. I woke up in the morning and thought that my life was good. Professionally, everything is great for me. And I understand what will happen to me in ten and twenty years. And I became mortally bored. Many in my situation marry a girl who is twenty years younger, and I changed the genre of literature - I started writing detective stories.

The worst of atrocities is not theft or even murder, but treason. Never betray the person who trusted you. You can only deceive those who do not believe you; change is permissible only for those who do not rely on you.

I dislike young people in general, but I am suspicious of debutants. I'm not interested in youth. Well, hormones, well, jump-jump. We've seen, we know.

I love to play. When I was younger I played cards. Then I started playing strategy games on the computer. And then it turned out that writing detective novels is even more exciting than playing with a computer.

I've always liked stutterers. There is something defenseless about them, and defenselessness is a nice quality. Especially for Superman.

In Western culture, which certainly includes our culture, the key word is "why". But in the Far Eastern culture, the main word is “how”. And this is essential.

My grandmother was an old Bolshevik, and a real one. A participant in the Civil War, in her hand - she let me feel - sat a splinter from a White Cossack shell. And she was absolutely like that - "our locomotive is flying forward" and all that jazz. She was already old, sitting in front of the TV, dozing, but as soon as some revolutionary song sounded, she immediately shook her head like a war horse and began to sing along: "there is a stop in the commune."

I'm terribly distracted. I lost three phones this May. I generally lose everything. I've already got seven or eight wallets taken out. All the time I go and think about something. I had one nightmare story: I absent-mindedly erased an almost finished novel. My wife saved me - she copied the almost finished novel to her diskette.

Of all the pleasures given to a person, the most exquisite is to wiggle the brains.

For nobles who grew up in satiety and comfort, morality was easier. I believe that it is easier for a modern Swede to be good-natured, crystal-clear and tolerant than a Russian lieutenant from a distant garrison or an engineer from Zadneprokhodsk. All the more honor to the lieutenant and engineer, if they do succeed.

“A writer is such a hunter. Everyone is looking out for where the pheasant is sitting. If he sees - the gun offhand, bang-bang! And the pheasant is written down in a notebook, and then, plucked and fried, it turns out to be in a novel. "

While the Russian writer Boris Akunin (aka Grigory Shalvovich Chkhartishvili) hunts his pheasants, I, following the example of the writer himself, having no free time to read, listen attentively to every new line of the Water Planet audiobook.

This is the fourteenth book in the series "The Adventures of Erast Fandorin". I must admit that in the last novel I was upset - the too absurd death of the main character that everyone loved. The feeling that Boris Akunin was tired ... However, this is not so ...

By the way, why audiobooks, and not a paper or digital version ...

For me, audiobooks are a worthy alternative for all those who, in the era of information technology, have eye pain from reading, or, for people, due to their busy schedule, who do not have enough time to read, looking for free minutes in a busy work schedule.

Audiobooks do a good job of smoothing out a heightened sense of anger and minor moods from hours of congestion and traffic jams. I know many examples of combining fitness and books in audio format. Listening to books with headphones on a treadmill in the gym is debatable as a correct and convenient exercise, rather out of despair. In my case, this is a subway car, densely packed with people - in the morning and in the evening. Here, after all, there would be a desire.

But back to Boris Akunin. A small digression from the article itself: why, in fact, is Akunin a modern genius?

Many of the readers of the magazine about Russia will be surprised, they say, how so - why are you publishing quotes from someone who is famous not only for his novels, but also for his sharp criticism of the modern Russian government? You also call a genius.

We answer: First, there are two Akunins for us - one is a great writer, the other is an oppositionist. Secondly, our publication is independent of the authorities, private investors, pseudo-virtues, patrons of the arts or anyone else. We are actively expressing our vision of what is happening in Russia outside of political discussions. It can be right for some and wrong for others. "And who are the judges?"

In simple terms, we are not interested in spectacular behind-the-scenes games of this or that government or its representatives. At the same time, the role of the President of Russia is not in the least exaggerated. This is the only person who has done and continues to do everything in his power for his country, developing a huge country, turning it into a world power. Someone who promotes sports, not drunken dancing on stage ...

As for Boris Akunin, today we are talking primarily about the creativity of a person who occupies the first lines in the rating. And is it not popular recognition, or is this the root of human genius - to be successful, not like everyone else, to be one of the best writers in Russia ... And the political views, religion or gender of this or that genius person interests me very little ... more - the political Akunin is not interesting to me, he has his own position, and it does not coincide with mine. And Akunin is a writer - this personality is different, interesting. Understand what you want, there is Akunin - “bad” and there is Akunin, the one who is “good”, the one who is a genius ... Well, more than four hundred words have been said, and not a single quote from the genius himself. So,

The woman whose pride is higher than curiosity has not yet been born.))

Even if you are flying into an abyss, do not close your eyes with fear, but keep your eyes open - suddenly you will be able to grab onto something.

There must be someone in the world who needs only one thing from you: so that you are alive and that everything is fine with you.

The worst of atrocities is not theft or even murder, but treason. Never betray the person who trusted you. You can only deceive those who do not believe you; change is permissible only for those who do not rely on you.

It all depends on the type of your wine. If it is cheap, it will turn sour with age. If noble, it will only get better. Hence the conclusion: the older a person becomes, the better he is obliged to become.

- “You say:“ She's not worth the candle, Game of fate. Its plexus is dark. " But there are no unnecessary meetings, And coincidences are no coincidence ... "

Of all the pleasures given to a person, the most exquisite is to wiggle the brains.

