Many people have a mixed attitude toward Boris Akunin’s History of the Russian State series, accusing him of oversimplification and highly personal interpretations. However, I still believe that the author has achieved at least one great thing—he got many readers interested in history who otherwise might not have wanted to delve into it. Take me, for example: I’m interested in history, but I can’t handle purely historical works. Akunin, with his style, usually makes such narratives engaging.
The volume Tsar Peter Alexeyevich is already the fifth book in the series, and it’s entirely dedicated to just one ruler, unlike the previous volumes.
However, this is the first volume that disappointed me more than it pleased. You’d think, with such a monumental figure like Peter the Great—arguably the most well-known tsar in Russian history—there would be plenty of material for an engaging story. With all his adventures and his breaking of traditional norms, there should be so much room for a captivating narrative.
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