Of course I had to read this book. I mean, The Shadow of the Wind is part of a tetralogy (The Cementry of Forgotten Books). The advantage of this is that there is no particular order in which to read the books. You, dear reader, are completely free to choose where to start. Your only task is to remember the plot of each book in the trilogy, because you’ll need it to understand the details scattered here and there. Well, not only that, but you’ll also learn more about the characters that inhabit these books: Daniel Sempere, his father and his mother: M. and Ms Sempere, Fermín Romero de Torres, etc. You’ll have an understanding of their past, what they’ve been through, their present and even a glimpse of their future.
The Angel’s Game is a prequel to The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Set in Barcelona at the beginning of the 20th century, it tells how David Martin, a young and ambitious writer, becomes involved with a sinister French publishing house after a series of setbacks with his original publisher, Barrido and Escobillas. David receives a tempting offer to write a book that will make him famous, but he soon realises that the intentions of the publisher, known as Andrea Corelli, are not as pure as they seem, and he becomes embroiled in a dangerous game of deception and manipulation. The novel explores the dangers of ambition and the corrupting influence of power and money. Love, loneliness and friendship are also explored in this book.
The story begins in the early 1900s and we follow the story of David Martin, a 14-year-old boy who works at La voz de la Industria. It’s there that he befriends Pedro Vidal, the son of a rich industrialist and aspiring writer. Pedro sees talent in David and encourages him to pursue his passion for writing. When he gets his chance, everything changes. He becomes famous, but instead of being supported by his colleagues at work, he is envied and hated. He’s sacked at Pedro’s suggestion, from La voz de la Industria. David feels betrayed at first, but then realises that Pedro has other plans for him and finds him a contract with a publishing house, Barrido and Escobillas. They, of course, will use David’s talent to their advantage. Throughout his time there, David will publish a series of books known as City of the Damned. During this time, he also become sick, he suffers from an inoperable brain tumor. His days are sadly numbered. This is where a new character comes into play. Andrea Corelli, the head of a French publishing house, makes him an offer he cannot refuse. 100,000 French francs and a new life. The only condition is that he writes a new religion that will enslave the masses. As an atheist, David is reluctant to purse his new bosses directives. And from that moment onwards, he’s trapped and cannot escape. We will learn more about David’s past, his life, the love of his life Cristina and his incapability to love anyone including himself, and his friendship with M. Sempere and Isabella – a 17 year old girl with dreams and ambitions.
Yes, M. Sempere appears in this book. At first, I really thought it was Daniel Sempere, only to understand much later that the characters we see are Daniel’s grandfather and father. Daniel is briefly mentioned as a baby at the end of the book.
The writing is captivating, the story is gut-wrenching and poignant and the ending is quite frankly surprising (for lack of a better word). This novel is a must read if you have read The Shadow of the Wind and if you haven’t read it, please do.
If I have to retain something from this novel, aside from the horrifying side of History that impregnates these pages (the Guerra Civil and Franco’s accession to power), it’s the power of words and thus of a book. Words are frequently underestimated, but once written and published, they no longer belong to their author and instead belong to the masses. They convey meaning and a world, but their significance is often limited to the reader’s perception of reality. What this means is that a book can have as many different lives as possible. It also conveys power, ideas, and dreams. A book is a tool that can be used to subjugate (which in a way explains why David was terrified of finishing Andrea Corelli’s book), but it can also be used to instruct and inform. They withheld the soul of the writer and of all the people who have read it. It is a window to the unknown and yet… it exists.
Score: 9.5/10.
Melenaleonina 