Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* RelationshipLabelingProblems: Varya has some trouble mentally labeling her relationship with Petya, eventually settling on "former husband and future fiance" (they lived together for a long while as a ChastityCouple, he proposed to her before going to fight in the Russo-Turkish War, and she plans to accept that proposal). She does tell Petya she'll marry him. Later, as she gets many more attractive suitors, she begins to reconsider again and only doesn't reject Petya out of pity. [[spoiler:Eventually, Varya still ends up with Petya, since by the last chapter, all of her other crushes are either dead, EvilAllAlong, or unable to commit]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* WokenUpAtAnUngodlyHour: Charles complains that he had to rise at four in the morning since he wasn't informed that the decisive battle wasn't to begin until three p. m., and he adds that waking up so early is like a death sentence to him. [[spoiler:Considering he is really [[BigBad Anwar Effendi]], the brilliant spy and chief of Turkish secret police, we never know how much of that is the truth]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 1,2 (click to see context) from:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_0687.JPG]]
to:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 39 (click to see context) from:
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Anwar Effiendi, naturally enough since he was a pupil of Lady Astair, the Well Intentioned Extremist of the first novel. At the climax Effiendi tells Fandorin that autocratic, backwards Russia must be stopped in its grasping for power, so the more liberal, enlightened West can win out.
to:
* VillainousCrush: Downplayed. Anwar admits to being slightly in love with Varvara, but explains he can't afford to take such feelings too far since they would distract him from his global-scale goals.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Anwar Effiendi, naturally enough since he was a pupil of Lady Astair, theWell Intentioned Well-Intentioned Extremist of the first novel. At the climax Effiendi tells Fandorin that autocratic, backwards Russia must be stopped in its grasping for power, so the more liberal, enlightened West can win out.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Anwar Effiendi, naturally enough since he was a pupil of Lady Astair, the
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Not So Different has been renamed, and it needs to be dewicked/moved
Deleted line(s) 29 (click to see context) :
* NotSoDifferent: Fandorin and Anwar Effendi.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 23 (click to see context) from:
* ElSpanishO: When Varvara Suvorova finds herself stranded with no money or documents in a Bulgarian village, she attempts to encourage herself that Bulgarian language is simply Russian with "-ta" added to every word. Fortunately for her, she never gets to find out if it's true, because the first person she encounters speaks fluent Russian.
to:
* ElSpanishO: When Varvara Suvorova finds herself stranded with no money or documents in a Bulgarian village, she attempts to encourage herself that Bulgarian language is simply Russian with "-ta" added to every word. Fortunately for her, she never gets to find out if it's true, true (it's certainly not), because the first person she encounters speaks fluent Russian.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 7,8 (click to see context) from:
Fandorin is serving in the army as a way of sublimating his grief after the tragic death of his newlywed bride at the end of ''Literature/TheWinterQueen''. He brings word that the Turks are advancing on the strategic town of Plevna and the Russians must take it first. However, when the orders for the Russian army arrive via telegram, they are for an attack on a different, irrelevant telegram. Varvara's fiancé Pyotr, who sent the telegram, falls under suspicion. Meanwhile, Fandorin receives intelligence that a Turkish secret agent named Anwar Effiendi has penetrated Russian army intelligence, and is likely responsible for the altered telegram. It falls to Fandorin to ferret out the spy.
to:
Fandorin is serving in the army as a way of sublimating his grief after the tragic death of his newlywed bride at the end of ''Literature/TheWinterQueen''. He brings word that the Turks are advancing on the strategic town of Plevna and the Russians must take it first. However, when the orders for the Russian army arrive via telegram, they are for an attack on a different, irrelevant telegram.objective. Varvara's fiancé Pyotr, who sent the telegram, falls under suspicion. Meanwhile, Fandorin receives intelligence that a Turkish secret agent named Anwar Effiendi has penetrated Russian army intelligence, and is likely responsible for the altered telegram. It falls to Fandorin to ferret out the spy.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ElSpanishO: When Varvara Suvorova finds herself stranded with no money or documents in a Bulgarian village, she attempts to encourage herself that Bulgarian language is simply Russian with "-ta" added to every word. Fortunately for her, she never gets to find out if it's true, because the first person she encounters speaks fluent Russian.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
She also isn't the narrator. She is the POV character but the story is told in third person. See discussion page.
