The Turkish Gambit
by Boris Akunin
The Russian Sherlock Holmes? I wouldn't go that far, kiddies, but Mr. Akunin's Erast Fandorin mysteries are fun to read as long as you don't pay too much for them.
This one is more of an historical exploration and perfect for a Russophile like Your Humble Servant.
Here is a sample that rings true to anyone familiar with late eighteenth century Russia:
The titular counselor buttoned up his collar and replied seriously: "If you live in a state, you should either ch-cherish it or leave it-anything else is either parasitism or mere lackeys' gossip."
"There is a third possibility," Varya parried, stung by the phrase "lackeys' gossip." "An unjust state can be demolished and a new one built in its place."
"Unfortunately, Varvara Andreevna, a state is not a house, it is more like a tree. It is not built, it grows of its own accord, following the laws of nature, and it is a long business. It is not a stonemason who is required, but a gardener."
Completely forgetting about her appropriate tone of voice, Varya exclaimed passionately: "But the times we live in are so oppressive and hard! Honest people are oppressed-they are crushed under the burden of tyrannical arrogance and stupidity. But you reason like an old man, with your talk of gardeners!"
Erast Petrovich shrugged.
"My dear Varvara Andreevna, I am tired of listening to whining about 'these difficult times' of ours. In Tsar Nicholas's times, which were far more oppressive than these, your 'honest people' marched in tight order and
constantly sang the praises of their happy life. If it is now possible to complain about arrogance and tyranny, it means that times have begun getting better, not worse."
*Who? Look here.
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