- Hardcover: 336 pages
- Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson; First Edition edition (11 Jan 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0297848224
- ISBN-13: 978-0297848226
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 14 x 3.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 506,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Special Assignments
and over 900,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
'Intricate, incredible, pleasurable.' (Jessica Mann LITERARY REVIEW )
'Fandorin is a delightful creation - a quirky gentleman sleuth who cuts an impeccably groomed dash through the courts and political intrigues of 19th century Russia...With an eccentric cast of supporting characters and a fleeting romance, Akunin's whodunit formula is irresistible.' (EASY LIVING (February) )
'a double treat for fans.' (Omer Ali TIME OUT (10-17 January) )
'Akunin brilliantly ratchets up the tension...and Fandorin's unveiling of the clues will keep you enthralled.' (Richard Mead FQ (January/February) )
'an excellent read.' (Laura Wilson GUARDIAN (13.1.07) )
'This...demonstrates Akunin's underlying seriousness of purpose in writing the Fandorin novels, whose clever devices and mischievous tricks disguise a determination to strip bare the extremes of human behaviour.' (Joan Smith SUNDAY TIMES (14.1.07) )
'The perfect Sunday afternoon read.' (Kath Murphy SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY (21.1.07) )
'ingenious and craftily plotted exploits.' (GOOD BOOK GUIDE (February) )
'this elegantly written book is fast-moving, witty and compulsively readable...The story packs a surprisingly powerful emotional punch, proving there's more to Akunin than jolly pastiche. Highly recommended.' (GLOSS MAGAZINE (March 2007) )
'Whether in skittish or sombre mood, Akunin is immensely readable (and excellently translated by Andrew Bromfield); the beguiling, super-brainy, sexy, unpredictable Fandorin is a creation like no other in crime fiction.' (Marcel Berlins TIMES (10.2.07) )
'Fandorin [is] a debonair combo of Sherlock Holmes, D'Artagnan and most of the soulful heroes of Russian literature...Andrew Bromfield's translation is key to maintaining the entertaining period pastiche...Fandorin is very much a figure from the time of his creation: an all-knowing yet taciturn functionary with a past in espionage and a love of Japanese martial arts working in a Russia beset by internal division.' (Roger Perkins SUNDAY TELEGRAPH (19.2.07) )
'Fandorin is a delightful creation - a quirky gentleman sleuth who cuts an impeccably groomed dash through the courts and political intrigues of 19th century Russia...With an eccentric cast of supporting characters and a fleeting romance, Akunin's whodunit formula is irresistible.' (EASY LIVING (February) )
'a double treat for fans.' (Omer Ali TIME OUT (10-17 January) )
'Akunin brilliantly ratchets up the tension...and Fandorin's unveiling of the clues will keep you enthralled.' (Richard Mead FQ (January/February) )
'an excellent read.' (Laura Wilson GUARDIAN (13.1.07) )
'This...demonstrates Akunin's underlying seriousness of purpose in writing the Fandorin novels, whose clever devices and mischievous tricks disguise a determination to strip bare the extremes of human behaviour.' (Joan Smith SUNDAY TIMES (14.1.07) )
'The perfect Sunday afternoon read.' (Kath Murphy SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY (21.1.07) )
'ingenious and craftily plotted exploits.' (GOOD BOOK GUIDE (February) )
'this elegantly written book is fast-moving, witty and compulsively readable...The story packs a surprisingly powerful emotional punch, proving there's more to Akunin than jolly pastiche. Highly recommended.' (GLOSS MAGAZINE (March 2007) )
'Whether in skittish or sombre mood, Akunin is immensely readable (and excellently translated by Andrew Bromfield); the beguiling, super-brainy, sexy, unpredictable Fandorin is a creation like no other in crime fiction.' (Marcel Berlins TIMES (10.2.07) )
'Fandorin [is] a debonair combo of Sherlock Holmes, D'Artagnan and most of the soulful heroes of Russian literature...Andrew Bromfield's translation is key to maintaining the entertaining period pastiche...Fandorin is very much a figure from the time of his creation: an all-knowing yet taciturn functionary with a past in espionage and a love of Japanese martial arts working in a Russia beset by internal division.' (Roger Perkins SUNDAY TELEGRAPH (19.2.07) )
Richard Mead, FQ (January/February)
'Akunin brilliantly ratchets up the tension...and Fandorin's unveiling of the clues will keep you enthralled.'