Every man, somewhere in the world, has a woman created only for him. She is not better than others, but she is the only one who really needs him. And every woman also has such a man. Few people have the happiness of meeting. Or people meet and pass by, not recognizing their fate. This is a mystery that has no explanation.

If you respect yourself, you will not become hostile to someone who is not worthy of respect. You will not, if a mongrel barked at you, get up on all fours and bark at her in response.

- "The worst of villainy is not even to destroy a living soul, but to resurrect a dead soul to life, and then again, and already finally, to destroy" ...

Men are more like a canine family. As you know, they are primitive creatures and are divided into three main types: jackals, shepherd dogs and males. Each type has its own approach. The jackal feeds on carrion - that is, it prefers easy prey. Men of this type are fond of accessibility. […] The second category of men adores women who are weak and defenseless. Do not feed such men with bread - just let them save you and protect you. A good subspecies, very useful and easy to use. The main thing here is not to overdo it with soreness - men are afraid of sick women. […] The third type of men is the most straightforward and utterly devoid of imagination. Only something grossly sensual acts on them, like an inadvertently shown ankle. On the other hand, many of the great people and even cultural lights fall into this category.

-… When you find yourself in someone else's company, sit, listen, smile pleasantly and nod your head from time to time - you will be known as a well-mannered person and in any case you will not say anything stupid.

Europeans are consummate experts in all skill matters, they know perfectly well how. We, Asians, have wisdom, because we understand why.

Do not go away from the truth, no matter how terrible it may be, do not hide behind an illusion! And most importantly, do not punish yourself ... This is a test, a difficult exam that fate has arranged for you. I do not know why and who needs to subject a person to such a cruel test, but I know one thing: the test must be passed. Otherwise, the end, the disintegration of the soul.

Strength is the weakest and most short-lived of tools. Defeated by her, of course, will submit, but will only wait for the moment to free himself.

- How to make it so that those who have the talent and vocation for this, and not those who have ambitions and connections, rule?

The best sleepers are not those who have a clear conscience, but those who never had one.

Real beauty cannot be captured with a photographic lens; she is too alive and wrong, too changeable. Or maybe the whole point is that you perceive real beauty not with your eyes, but somehow differently.

It has long been known: talkers are best controlled by the silent, and the silent - the chatterbox.

Brave people often have terrible dreams. In reality, a person of this kind is used to suppressing fear by an effort of will, but at night, when control weakens, pictures creep out of the tightly walled dungeon of memory, from which the brave man wakes up in icy sweat.

The most dangerous type of mass epidemic is not the plague or cholera, but psychosis that affects entire segments of the population. Think back to the Danish Crusade. Or a medieval witch hunt. And what is war if not a mental illness that affects entire countries, or even continents?

In times of madness, only those who have received a mild dose of madness as a vaccine survive.

The loss of a loved one is a wound, a serious wound. But the wounds heal over time. Otherwise, the cemeteries of the whole world would be filled with double graves!

This is the only way it makes sense to live in the world. There is nothing to be afraid of making plans for eternity ahead, as if death did not exist at all.

In fact, heroism is a very regrettable phenomenon. The need for heroes and heroic deeds arises only in a critical situation, and in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, these occur due to human stupidity or dishonesty. Almost all the heroes that humanity admires are war heroes, which is natural, since it is difficult to think of a more critical situation. And if there are many heroes in a warring army, there is no doubt that an idiot is in command. A good general doesn't need heroes.

The worst of troubles is not when you want to go somewhere, but you cannot. The most hopeless is when you can, but you don't want to. Because there is nowhere.

Live and try to be happy, and if you cannot be happy, live anyway. Learn to appreciate what life gives you, and not yearn for what it took from you.

Man is like one, woman is like zero. When everyone lives on their own, the price is small for him, she is not at all, but as soon as they get married, a new number appears. If a wife is good, she becomes one by one and her strength tenfold increases. If it is bad, then it climbs in advance and weakens the man by the same amount, turning into zero point one tenth.

You still have to die, this cup will not pass you by. Why leave the hall without watching the performance to the end? What if the play, in which, by the way, everyone plays the main role, will surprise you with an unexpected development of the plot?

Women's happiness is the ability to move from one age to another. And a woman has three ages - a daughter, a wife and a mother.

And men ... They are like fire, which you warm yourself with and on which you cook food, but if you handle it carelessly, you will burn yourself painfully or burn out altogether.

Until you yourself stumble over a stone on which they have already fallen millions of times before you, you will not understand anything and you will not learn anything.

A person is born blind and does not receive his sight until death. But there are three Guides: Spirit, Mind and Body. They will pull your sleeves, pull everyone in their direction. The one who considers one of the Guides to be the main one will be mistaken. Know when and whom to obey. Only this will save you from delusions and will not let you go astray.

Just think, someone creaked with someone's bed springs ...

Every day of God is a gift, and gifts should be accepted with gratitude and appreciated. And even if it seems that nothing significant has happened, it is from a lack of mind or deafness of the heart. There are no empty days in life. At all. Unless for people who look - and do not see, listen - and do not hear. For a person who is attentive to himself and to the world, important events happen on a daily basis - at least in his soul.

If God created Adam first, and Eve later, then this does not testify at all that men are more important, but that women are more perfect. A man is a prototype of a man, a sketch, while a woman is a final approved version, revised and enlarged.

- The worst trouble ... - not fools and not expensive, but total rudeness.

Any obstacle, if properly treated, can be used as a pedestal or a springboard.

- "Moving towards a goal means more than achieving it." - There are so few of those in the world who understand this!

True patriotism, like true love, never shouts about itself.