Boris Akunin is gradually approaching modern times in his works on the history of Russia. He has already covered the era of the empresses, followed by a novel about the most famous one—Catherine the Great. The reign of this remarkable woman has long attracted creative minds. In fact, the third season of a TV series about her is currently airing. And indeed, many fascinating events took place during those years as Russia underwent rapid changes. Naturally, this novel was expected to be filled with intrigue, adventure, and honorable duels—the typical swashbuckling flair.
However, even the title of the latest novel, The Fortunate Adventures and Reflections of Lucius Catin, seemed a bit disconcerting. It didn’t have the adventurous spirit one might expect. In his previous book about the era of Peter the Great, Akunin skillfully portrayed the times without delving too deeply into the specifics. Yet, while I devoured that book, this one was more of a gradual read, something I had to return to in bursts.
In this entire series, Boris Akunin essentially portrays the history of one family line. From the very first books to the present one, it’s all about the same branch, the same lineage. Not particularly fortunate, but always surviving just enough to produce another “loser” for the next book. Lucius Catin, the main character of the new book, is the son of the protagonist from the previous novel.
While I had my complaints about the previous book for its shallow take on the era and Russia of that time, this one goes even further—over half of the story takes place outside of Russia. Not that this is inherently bad. We get quick glimpses of the “surrounding context” before delving into a semi-fictional German principality that introduces us to progressive experiments of the time—many of which Russia, arguably, still lags behind in some areas.
At first, the utopia that our hero helps create seems so far-fetched, I had to stop reading and search the internet to see if it was based on any reality. It was hard to believe that during the times of serfdom in Russia, someone in Europe had the idea of assigning positions not based on birthright but on merit. The development of free public education and the foundations of modern banking systems sounded like a fairytale! But Akunin, while prone to embellishment, doesn’t typically stray into pure fantasy. It turns out that the ruler described in the book, Hansel—of a tiny duchy—was based on a real person: Leopold III Frederick Franz, a man of extraordinary intellect and dedication to the complex tasks of serving his people and small homeland. People like him did exist!
What’s even more interesting is that, through this utopia, Akunin not only showcases the best aspirations of modern liberals but also touches, albeit briefly, on the contemporary issue of refugees in Europe.
Then the narrative shifts back to Russia, where all these progressive aspirations quickly crash against the immovable rocks of Russian reality. Here, Akunin’s critical stance on Russian realities becomes quite apparent:
Lucius patiently explained, “Elections are called elections because you choose from several people.”
“Maybe that’s how it is in Germany. Here, elections are like this: there’s one person, and either they get chosen or they don’t.”
“And if I’m not chosen, will the same procedure apply to the next candidate?” Сatin asked, trying to grasp the peculiarities of the Russian election.
“Don’t worry,” his host reassured him. “You’ll be chosen. How could they not choose such a fine person?”
It’s worth noting that in this book, Akunin introduced yet another experiment. Each chapter had a special graphic marker that could be scanned using a mobile app. This would then offer a short (just a few minutes) video about the historical figures and events mentioned in that particular chapter.
An interesting idea, but incredibly inconvenient in practice. Watching videos on your phone is not exactly enjoyable. And if you’re reading the e-book version, it’s even worse—since you can’t scan the marker while it’s on the same device. Fortunately, all the videos were eventually uploaded to a website, where I watched them in peace: http://aristobook.com/. A nice but non-essential addition to the book.
As for the book itself—it’s very mediocre. The protagonist is neither here nor there, and you don’t even feel any sympathy for him in his struggles. There’s also very little about Russia itself. This is not what I expected from a book set during Catherine the Great’s reign.
My rating: 3/5
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