Product Description

In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man - David Martin - 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 are 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. Then 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 with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realises that there is a connection between this haunting book and the shadows that surround his home. Set in the turbulent 1920s, The Angel's Game takes us back to the gothic universe of the Cemetery of the Forgotten Books, the Sempere and Son bookshop, and the winding streets of Barcelona's old quarter, in a masterful tale about the magic of books and the darkest corners of the human soul.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1984 in Books
• Published on: 2009-06-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 448 pages

Review
"The gothic landscape of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books - the winding streets of Barcelona's old quarter - haunt a novel about books and writing and secrets. Wonderful." (KATE MOSSE THE TIMES SUMMER READING ROUNDUP - 27.06.09 )

"The prose is intelligent but unpretentious, and the author is clear in his intentions to provide a rollicking, fun read.... the novel's themes address the power of narrative, and many sharp lines pertain to storytelling... hugely enjoyable." (LIONEL SHRIVER THE DAILY TELEGRAPH 06.06.09 )

"Scintillating second novel... a heady brew of detective thriller; supernatural horror tale, magical realist fable and heartbreaking love story... and the central role of books, especially fiction in our understanding of the human condition." (THE DAILY MAIL 05.06.09 )

"In this book about books, Zafon writes about Spain's harrowing history with literary aplomb." (THE TIMES - 30.06.09 )

"A thrilling labyrinthine plot packed with murder, mystery and an obsessive love affair" (FANNY BLAKE WOMAN AND HOME - JULY 09 ISSUE )

"another imaginative gothic tale" (HARPERS BAZAAR - JULY 09 ISSUE )

"Those who were hooked on Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind will be similarly entranced by The Angel's Game... dark and disturbing narrative... Surprising and bittersweet, it's as potent as an Audrey Niffengger novel, with a nod to a certain nineteenth-century romance." (CLARE LONGRIGG PSYCHOLOGIES - JULY 09 ISSUE )

"enter the Cemetery of Forgotten Books for another terrifying adventure." (Suzi Feay WATERSTONES BOOKS QUARTERLY - June 09 )

"revisits some of Zafon's much loved urban landscapes in old Barcelona. Yet this novel stands alone, a complement or even an antagonist to its forerunner. If the previous book celebrated the ecstasies of reading then this one - no less in love with literature, and no less crammed with archetypal plots - explores the agonies of writing." (BOYD TONKIN THE INDEPENDENT 05.06.09 )

"wit, style, great sex and a hugely entertaining plot." (MAIL ON SUNDAY - 21.06.09 )

"his narrative style embraces relentless pace and fantastical and magical diversions... Zafon is the tempter." (THE GUARDIAN - 13.06.09 )

"His enterprise is bold, serious and shocking. His treatment of Spain's tortured history in the 20th century is as significant as his literary skill. These are things that belong not just to one city but to the world." (MARGARET REYNOLDS THE TIMES - 23.05.09 )

"The author's affection for Dickens is imprinted through like a watermark...can't help but engage anyone who believes that life can be shaped by books. Aided here by Lucia Graves's clear and unfussy translation, The Angel's Game draws with relish on all the conventions beloved of Wilkie Collins, Dickens... then weaves them into something entirely original and suprisingly moving that holds the readers expectations until the final twist." (STEPHANIE MERRIT THE OBSERVER - 28.06.09 )

"Zafon is master of the atmospheric.. its faith in the power of fiction is endearing, and addictive." (FINANCIAL TIMES - 27.06.09 )

In a feature headed "Predicting the hottest reads this summer", he notes that "Waterstones expects to do well with... Carlos Ruiz Zafon's new tale of bookish mystery." (NICHOLAS CLEE THE TIMES SUMMER READING ROUNDUP - 27.06.09 )

"Readers familiar with The Shadow of the Wind will find themselves back in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, the echo of Eco where, from a labyrinthine library, volumes seem to select their readers... rattling good gothic fun." (SPECTATOR - 13.06.09 )