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I just didn't want it to end,
By Numinous Ugo (Edinburgh) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Special Assignments: The Further Adventures of Erast Fandorin (Erast Fandorin 5) (Paperback)
Although this consists of two shorter books, The Jack fo Spade and The Decorator, the two stories follow the introduction of the Tulipov character who blossoms as a character over the two stories rather like Fandorin does in The Winter Queen. Akunin has the knack of quickly sketching whole rounded characters whilst still keeping the narrative flowing and the reader on the edge of his/her seat.
The Jack of Spades is a slightly more light hearted battle of wits between Fandorin and the eponymous swindler. It manages the neat trick of turning the readers sympathies around in the middle of the story. The Decorator is a much darker affair and whilst the previous stroy has pace and a satisfying conclusion, its greater function in this context is as a prelude to this second story. A serial killer stalks Moscow and Fandorin along with his young pupil Tulipov are out to catch him/her(?) This is crime writing at its very best, what anyone could be wanting more than this from a crime novel is beyond me. This pairing of books is almost perfect.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shades of Black and White,
By
This review is from: Special Assignments: The Further Adventures of Erast Fandorin (Hardcover)
Unlike some other reviewers, I found 'The Decorator' to be a literary triumph. I'm not giving the game away by saying that it references the Jack the Ripper case to some extent - but more than that, it echoes the activities of the Russian serial killer Michael Pichuskin - the chessboard killer. Some of the motivations of the antagonist in the Akunin story echo those given by Pichuskin in his own defence. But of course, this is a fiction and the parallels can only be drawn so closely - the story is also a masterpiece of construction, of sleight-of-hand developments in the plot, unexpected but predictable if you know where to look.
If 'The Decorator' is the darkest of Akunin's stories so far, albeit leavened with his usual humour, then 'Jack of Spades' is one of his lightest - a delightful romp telling the tale of a conman and his wonderful assistant, who I for one desperately hopes will appear in a future episode. Boris Akunin affirms himself once again as one of the world's greatest living writers in any language.
14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Minor Fandorin adventures,
By
This review is from: Special Assignments: The Further Adventures of Erast Fandorin (Hardcover)
Special Assignments consists of two shorter stories where Akunin's detective Court Counsellor Erast Fandorin is called upon to solve two very different cases that threaten to cause grave embarrassment to the Russian Royal Court of the late nineteenth century. The novella format suits the stories, rounding out the background of the special investigator, his personal life and acquaintances and expanding on his abilities while still leaving the author room for some flashes of humour, literary referencing and light philosophising. Showing some variety in style and content, the two detective stories however are minor pieces, neither of them particularly fresh or original in the genre.
The Jack of Spades is an entertaining adventure of a cat-and-mouse chase between Fandorin and a clever conman and master of disguise who is not only making fools of the general public in Moscow, he has even taken in some prominent government officials with his schemes, leaving behind his calling card and causing major embarrassment for all concerned. It's an entertaining light romp, Akunin capturing the wonder of the detective's methods from the admiring viewpoint of a new assistant Tulipov who has been assigned to him. The Decorator is a much darker prospect. After the first Erast Fandorin novel Azazel/The Winter Queen, the reader will be accustomed not to expect Fandorin's investigations to run along too smoothly or without some serious consequences, and here his adversary is one of the most deadly - none other than Jack the Ripper himself. Akunin presents a strong and convincing psychological portrait of an intelligent and quite mad serial killer, but the appropriation of Jack the Ripper feels lazy, the investigation lacks focus and urgency, and some of the deaths that occur feel unnecessarily manipulative, the whole thing leaving a rather bitter taste in the mouth - and not in a good way.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
