The Assassination Bureau, Ltd.

by Jack London

The Assassination Bureau kills people for money, but it also has a social conscience. The leader of the Bureau justifys these murders - until the day he accepts a contract to kill himself. Truly in Jack London fashion, it is a thriller not to be outdone even in these modern days -enough said until one reads it. A Collector's Edition.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Mystery, Adventure, American, Crime, Thriller

253 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

John Griffith Chaney, better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction.

London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of animal rights, workers’ rights and socialism. London wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam.

His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in Alaska and the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen".

Reviews

[Maedeh_P1H · Rating 4 out of 5]

این کتاب به دلیل مرگ جک لندن نیمه‌تمام باقی مانده بوده و توسط رابرت ال. فیش تکمیل و به پایان رسیده است.

[Ehsan'Shokraie' · Rating 3 out of 5]

چه قدرت یا حقی انسانی را وا میدارد که دیگری را بکشد؟ظاهرا هیچ لحظه ای یارای برابری با لحظه ای که انسان تفنگی در دست گرفته به سوی انسانی دیگر نشانه می رود ندارد و هیچ چیزی مست کننده تر از قدرت نسبت به آن نیست..زندگی پر از مرگ هاییست که برای قدرت یا برای تحکیم یک اعتقاد رخ داده‌‌‌..چه کسی می تواند بگوید چه درست است..

[Sajede · Rating 3 out of 5]

ایده‌ی جالبی داشت اما انگار درنیومد.
شخصیت‌پردازی اعضای سازمان هیچ عمقی نداشت و فقط چند تا اسم بودند.

[Vahid · Rating 4 out of 5]

دنبال یک کتاب از جک لندن می‌گشتم بنگاه آدم‌کشی به چشمم خورد طرح جلدش با طرح و عکسی از کلینت ایستوود (شاید مربوط به فیلم هری کثیف یا قدرت مگنوم ) که به کتاب ظاهری تجاری و بازاری می‌داد رمان عجیبی بود هم به خاطر سرگذشت کتاب و نویسنده و هم به خاطر موضوع جالبش.
محتوای رمان چالش و کشمکشی بود بین اخلاق و قانون، زورآزمایی بین جامعه و فرد و اینکه فرد مهم‌تر است یا جامعه؟
اخلاق و تعهد فردی تا کجا قابل اطمینان است؟
 وظیفه شناسی ( بدون در نظر گرفتن نفس عمل که مجرمانه است یا محترمانه؟ ) آیا مجاز است خودِ سیستم را از بین ببرد؟ ( به زبان ساده آیا چاقو دسته‌اش را می‌برد؟ )
فلسفه بافی‌ها و توجیه عملکردها چقدر در سقوط و تباهی نظام‌ها و بنیان‌های گروهی نقش دارند؟
کتاب تلاش دارد در قالب رمانی با سوژه‌ای عجیب،  به نقد گروه‌ها و افکار تروریستی که شمایلی شسته و رفته و ظاهری منطقی دارند بپردازد.
جک لندن ایده و طرح و امتیاز کتاب را از جوانی به نام Harry Lewis معروف به هال می‌خرد و دست‌نوشته ها را قبل از اتمام، در سال ۱۹۱۱ به مجله می‌سپارد تا در صورت پذیرفته شدن، پایانی برای رمان بنویسد که موفق نمی‌شود.  Robert Fish با استفاده از دست‌نوشته‌ها رمان را تکمیل می‌کند و کتاب ۴۷ سال بعد از مرگ جک لندن چاپ می‌شود.
قهرمان داستان، همنام نویسنده اصلی (هال) جوانی جستجوگر و اهل مطالعه سرنخی از بنگاه آدم‌کشی به ریاست دراگومیلوف به دست می‌آورد و ادامه ماجراها را از طریق او پی‌می‌گیریم. قسمت مربوط به آغاز ماموریت و جستجوی رییس و تلگرام‌هایی که وینتر‌هال از شاخه‌های مختلف سازمان دریافت می‌کند از بخش‌های به یاد ماندنی کتاب بودند.

