About this title: A fictional 17th-century Spanish swordsman's instruction to frighten two travelers becomes a murder-for-hire. What happens next is only the first in a series of riveting twists and turns, with implications that will reverberate throughout the courts of Europe.
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Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Phoenix
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780753820872ISBN:0753820870
Description: Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Phoenix
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780753820872ISBN:0753820870
Description: New. Rapid dispatch with careful packaging. We're a friendly and helpful family company, please get in touch if you need any help. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Phoenix
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780753820872ISBN:0753820870
Description: Good. All orders are dispatched from our UK warehouse within one working day. Established in 2004. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Phoenix
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780753820872ISBN:0753820870
Description: Good. All orders are dispatched from our UK warehouse within one working day. Established in 2004. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Phoenix
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780753820872ISBN:0753820870
Description: Good. All orders are dispatched from our UK warehouse within one working day. Established in 2004. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Phoenix
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780753820872ISBN:0753820870
Description: Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Phoenix
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780753820872ISBN:0753820870
Description: Very Good. * BOOKS DISPATCHED WITHIN 24 HOURS * SATISFACTION GUARANTEED * ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED PROMPTLY * SHIPPED FROM UK * USA DELIVERY IN 3-5 DAYS * SHIPPED FROM UK: USA & EUROPE SPECIALISTS DELIVERY IN 3-5 DAYS. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Phoenix
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780753820872ISBN:0753820870
Description: Good. All orders are dispatched from our UK warehouse within one working day. All queries answered within 24 hours. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied. read more
"Captain Alatriste is the story of a fictional seventeenth-century Spanish soldier who lives as a swordsman-for-hire in Madrid. Needing gold to pay off his debts, Alatriste and another hired blade are paid to ambush two travelers, stage a robbery, and give the travelers a fright. "No blood," they are told.
Then a mysterious stranger enters to clarify the job: he increases the pay, and tells Alatriste that, instead, he must murder the two travelers. When the attack unfolds, Alatriste realizes that these aren't ordinary travelers, and what happens next is only the first in a riveting series of twists and turns, with implications that will reverberate throughout the courts of Europe."
"This slight volume did not do it for me, as historical fiction or as an adventure story. Although there were many loving descriptions of 17th century Madrid, there were neither sufficient details nor atmosphere to make the era, the place, or the book come alive. Perhaps it works better in the original Spanish. There are also POV problems, as the book is narrated by Captain Alatriste's friend, looking back over the years. However, this friend was not present for the book's central events, so the reader can only wonder how they could be related in such detail. I have the impression that the author did not have much material here, as the type and the line spacing are unusually large, and the end of the book is padded with five pages of poetry and 25 pages of the first chapter of the next book in the series (which I will NOT be reading.)"
"This was a very fast and most enjoyable read - and I must compliment the translator, too, because the language seemed to me to work very well, transparently conveying the voice of the narrator without falling nasty literal traps that lesser translations sometimes evince. I have not yet seen the Viggo Mortensen movie which is based (I'm given to understand) on this series but not necessarily this novel. Nonetheless, because I'm aware of the movie, there was of course a certain amount of Viggoness in my mental picture of Diego Alatriste which didn't hurt my liking of the book one bit. I enjoyed the painless historical detail and the insertion of the contemporary poetry; as a Brit myself, I was particularly intrigued by the depiction of the youthful Charles I and the devoted Buckingham - Perez-Reverte, alas, does not advert to the persistent rumours about the relationship between Buckingham and Charles' father, James VI/I. (It seems pretty clear to me that it was a sexual one, but it appears that people are still arguing about it on Wikipedia - in any case, it would have given greater depth to the motive underlying one of the crucial moments of the novel, when Buckingham pleads not for his own life, but that of his young companion, and this in turn causes Alatriste, who yields to his plea, no end of trouble.) I'm not one for swashbuckling in general, but give me a bit of intriguing historical detail and a Viggo mind-picture, and I'm a happy reader!"
"Captain Alatriste, an inactive soldier, becomes involved in an affair with Fray Bocranegra of the Inquisition, the assassin Malatesta, and the heir to the English throne in this tale of 1600's Spain.
This is the first book in a series and it sets the tone for future books. There are a number of poems presented within the story, and I found these to be irritating and a distraction (but then I have never liked poetry). There are also a number of lapses from the main story, with the narrator expanding upon some point, and I felt these slowed the story's progress.
There is very little swashbuckling, but some interesting historical details. Overall, this was a worthwhile read."
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