"Carlos Ruiz Zafon's trip to the UK is one of the highlights in a busy season for events." (WATERSTONES BOOKS QUARTERLY - 10.04.09 )

"Summer and reading go together like buckets and spades and sultry days are made for chunky page-turners such as THE ANGEL'S GAME by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Weidenfeld, June 1). It unfolds in Twenties Barcelona where a young man undertakes to write a book that will change people's lives. The task is daunting and the stakes perilously high." (HEPHZIBAH ANDERSON THE DAILY MAIL - 1.05.08 )

Boyd Tonkin, looks ahead to "the daring books of May" and after running through May's list of AS Byatt, Kazuo Ishiguro, Hilary Mantel, Monica Ali and Jake Arnott and Colm Toibin, he looks forward and says THE ANGEL'S GAME is a novel "which might outperform even this month of marvels" when it is published in June. (BOYD TONKIN THE INDEPENDENT - 1.05.08 )

"The Cemetery of Forgotten Books - " a colossal labyrinth of bridges, passages and shelves" - is a wonderful creation, and there are many thrilling set pieces." (MARK SANDERSON SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 07.06.09 )

"The Angel's Game is full of gothic features: darkness, ruined houses, locked rooms, the smell of damp earth and portentous conversations conducted by candlelight." (THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT 29.05.09 )

"starts off as an intelligent literary thriller, but morphs into action-packed adventure with a hefty body count." (DAILY EXPRESS 12.06.09 )

"Zafon's noirish plot keeps things ticking over and his talent for hot-blooded, believable characters is undiminished... bodes well for what is a planned Barcelona quartet." (LONDON METRO 10.06.09 )

"spellbinding new bestseller... Succeeding brilliantly on several levels The Angel's Game is the finest novel I have read this year, and stands as a fascinating tribute to the power of the human imagination." (YORKSHIRE EVENING POST - 30.05.09 )

"One of the most highly publicised author visits of the year will take place in June, when Carlos Ruiz Zafon arrives in the UK." (BOOKBRUNCH.COM - 18.05.08 )

"The Angel's Game is equally brilliant both in translation and originality... You are left to find your own way out of the labryrinth - a pleasant fate for a reader to have to face." (THE BOOK CATAPULT website )

"dripping in atmosphere. It's Super Gothic, an old-fashioned creepy tale... a much darker book... I don't think I can say much more about this book without sounding like I'm gushing. The Angel's Game won't have to be put in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books but it will make on to my Bookshelf of Unlendable Books. If I lent this one out and never got it back there would be hell to pay." (book-a-rama website )

"The Angel's Game more than delivered the goods. This is another wonderful convoluted plot set in Barcelona.... Zafon fans will be happy to know that the Cemetery of Forgotten Books is very much a feature." (BOOKSELLER'S CHOICE, JUNE - THE BOOKSELLER 13.3.09 RODNEY TROUBRIDGE, FICTION MARKETING, WATERSTONES )

"Anyone who was entranced by Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind cannot fail to feel the same about The Angel's Game. Set in Barcelona again, this time in the 1920s, it takes us back to the same mysterious gothic world of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books etc. A young writer, David Martin, makes an impossible deal: in exchange for his life and a fortune he must write a book that will change lives. Simply brilliant and worth staying up most of the night to finish." (BOOKSELLER'S CHOICE, JUNE - THE BOOKSELLER 13.3.09 SARAH CLARKE, DIRECTOR, TORBAY BOOKSHOP )

"Fans of Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind and new readers alike will be delighted with this gothic semiprequel... dark labyrinth that, by masterful design, remains thrilling and bewildering." (PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - 06.04.09 BOOK OF THE WEEK )

"The novel works on so many levels of eerie enchantment... There is no resisting this... magical world of books." (SAGA - July 09 )

"an addictive read." (THE IRISH TIMES - 13.06.09 )

"Another gothic tale about the magic of books and the darkest corners of the human soul" (JOHN SPAIN IRISH INDEPENDENT - 02.06.09 )