[Δημήτρης · Rating 4 out of 5]

Πολύ ενδιαφέρον ανάγνωσμα. Είχε ροή και διαβαζόταν εύκολα. Βρήκα μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον και στις συζητήσεις περί ηθικής μεταξύ των χαρακτήρων. Είναι κρίμα που δεν το ολοκλήρωσε ο ίδιος ο Jack London αυτό το βιβλίο, θα ήθελα να δω το τέλος και όχι απλά τις σημειώσεις, αλλά και πάλι είναι ένα πολύ ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο.

[Murat Dural · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack London kitapları, şaheserleri yanında farklı, şehirli, "açıkça" felsefi bir noktada duran güzel bir kitap. Müthiş keyifle, heyecan ve akıcılıkla okudum. Açıkçası şaşırdım dersem yanlış olmaz. Tam bir senaryo, film aksiyonuna sahip. Denemeye açık, Jack London külliyatında başka bir dil, kurgu arayışıyla farklılaşan bir eser. Jack London, polisiye, gizem, aksiyon seviyorsanız bu kitabı da seveceksiniz.

[Nogol · Rating 4 out of 5]

توضیح : ترجمه ی این کتاب با عنوان «قتل با مسئولیت» محدود توسط حسین یعقوبی منتشر شده است.
این کتاب، یک نیشخند واضح به عقلانیت و فلسفه ورزی محض است.
داستان راجع به مردان قدرتمندی است که یک «آژانس آدم کشی» را اداره میکنند. اما تفاوت آنها با دیگر آدم کش ها، غربالگری سختگیرانه ای است که در انتخاب مقتول دارند؛ هیچ کس کشته نمیشود، مگر اینکه به لحاظ عقلانی و اخلاقی حذفش از سیستم اجتماعی به نفع جامعه باشد. اشتراک اعضای این سازمان در تعصب دیوانه واری است که در عین قانون گریزی، به تصویر خود از عدالت و قانون دارند. افرادی هستند که قانون جامعه را مسخره میشمارند، اما وقتی بحث بر سر قوانین خودشان و فلسفه شان است، در کشتن خود و دیگری لحظه ای تردید نمیکنند.
یه نظر من، این داستان بیشتر از هرچیزی عقاید مطلق و ایمان محض را تمسخر میکند. کسانی را که با هر عنوانی -دین، گرایش سیاسی، فرقه و...- عقیده ی محضی را برده وار، مقدس میشمارند، و بر همان اساس حکم و عمل میکنند‌.

جالب ترین نکته، مرگ جک لندن در بحبوحه ی نگارش این اثر است. در همان حینی که شخصیت های داستان، یک به یک با بازی شطرنج وار خود، یکدیگر را حذف میکنند، نویسنده نیز از بین میرود و شخص دیگری داستان را به پایان میبرد

[Simin Yadegar · Rating 4 out of 5]

سازمان آدم کشان ، آدم کشهایی پایبند به اصول اخلاقی و وجدان ، جانیانی فیلسوف و تقریبا دانشمند ، که گمان میکنند جامعه را از وجود افراد ناباب پاک‌میکنند و خود را مصلح میدانند ولی جک لندن فلسفه ی آنها را به زیر سوال برده و پوچی عقایدشان را اثبات میکند

[Esma T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sen nasıl bir yazarsın London? Nasıl bir yazarsın ki her kitabında yeni bir Jack London gösteriyorsun bize?
Her türe böylesine güzel uyum sağlayabilen bir yazar o. Suikast Bürosu bir macera romanı, London size hem macera sunuyor hem de heyecanı kontrol ediyor, bu arada da etik üzerine tartışmaya giriyor okurla. Açıkçası bu türe bu kadar güzel uyum sağlayacağını beklemiyordum ve şaşırttı beni, günümüz macera romanları ile kapışabilir bence.
Okuması oldukça zevkli bir kitaptı, fikri de kitabın ilerleyişini de çok sevdim. London'ın bu yönünü tanımaktan çok hoşnut kaldım, onun çok sevdiğim diğer kitapları (bkz. Martin Eden) kadar iyi bulup sevmesem de macera romanı olarak çok sevdim ve ilginç buldum. Karakterleri ile ahlaka bakış açısı ile keşfedilecek bir roman.

