| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
‘While the prose is richly reminiscent of Umberto Eco, the headlong pace of this dark fantasy—combining elements of mystery, historical fiction, horror and the splinter genre clockpunk—will let readers swallow the entrancing story in a single gulp’ Kirkus Reviews
‘A novel not to overlook … It's hard not to make this novel sound cryptic, because it is, but in a wonderful way. It is packed with illusions (words are real, women not always), allusions and puns, all of which make sense when you're firmly in the grip of the story's thrilling denouement’ St. Petersburg Times
‘It's hard not to make this novel sound cryptic because it is, but in a wonderful way. The book is packed with illusions (words are real, women not always), allusions (if you're up on Enlightenment philosophy) and puns (if you love language), all of which make sense when you're firmly in the grip of the story's thrilling dénouement’ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Praise for The Paris Enigma:
‘It had me purring with pleasure’ Daily Telegraph
‘A beguiling historical whodunit’ New York Times
‘Murder and mayhem… colourful characters and cases create a hazy atmosphere of intelligent escapism’ Washington Post
Product Description
An elegant and atmospheric literary thriller that will delight fans of The Interpretation of Murder and The Shadow of the Wind
Eighteenth century France: the Age of Enlightenment.
Dalessius is 20 when he takes a job as the philosopher Voltaire's messenger and spy. Soon he's entangled in a web of secrets and intrigue, leading from the courts and scaffolds of Toulouse to Paris, and a mysterious fortified monastery where Abbot Mazy guards a horrific secret.
Assisted by an executioner and the beautiful, marble-like daughter of an automaton maker, Dalessius faces sinister clergymen, inventive henchmen and poisonous fish in his quest to uncover the truth behind the Abbot's machinations. It will take amazing courage on Dalessius's part – as well as Voltaire's unique cunning and wit – if they are to survive.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
After a series of surreal adventures involving a retired executioner, an automaton, an automaton maker and his beautiful (but cataleptic) daughter and women who have messages written on their bodies, Dalessius uncovers a plot by the White Penitents. With Voltaire directing operations from afar the authorities are alerted, but the ending is not that happy.
The story is written in a limpid style (which was helped by the smooth translation), with the action moving along at a fast pace. However there is also very clever use of language and metaphor. For example, "It was obvious that certain pieces fit together like parts of a sentence, but...I couldn't imagine the grammar that regulated their construction."
The characters were idiosyncratic, and well observed, and I particularly liked Kolm, the helpful, former executioner. However they didn't seem to have much of an inner life, particularly the main protagonist, Dalessius. Consequently, although this was a very enjoyable read, and one that I would certainly recommend, it didn't draw me into Dalessius's world, instead it felt more like being an interested bystander as events unfolded. For me, this was a diversion (and that's not necessarily a bad thing) rather than a deep or realistic novel.
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