"If you're looking for a hearty good read for the summer hols, a book you can doze over by the pool, pack it with the sunscreen and midge repellent. It's got the lot: good setting (Barcelona noir), old fashioned chunky plot, a dash of horror and the merest shaving of raciness... The mysteries within mysteries will be enough to keep you turning pages even after a couple of cervezas." (THE HERALD - 06.06.09 )

"hugely ambitious" (THE SCOTSMAN 30.05.09 )

"The tale is rich, evocative and literate, with Great Expectations and Faust among its more nakedly displayed influences. Zafon is a great describer, with a cinematic flair for murders and sexual encounters." (NICK CURTIS EVENING STANDARD - 28.05.09 )

"Will grip you from start to finish." (Emma Lee Potter DAILY EXPRESS - 10.07.09 )

About the Author
CARLOS RUIZ ZAFON was born in Barcelona and is the author of six novels including The Shadow of the Wind. He is one of the world's most read and best-loved writers. His work has been translated into more than forty languages and published around the world, garnering numerous international prizes and reaching millions of readers. He divides his time between Barcelona and Los Angeles.

Customer Reviews

Disappointing
I loved Shadow of the Wind and wondered if The Angel's Game could live up top it - it didn't. The writing style is flawless as are the descriptions of old Barcelona and for about three-quarters of the book I was hooked. The last quarter stretched my credulity to breaking point with the main character brushing off numerous attempts on his life by armed and very tough police officers, leaving a higher body count than a Dirty Harry movie as the story degenerated into a series of chases and killings. I found the resolution clumsy and it did not explain the various mysteries which had been so beautifully set up earlier in the story.

A mixed bag of a book
I really loved the Shadow of the Wind and was really looking forward to this book. For the most part of the book it was again really interesting and atmospheric. However the plot was quite complicated and my impression was the author did not know how to finish the book. The Amazon reviews are interesting as alot of people have given it 5 stars. This surprises me as the ending is full of holes, the chase scenes with the police were not in keeping with the rest of the book, the whole ending of the book was complicated and not in the spirit of the main portion of the book.
I think there was a number of options open to the author as to how to end the book but he looked as if he kept changing his mind. To some this may look like keeping the reader guessing but in a book so large when you keep redirecting the readers suspicions the reader just loses faith that the author knows themselves how to finish the book.
There are some lovely sentences in the book and some lovely philosophies. Parts of it are extremely well written.
I can see why some people like it and some people don't rate it all.
This is because it is not a perfect novel but it could have been.
Isabella is a lovely character as is Sempere. The cemetry of books reappears which is a good connection to the Shadow of the Wind.
However David Martin is hard to like, so is Cristina its hard to know why he loves her. This whole twist with the previous owner of the house is completely illogical and underexplained and really grated for me as I finished the novel.
If I was the writer I would have finished the book about 100 pages earlier with a neat ending. Ending seem to be the hardest part for all authors. They get an idea for a novel but have to think as they write how to finish it.
I look forward to his next book I hope its more like Shadow of the Wind which was far more together and wrapped up at the end nicely with everything fitting into place.

A Stunning Second Novel
Carlos Ruiz Zafón's 'The Shadow of the Wind' was so flawless and breathtaking that I really didn't expect that Zafón would be able to fascinate me in the same way again. I was wrong. 'The Angel's Game', an arguable prequel to 'The Shadow of the Wind' (although it can be read separately!), is, if possible, even more beautiful than his first novel. Set in 1920's Barcelona against a darker, gothic backdrop of the dangerous world of literature, 'The Angel's Game' tells the story of David Martín and the consequences of his actions when he makes a deal with the mysterious Andreas Corelli. Tied into the story is the history of the oppressive tower house Martín resides in, the Sempere & Sons bookshop, and the finicky nature of Spanish society. A truly stunning read, and recommended to just about anybody who loves reading as much as Zafón obviously does.