The Angels Game by Carlos Ruiz
Zafon
Amazing Storytelling, Gorgeous Writing
Book Description From master storyteller Carlos Ruiz Zafón, author of the
international phenomenon The Shadow of the Wind, comes The Angel’s
Game--a dazzling new page-turner about the perilous nature of obsession,
in literature and in love. “The whole of Barcelona stretched out at my feet
and I wanted to believe that, when I opened those windows, its streets
would whisper stories to me, secrets I could capture on paper and narrate
to whomever cared to listen...”
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.
Once again, Zafón takes us into a dark, gothic universe first seen in The
Shadow of the Wind and creates a breathtaking adventure of intrigue,
romance, and tragedy. Through a dizzingly constructed labyrinth of
secrets, the magic of books, passion, and friendship blend into a masterful
story.
Carlos Ruiz Zafón on The Angels Game
Years ago, when I began working on my fifth novel, The Shadow
of the Wind, I started toying around with the idea of creating a fictional
universe that would be articulated through four interconnected stories in
which we would meet some of the same characters at different times in
their lives, and see them from different perspectives where many plots and
subplots would tie around in knots for the reader to untie. It sounds
somewhat pretentious, but my idea was to add a twist to the story and
provide the reader with what I hoped would be a stimulating and playful
reading experience. Since these books were, in part, about the world of
literature, books, reading and language, I thought it would be interesting to
use the different novels to explore those themes through different angles
and to add new layers to the meaning of the stories. At first I thought this
could be done in one book, but soon I realized it would make Shadow of
the Wind a monster novel, and in many ways, destroy the structure I was
trying to design for it. I realized I would have to write four different novels.
They would be stand-alone stories that could be read in any order. I saw
them as a Chinese box of stories with four doors of entry, a labyrinth of
fictions that could be explored in many directions, entirely or in parts, and
that could provide the reader with an additional layer of enjoyment and
play. These novels would have a central axis, the idea of the Cemetery of
Forgotten Books, set against the backdrop of a highly stylized, gothic and
mysterious Barcelona. Since each novel was going to be complex and
difficult to write, I decided to take one at a time and see how the
experiment evolved on its own in an organic way.
It all sounds very complicated, but it is not. At the end of the day, these
are just stories that share a universe, a tone and some central themes and
characters. You don’t need to care or know about any of this stuff to enjoy
them. One of the fun things about this process was it allowed me to give

each book a different personality. Thus, if Shadow of the Wind is the nice,
good girl in the family, The Angel’s Game would be the wicked gothic
stepsister. Some readers often ask me if The Angel’s Game is a prequel
or a sequel. The answer is: none of these things, and all of the above.
Essentially The Angel’s Game is a new book, a stand-alone story that you
can fully enjoy and understand on its own. But if you have already read
The Shadow of the Wind, or you decide to read it afterwards, you’ll find
new meanings and connections that I hope will enhance your experience
with these characters and their adventures.
The Angel’s Game has many games inside, one of them with the
reader. It is a book designed to make you step into the storytelling process
and become a part of it. In other words, the wicked, gothic chick wants
your blood. Beware. Maybe, without realizing, I ended up writing a monster
book after all... Don’t say I didn’t warn you, courageous reader. I’ll see you
on the other side. --Carlos Ruiz Zafón
(Photo © Isolde Ohlbaum)
Personal Review: The Angels Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
It's not often that the setting of a book becomes a major character by
almost, but not quite, overshadowing the main characters. There is an
engaging and sympathetic human hero in THE ANGEL'S GAME, and most
certainly an arch-villain. But through the vivid language of Carlos Ruiz
Zafon, the surreal city of early-20th century Barcelona very nearly
upstages both with its moods, its weather and its sinister beauty. And lying
deep within this living, breathing, sometimes loving but often hostile
metropolis is hidden the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a colossal,
labyrinthine library housing millions of volumes of the greatest books ever
written throughout history.
Against this towering backdrop, David Martin, an ambitious young
journalist for a local newspaper, dreams of becoming a novelist. His editor
sees promise in his writing and offers him a promotion --- a series called
The Mysteries of Barcelona, a Byzantine melodrama featuring gangsters,
action and romantic interludes. David spends his late nights plunking out
what he considers nothing better than the popular dime novels of the era.
He nevertheless develops a wide readership and one day receives a fan
letter that includes a cryptic invitation to appear at an address he's never
heard of.
When he arrives, he finds a world within Barcelona he didn't know existed.
There, he is seduced by an exotic beauty with the same name as the
heroine of his mysteries. He awakens to discover she's gone, but finds
another invitation to meet with a Parisian publisher. The publisher offers
him a fortune to write a book for which "people will live and die" --- a story

of the ages. Upon completion of the book, he is promised a fortune and
fulfillment of his wildest dreams.
David is taken to a mysterious place unknown to but a few, the Cemetery
of Forgotten Books. There he is instructed to roam its towering stacks and
select a book of his choice. The volume that grabs his attention appears to
be a religious treatise. As David is drawn ever more deeply into the true
dark and shadowy intrigue of Barcelona, he realizes the book he selected
is similar to the subject matter he is being asked to produce. Tempted by
the offer and intrigued by the mystery surrounding it, he gives up his job at
the newspaper, rents a drafty, deserted mansion in the old part of
Barcelona and begins to write. As he feverishly composes chapter after
chapter, he receives periodic sealed envelopes with instructions to meet
the publisher and turn over what he has written. As he continues,
disturbing events ensnare him further into his bond with the publisher, who
seems to have tentacles into the very power structure of Barcelona. Soon
David is under his full command.
Having chilling encounters with characters who may be real or perhaps
figments of his imagination, David is drawn into a terrifying maze of events
that threaten his sanity if not his life.
THE ANGEL'S GAME writhes and twists in the fashion of Edgar Allan Poe.
The plot development could be likened to that of Charles Dickens. If
readers have had the treat of reading Zafon's first novel, they will
understand the irresistible pull of his writing. Although THE SHADOW OF
THE WIND is set in Barcelona 20 years after THE ANGEL'S GAME, his
latest is not a prequel, nor is it a developing series in the true sense of the
word. Each exquisite book stands alone, but a thread binds them between
the 20-year time gap.
We can compare Zafon to Dickens or Poe, but his brilliant writing puts him
in a league of his own. Written in his native Spanish, the translations only
lead the reader to wonder at the beauty and suspense in the original. His
books have been translated into 40 languages, and he is considered one
of the world's best-loved writers. With a promise of two more books that
will feature the intrigue that is Barcelona, the Cemetery of Forgotten Books
and perhaps even a character or two, we only have to ask: Will they be
from the 19th century or the 21st?
--- Reviewed by Roz Shea
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