[Stacia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know a lot about philosophy, so this would probably be philosophy 101 for those who do, but I enjoyed the ongoing debate about ethics throughout the book. It's quite a morbid book (just look at the title & concept), yet also fun with a bit of a joie de vivre attitude. I will give you a George R.R. Martin type warning: don't get too attached to particular characters!

The book did have a note at the end telling how far London got in writing the book, as well as showing his notes for the remainder of the story. While Fish got the transition & tone correct (I hadn't noticed when it changed from one author to another), he apparently deviated quite a bit from London's original plans for the story. I felt that the sections by Fish, including the ending, fit the story well. Hardcore London fans might be disappointed that Fish didn't more closely follow London's original plans. I guess that's up to the individual reader, but I think the story stands well as is.

I know The Call of the Wild, White Fang and Other Stories is often assigned reading for high schoolers. It might be fun to trade it out for this lesser-known London book some of the time. There are plenty of discussion themes & ideas, as well as the conversation that can be had about the author's intent vs. having another author finish the story (differently) decades later. As I classified Poe's only novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket and Related Tales a 'lost' American classic, so will I classify this story as another 'lost' American classic. Worth reading.

[Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack London died before he finished writing The Assasination Bureau . He had scribbled notes that were interesting and horrifying about how he'd like it to end... like birds breaking their wings against boats, dead sharks beating hearts in the hands of fishermen, and an Irish Terrier that jumps off into shark infested seas, all the while the protagonist lays dying.....

All these images seem fitting for a London ending, especially an end about a story of a group of assassins that think they are still morally straight, even as they attempt to take the life of one of their friends. It doesn't end like that though. Instead, a man by the name of Fish ends the story completely different. Not to give Robert L. Fish a hard time but the ending was not befitting of a London novel. Matter of fact, my guess is that it is the very ending London tried to avoid--the easy one.

I remember reading the ending to The Call of The Wild and my mind was completely blown by the raw intensity of the last paragraph written. The ending of Call of the Wild is the reason it remains one of the only books I've read more than once.

The Assassination Bureau is about sheer madness, yet it ends in the most mundane predictable way possible. I found it extremely disappointing. I can't help but feel that London would have been unhappy about it too.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relatively short (for a London book) novel that was finished by a London scholar, based on Jack London's notes. It works. Like most of London's books, this one deals with personal ethics. The premise: A group of individuals realizes that the world would be a better place if only corrupt, evil people could be eliminated. So they form the the title company, which uses morality to determine who are worthy victims. But what if one person could convince the members of this association that they themselves are an entity that deserves to be eliminated? Now you have a nice cat & mouse game.

An action novel driven by ideas, like much of Jack London's work.

[Julian Worker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ivan Dragomiloff is the founder and mastermind of the secret Assassination Bureau, Ltd. The social reformer Winter Hall falls in love with Grunya, who is Dragomiloff's daughter. When Hall finds out who Dragomiloff is they have a debate and set an agreement whereby Dragomiloff would order his own execution if Hall proves to him that the bureau's assassinations were wrong.

Hall manages to achieve this proof to Dragomiloff's satisfaction and true to his word Dragomiloff orders his own execution. Dragomiloff realises he failed to lay sufficient stress on the social factors behind his assassinations, he realises they are socially wrong. His belief was that the assassinations are between individuals - killer and victim - but individuals are not individuals alone, they are part of a complex of individuals or society. That is where he erred and he then realises he was not justified in ordering the killings.

Dragomiloff orders his own execution. The chase goes from New York to Chicago, St Louis, and St Francisco before the final reckoning in Hawaii where the ending has overtones (at least to me) of 20,000 Leagues under the Sea.

Jack London died having written 109 of the 160 pages in this book. Robert L Fish finished the piece and it was first published in 1963 just before the JFK assassination.

[BrokenTune · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review first posted at BookLikes:
http://brokentune.booklikes.com/post/...

“You know it is our rule never to fill an order until we are satisfied that it is socially justifiable,” Dragomiloff observed quietly.

The Assassination Bureau is an organisation hired killers managed by the enigmatic Dragomiloff, but they do not just kill anyone for money. Oh, no. Their credo is that the killing must benefit society. And Dragomiloff and his madmen go to quite some lengths to ensure the background checks on their victims are thorough. However, one day, a client manages to convince Dragomiloff that he takes exception to one of their projects and hires The Assassination Bureau to assassinate Dragomiloff because of his mistake - the unjustifiable killing of a previous victim. And so the hunt begins...

