A summary of Boris Akunin’s "The Diamond Chariot" Automatic translate

"The Diamond Chariot" is a novel by Boris Akunin (real name Grigory Shalvovich Chkhartishvili, Georgian: გრიგოლ შალვას ძე ჩხარტიშვილი), published in 2003. The work is an addition to the series about the detective Erast Fandorin. The book consists of two almost independent volumes. The first is set in Russia in the spring of 1905. The second takes the reader to Japan in 1878, where a young titular counselor takes his first steps in the diplomatic field.

Plot chronology

The series combines the texts "Azazel," "The Turkish Gambit," "Leviathan," and others. "The Diamond Chariot" is the tenth book in the series. The text serves as a prequel to the earlier works. The reader learns the circumstances of the appearance of the servant Masa (real name Masahiro Shibata, Japanese: 柴田 昌弘). The author reveals the secret origin of Fandorin’s Eastern martial arts skills. The writer defines the genre as "ethnographic detective story." The text is replete with details of everyday life during the Meiji era.

Boris Akunin took an unconventional approach to the composition of the first volume. The text’s structure mimics that of the Japanese haiku poem. Each chapter is divided into fragments. Their number strictly corresponds to the syllables of the classical poetic form: five, seven, and five again. This literary play establishes a strict rhythm to the narrative. The character of the antagonist alludes to classical Russian literature. The writer borrowed the character of Staff Captain Rybnikov from a short story by Alexander Kuprin.

Hunt for the Acrobat

The events of the "Dragonfly Catcher" volume unfold in the spring of 1905. The Russo-Japanese War is raging, and the Russian fleet suffers a catastrophe at Tsushima. Staff Captain Rybnikov lives in St. Petersburg. He is a high-cheekboned, tongue-tied officer with a noticeable limp. He makes the rounds of offices daily, seeking trivial inquiries. The mask of a silly petitioner conceals an experienced Japanese agent. The spy receives a message from his father ordering him to attack the railroad. Rybnikov kills police detective Maksimenko with a physical touch — a deadly ninjutsu technique.

On the train, Rybnikov meets Glikeria Romanovna Lidina. The socialite has fled from the opera singer Astralov. During the journey, the spy drops a four-kilogram charge of melinite through the train’s toilet. The explosives destroy the Tezoimenitsky Bridge directly over a passing troop train. Heavy artillery is damaged, and soldiers are killed. Erast Fandorin is assigned to investigate the sabotage. The detective works as a freelance consultant for the railway gendarmerie department. His status as a freelancer grants him special powers.

A parallel investigation is being conducted by Yevstraty Pavlovich Mylnikov. The head of the surveillance service suffers from insomnia. An experienced gendarme nicknames the elusive saboteur "Acrobat" for his astonishing physical agility. Mylnikov finds a trail on Nadezhdinskaya Street, where people who had been in contact with Japanese agents are dying under strange circumstances. Fandorin organizes an ambush at the Moscow-Tovarnaya station. An engineer awaits the arrival of a shipment of melinite for an armed rebellion. A shootout erupts right in the mail car. Erast Petrovich kills one terrorist. The real mastermind of the explosions manages to escape.

The investigation establishes Glikerya Lidina’s unconscious guilt. She unwittingly served as cover for Acrobat. Her initial testimony led the police down a false trail. Fandorin visits the apartment on Ostozhenka Street. A study of telephone records leads the detective to the Moscow boarding house "Saint-Saens." The establishment is owned by Countess Bovada, aka Anfisa Minkina. Staff Captain Lisitsky taps into the telephone lines. Wiretaps reveal an extensive network of safe houses.

Mylnikov carries out a risky capture of a Japanese residency. The operation ends in failure. The chief loses three experienced detectives in an empty apartment. The shocked detective crawls across the floor and shouts "Banzai!" At the end of the first volume, Fandorin analyzes the train crash. He realizes the identity of the courier carrying the melinite. Erast Petrovich saw this man near the collapsed bridge. The saboteur wore the uniform of a staff captain in the army infantry.

Events in Yokohama

The volume "Between the Lines" sets the action three decades back. The reader sees the Japanese port of Yokohama in 1878. Erast Fandorin accepts the post of Russian vice-consul. The diplomatic mission is headed by the bilious but highly perceptive Vsevolod Vitalyevich Doronin. His assistant is the clerk Sirota, a man of mixed European and Japanese descent. Fandorin studies the foreign culture. The diplomat masters the language and is struck by the exceptional politeness of the peasants. At the same time, the official discovers the dark side of port life. He visits the criminal den "Rakuen" ("Garden of Eden"), where opium trafficking and illegal dice games flourish.

The first investigation concerns the death of retired Captain Blagolepov. The sailor’s daughter, Sofya Diogenovna, demands repayment of a debt. The brothel owner, Semushi, is withholding funds. Erast Petrovich encounters Japan’s shadowy syndicates. The consul witnesses the deadly techniques of a clan of skulking warriors — the shinobi. The heirs to the ninja tradition possess unique combat techniques. The old master, Momochi Tamba, becomes the mentor of the Russian official. The teacher teaches physical training and Eastern philosophy. The concept of the diamond chariot explains the spiritual path to enlightenment through overcoming pain. This concept shatters the hero’s old worldview.

It is in Yokohama that the diplomat saves the life of the yakuza Masa. The former gangster becomes the detective’s devoted bodyguard. The volume’s main intrigue revolves around Erast Petrovich’s affair with the beautiful O-Yumi ) Japanese: お弓). She maintains a relationship with the British businessman Bullcocks, a staunch political opponent of Russia in the Far East. A secret shinobi society tightly controls O-Yumi’s activities.

Connection of timelines

The love story unfolds against the backdrop of the division of Japanese concessions. The island empire opens its ports, provoking a conflict between diplomatic missions. The Russian mission confronts British agents. The ninja order manipulates Europeans for its own gain. The book’s denouement tightly intertwines both chronologies. In 1905, Fandorin corners Acrobat. The engineer realizes the saboteur’s true identity. The spy was born from a long-standing affair with O-Yumi. The shinobi clan specifically raised the boy to destroy Russian communications.

An encounter with the enemy turns into a tragic tragedy. The staff captain commits suicide. The agent remains loyal to the strict ninja code. Erast Petrovich reads his son’s suicide note.