Deleted line(s) 24 (click to see context) :
* FirstPersonPeripheralNarrator: The whole novel is told from Varvara's point-of-view, but she isn't the actual protagonist, Fandorin is. And Varvara's endless flirtation with all the handsome men at Russian army headquarters has little to do with the main story.
Added DiffLines:
* SupportingProtagonist: The whole novel is told from Varvara's point-of-view, but she isn't the actual protagonist, Fandorin is. And Varvara's endless flirtation with all the handsome men at Russian army headquarters has little to do with the main story.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
in other words, she is not the protagonist
* FirstPersonPeripheralNarrator: The whole novel is told from Varvara's point-of-view, but she isn't the actual protagonist, Fandorin is. And Varvara's endless flirtation with all the handsome men at Russian army headquarters has little to do with the main story.
Deleted line(s) 37 (click to see context) :
* SupportingProtagonist: The whole novel is told from Varvara's point-of-view, but she isn't the actual protagonist, Fandorin is. And Varvara's endless flirtation with all the handsome men at Russian army headquarters has little to do with the main story.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* HistoricalInJoke: Why did the real-life Siege of Pleven happen? Because a Turkish spy misdirected the Russian army, of course.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_0687.JPG]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* TrainStationGoodbye: Ends with a crying Varvara, who CannotSpitItOut about her love for Fandorin, saying goodbye forever at the train station.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 22 (click to see context) from:
* FunetikAksent: How Akunin--or rather English translator Andrew Bromfield--gets across the strong accent of Irish reporter Seamus [=McLaughlin=]. In his first appearance Seamus says stuff like "Yoor a haroin, medam." After that the conceit is dropped.
to:
* FunetikAksent: How Akunin--or rather English translator Andrew Bromfield--gets across the strong accent of Irish reporter Seamus [=McLaughlin=]. In his first appearance When Seamus is speaking in English, a language Varvara doesn't understand, he says stuff like "Yoor a haroin, medam." After that When he's speaking in Russian the conceit convention is dropped.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ChessMotifs: The "gambit", as reflected in the title and explained by Anwar towards the end. A "gambit" in chess is a maneuver in which one sacrifices a piece to gain a strategic advantage. Anwar is prepared to sacrifice his own Turkey to deal a blow to Russian power.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* CallForward: Doubles as a CallBack, as Anwar makes the same point about the looming dangerous future that Lady Astair made in ''The Winter Queen''.
--> '''Anwar''': But lurking within Russia is a terrible threat to civilization. There are savage, destructive forces within her, forces that will break out sooner or later, and then the world will be in a bad way.
--> '''Anwar''': But lurking within Russia is a terrible threat to civilization. There are savage, destructive forces within her, forces that will break out sooner or later, and then the world will be in a bad way.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 18 (click to see context) from:
* {{Expy}}: Oddly, with just a tweak of the spelling, as this novel's Mikhail Sobolev is an obvious stand-in for the real-life [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Skobelev Mikhail Skobelev]].
to:
* {{Expy}}: Oddly, with just a tweak of the spelling, as this novel's Mikhail Michel Sobolev is an obvious stand-in for the real-life [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Skobelev Mikhail Skobelev]].Skobelev]], who was in fact a commander in this war.
Added DiffLines:
* OnlyAFleshWound: Anwar dismisses Varvara's concern after he shoots Mitya, telling her that he only shot Mitya in the thigh. A bullet to the thigh will cause the victim to very rapidly bleed to death if it hits the femoral artery.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* StandardFemaleGrabArea: "Paladin had reached out his left hand, grasped her tightly by the elbow, and pulled her toward him, protecting himself with her like a shield."
