Испытание зверя

by Seiichi Morimura, Григорий Чхартишвили (Translator)

Произведения Сэйити Моримуры, популярного японского писателя детективного жанра, активно участвующего в антивоенном движении, неоднократно издавались в СССР.
Роман "Испытание зверя" повествует о росте коррупции в деловых и политических кругах современной Японии, разоблачает попытки возрождения милитаризма в стране. Напряженная борьба добра со злом, происходящая не только в обществе, но и в душе главного героя, оканчивается трагическим финалом, поражением одиночки, пытающегося искоренить пороки капиталистического мира. Роман Сэйити Моримуры отличает яркая гуманистическая и социальная направленность.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Mizuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess it's a 3. 75 read, it's fast paced, the story is interesting and the murder mystery is well developed enough to keep you entertained. Plus underdog-strikes-back theme is always a favorite of mine. And I really like how the author, Seiichi Morimura, expresses his distaste toward the large enterprises and their exploitative nature through his writing. (Oh, the guy expressed exploitation so well without having to utter one Marx-related word)

However, I think the author had idolized his underdog male lead too much. Although I can admire the guy for snapping out of his role as an 'enterprise slave' and recovering his instinct for survival and then fight back, and I like the description of how the guy ends up blackmailing his former boss for his own reasons, still I can't overlook how cliched and wish fulfilling it is for the male lead to capture the fancy of not one, but two beautiful young women. *sighs*

[Zenoliu · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's easy to break down, and it's not failure that really shapes the breakdown, it's false hope. The choices that Aizawa didn't make wrong are blurred by Yoriko's blood ties, and does the Elvinia fungus really exist? Whether it exists or not may not even change the ending.