Author Discovery: Boris Akunin

No matter how much I enjoy reading, I occasionally get bored. With all the ever-available information, lists, recommendations, and predictive algorithms embedded so helpfully in online vendor sites, I occasionally feel robbed of the sense of discovery. It is at these times that a well stocked used bookstore is particularly dangerous to the household budget.

On route to Maine earlier this summer, I was overcome by one of these moods while stopped in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Fortunately for my mood and unfortunately for the budget, Portsmouth has a couple of nicely stocked used bookstores and while browsing RiverRun Bookstore I was drawn to the cover art on a slim trade paperback in the mystery section. The book in question was Boris Akunin's Murder on the Leviathan which is, as it turns out, book three in the "Erast Fandorin" Series. I enjoyed it and searched out the two preceding novels in the series.

Akunin is a popular author in Russia who's several dozen books only recently have begun appearing in U.S. bookstores. Out of the 13 Fandorin novels, for example, only 9 have been translated and published here. Two of Akunin's "Sister Pelagia" series are available. The rest are unavailable as yet.

Akunin has a style of narration reminiscent of nineteenth-century works that fold character commentary into the flow of the story. Each mystery I've read so far uses a different point of view, often through a secondary character or series of secondary characters. The mysteries themselves are well crafted and the characters are intriguing. Having read the first three now, I have high expectations for the rest of the series and hope that the publisher continues to translate and release them. That being said however, there have been no new releases since 2008 and I suspect the publisher, Random House, has abandoned them.

Here's to hoping I'm wrong.

Birthday #33

Birthdays are funny things. They are a great time for reflection and reevaluation. They are also great excuses for parties. It's been a great day and a great week. I think it's time to restart the blog.