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 31 (click to see context) from:
* WhamLine: Fandorin's sense of style leads him to unmask the villain in this way. After arriving in San Stefan and cordially greeting Varvara and Sobolev, he turns to Paladin and says "''Salaam aleichem'', Anwar-''Effiendi''".
to:
* WhamLine: Fandorin's sense of style leads him to unmask the villain in this way. After arriving in San Stefan and cordially greeting Varvara and Sobolev, he turns to Paladin and says "''Salaam aleichem'', Anwar-''Effiendi''".Anwar-''Effiendi''".
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Fandorin eventually figures out that the duel in which Paladin kills Colonel Lukan was Paladin's way of getting rid of Lukan, his co-conspirator who was no longer useful after helping lead the Russians into a bloodbath at Plevna.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Fandorin eventually figures out that the duel in which Paladin kills Colonel Lukan was Paladin's way of getting rid of Lukan, his co-conspirator who was no longer useful after helping lead the Russians into a bloodbath at Plevna.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* SupportingProtagonist: The whole novel is told from Varvara's point-of-view, but she isn't the actual protagonist, Fandorin is. And Varvara's endless flirtation with all the handsome men at Russian army headquarters has little to do with the main story.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* SummationGathering: Although Fandorin didn't summon them there. The gang is in San Stefano, about to advance into Constantinople itself, when Fandorin shows up, unmasks Paladin as Anwary, and then explains the mystery.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 20 (click to see context) from:
* MrFanservice: D'Hevrais
to:
* MrFanservice: D'HevraisInWhichATropeIsDescribed: Old-style chapter titles appropriate to the time setting.
Changed line(s) 28 (click to see context) from:
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Anwar Effiendi, naturally enough since he was a pupil of Lady Astair, the Well Intentioned Extremist of the first novel. At the climax Effiendi tells Fandorin that autocratic, backwards Russia must be stopped in its grasping for power, so the more liberal, enlightened West can win out.
to:
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Anwar Effiendi, naturally enough since he was a pupil of Lady Astair, the Well Intentioned Extremist of the first novel. At the climax Effiendi tells Fandorin that autocratic, backwards Russia must be stopped in its grasping for power, so the more liberal, enlightened West can win out.out.
* WhamLine: Fandorin's sense of style leads him to unmask the villain in this way. After arriving in San Stefan and cordially greeting Varvara and Sobolev, he turns to Paladin and says "''Salaam aleichem'', Anwar-''Effiendi''".
* WhamLine: Fandorin's sense of style leads him to unmask the villain in this way. After arriving in San Stefan and cordially greeting Varvara and Sobolev, he turns to Paladin and says "''Salaam aleichem'', Anwar-''Effiendi''".
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* BrickJoke: Each chapter of the book starts off with a newspaper clipping that provides a bit of exposition. In Chapter 4 Paladin says he could write an article about absolutely anything, and is dared to write an article about his dirty old boots. The next chapter starts with Paladin's newspaper article "Old Boots".
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* FunetikAksent: How Akunin--or rather English translator Andrew Bromfield--gets across the strong accent of Irish reporter Seamus [=McLaughlin=]. In his first appearance Seamus says stuff like "Yoor a haroin, medam." After that the conceit is dropped.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* DecapitationPresentation: Varvara is terrified to see that one of the Bashi-Bazouk partisans has a severed human head tied to his saddle.
Added DiffLines:
* SpyFiction: Mostly martini-flavored, with dashing heroes in dramatic situations.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 15 (click to see context) from:
* DubNameChange: Charles d'Hevrais became Charles ''Paladin'' in Bromfield's translation of ''The Turkish Gambit'' (justified because [[spoiler:"d'Hevrais" (French "from Hevrais") is a huge giveaway of Charles' real identity, namely, Anwar Effendi (born in the town of Hevrais); it works well in Russian because the Cyrillic spelling of "d'Hevrais" and "Hevrais" are almost nothing alike but in English, it would be a ruinous spoiler]]).
to:
* DubNameChange: Charles d'Hevrais became Charles ''Paladin'' in Bromfield's translation of ''The Turkish Gambit'' (justified the English translation. justified because [[spoiler:"d'Hevrais" "d'Hevrais" (French "from Hevrais") is a huge giveaway of Charles' real identity, namely, Anwar Effendi (born in the town of Hevrais); it works well in Russian because the Cyrillic spelling of "d'Hevrais" and "Hevrais" are almost nothing alike but in English, it would be a ruinous spoiler]]).spoiler).
