The Angel's Game »

While Carlos Ruiz Zafón was first known for his books for young adults -- his El príncipe de la niebla (The Prince of Mist) earned the Edebé literary prize for young adult fiction in 1993 -- his first "adult" novel La sombra del viento (The Shadow of the Wind) garnered acclaim around the world and sparked what the author calls in our interview, a kind of Zafón-mania."

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...

The Barnes & Noble Review

In Carlos Ruiz Zafón's breathtaking novel The Angel's Game, the author demonstrates a much wider range and self-assurance than in his international bestseller The Shadow of the Wind. When struggling writer David Martin visits the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a magical place first introduced to readers in Zafón's earlier novel, he leaves a book he wishes to save and chooses a book he promises to protect. After he loses the love of his life to another man, a despondent Martin accepts an offer from an unusual publisher to write a book that he promises will make Martin immortal. The task thrusts him into a strange web of long-buried secrets, double-crosses, and madness. Zafón's use of language is often playful in a Borgesian way: "[The book cemetery] is a mystery. A sanctuary. Every book, every volume you see, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and the soul of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens." Much of the novel's energy also derives from Martin's sarcastic sense of humor, especially in conversations with a young assistant. Ultimately, though, the appeal of The Angel's Game lies in its careful portrait of Martin and its exploration of what it really means to love someone. Readers who appreciate books, romance, and intrigue will find this novel a subtle, unforgettable, and satisfying page-turner. --Jeff Vandermeer