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| The Black Lizard and Beast in the Shadows | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 2 reviews)
Sales Rank: 414653
Category: Book
Author: Rampo Edogawa
Publisher: Kurodahan Press
Studio: Kurodahan Press
Manufacturer: Kurodahan Press
Label: Kurodahan Press
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8 x 4.7 x 0.9
ISBN: 4902075210
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9784902075212
ASIN: 4902075210
Publication Date: January 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Two Golden Age classics from Japan's grand master of mystery. A master criminal -- The Black Lizard, as deadly as she is beautiful -- wagers all in an epic battle with a master detective. In Beast in the Shadows, a mystery writer vows to protect the woman he secretly loves, but disaster strikes when he turns detective himself.
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| Customer Reviews:
Two real gems from Japan's grand master of mystery fiction November 29, 2008
I must say it was quite the treat to introduce myself to the acknowledged master of Japanese crime fiction, Hirai Taro, who lived from 1894 to 1965 and wrote under one of the greatest pen names ever devised. Edogawa Rampo, pronounced a certain way, bears an unmistakable resemblance to a certain Western master of detective fiction. Indeed, I was somewhat surprised to learn that the works of Poe, as well as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, were translated into Japanese as early as 1887 and 1899, respectively. One tends to think of Japan as quite insulated culturally in the years leading up to World War II, but Edogawa Rampo was writing Western-influenced crime stories as early as 1922. This period preceding the oncoming war years was, in fact a rather free and unrestricted golden age in Japanese literature, as the somewhat salacious character of Rampo's stories can attest to. Rampo's later fiction had to be toned down considerably, but his influence on future generations of Japanese mystery writers was already assured. Today, every Japanese mystery writer's ultimate goal is to win the Edogawa Rampo Prize for the year's best novel. Sadly, though, most of Rampo's work still awaits translation into English - that's why it was such a treat to read these two early novels from Japan's grand master of the genre.
The Black Lizard pits Rampo's master detective, Akechi Kogoro, against the seductive wiles of a female jewel-thief extraordinaire. The Black Lizard is an infinitely cunning adversary and master of disguise who not only challenges Kogoro's career but secures for herself a front-row seat for all the festivities of his planned downfall. Her ultimate prize is the fabulous jewel known as the Star of Egypt, which she plans to get in the form of ransom for its owner's daughter Sanae. With Kogoro putting his very career on the line to guard Sanae as well as the priceless jewel, the Black Lizard delights in the challenge. Brilliant moves by the two adversaries make this a most entertaining read, although I must admit I was taken somewhat aback by some surprisingly grotesque aspects of the Black Lizard's nature revealed toward the end.
Beast in the Shadows was much more to my liking, though, as it is much more reminiscent of Edgar Allen Poe with its many dark twists and turns. The story ostensibly pits two mysteries writers against each other, with the narrator coming to the defense of a beautiful married woman who claims a former lover is threatening her. That former lover is another acclaimed mystery writer who seemingly disappeared several months earlier. But is he really the "beast in the shadows" spying on and threatening this unfortunate woman? This story is chock full of twists and turns, all of them processed through the mind of an imaginative mystery writer who ends up solving this particular case more than once. There is a surprisingly grotesque aspect to one facet of the story which I found somewhat disturbing, but Rampo succeeds masterfully at keeping a complicated story from unraveling prematurely at any point.
These two short novels are quite different from one another. The Black Lizard has you asking how on a number of occasions, but Beast in the Shadows covers the gamut of who, what, how, when, and why. Both works are quite capable of whetting your appetite for more of the same. I had no knowledge of the long and rich tradition of detective fiction in Japan, but now I stand among what must surely be a growing number of Western readers eager to sample more of the wares of Edogawa Rampo and his Japanese peers. All we need is someone to translate and publish them -- let's hope Kurodahan Press keeps up the good work.
Wonderful and Rare January 25, 2006
29 out of 29 found this review helpful
I first became of Edogawa Rampo a few years ago when a fascinating movie titles "The Mystery of Rampo" was distributed in the US. It used the character of Rampo (a pseudonym for Hirai Taro), a real author who is often considered the father of the Japanese detective story.
This is amazing stuff! Though he was an admirer of western authors like Edgar Allen Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Maurice Leblanc, Rampo is no mere imitator. He is an original writer with a wicked sense of humor and an eye for the bizarre.
"Black Lizard" is the most famous of the Akechi Kogoro novels. Akechi is a dilletante-detective character. He is often called the 'Japanese Sherlock Holmes' but Akechi is far from being a stereotyped Holmes clone. He has the requisite detective skills like deductive reason, jujutsu, mastery of disguises. He can also be quite ruthless and mercurial and brings a perverse sense of humor to his adventures.
The titular Black Lizard is a beautiful female crime boss with a perverse streak of her own. She loves to collect beautiful things, both gemstones and pretty people who she has stuffed and mounted to preserve their beauty. Her relationship with the detective is the usual matching of wits but is overshadowed by a growing sexual tension between the two.
It is a strange and fascinating read.
BEAST IN THE SHADOWS is a Poe-esque story of love and obsession. A mystery novelist is attracted to a beautiful woman only to learn that she is being stalked by her old lover, a horror novelist who has gone off the deep end. At least that the way it seems, the novel is wonderfully ambiguous. It reminds me a little of Henry James' TURN OF THE SCREW the way it makes you wonder if even the narrator is what he seems.
Rampo's quirky humor comes out in this story as well. Both the narrator and the unseen stalker seem to be alter egos of his. This gives him an opportunity to lampoon his own stories and his image as a writer.
Both stories are intense, often lurid, and unexpectedly funny. I recommend them highly!
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