When I thought of Jack London, I thought of Call of the Wild, White Fang and of the short stories about hobos traveling the country jumping from one railway to another that we read in eight grade English Lit class.

The very last story I would have associated Jack London with is The Assassination Bureau, which prior to reading I only knew as a film starring Oliver Reed and Diana Rigg. Having seen the film, I always thought of The Assassination Bureau being set in Europe in the 60s. I can't remember whether the film contained this or whether my memory just associates it with this setting because of the actors, but this is the image I get. So, it was quite a shock when I read that the actual book was set in the US in 1911.

I mean to think of 1910/11, years before the Russian Revolution, still years before the Great War even, and have a story that defies the social and philosophical boundaries which seemed to have enveloped most of the western world - it is just astounding.

[Serbay GÜL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bir kişinin öldürülüp öldürülemeyeceğine kendi etik kurallarına ve ahlak anlayışlarına göre karar veren filozof katillerden , entelektüellerden oluşan bir suikast bürosu. Ahlak anlayışlarını daha çok sosyalizm , işçi hakları, haksız para dağılımı gibi unsurlar belirlemektedir. Özetle öldürülebilir olması için kişi kesinle kötü olmalıdır. Bir gün birisi gelecektir ve kurbanlarının aslında o kadar da ölümü hak eden kişiler olamadıklarını ispatlayacak ve içlerinden birinin ölümü içi bu büroya baş vuracaktır. Tüm hikaye de tam olarak burada başlamaktadır.

Kitap sadece bir polisiye değil , politika ve felsefenin yanında , çılgın sosyolojik analizleri de içerisinde barındıran sağlam bir eser. Sizleri sosyalist bir milyonerle tanıştıracak kadar da ilginç bir kitaptır ayrıca. Ayrıca kitabın çıkış yılının Kennedy suikastıyla aynı yıla denk gelmesi de büyük bir tesadüftür herhalde :)

[Gözde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Etik uzerine carpici bir guzelleme.

[Kovalsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un gruppo di intellettuali con un alto senso della giustizia e della morale ha messo in piedi un’associazione denominata Anonima Assassini con il nobile intento di togliere di mezzo, su commissione, personaggi considerati nocivi per la società. Gente che si è macchiata di crimini o che porta danno e sofferenze nella vita della gente. E già qui veniamo posti di fronti all’annosa questione che ci attanaglia dai tempi di Raskol’nikov: uccidere una persona negativa e crudele può essere considerata in 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼 una forma di giustizia? Secondo queste persone è assolutamente così e sono in grado in maniera umanistica e soprattutto filosofica di giustificare i loro intenti e il loro operato. Ma un giorno in ufficio arriva una richiesta insolita: qualcuno ritiene che il capo supremo della Anonima Assassini, proprio per il suo contributo alla causa, deve morire, cosicché l’attività della sua associazione possa cessare.
Questo è l’ultimo scritto di Jack London, incompleto alla sua morte e portato a termine da Robert L Fish, traendo spunto dagli appunti lasciati da London.
La narrazione si mantiene sempre piuttosto viva, anche quando ci si accorge del cambio di penna, più o meno a metà. Il finale non è affatto scontato e la storia assume contorni sempre più da romanzo d’avventura, con inseguimenti e depistaggi vari.
Davvero molto interessanti i dialoghi fra i personaggi, nelle loro disquisizioni sull’etica, sulla morale e sul senso di giusto e di sbagliato. Questo prova una volta di più quanto fosse fervida e brillante la mente di Jack London che riesce in ogni suo scritto a infilare svariate materie e ad approfondirle anche in contesti romanzati e apparentemente distanti dagli argomenti in questione.
Bellissima lettura

[Masoud Niazi · Rating 5 out of 5]

جک لندن -بنگاه آدم کشی
داستان روایت جنایات یک آنارشیسم روسی است که تمام جنایات را به وسیله باند تروریستی
به اصطلاح" بانگاه آدم کشی "انجام میدهد اما بعد ها به خاطر تغییر عقیده حکم قتل خود را صادر میکند
نکته این است که کل مجموعه برده افکارشان هستند, و در قتل رییس خود حتی لحظه ای درنگ نمیکنند
و افرادی بسیار وظیفه شناس هستند
-داستان حاصل کار سه نفر است :ایده و موضوع داستان از (هاری لویس ),سیزده فصل آن به قلم خود جک لندن است ,و شش فصل آخر آن را (رابرت فیش )با استفاده از یاداشت های لندن نوشته در کل داستان عجیب ترین اثر جک لندن است بهر حال بنگاه آدم کشی جک لندن تازه هایی را به خواننده میشناساند و این بار دیگر سخن از برف و شکار . و حماسه قطب شما نیست

[Merve S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kitapçıda kitabı incelemek için elime aldığımda çalışan kişinin önerisiyle aldığım bir kitaptı, Suikast Bürosu. Çok yerinde bir tavsiye. Konusu, kurgusu, tartıştıklarıyla sıra dışı bir kitap okumuş oldum sayesinde.

Londonla kitap okumaya başlamadım belki ama Londonla kitap okuma alışkanlığım gelişti. Bu kitabıyla da sanki o günlere geri döndüm. İnanılmaz bir yazarsın London, kalemin hiç eskimeyecek...

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ultimo romanzo di Jack London rimasto incompiuto a causa della sua morte e infine terminato decenni dopo da Robert Fish basandosi su una serie di appunti di London stesso (anche se poi Fish decide di effettuare alcuni cambiamenti nel finale) e pubblicato per la prima volta nel 1963.
Un gruppo di assassini organizzati con una propria etica: eliminare dalla società solo le persone ritenute socialmente dannosi, tema tipicamente nietzschiano, ma cosa accade quando l'uomo da eliminare è il capo dell'organizzazione stessa? Quando l'uomo diventa esca e sicario di sé stesso? Non voglio anticipare altro, anche se ammetto che ho un po' l'amaro in bocca per il finale, quello pensato da London sarebbe stato più "trionfale" e coerente con il personaggio in questione. Ma senza il contributo di Fish forse non avrei avuto tra le mani questo piccolo gioiellino.

La santità della vita umana è un concetto sociale. L'uomo naturale non ha mai avuto esitazioni di sorta, quando si trattava di uccidere un proprio simile. Teoricamente io non dovrei avere rimorsi, e invece ne ho. Ora viene logico porsi l'interrogativo: come sorgono questi rimorsi? La lunga evoluzione che ci ha condotti alla civiltà ha forse radicato questo concetto nelle cellule cerebrali della razza? Oppure esso è dovuto all'educazione che mi è stata impartita durante gli anni dell'infanzia e dell'adolescenza, prima che io divenisse un pensatore indipendente? O non potrebbe essere dovuto ad entrambe le cause?

[LaCitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romanzo molto particolare in cui avventure e insegnamenti si alternano a raffinate cene accompagnate da disquisizioni filosofiche sulla natura del giusto e dello sbagliato, della giustificabilità del delitto e simili amenità.
È un libro gradevole, che si fa leggere con piacere, ma non posso nascondere che alcune delle tirate filosofiche mi hanno un po' annoiata. Va altresì detto che è un romanzo che dà da pensare sia sulla natura del crimine, sia su chi lo perpetra e perché

[Sinem · Rating 5 out of 5]

yalnızca kötüleri öldürmek için suikastler düzenleyen filozof, entelektüel katillerden oluşan bir büro. öldürecekleri kişinin kötü olmadığına ikna olunca kendi içlerinden birinin öldürülmesine başvurur bir adam. jack london çılgın bir sosyolog bence. kitap da şahaneydi

[Nicholas Martens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is bananas. A thought experiment dressed up as a spy thriller; like if Friedrich Nietzsche and John Buchan collided on the street and got the pages of their manuscripts shuffled.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack London's unfinished novel, finished by another. The premise is just fabulous; the leader of a gang of assassins-for-hire is hired to have himself assassinated by his own employees...chaos ensues, along with much philosphising and humour.

The moral enigma at the centre of the story is (weirdly) reminiscent of that faced by Gawain when he has to go to the Green Chapel - and in my mind the solution is the same, too.

