Carlos Ruiz Zafón - The Prince of Mist

The Shadow of the Wind is one of those books that I absolutely loved, and although my second experience with Zafón didn't have quite the same happy ending, the desire to read his works didn't really come to a complete halt. I picked up The Prince of Mist, a book aimed at children, at Greenwich Market, just the other day, and started it feeling quite positive. The Prince of Mist is Zafón's first published book, albeit the English translation came much later. Thirteen year old Max Carver is forced to say goodbye to city life, as his idiosyncratic father decides that the entire family must move away to a house by the sea-side, during the War. It's safer, after all. However, no location is ever mentioned.

The book starts off slow, with the Carvers moving to their new home, which isn't all that it seems on the face of it. In the mysterious garden behind the house, Max discovers creepy statues of circus characters, . Investigating the history of the house, he discovers that the house was abandoned by a couple after their son died. In the shed, there's a projector and some old home-made movies. One of the movies is set in the mysterious garden, and once over, his sister, Alicia, claims to have sene the clown before - in her dreams. Something's a-creepy. Something's amiss.

When Max befriends a local boy, Ronald, the pace picks up. While the budding romance between Alicia and Ronald is one story-line, the parallel story is what grips the reader. When the boys go scuba-diving by an old shipwreck, Max and Alicia learn the legend of the ship, the crew and its story. And the fact that no bodies were found.

Curiouser and curiouser.

The story, in itself, ends with more questions than answers. Some of the plot developments are all-too-convenient for the story, but perhaps that's me being unfair, for it is a children's book. The suspense is built throughout, sometimes a little too melodramatic; a little too hyperbolic. But - perhaps, that's what good fiction is.

I did enjoy the book, and like before, I will actively seek out more of Zafón's works.

Carlos Ruiz Zafón - The Angel's Game

I absolutely loved The Shadow Of The Wind when I read it back in April, with its glimpse into old Barcelona, fantastic story-telling and hyperbolism extraordinaire. When The Angel's Game hit the stores a few months back, I picked it out almost greedily, and stacked it on my bookshelf, waiting for the "right" time to pull it out, and lose myself in the magical world of Zafón's writing.

The Angel's Game takes us back to old Barcelona, towards the end of World War I, through the eyes of David Martin, an aspiring writer. The opening lines set the mood for the book:

A writer never forgets the first time he accepts a few coins or a word of praise in exchange for a story. He will never forget the sweet poison of vanity in his blood, and the belief that, if he succeeds in not letting anyone discover his lack of talent, the dream of literature will provide him with a roof over his head, a hot meal at the end of the day, and what he covets most: his name printed on a miserable piece of paper that surely will outlive him. A writer is condemned to remember that moment, because from then on he is doomed and his soul has a price.

The narrator starts off as a sensationalist story-writer; his thrillers are first published weekly in a newspaper, and he goes on to assume a pseudonym, to write a monthly series of books entitled City of the Damned. While his stories were well-received, David's attempt at a serious novel met with bad reviews, and a combination of disappointment and enticement led him to make a deal with the devil himself : Andreas Corelli, a Parisian publisher, who offers David a small fortune, in return for David writing him an epic book, a book that would create a brand new religion, to which Corelli would play god (or, in this case, the devil).

David inadvertently gets sucked into Corelli's game, digging up secrets from years gone by, witnessing murders, being a subject of police investigations, and almost living a life that existed in his series, City of the Damned. His best friend marries his lover, an adolescent moves in with him in order to find a writing mentor, and subsequently turning his life upside down, and his residence, a creepy tower in the sinister dark side of the city, holds infinite mysteries of its own.

The book also takes us back to the Cemetery Of Forgotten Books, an incredible concept that Zafón introduced in his debut novel, and it sounds equally fantastic. This time, David goes there to hide a book, and is subject to the same rules as Daniel was in The Shadow Of The Wind.

However, that's where the similarity ends. The book has some great characters, with Isabella (the adolescent who seeks David out to be her mentor) being a personal favourite, but the story was disjointed, and had way too many bizarre things happening, leading to a disappointing ending, where the loose ends remain untied. The book started promisingly, and is quite fast-paced, but in my opinion, it's at the expense of things not being explained coherently, or the writing being rushed.

