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Hugo Pratt
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Corto Maltese: The Golden House of Samarkand Paperback – 20 Feb. 2018

by Hugo Pratt (Author, Artist)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 77 ratings
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Corto Maltese sets out on another globetrotting adventure after the discovery of a Byron manuscript in a mosque on the isle of Rhodes.

Set in the years 1921-22, the action soon shifts to Turkey, Azerbaijan, and the Caspian Sea, following the footsteps of the legendary Silk Road, as Corto Maltese searches for the fabled treasure of Alexander the Great.

A parade of fascinating characters are introduced, including the Whirling Dervishes, Joseph Stalin (with whom Corto is on a first-name basis), the Hashinin sect of assassins, the Turkish general Enver Pasha, and the return of Venexiana Stevenson and Rasputin (who has just escaped from the dreaded prison known as "The Golden House of Samarkand.")

Pratt further explores the theme of dual personality, as Corto tries to evade his doppelganger, the Turkish revolutionary Timur Chevket, mindful of his mother's warning that coming face to face with his look-alike would bring about future tragedy.
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  1. Book 8 of 17
    Corto Maltese
  2. Print length
    144 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    IDW Publishing
  5. Publication date
    20 Feb. 2018
  6. Reading age
    13 - 16 years
  7. Dimensions
    23.34 x 1.42 x 29.54 cm
  8. ISBN-10
    168405186X
  9. ISBN-13
    978-1684051861
  10. See all details
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Product description

About the Author

Hugo Pratt (1927-1995) is considered one of the great graphic novelists in the history of the medium. His strips, graphic works, and watercolors have been exhibited at the Grand Palais in Paris and the Vittoriano in Rome, and a landmark show in 2011 at the Pinacotheque in Paris drew 215,000 visitors, hailing Pratt as "the inventor of the literary comic strip."

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ IDW Publishing; 1st edition (20 Feb. 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 168405186X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1684051861
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 - 16 years
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 23.34 x 1.42 x 29.54 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 77 ratings

About the author

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Hugo Pratt

Hugo Pratt

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
77 global ratings

Top reviews from United Kingdom

Bk Spil
5.0 out of 5 stars Magic storytelling!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 November 2016
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Hugo Pratt has the magic of the old storytellers and can transport you to other times and other continents!! Highly recommended for those who enjoy adventures in times that have gone by!!
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Andy
5.0 out of 5 stars A must buy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 March 2016
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Third part of the Euro comics release. Brilliant story line and quality of print. Corto Maltese is an outstanding comic!

Now just waiting for the remaining series...
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nick holloway
5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 January 2018
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fantastic book!
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Will Kerrs
4.0 out of 5 stars Decent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 March 2016
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Pretty good, as always. I mean, they kept pushing back the release date, but not as bad as the last one. Nice cheap translation, much cheaper and better presented than the old English editions of Corto Maltese.
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Ash
2.0 out of 5 stars Historically important but doesn't hold up
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 February 2022
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One of the first graphic novels ever. Hugo Pratt was making these before Wil Eisner "invented" the graphic novel in the US.

The problem with reading this in 2022, is that the medium's come a long way since this, and it doesn't necessarily stack up anymore.
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Bogan
1.0 out of 5 stars One Star
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 March 2018
These reviews have absolutely nothing to do with the book in question. 1915 and 1916? Really ? Fake news.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Luiz Eduardo Fontoura Teixeira
5.0 out of 5 stars Corto Maltese em álbum excelente !
Reviewed in Brazil on 25 October 2019
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Essa coleção sobre a obra de Hugo Pratt, o marujo Corto Maltese é uma obra prima dos comics. Muito bem editada.
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Essen
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in India on 11 April 2018
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Great art combined with complex storytelling!
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Vik Gill
5.0 out of 5 stars "... you're English and you came here presuming to be our masters..."
Reviewed in the United States on 28 August 2016
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Chapter Two of The Ethiopian, "The Coup de Grace," opens with lines from a poem, "The Drunken Boat," superimposed over scenes of the desert. Rows of cacti and a pair of camels give way to images with an undercurrent of danger: a scorpion, a large machine gun, and a soldier and flag of the King's African Rifles. The following page shifts the scene to the interior of a fort displaying the banner of the K.A.R., where the speaker is revealed to be a tidy white man in military garb. "Ah, yes... I love Rimbaud," Captain Bradt wonders aloud.