Changed line(s) 18 (click to see context) from:
* MyCountryRightOrWrong: Averted with Anwar Effendi, the Ottoman super-spy, who is perfectly willing to sacrifice his own country for sake of stopping autocratic Russia and winning time for the liberal powers of the West.
to:
* MyCountryRightOrWrong: Averted with Anwar Effendi, the Ottoman super-spy, who is perfectly willing to sacrifice his own country for sake of stopping autocratic Russia and winning time for the liberal powers of the West.West.
* NotSoDifferent: Fandorin and Anwar Effendi.
* OfficerAndAGentleman: Several, but especially Sobolev.
* SpyDrama: Fandorin is hunting a Turkish spy.
* StressVomit: Subverted when Varya throws up after spending days bandaging the wounded and, to top it off, learning that her fiance attempted suicide. She thinks that it's just stress but it turns out that she contracted typhoid fever, putting her out of commission for weeks.
* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: A habit of Akunin's throughout the series, happening in this book for the first time. Count Zurov, a pivotal character from ''The Winter Queen'', pops back up in ''The Turkish Gambit'' only to be killed off.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Anwar Effiendi, naturally enough since he was a pupil of Lady Astair, the Well Intentioned Extremist of the first novel. At the climax Effiendi tells Fandorin that autocratic, backwards Russia must be stopped in its grasping for power, so the more liberal, enlightened West can win out.
* NotSoDifferent: Fandorin and Anwar Effendi.
* OfficerAndAGentleman: Several, but especially Sobolev.
* SpyDrama: Fandorin is hunting a Turkish spy.
* StressVomit: Subverted when Varya throws up after spending days bandaging the wounded and, to top it off, learning that her fiance attempted suicide. She thinks that it's just stress but it turns out that she contracted typhoid fever, putting her out of commission for weeks.
* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: A habit of Akunin's throughout the series, happening in this book for the first time. Count Zurov, a pivotal character from ''The Winter Queen'', pops back up in ''The Turkish Gambit'' only to be killed off.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Anwar Effiendi, naturally enough since he was a pupil of Lady Astair, the Well Intentioned Extremist of the first novel. At the climax Effiendi tells Fandorin that autocratic, backwards Russia must be stopped in its grasping for power, so the more liberal, enlightened West can win out.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 5,6 (click to see context) from:
Fandorin is serving in the army as a way of sublimating his grief after the tragic death of his newlywed bride at the end of ''Literature/TheWinterQueen''. He brings word that the Turks are advancing on the strategic town of Plevna and the Russians must take it first. However, when the orders for the Russian army arrive via telegram, they are for an attack on a different, irrelevant telegram. Varvara's fiancé Pyotr, who sent the telegram, falls under suspicion. Meanwhile, Fandorin receives intelligence that a Turkish secret agent named Anwar Effiendi has penetrated Russian army intelligence. It falls to Fandorin to ferret out the spy.
to:
Fandorin is serving in the army as a way of sublimating his grief after the tragic death of his newlywed bride at the end of ''Literature/TheWinterQueen''. He brings word that the Turks are advancing on the strategic town of Plevna and the Russians must take it first. However, when the orders for the Russian army arrive via telegram, they are for an attack on a different, irrelevant telegram. Varvara's fiancé Pyotr, who sent the telegram, falls under suspicion. Meanwhile, Fandorin receives intelligence that a Turkish secret agent named Anwar Effiendi has penetrated Russian army intelligence.intelligence, and is likely responsible for the altered telegram. It falls to Fandorin to ferret out the spy.
