The Angel's Game

Okay. I seem to be having a bad run on books jut now. The Tin Drum was pathetic. Just before I finished it, I went to the library and found a new (2008) book by the author of The Shadow of the Wind. HMMM, I thought. "shadow" was one of the best books I've ever read. This will have to be a step-up from Gunter Grass. it was only a small step up. The protagonist, David Martin, is the survivor of a troubled childhood in Barcelona, a scenic setting. He makes his living by taking efuge in the books he writes, and spends his time writing tales aboout the city's underworld. He moves into an abandoned mansion in the heart of the city where he spends time writing, and is made an offer he can't refuse by a reclusive author named Andreas Corelli, who offers him a fortune to write a story about the history of religion that will change/impact the hearts and minds of all believers. Unfortunately, this seems to be a deal made witht he devil. Like Dr. Faustus, martin goes through a series of life-changing events that darken his doors: lost friends, murder, lost love,s and suicides. This books seems like a cross between The Shining and Dr. Faustus. Unfortunately, it was only a 'shadow' of the excellence I read inthe author's previous novel. I struggled to give this a *** Three star rating.

A piece of literary fiction that takes the reader into the streets of Barcelona and behind the scenes of underground publishing and the newspaper industry. With Daniel Martin as our guide, the author takes the reader along to see Martin grow up and find his true calling as a writer. There are definitely some interesting characters along the way, a few that I fell in love with and wanted more from - Isabella captured my attention!

I was forced to read a book, which just so happend to be this one. I was not the least bit interested in reading it but like the saying goes "never judge a book by it's cover" I love this book! One of my favorite authors!