The Angel's Game
 Book cover | |
| Author | Carlos Ruiz Zafón |
|---|---|
| Original title | El juego del ánge |
| Country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
| Series | Cemetery of Forgotten Books |
| Genre | Mystery |
| Publisher | Planeta (Spain) Weidenfeld & Nicolson (UK) |
Publication date | April 17, 2008 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 672 |
| ISBN | 978-84-08-08118-0 |
| Preceded by | The Shadow of the Wind |
| Followed by | The Prisoner of Heaven |
The Angel's Game (El juego del ángel, 2008) is a prequel to 2001's The Shadow of the Wind by Spanish author Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Like The Shadow of the Wind, it was translated into English by Lucia Graves, daughter of the poet Robert Graves, and published in 2009.
Plot
The Angel's Game is set in Barcelona in the 1920s and 1930s and follows a young writer, David Martin, who is approached by a mysterious figure to write a book. The novel returns to The Cemetery of Forgotten Books in Barcelona's Raval district, and the Sempere & Sons bookshop, from The Shadow of the Wind.
In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man, David Martín, makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city’s underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house lie photographs and letters hinting at the mysterious death of the previous owner.
Like a slow poison, the history of the place seeps into his bones as he struggles with an impossible love. Close to despair, David receives a letter from a reclusive French editor, Andreas Corelli, who makes him the offer of a lifetime. He is to write a book unlike anything that has ever existed—a book with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, and perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realizes that there is a connection between his haunting book and the shadows that surround his home.
Reception
The Canadian Press's Maclean's Magazine placed The Angel's Game as number one for their top ten hardcover fiction books for the week ending July 7, 2009.[1] Marley Walker called it "Zafon's ambitious new historic melodrama."[2] USA Today praised The Angel's Game as "a multi-layered confection that combines undying love, magical realism, meditations on religion, the importance of books and a love affair with the vibrant city of Barcelona."[3]
Andrew Reimer said, "Here is more of the same from the author of The Shadow of the Wind " which "is bound to make his fans whoop with joy." However, he also added, "the climax of this new tale is a bit of a mess, with too many twists and turns and perhaps a few too many corpses."[4]
Aravind Adiga of The Age complained that there was "plenty that is ludicrous, cliched and schematic," but explained that "[l]overs of Barcelona will enjoy Ruiz Zafon's skillful use of that city's architecture--Gothic and Modern."[5]
References
- ^ "Top Ten list", The Canadian Press, 9 July 2009, retrieved 9 March 2011
- ^ Walker, Marley (21 June 2009), "Ambitious Historical Melodrama Playfully Entertaining", Winnipeg Free Press, retrieved 9 March 2011
- ^ Memmott, Carol (16 June 2009). "Zafen Writes like an Angel in 'Game'". USA Today.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Riemer, Andrew (6 Jun 2009), "It's a devil of a game", Sydney Morning Herald, retrieved 9 March 2011
- ^ Adiga, Aravind (Jun 13, 2009), A Shadow of the Shadow, retrieved 9 March 2011