Then, from behind a wicker chair, Corto Maltese's head pokes out, cigarette in mouth: "You surprise me! I don't know why, but I thought that career officers of the British Army only liked Kipling."

This clever exchange underscores an important theme of The Ethiopian: an examination of colonialism and the desire for control that forms part of the basis of it--Hugo Pratt frames much of the conflict in this book in machinations by the British in the pursuit of empire.

Corto, being half-British himself, can never fully belong to the Danakil or the British or any of the other groups of people featured in The Ethiopian, but he is able to occupy those spheres by virtue of his knowledge of Islam and Great Britain, and even navigate those spheres to some extent by virtue of his deeds. Save for the first story, Corto's only stake in the book's adventures seems to be the preservation of his own life: the stories see him stumbling into gun battles, an execution and an inter-tribe war, and exiting with barely his own jacket intact. But it's because he is so far removed from everything that Corto is able to act in a manner that does not forward the British agenda nor the agenda of the people they seek to control. He acts according to a personal code of honor that values friendship and sympathy for whoever's the weakest at any given moment, be it oppressed or oppressor. "I'm not a hero..." Corto remarks to himself during a quiet moment between life-threatening situations. It's a line couched in some introspection that really encapsulates the heart of the character.

There's nothing that could be said about the quality of this book's printing that hasn't been said already: the reproduction of Pratt's art is excellent and the translation reads well. The inside cover flaps feature a picture from the Danakil desert and of Pratt in Ethiopia in 1982, and pull out into identical maps of Ethiopia. There is one obvious typo in the second page of Chapter One, but otherwise it's a fine printing.

There are only four stories featured here: "In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate," "The Coup de Grace," "... And of Other Romeos and Other Juliets" and "The Leopard-Men of the Rufiji." The first three feature Corto's travels with the Danakil Cush in Ethiopia, while the last seems to stand apart from the others--"The Leopard-Men of the Rufiji" takes place in Tanzania, has a more hurried pace than its predecessors, and only barely hearkens back to the adventures preceding it. In fact, more time is spent dwelling on an adventure that hasn't yet been reprinted by IDW publishing.

They're all generally good stories, though. One major complaint is the lack of any strong woman presence in any of these stories--in fact, only one of the stories depicts a woman at all, and her role is merely a pawn in a larger power struggle. There's very little to her beyond that. This is disappointing, especially considering the women Pratt's featured in previous books. The second complaint is related to the last story, "The Leopard-Men of the Rufiji," which exhibits a group of Africans who operate outside of colonial and tribal boundaries to administer justice across the continent. This story appears to rehabilitate the image of the real-world "Leopard Society" written about in the early 20th century; portrayed as cannibals in historical accounts, Pratt ennobles them in this last story. Despite this, it almost seems like Pratt is homogenizing an entire continent when he writes that there is "one true law" of Africa that Leopard Men serve. This does serve the larger end of repudiating colonial rule, but the apparent oversimplification in depicting Africa as monolith almost comes across as a misstep. A closer reading might dispel this interpretation.

Ultimately, it's best to keep in mind that these stories were originally intended as adventure comics for young men. That Pratt is able to infuse them with such profound subtext is a testament to his skill as an artist. Many of the lessons conveyed here about imperialism will certainly be salient to readers in light of what’s happening in the world today.
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G J Pugh
5.0 out of 5 stars Yet another great release from IDW/Eurocomics
Reviewed in Canada on 25 March 2016
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Yet another great release from IDW/Eurocomics. This is one of my favourite of the Corto books, with complex tales involving a wide variety of characters and action like they just don't seem to do that much of any more. The mix of Arthurian legend, Shakespeare, Stonehenge, Cornwall, U-boat and the threat to fair Albion in 'A Mid-winter's Morning Dream' is just wonderful and enchanting story telling by Pratt and the English translation is near perfect, as it is for all the other stories. This edition looks great, but it is also great to hold with thick paper and waxed covers. All this and Hugo Pratt's masterful drawing makes this another must by, just like the previous two editions. Can't wait for the next one!
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D. J. Bershaw
5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Pratt, in My Opinion
Reviewed in the United States on 9 May 2017
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All of Pratt's work is amazing, but to have this volume -- my very favorite -- in the original format size, is truly wonderful. The animated movie is also quite good, with English subtitles. From North Korea, of all places.
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