The Death of Achilles [SEP] characters
The Death of Achilles
The Death of Achilles () is the fourth novel in the Erast Fandorin historical detective series by Boris Akunin. Its subtitle is "детектив о наемном убийце" ("a detective novel about a murderer-for-hire"). It was originally published in Russian in 1998; the English translation was released in 2006.
Plot.
Moscow, 1882. When Fandorin returns from Japan with his manservant Masa, he enters the service of Moscow governor Prince Dolgorukoi. Later that day, the
Alexander III's real younger brother, Vladimir Alexandrovich.
Allusions to the Iliad and other Greek myths.
As the title of the novel suggests, "The Death of Achilles" alludes to one of the main characters of the Iliad. However, the allusion is more complex than just the mere reference to general Sobolev's nickname, the Russian Achilles.
In fact, the "true" Achilles referred to in the title is the killer, Achimas Welde. The second part of the novel, which recounts the expert