Changed line(s) 10 (click to see context) from:
!!Tropes:
to:
* BittersweetEnding: Fandorin manages to stop the villain's EvilPlan before its final and most disastrous (for the Russians) stage could commence, the villain ends up shooting himself, and the war is won, but it is very much a PyrrhicVictory, with a huge toll of casualties and a victory that Britain and France are guaranteed to undo at the peace conference. Fandorin himself [[ButNowIMustGo leaves for Japan]].
* TheCavalry: A literal example, as Sobolev's UsefulNotes/{{cossacks}} arrive to rescue Fandorin and Varvara from the Bashi-bazouks.
* CallBack: Towards the end of the first Fandorin novel, ''The Winter Queen'', one Anwar Effiendi is named as one of the agents of the Azazel secret society. He's the villain in this book.
* DubNameChange: Charles d'Hevrais became Charles ''Paladin'' in Bromfield's translation of ''The Turkish Gambit'' (justified because [[spoiler:"d'Hevrais" (French "from Hevrais") is a huge giveaway of Charles' real identity, namely, Anwar Effendi (born in the town of Hevrais); it works well in Russian because the Cyrillic spelling of "d'Hevrais" and "Hevrais" are almost nothing alike but in English, it would be a ruinous spoiler]]).
* {{Expy}}: Oddly, with just a tweak of the spelling, as this novel's Mikhail Sobolev is an obvious stand-in for the real-life [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Skobelev Mikhail Skobelev]].
* MrFanservice: D'Hevrais
* MyCountryRightOrWrong: Averted with Anwar Effendi, the Ottoman super-spy, who is perfectly willing to sacrifice his own country for sake of stopping autocratic Russia and winning time for the liberal powers of the West.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Tropes in a minute
Added DiffLines:
''The Turkish Gambit'' is a 1998 Russian novel by Boris Akunin. It is the second novel in the wildly popular Literature/ErastFandorin series.
It is set in 1878. Varvara Suvorova, a young woman of vaguely liberal political bent, has gone to the front of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Turkish_War_(1877–1878) the Russo-Turkish War]] to visit her fiancé Pyotr, who is in the army. All her luggage is stolen and she is left alone near the front, but she is rescued by one Erast Petrovich Fandorin.
Fandorin is serving in the army as a way of sublimating his grief after the tragic death of his newlywed bride at the end of ''Literature/TheWinterQueen''. He brings word that the Turks are advancing on the strategic town of Plevna and the Russians must take it first. However, when the orders for the Russian army arrive via telegram, they are for an attack on a different, irrelevant telegram. Varvara's fiancé Pyotr, who sent the telegram, falls under suspicion. Meanwhile, Fandorin receives intelligence that a Turkish secret agent named Anwar Effiendi has penetrated Russian army intelligence. It falls to Fandorin to ferret out the spy.
Adapted into a 2005 Russian film, ''Film/TheTurkishGambit''.
----
!!Tropes:
It is set in 1878. Varvara Suvorova, a young woman of vaguely liberal political bent, has gone to the front of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Turkish_War_(1877–1878) the Russo-Turkish War]] to visit her fiancé Pyotr, who is in the army. All her luggage is stolen and she is left alone near the front, but she is rescued by one Erast Petrovich Fandorin.
Fandorin is serving in the army as a way of sublimating his grief after the tragic death of his newlywed bride at the end of ''Literature/TheWinterQueen''. He brings word that the Turks are advancing on the strategic town of Plevna and the Russians must take it first. However, when the orders for the Russian army arrive via telegram, they are for an attack on a different, irrelevant telegram. Varvara's fiancé Pyotr, who sent the telegram, falls under suspicion. Meanwhile, Fandorin receives intelligence that a Turkish secret agent named Anwar Effiendi has penetrated Russian army intelligence. It falls to Fandorin to ferret out the spy.
Adapted into a 2005 Russian film, ''Film/TheTurkishGambit''.
----
!!Tropes:
