Sirk TV Book Review: ARCHIVE 17 [Batam]

The psychology interwoven in the idea of how despots become paranoid in their own power is a pursuit necessary for the history books. The notion of being trapped within the numbing logic or distance in these situations definitely creates a model for intrigue.The tendency that rests within the power of Stalin as seen in "Archive 17" [Sam Eastland/Batam/272pgs], shows its wares against the cunning psyche of Pekkala, a trusted agent of a former Czar who is both trustworthy and yet distant to his current rules. When the murder of a lost comrade ruffles the desk of Joseph Stalin, the terror of Russia sends his most trusted investigator to unearth the mystery in the dark recesses of Siberia in a prison that no one escapes from because of the wasteland that lies beyond. The backstory necessitated in Pekkala, also known as "The Emerald Eye" is that he survived in this wilderness and returned to civilization, a feat none other could claim. The imbalance within the narrative is understanding the idea of why would a man continue in this manner beyond a simple texture of Darwinian pride. What reveals itself instead is a search for gold held in secret by a band of fueled revolutionaries whose private society allows for both viciousness and a code of silence. The train ride to the prison as well as Pekkala's assumption into prison life seems plausible if not staged. It is only when escape ensues that the motivation of soldiers involved achieves more cohesiveness. A late entry plot device by a secondary character brings some needed humor but the overall penchant of the narrative lacks because there is never truly an operation of cunning between the characters involved, opting instead for more of a surface posturing. While the snowy wasteland does intrude a sense of foreboding, the eventual resolution seems almost bland by comparison despite an efficient storytelling apparatus.C