Zafón's a talented writer, and there are phrases and sentences that leapt off the page and made me chuckle, or nod in agreement. Like his protagonist, he seems to be a sensationalist writer, enjoying the luxury of hyperboles and scandal. In fact, in parts the book, I thought that some of David's experiences were first hand accounts - the way David is treated by his publishers, the art of procrastination, and the way of research.

It's unfortunate, so, that his second book didn't live up to all the hype that the first book had created.

Rating: 2.5

Carlos Ruiz Zafón - The Shadow of the Wind

This is a well-written page turner, with all the elements of a good story: romance, history, friendship, murder, revenge, redemption, bad cop, good beggar, a young impressionable protagonist, and a history that seems to be re-living itself, with different actors... 

Set in a desolate Barcelona in 1945, around the time of the Spanish Civil War, this book centers around Daniel, who is all of ten years, when the book starts. The opening scene is enchanting, and draws the reader immediately into the convoluted story, encouraging them to turn the page and discover the significance of a decision made by a child in a few minutes - a decision that defines his childhood, and adolescence. 

When David wakes up one morning, realizing he cannot recall his dead mother's face, his father (a bookseller), after comforting him, takes him to the 'Cemetery of Forgotten Books', a labyrinth of books that don't have owners, books that are forgotten in the depths of time, and just sit there, waiting to be picked up by someone like Daniel, i.e. someone who is given permission to take one book from there, conditional on the person promising to adopt the book, and not allow it to disappear as so many other books have. It's the beauty of this opening chapter that enthralls me. Any book lover would give anything to visit such a place. Does such a place even exist? Sorry to digress, but I can almost imagine this beautiful santuary of sorts, and losing myself within. 

Anyway, Daniel chooses a book called 'The Shadow of the Wind', by an obscure author, Julian Carax, because, in his words, the book had been waiting for him. David reads the book that very night, and is completely captivated by the story, so much so that he's keen to find out more about Carax, and read more of his works. On his father's advice, Daniel speaks to Barcelo, a book-trader, to find out more about Carax. Initially Barcelo attempts to purchase the book from him for a hefty price, for it's a rare piece. However, Daniel flat out refuses, and continues his quest to find either more books by this author, or more about the author himself. What he doesn't know at the time is, there is someone out there, looking for the same books. Not to read them, not to sell them, but to burn them. 

As the book progresses, Daniel follows many leads, speaks to many people, and tries to piece together the full story of Carax's enigmatic life. He doesn't realize the gravity of his search, until someone who seems closely involved is murdered. The suspect: his best friend, a beggar, Fermin. Of course, if there's a good tramp, there's bound to be a bad cop, and this is where Fumero comes in - someone whose ruthless reputation precedes him. If he's out to get you, he will get you - that's the word. And he seems to passionately hate Carax - Why? 

The story has plenty of twists and turns. It's not straightforward, but it's gripping. You want to know what happened next. You want to know why someone wants to burn Carax's books. You want to know more about Fumero and Fermin. You want to know about how the random people that keep cropping up fit together, in the grand scheme of things. And the answers you end up getting are more and more surprising.

And while you're getting more and more engrossed in the mystery, you see Daniel growing up - from being a stubborn defiant child, smitten by the blind niece of Barcelo, to a young man who follows what he believes he has to, and ends up falling in love with his best friend's sister (from school). While there are times you think he's a coward, there are other times you have to admire him, for all he's trying to do. And then there are moments when you just have to smile at the conversations between Fermin and Daniel. The one that sticks to mind is, Daniel feels guilty about lying to his father while he follows the Carax mystery. To which Fermin replies, along the lines, the relationship between father and son is based on lies: tooth fairies, Santa Claus etc.

In fact, Fermin is that character that really stands out, for me. A man who seems politically incorrect at many a level, a devoted friend, and someone who can be sensitive and gentle when the need arises. Oh, and he's a man who always sticks by his promises - even if it means getting an old man a hooker! Fermin takes on the role of a friend and guardian to Daniel, while simultaneously helping out at the bookshop, and being a godsend for the protagonist and his father. While there are scars from his past, which he occasionally succumbs to; all in all, he seems to be someone who wants to enjoy life while doing the right thing - and not in a preachy goody-two-shoes way! Fermin's witty, quick and the dialog between him and some of the other characters make the book a considerably lighter and a tad more humorous read.

It's a relatively 'chunky' book, at about 510 pages, paperback. But give it a go - I don't think you'll be disappointed.