The tone of the novel is uniform to such an extent that I did not notice the transition from London's own work to that of the person who finished the novel. Both authors were on top form for this one, which could be said to be in the same vein as The Sea-wolf, but with tongue stuck firmly in cheek.

[Masoud Safaei · Rating 4 out of 5]

نمایشنامه بنگاه آدمکشی رو در حین سفر به صورت صوتی گوش دادم
خب یه سری آدم بودن که به قول خودشون بیشتر فیلسوف بودن تا جانی، و فقط افرادیو میکشتن که اثبات میشد کشتنشون برحقه، یه سری اصولم دارن که اصلن به هی عنوان ازش کوتاه نمیان مثلا هیچموقع قرارداد کنسل نمیشه و ... از لحاظ داستان و شخصیت ها هم اصلن خسته کننده نبود و خب نقطه عطفم کم نداشت ولی خب این کوتاه نیومدن از اصول در کل منو به یاد نا انسان های تندرو مینداخت که اصلن منطق سرشون نمیشه و اتفاقا اونقدر خودشونو غرق افکار فلسفیشون میکنن که هیچ منطقی سرشون نمیشه
آخرم اینکه حتما یه بار گوش دادن به نمایشنامه رادیویی یا کتاب صوتی با راوی خوب رو امتحان کنید، شاید حسش مثل گرفتن کتاب تو دست نباشه ولی خیلی میچسبه

[Argos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Klasik Jack London kaleminden bir hayli uzakta. Zaten kitabın yarısı ona ait. Yarım bıraktığı bu hikayeyi Roert L. Fish yaklaşık onbeş yıl sonra tamamlamış. Jack London seviyorsanız hayal kırıklığına uğramamanız için okumaya kalkmayın diyorum.

[Mehran Soor · Rating 5 out of 5]

این کتاب پیچیده که خود جک لندن در قید حیات نتوانست پایانی برای آن پیدا کند دارای مفاهیم فلسفه ای است این کتاب را به همه شما پیشنهاد میکنم

[امیرمحمد حیدری · Rating 2 out of 5]

چنین ژانری از زبان جک لندن، موضوع تازه‌ای‌ست. اما در کل، آن‌چنان اثر فاخری در کارنامه‌ی لندن به‌حساب نمی‌آید.

[Sub Sakoul · Rating 5 out of 5]

«Ο κόσμος πρέπει να αναγνωρίσει τη συλλογική ευθύνη για απόδοση δικαιοσύνης, δε μπορεί πια να είναι στόχος λίγων εκλεκτών κι αυτοεπιλεγμένων. Η σωτηρία πρέπει να ρθει από μια μεγαλύτερη ηθικότητα από όση εμείς προσφέραμε. Πρέπει ναρθει από την αυξανόμενη ηθική του ίδιου του κόσμου…»

Ατελείωτες συζητήσεις περί ηθικής σε ένα όχι και τόσο σύνηθες εργασιακό περιβάλλον -κάθε άλλο θα έλεγα- ανάμεσα σε ανθρώπους που εργάζονται στο αρκετά πρωτότυπο γραφείο που αναλαμβάνει την διεκπεραίωση δολοφονιών έναντι αμοιβής η οποία όμως δεν φαίνεται να είναι ο πρωταρχικός στόχος της εταιρίας.

Οι εργαζόμενοι και κατ’ επέκταση δολοφόνοι δεν παρουσιάζονται ως βάρβαροι και άξεστοι που μοναδικός τους σκοπός είναι η αφαίρεση της ανθρώπινης ζωής, αντιθέτως είναι αρκετά έλλογα όντα τα οποία προσπαθούν με σύνεση να αποφασίσουν αν η δολοφονία που τους αναθέτουν κρίνεται δίκαια από ηθική άποψη και είναι προς όφελος της ανθρώπινης κοινωνίας. Μόνο τότε και αφού συμφωνήσουν όλοι μπορούν να προχωρήσουν στην εκτέλεση της.

