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Arsène Lupin #20
Les milliards d'Arsene Lupin
Patricia, jeune Américaine, assistante de James Mac Allermy est très appréciée de son patron. Ce dernier a fondé, aux États-Unis, « Allô-Police », un journal à sensation qui relate les faits criminels, et il envisage pour sa précieuse secrétaire un bel avenir professionnel. Il n'ignore pas que la jolie femme a été séduite et abandonnée, à son grand regret, par son propre fils, lequel a finalement fait un mariage plus en accord avec sa fortune. Par suite de cette liaison, Patricia s'est retrouvée fille-mère, mais la présence de Rodolphe, son jeune enfant, lui donne le courage d'affronter la vie. Un événement va cependant donner une autre tournure à son existence.
Elle subit un soir, dans les locaux de l'entreprise même, une agression par un individu appelé «Le Sauvage» (The Rough). Elle est sauvée in extremis par un homme d'une force et d'une tranquillité rassurantes qu'elle ne connaît pas davantage mais auquel le bandit, étonné de sa supériorité, pose la question, étrange pour elle : «Serais-tu Arsène Lupin, par hasard ? »
Elle subit un soir, dans les locaux de l'entreprise même, une agression par un individu appelé «Le Sauvage» (The Rough). Elle est sauvée in extremis par un homme d'une force et d'une tranquillité rassurantes qu'elle ne connaît pas davantage mais auquel le bandit, étonné de sa supériorité, pose la question, étrange pour elle : «Serais-tu Arsène Lupin, par hasard ? »
277 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1941
10 people are currently reading
255 people want to read
About the author
Maurice Leblanc
2,064 books943 followersMaurice Leblanc (1864 - 1941) was a French novelist, best known as the creator of gentleman thief (later detective) Arsène Lupin.
Leblanc began as a journalist, until he was asked to write a short story filler, and created, more gallant and dashing than English counterpart Sherlock Holmes.
Leblanc began as a journalist, until he was asked to write a short story filler, and created, more gallant and dashing than English counterpart Sherlock Holmes.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 7, 2022
Δεν μπορώ να πω ότι μου άρεσε. Για πρώτη φορά, παρατήρησα ότι το γράψιμο του Μωρίς Λεμπλάν δεν μου άρεσε: μου φάνηκε βιαστικό, διεκπεραιωτικό και σε μερικά σημεία (μου φάνηκε) ασυνάρτητο. Κάτι που με έβαλε σε σκέψεις και για τα προηγούμενα Αρσέν Λουπέν που έχω διαβάσει...
Επιπλέον, η έκδοση είναι αντίστοιχη της τιμής που την κοστολογεί ο εκδοτικός (1€). Πολλά μεταφραστικά και τυπογραφικά λάθη, και αυτό που μου έκανε την πιο αρνητική εντύπωση είναι ότι δεν χρησιμοποιεί σημεία στίξης για τους διαλόγους (ούτε παύλα, ούτε διπλά εισαγωγικά) με αποτέλεσμα να μην καταλαβαίνεις αν διαβάζεις παράγραφο ή διάλογο και ποιος μιλάει... :-Ο
Επιπλέον, η έκδοση είναι αντίστοιχη της τιμής που την κοστολογεί ο εκδοτικός (1€). Πολλά μεταφραστικά και τυπογραφικά λάθη, και αυτό που μου έκανε την πιο αρνητική εντύπωση είναι ότι δεν χρησιμοποιεί σημεία στίξης για τους διαλόγους (ούτε παύλα, ούτε διπλά εισαγωγικά) με αποτέλεσμα να μην καταλαβαίνεις αν διαβάζεις παράγραφο ή διάλογο και ποιος μιλάει... :-Ο
December 26, 2022
Δεν ήταν τόσο καλό όσο το περίμενα, αλλά από την άλλη μου άρεσε η προσέγγιση του Λουπέν και η αλλαγή της στάσης του. Ήταν ένας άνθρωπος έτοιμος να αποσυρθεί όμως την ίδια στιγμή η πικρή διαπίστωση ότι οι διώκτες του δεν θα σταματήσουν στιγμή, τον έκανε να συνειδητοποιήσει ότι θα πρέπει να μάχεται συνέχεια. Ως πότε όμως; Το βιβλίο αυτό αφήνει μια πικρία στον γοητευτικό χαρακτήρα του Λεμπλάν, κι ίσως μια τελευταία περίοδο χάριτος. Η δύση της καριέρας προμηνύεται εκκωφαντική. Επίσης η έκδοση κάκιστη με σελίδες ραμμένες ανάποδα και ανύπαρκτη επιμέλεια με προτάσεις που κόβονται και συνεχίζονται στην επόμενη παράγραφο και πλήρη απουσία εισαγωγικών στους διαλόγους. Θα μου πεις από εφημερίδα είναι, αλλά οκ. Λίγη ντροπή δεν βλάπτει.
March 30, 2021
Un Lupin tout à fait mineur, mal construit, un peu ridicule par instant (l'image de Lupin chevauchant un tigre pour échapper à la police est risible). Pour autant, l'idée de base (Lupin contre la Maffia) est bonne, il y a une fin intéressante qui forme une boucle avec le premier épisode (Lupin sur un bateau est sur le point de se faire arrêter par Ganimard), jusqu'à ce que Lupin brise cette boucle pour aller vivre heureux et amoureux, ce qui offre malgré tout une belle conclusion aux aventures du gentleman cambrioleur (hors livre posthume et pastiches).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2021
O pior livro que li em anos. Situações muito mal construídas tornam a narrativa inverossímil e confusa. Os personagens são muito mal trabalhados, não criam nenhuma empatia. Destoa muito dos demais livros da coleção Arsène Lupin.
June 9, 2025
Unfinished Journey Home
Maurice Leblanc died in 1941, the same year this **The Billions of Arsène Lupin** was published as a book, after being serialized in 1939. There is some controversy about its posthumous publication: Leblanc's family opposed it deeming the book unfinished. It is true there are some rough edges here but I think not publishing it would have deprived Lupin's fans of what feels like Leblanc's final farewell.
For years, in his later novels, Leblanc had hinted that Lupin was losing stamina and contemplating retirement (perhaps resonating with his own fatigue), but kept going. With **The Billions**, it is as if he was saying it was time to close the cycle. Maybe illness made him rush and make the story seem unfinished. It transpires a sense of urgency like Galois scribbling his formulas the night before his fatal duel.
But **The Billions**'s finale is a thrilling closure. Set aboard of the **Bonaparte** cruise crossing the Atlantic from Havre to New York, Lupin is wounded on the leg and accompanied by his beautiful partner, Patricia Johnston. This instantly echoes the very first adventure in **The Gentleman Thief**, where Lupin is wounded in the arm travels aboard the **Provence** cruise also to America, flirting with the beautiful **Nelly Underdown**. In both instances, **Ganimard** waits at the pier in New York, ready to arrest Lupin.
In the book, the two voyages take place more than 25 years apart. In real life, however, nearly 35 years has passed since **The Gentleman Thief** was published in 1907. That is why I see Leblanc as a pioneer in pop-culture. He worked consciously to keep the franchise fresh for over three decades, always introducing new elements while pleasing loyal readers with tons of fan service. And he did this up to this very end: the first part of **The Billions** (where Patricia Johnston shines) is all set in New York--making it fresh compared with the other books set in different parts of France. The book's plot centers on a secret criminal society that seems just like John Wick's High Table, which probably connects with Leblanc being influenced by Mafia movies of the late 1930s. Here Leblanc also attempts to craft a strong female lead, but as much energy as he invested in Patricia (making her almost a precursor of Marion Ravenwood in the Indiana Jones franchise during the first third of the book), her strength vanishes as soon as she joins Lupin in the adventure.
As for fan service, there are many familiar faces in this last book. I cheered when I saw **Victoire** comforting and watching over Lupin again, like Q with James Bond or Marcus Brody in Indiana Jones. Lupin's alias is also nostalgic: **Horace Velmont** is a name that appears since the **The Gentleman-Thief** (in the Devanne case, where Herlock Sholmes arrives late). From the later books Leblanc brings **Béchoux** back. Here, close to the finale, he acts just like Inspector Zenigata in **Lupin III**. I don't know if it was really on purpose, but a surreal subplot of the story really seems like a joke with **The Teeth of the Tiger**.
With **The Billions**, I too bring a cycle to close, which I started 6 months ago when I read the first sentence of **The Gentleman Thief**. That makes me a picky reader, who spots Leblanc being inconsistent when he promoted Béchoux to brigadeer in this novel, while he already did that in **The Barnett & Co**. Indeed, in **The Barre-Y-Va Mistery**, Béchoux is thankful to Lupin because of that promotion and in **The Billions**, he is thankful for Lupin promoting him to inspector. Truth be told, Leblanc didn't have AI to check for consistency among so many books written over decades. But the simple fact that he kept the Lupin universe alive for so long is, to me, just fascinating--Marvel, DC Comics, the James Bond franchise, none of them would have made better.
Maurice Leblanc died in 1941, the same year this **The Billions of Arsène Lupin** was published as a book, after being serialized in 1939. There is some controversy about its posthumous publication: Leblanc's family opposed it deeming the book unfinished. It is true there are some rough edges here but I think not publishing it would have deprived Lupin's fans of what feels like Leblanc's final farewell.
For years, in his later novels, Leblanc had hinted that Lupin was losing stamina and contemplating retirement (perhaps resonating with his own fatigue), but kept going. With **The Billions**, it is as if he was saying it was time to close the cycle. Maybe illness made him rush and make the story seem unfinished. It transpires a sense of urgency like Galois scribbling his formulas the night before his fatal duel.
But **The Billions**'s finale is a thrilling closure. Set aboard of the **Bonaparte** cruise crossing the Atlantic from Havre to New York, Lupin is wounded on the leg and accompanied by his beautiful partner, Patricia Johnston. This instantly echoes the very first adventure in **The Gentleman Thief**, where Lupin is wounded in the arm travels aboard the **Provence** cruise also to America, flirting with the beautiful **Nelly Underdown**. In both instances, **Ganimard** waits at the pier in New York, ready to arrest Lupin.
In the book, the two voyages take place more than 25 years apart. In real life, however, nearly 35 years has passed since **The Gentleman Thief** was published in 1907. That is why I see Leblanc as a pioneer in pop-culture. He worked consciously to keep the franchise fresh for over three decades, always introducing new elements while pleasing loyal readers with tons of fan service. And he did this up to this very end: the first part of **The Billions** (where Patricia Johnston shines) is all set in New York--making it fresh compared with the other books set in different parts of France. The book's plot centers on a secret criminal society that seems just like John Wick's High Table, which probably connects with Leblanc being influenced by Mafia movies of the late 1930s. Here Leblanc also attempts to craft a strong female lead, but as much energy as he invested in Patricia (making her almost a precursor of Marion Ravenwood in the Indiana Jones franchise during the first third of the book), her strength vanishes as soon as she joins Lupin in the adventure.
As for fan service, there are many familiar faces in this last book. I cheered when I saw **Victoire** comforting and watching over Lupin again, like Q with James Bond or Marcus Brody in Indiana Jones. Lupin's alias is also nostalgic: **Horace Velmont** is a name that appears since the **The Gentleman-Thief** (in the Devanne case, where Herlock Sholmes arrives late). From the later books Leblanc brings **Béchoux** back. Here, close to the finale, he acts just like Inspector Zenigata in **Lupin III**. I don't know if it was really on purpose, but a surreal subplot of the story really seems like a joke with **The Teeth of the Tiger**.
With **The Billions**, I too bring a cycle to close, which I started 6 months ago when I read the first sentence of **The Gentleman Thief**. That makes me a picky reader, who spots Leblanc being inconsistent when he promoted Béchoux to brigadeer in this novel, while he already did that in **The Barnett & Co**. Indeed, in **The Barre-Y-Va Mistery**, Béchoux is thankful to Lupin because of that promotion and in **The Billions**, he is thankful for Lupin promoting him to inspector. Truth be told, Leblanc didn't have AI to check for consistency among so many books written over decades. But the simple fact that he kept the Lupin universe alive for so long is, to me, just fascinating--Marvel, DC Comics, the James Bond franchise, none of them would have made better.
June 14, 2022
Pierwsza z książek o Lupinie, gdzie w trakcie czytania były takie momenty WTF...
Nasz geniusz zbrodni, zbliża się do 50tki. Na zgromadzony przez lata majątek Lupina czai się...
uwaga niżej spoiler:
...mafia!
Jest też tygrys, który reaguje na skomplikowane polecenia, serio? Nie wiem co brał autor kiedy to pisał... Oj, czuć, że ten tom powstawał już na fali popularności przygód Arsene, bo autor tak popłynął z fabułą, oj popłynął... mimo wszystko szybka i przyjemna lektura ;)
Nasz geniusz zbrodni, zbliża się do 50tki. Na zgromadzony przez lata majątek Lupina czai się...
uwaga niżej spoiler:
...mafia!
Jest też tygrys, który reaguje na skomplikowane polecenia, serio? Nie wiem co brał autor kiedy to pisał... Oj, czuć, że ten tom powstawał już na fali popularności przygód Arsene, bo autor tak popłynął z fabułą, oj popłynął... mimo wszystko szybka i przyjemna lektura ;)
August 31, 2024
Η ιστορία φαίνεται φτωχή και ο Μορίς Λεμπλάν μάλλον βαριόταν; Ή να κατηγορήσουμε τη μεταφραση, η οποία φαινόταν εντελώς δική τους διασκευή, διότι, λυπάμαι ο Αρσέν Λουπέν δεν γράφει έτσι. Επικά τραγική η προσαρμογή στα ελληνικά, σε πολλά σημεία δεν υπήρχαν ΚΑΝ εισαγωγικά για τους διαλόγους, ή για να είναι διακριτές οι εσωτερικές σκέψεις των ηρώων. Γνωρίζω ότι ήταν δώρο απο εφημερίδα το βιβλίο παιδιά. Αλλά αν δεν ήταν καλά τα λεφτά να μην το αναλαμβάνατε.
August 17, 2021
Une histoire courte mais amusante, qui mérite bien sa place comme dernière adventure de Lupin!
December 15, 2022
I dnf'ed at page 35. A corny soap opera, not a mystery book as I thought it would be.
December 27, 2022
Not my favourite...I guess Leblanc was drunk when he wrote it. ☺😁
March 15, 2023
Meh. What was this, Leblanc?!
December 28, 2024
On suit Arsène Lupin qui, sous divers patronymes, lutte contre un réseau qui cherche à récupérer sa fortune. Pas le meilleur de la saga des Arsène Lupin...
August 6, 2022
ΜΕΤΑΦΡΑΣΗ ΧΑΛΙΑ. ΚΡΙΜΑ.ΟΧΙ ΟΤΙ Η ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ ΔΕΝ ΕΧΕΙ ΠΟΛΛΑ ΚΕΝΑ ΛΕΣ ΚΑΙ ΓΡΑΦΤΗΚΕ ΓΙΑ ΝΑ ΓΡΑΦΤΕΙ ΚΑΙ ΜΑΛΙΣΤΑ ΣΕ ΧΡΟΝΟ dt.ΛΥΠΑΜΑΙ.
October 26, 2020
one of a book that I wanted to read for quite a long time. I wanted to read 819. But my sister said it was too psychopath for me to read. So I read the last series The billions of Arsene Lupin. It was interesting to see how Lupin delivered himself in the last book and I highly enjoyed this book.
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December 3, 2019لا أدري كيف ظللتُ طوال هذا الوقت دون أن أقرأ قصص اللص الظريف <3
وفهمتُ الآن فقط أصحاب المقارنات بينه وبين شيرلوك :"D
وفهمتُ الآن فقط أصحاب المقارنات بينه وبين شيرلوك :"D
April 4, 2021
Mais uma aventura eletrizante de Lupin. Sua perspicácia, Inteligêcia e agilidade são novamente demonstradas em um narrativa difícil de parar de ler. Excelente livro e diversão.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews