Review of the Cemeteries of Forgotten Books saga

This set of novels seeks to ignite the passion in the writers that we started in the field. That's how I see it, it submerges us through the dark corridors of the profession, so the stories have deep and somewhat dark connotations. There are four novels that make up this saga or tetralogy. Each one can be read as one likes, without chronological order, however, the plots are connected

Carlos Ruiz Zafón is a famous Spanish writer. Whose work the Shadow of the Wind catapulted him to fame, this book has won countless awards. Apart from the mentioned saga he has written The trilogy of the fog, a compendium of books of youthful dye.

What it's about

I'll explain your synopsis separately:

The shadow of the wind

In this first installment we will sail in a Barcelona devastated by war. Our protagonist Daniel Sempere, son of a bookseller, is taken in the middle of the night to the Cemetery of the forgotten books, an enclosure which ends up stopping all the books cursed or forgotten by society. As an initiation, he must choose a book, read it, protect it and try to spread it so that it blooms again. Soon Daniel's life will change as a result of the book he chose.

The Angel game

We're still in Barcelona, but a few years before the Civil War. Our main character is David Martín, a writer who has sold his soul to the devil. The consequences of this are misfortune in wanting to break the pact he made. In this delivery the Sempere will appear and a tiny thread will unite this brave history with the previous one.

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The prisoner of heaven

This time Fermín del Toro will be the star of the novel. Trapped in Montjuïc Castle, a prison for people who go against Franco's regime. He will meet and share painful and pleasant memories with David Martín himself, whose destiny will be to suffer at the hands of the annoying Mauricio Valls, his jailer.

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The Labyrinth of Spirits

It's the thickest volume of the four books, but with the same touch that catches the previous ones. Alicia Gris will be our protagonist. She will show off her faculties as a detective, with a macabre and solitary touch. She will be entrusted with the case of finding the minister Mauricio Valls, his whereabouts are unknown, in addition, the case is linked to David Martín, the Sempere and a new accursed writer Víctor Mataix.

Message

The set of books gives the message to motivate the writers, to give us between dialogues tips to never decay in the writing, especially in the dark stages that we pass. The dark sides of the writing trade and the madness committed out of love will be the pillars of the stories.

However, individually, each volume symbolizes something different. The shadow of the wind is a beautiful beginning, full of joviality with a happy ending for everyone. While The Angel's Game is a mixture of Great Hopes and a terrible gloomy world. Crimes abound and the ending is fatal and confusing.

The prisoner of heaven returns with fun with Fermín del Toro, but the presence of David Martín will continue clouding the waters. The labyrinth of spirits symbolizes a mystery more remarkable than the previous deliveries. As its name says it looks like a labyrinth, it never ends, and it is full of challenges that interconnect with the previous books.

Writer's view

The four deliveries catch, but the ones that really stand out in my opinion are three. I barely remember The Prisoner of Heaven, because I don't like the style that was narrated.

From the rest, the Hispanic lyrics that compose the works are praiseworthy. Above all, the comic dialogues of Fermín, a character who snatches laughter in the course of history. The other characters are remarkably different. The accentuation of cruelty in other characters is admirable and docility does not lose its brightness either.

Intrigue plays its role perfectly, keeping the reader immersed in the narrative. The outcomes will make more than one jump stick. The most outstanding thing is that anyone can feel identified with one of the characters or take as an object of admiration.

In short, all four books are worth reading.