Η παρέα των δολοφόνων – διανοούμενων δεν αφήνει τίποτα στην τύχη, φιλοσοφεί και στοχάζεται με τις ώρες με αποτέλεσμα η ιστορία να ξεπερνάει τα όρια της απλής λογοτεχνίας και να προβληματίζει ευχάριστα τον αναγνώστη με τις φιλοσοφικές προεκτάσεις και τον ορθολογισμό που διαπνέει όλους τους προβληματισμούς που θέτουν οι συγγραφείς.

«Ο χρόνος θα έπρεπε να κυριαρχεί και όχι να υπηρετεί τους ανθρώπους. Ο χρόνος βλέπεις είναι η τέλεια μηχανή, ο μηχανισμός του ρυθμίζεται από τα αστέρια που ελέγχονται από το άπειρο. Έφτιαξα κι εγώ μια τέλεια μηχανή, το Γραφείο».

Το καθήκον της ομάδας των στοχαστών – δολοφόνων απέναντι στην κοινωνία περιβάλλεται από κανόνες τόσο ισχυρούς που δε μπορούν να «σπάσουν» ακόμα και όταν κινδυνεύει ο ίδιος ο δημιουργός – αρχηγός της εταιρίας από το δημιούργημά του γιατί σε αυτούς τους κανόνες οφείλει την επιτυχία του. Αν και κάποια στιγμή ο ήρωάς μας λέει ότι «όλες οι πεποιθήσεις πρέπει να υπόκεινται σε αλλαγές αν ο σκεπτόμενος άνθρωπος θέλει να λέγεται λογικό ον» και δε μπορώ παρά να συμφωνήσω μαζί του!

Δογματικοί μέχρι θανάτου οι τραγικοί πρωταγωνιστές ισορροπούν εξαιρετικά ανάμεσα στην τρέλα και στη λογική, στο σωστό και το λάθος, παραμένοντας σταθεροί στα ανθρώπινα κίνητρα που ορίζουν τις πράξεις τους.

Εξαιρετικό φινάλε, στιγμές καταιγιστικής δράσης με κινηματογραφική τεχνική, χαρακτήρες που θα σας κερδίσουν από την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος και φιλοσοφικές συζητήσεις είναι τα συστατικά που κατ’ εμέ καθιστούν το βιβλίο ιδιαίτερο και διαχρονικό..

Από τα πιο εύκολα 5 αστέρια που έχω δώσει..μη χάνετε χρόνο!

«Είμαι άνθρωπος..ίσως αυτό, μακροπρόθεσμα, αποδειχθεί η μοιραία αδυναμία της φιλοσοφίας μου..»

[Alberto Valdés Tola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro Fascinante, original y, sobretodo, sesudo. En dónde nos permite adentrarnos en una organización secreta cuyo móvil no es más que matar a personas que han cometido injusticias en la sociedad. Partiendo de esta extraña premisa, London irá hilando una curiosa trama, en dónde aspectos filosóficos como el evolucionismo, el socialismo, la moral colectiva, la ética como motor rector de la existencia, el progreso como destino manifiesto de la modernidad, entre otros argumentos complejos; se entretejerán, en una alucinante historia de persecución obsesiva... no digo más, ya que, no quiero dar ningún spoiler.

A pesar de que es una obra inconclusa, la encontré coherentemente escrita hasta el final (en cuanto a su estructura y argumentos). Por otra parte, es un libro como pocos; muy entretenido, de momentos hasta hilarante en grado sumo (pero no grotesco), quizás algo absurdo (parte de su encanto particular en mi opinión), detectivesco sin llegar a la novela negra y, cargado de ideas interesantes que nos invitan a repensar nuestro mundo en clave filosófica-existencialista y sociológica.

Nos obstante, es una obra de lectura fácil, por no decir que la novela se lee sola. La trama es muy dinámica y los personajes memorables (uno llega a conocerlos, a conocer sus motivaciones y, por ende, a empatizar con todos ellos; lo que es un lujo en una novela tan corta). En fin, un libro que trasciende sus propios límites (en cuanto a su objetivo narrativo como literatura), embarcándonos en una aventura cuya simpleza (pocas descripciones y situaciones innecesarias para alargar la historia), no anula su grandeza narrativa y su expresividad como vehículo sugerente de ideas interesantes y críticas. Simplemente, una extravagancia en la literatura (Obviamente, en sentido positivo).Muy recomendable.