Well, this is not for me, but it is a interesting and captivating adventure. It’s just that revolutions and wars are not my fav subject. So I will not read it again, even if it was an enjoyable read.
It starts in England. Malcolm Hay just got the job of going to Russia to manage some English mines or something, oil factories, whatever, and he’s told that he should first meet Israel kenski, an important man.
This is how he gets involved into the whole thing. What happens at this time, while in England, is that he sees and falls victim of the Grand Duchess’ charm, Irene Yaroslav. Prince Serganoff plans to arrest her or marry her, to her the choice, to get her father’s power and position. Sophia Kenski, Israel’s daughter, is against him and against any royalty, she is jealous of the duchess and working with the revolutionaries. The duchess is a great friend of Israel Kenski since she was a child, and he saved her life. The anarchists are in revolt against the Bolsheviks. Cherry Bim is an American gun-man approached by the rebels to murder the Grand Duke, but he refuses, and it will be him that will help the duchess against Serganoff.
Boolba was the man leading the meeting and wanting to hire Bim.
One year later, in 1914, Hay is in Russia, and he meets again the Grand Duchess when she steps forth to save the life of Israel Kenski. The peasants want to kill him because he is a jew, and because he is a millionaire usurer, and because Sophia revealed what he had told her, that he has a Book of All-Power with him, and they think it has powerful magic that will make anyone powerful. At this time, no one would dare harm her, but Hay is worried anyway, and helps her.
Boolba is the Yaroslav’s servant, butler. While trying to steal the Book, he is blinded by Israel Kenski.
Five years later, spring of 1919, the revolutionaries win, Boolba is a powerful man. Hay should go back home, and on his way he meets general Malinkoff, but it’s not easy to leave Russia now. When Boolba sees them, he has them put in a cell. Sophia Kenski is at Boolba’s side, and Irene is there sweeping and working for them. This is what Sophia said she promised herself back in England, but now she doesn’t seem to enjoy it all that much.
In the cell, Hay and Malinkoff meet Cherry Bim, who was stealing with a friend but when they got caught his friend died (something like that). Now he is the one that manages to help them all, by deceiving Boolba who still wants the Book, and acquiring some weapons he helps the other men escape.
Boolba sets Sophia aside, calls her a traitor and she’s arrested.
Hay and Malinkoff escape on a car, thanks to Cherry Bim who goes with him.
They drive to the place that Irene had told them about, in the off chance they could escape, so they reach Petroff’ house. Here they learn that Boolba is going to marry Irene that very night, and indeed this is what happens. He gives her a red dress with all red garments, while he wears his butler’s attire, and they get married, but that night she moves away from him, and she’s afraid but then Israel kenski appears at the window just like he did five years before, to knock him down and save her. He di not have the physical strength to kill him.
Kenski takes Irene to Petroff and the others. He gives his Book to Hay, telling him that he wishes Irene to have it. He doesn’t seem to care at all for his daughter’s fate, for she betrayed her religion and her father. He cares for Irene, as he always did.
Following Kenski, guards arrive at the house so they must escape. Kenski is injured and dies.
The others move on. They are afraid the car will be seen, and once they are stopped by guards, and once again it’s Cherry Bim who helps them.
Moving on, they arrive at a monastery. They stop to ask for food but the priest says he has nothing for them, and adds that his guests have taken everything, and that there is a great prince there. Hay is hopeful, some aristocratic might help them, but he will soon learn that it was Boolba.
Of course Boolba wants them arrested and Irene returned to him. They all manage to escape. Although this time Cherry Bim is alone, they still manage to save themselves, enough to reach a train.
Cherry, who only knows four words of Russian, finds the Book and thinks of burning a few pages to send a signal to stop the train, and he does rip them out of the bindings, but after one loo he puts it all away, and one might wonder why, and he’ll get his answers later :)
Boolba goes after them but this time he gets killed, and it’s the end of him. Good Cherry.
They finally get to Poland. Their plan now is for Irene to marry Hay, and live only on his salary, because she has nothing now, everything her father had was seized by the revolutionaries.
Cherry gives them the book. She opens it, and instead of spells or other such things, she finds that “every page was a Bank of England note worth a thousand pounds”.
Israel kenski died in poverty because all he had was taken away, but he managed to conceal a great deal through his love of binding books, and even if he was a thief and a gun-man, and even after he saw what the book contained, Cherry Bim still gave her the Book.
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento