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Las aventuras del capitán Alatriste #2
Purity of Blood
The second swashbuckling adventure in the internationally acclaimed Captain Alatriste series Captain Alatriste, Madrid’s most charismatic swashbuckler, returns in Perez-Reverte’s acclaimed international bestseller. The fearless Alatriste is hired to infiltrate a convent and rescue a young girl forced to serve as a powerful priest’s concubine. The girl’s father is barred from legal recourse as the priest threatens to reveal that the man’s family is “not of pure blood” and is, in fact, of Jewish descent—which will all but destroy the family name. As Alatriste struggles to save the young hostage from being burned at the stake, he soon finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into a conspiracy that leads all the way to the heart of the Spanish Inquisition. A literary thriller that delivers adventure and rich historical detail, Purity of Blood captivates to the final page.
268 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
187 people are currently reading
1905 people want to read
About the author
Arturo Pérez-Reverte
191 books6,251 followersArturo Pérez-Reverte Gutiérrez, is a Spanish novelist and ex-journalist. He worked as a war reporter for twenty-one years (1973 - 1994). He started his journalistic career writing for the now-defunct newspaper Pueblo. Then, he jumped to news reporter for TVE, Spanish national channel. As a war journalist he traveled to several countries, covering many conflicts. He put this experience into his book 'Territorio Comanche', focusing on the years of Bosnian massacres. That was in 1994, but his debut as a fiction writer started in 1983, with 'El húsar', a historical novella inspired in the Napoleonic era.
Although his debut was not quite successful, in 1988, with 'The Fencing Master', he put his name as a serious writer of historic novels. That was confirmed in 1996, when was published the first book of his Captain Alatriste saga, which has been his trademark. After this book, he could leave definitely journalism for focusing on his career as a fiction writer. This saga, that happens in the years of the Spanish golden age, has seen, for now, seven volumes, where Pérez-Reverte shows, from his particular point of view, historical events from Spanish history in the 16th century.
Apart from these, he also penned another successful works like Dumas Club and Flanders Panel, titles that, among others, made Pérez-Reverte one of the most famous and bestseller authors of Spanish fiction of our era.
Although his debut was not quite successful, in 1988, with 'The Fencing Master', he put his name as a serious writer of historic novels. That was confirmed in 1996, when was published the first book of his Captain Alatriste saga, which has been his trademark. After this book, he could leave definitely journalism for focusing on his career as a fiction writer. This saga, that happens in the years of the Spanish golden age, has seen, for now, seven volumes, where Pérez-Reverte shows, from his particular point of view, historical events from Spanish history in the 16th century.
Apart from these, he also penned another successful works like Dumas Club and Flanders Panel, titles that, among others, made Pérez-Reverte one of the most famous and bestseller authors of Spanish fiction of our era.
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October 19, 2021
"En la vida que le había tocado vivir, Diego Alatriste era tan hideputa como el que más; pero era uno de esos hideputas que juegan según ciertas reglas"
Otro cinco estrellas que se lleva Alatriste, y justificado voto a Dios. No lo he sentido como un segundo libro o una continuación, sino como si todo siguiera una misma línea, el anterior libro fue la semana pasada, y este la siguiente por así decirlo, entonces no hay ningún tipo de bajón al menos desde mi punto de vista, ni a nivel narrativo, eso está fuera de toda duda, ni a nivel de trama o personajes, es más, todas las aventuras van avanzado como los personajes, haciéndose más grandes e importantes. Pardiez si he disfrutado, a sus estimadas mercedes que duden de mi palabra, no queda sino batirnos.
"Limpieza de Sangre" recrea no solo la atmósfera, sino también el ritmo del discurso estilizado de la época, la España de principios del siglo XVII. Un impecable trabajo, no solo con el diálogo, sino también con la poesía que se va esparciendo por el libro.
"Nada hay más despreciable, ni peligroso, que un malvado que cada noche se va a dormir con la conciencia tranquila"
Pérez-Reverte tiene un enorme conocimiento del período sobre el que escribe y ha captado bien cada punto de la corrupción, la hipocresía y también el honor y la gentileza de la época. Una era oscura, una España en declive, quienes la gobiernan son venales y egoístas en el mejor de los casos, pero el Capitán Diego Alatriste y sus amigos siguen comportándose de acuerdo con su código de honor. Alatriste puede ser una espada afilada y mortal con un precio, pero es una espada con conciencia.
"España turbulenta, arruinada y orgullosa. En verdad era el orgullo lo único que nos iba quedando en el bolsillo, nadie recogía una palabra lanzada a la ligera, e incluso amigos íntimos eran capaces de acuchillarse por una mala palabra o un mentís"
Una de las cosas que más me gustó leer con la estupenda y sublime mano de Reverte fue la descripción de la Inquisición española que es esclarecedora, y lo más probable es que no haga justicia a los horrores que sufrieron las pobres almas atrapadas en sus garras. Estos pobres desgraciados y desgraciadas caían por diversos motivos. Por ejemplo, tener un solo antepasado que era judío -sangre limpia- era lo que se buscaba, era más que suficiente para enviarlos a la hoguera después de haber sido torturado para que confesaran lo que los torturadores deseaban que uno confesara. Todo hecho en nombre de proteger la única fe y ambiciones.
"Después, con el tiempo, aprendí que, aunque todos los hombres somos capaces de lo bueno y de lo malo, los peores siempre son aquellos que, cuando administran el mal, lo hacen amparándose en la autoridad de otros, en el pretexto de las órdenes recibidas"
Un tema a tratar importante en esta segunda entrega el de la limpieza de sangre, la de no tener en generaciones pasadas ascendentes judíos. Claro, que con dinero los antecedentes bien podían ser lavados o borrados.
Si bien la historia tiene su parte de acción, manejo de espadas, conspiración y coraje, es Iñigo, el mozo adoptado por Alatriste, que nos va relatando todo, incluida sus luchas como prisionero de la inquisición lo que más peso emocional tiene. Pérez-Reverte se muestra tajante en su exposición de lo mala que era la vida en España, para todos menos unos pocos, en este momento. Con sus cosas buenas, que estan relacionadas con la literatura y el arte, o el honor y compasión que algunos muestran siguiendo un código.
"Porque al Dios de Alatriste ni se lo aplacaba con laudes ni se lo ofendia con juramentos. Era un ser poderoso e impasible"
La ambientación y como Reverte trasporta a donde, y cómo el quiere. Todos los diálogos son impagables, las citas imperdibles. La trama es muy entretenida y con mucha acción. Lo de más destaca es un muy concienzudo retrato de una sociedad. Una sociedad, que se veía obligada a buscarse la vida y pan como buenamente podía en medio de la miseria. Un retrato en el que su discurso es gratamente adornado por citas muy memorables. Reverte recrea con acierto este asunto en libro, aireando así las miserias de una España en decadencia, en la que cada persona podía desde denunciar a otro a la inquisición y sin prueba alguna de no ser cristiano viejo. En el que los maravedís, lo compran todo. El poder siempre está en lo mismo, y el poder es el poder.
"Dentro frecuentaréis las confesiones
con las siervas hermosas
de Dios, y tratareislas como a esposas,
cándose por honradas
con pretexto que están endemoniadas"
Nos enseña además de forma ilustrativa los entresijos del proceso de denuncia al santo oficio, los métodos de tortura de la inquisición, en qué consistía un acto de fe, dándote una clase enorme calidad sobre una muy temida inquisición española. Alabo la utilización del lenguaje de esta época, desde expresiones a vocabulario, todo ello perfectamente integrado en cada página.
"Al octavo o noveno intento, Saldaña, Alatriste, Copons, mi padre y otros veteranos del tercio viejo de Cartagena lograron meterse dentro de la muralla a puros huevos"
No le veo ni puedo poner un pero a esta segunda entrega, me parece escrita de manera sublime como la anterior, muy ágil, pedagógica. Tanto me ha gustado, que he tenido que echar el freno de mano y no empezar "El sol de Breda". Quiero racionar un poco esta saga pues solo hay una primera vez y realmente es una saga y un autor (que estoy/voy leer casi todo) que ahora ocupan un lugar importante en mi estantería.
"En un mundo venal, hecho de hipocresía y falsas maneras, los poderosos , los buitres carroneñeros, los envidiosos, los cobardes y los canallas suelen cubrirse unos a otros"
Otro cinco estrellas que se lleva Alatriste, y justificado voto a Dios. No lo he sentido como un segundo libro o una continuación, sino como si todo siguiera una misma línea, el anterior libro fue la semana pasada, y este la siguiente por así decirlo, entonces no hay ningún tipo de bajón al menos desde mi punto de vista, ni a nivel narrativo, eso está fuera de toda duda, ni a nivel de trama o personajes, es más, todas las aventuras van avanzado como los personajes, haciéndose más grandes e importantes. Pardiez si he disfrutado, a sus estimadas mercedes que duden de mi palabra, no queda sino batirnos.
"Limpieza de Sangre" recrea no solo la atmósfera, sino también el ritmo del discurso estilizado de la época, la España de principios del siglo XVII. Un impecable trabajo, no solo con el diálogo, sino también con la poesía que se va esparciendo por el libro.
"Nada hay más despreciable, ni peligroso, que un malvado que cada noche se va a dormir con la conciencia tranquila"
Pérez-Reverte tiene un enorme conocimiento del período sobre el que escribe y ha captado bien cada punto de la corrupción, la hipocresía y también el honor y la gentileza de la época. Una era oscura, una España en declive, quienes la gobiernan son venales y egoístas en el mejor de los casos, pero el Capitán Diego Alatriste y sus amigos siguen comportándose de acuerdo con su código de honor. Alatriste puede ser una espada afilada y mortal con un precio, pero es una espada con conciencia.
"España turbulenta, arruinada y orgullosa. En verdad era el orgullo lo único que nos iba quedando en el bolsillo, nadie recogía una palabra lanzada a la ligera, e incluso amigos íntimos eran capaces de acuchillarse por una mala palabra o un mentís"
Una de las cosas que más me gustó leer con la estupenda y sublime mano de Reverte fue la descripción de la Inquisición española que es esclarecedora, y lo más probable es que no haga justicia a los horrores que sufrieron las pobres almas atrapadas en sus garras. Estos pobres desgraciados y desgraciadas caían por diversos motivos. Por ejemplo, tener un solo antepasado que era judío -sangre limpia- era lo que se buscaba, era más que suficiente para enviarlos a la hoguera después de haber sido torturado para que confesaran lo que los torturadores deseaban que uno confesara. Todo hecho en nombre de proteger la única fe y ambiciones.
"Después, con el tiempo, aprendí que, aunque todos los hombres somos capaces de lo bueno y de lo malo, los peores siempre son aquellos que, cuando administran el mal, lo hacen amparándose en la autoridad de otros, en el pretexto de las órdenes recibidas"
Un tema a tratar importante en esta segunda entrega el de la limpieza de sangre, la de no tener en generaciones pasadas ascendentes judíos. Claro, que con dinero los antecedentes bien podían ser lavados o borrados.
Si bien la historia tiene su parte de acción, manejo de espadas, conspiración y coraje, es Iñigo, el mozo adoptado por Alatriste, que nos va relatando todo, incluida sus luchas como prisionero de la inquisición lo que más peso emocional tiene. Pérez-Reverte se muestra tajante en su exposición de lo mala que era la vida en España, para todos menos unos pocos, en este momento. Con sus cosas buenas, que estan relacionadas con la literatura y el arte, o el honor y compasión que algunos muestran siguiendo un código.
"Porque al Dios de Alatriste ni se lo aplacaba con laudes ni se lo ofendia con juramentos. Era un ser poderoso e impasible"
La ambientación y como Reverte trasporta a donde, y cómo el quiere. Todos los diálogos son impagables, las citas imperdibles. La trama es muy entretenida y con mucha acción. Lo de más destaca es un muy concienzudo retrato de una sociedad. Una sociedad, que se veía obligada a buscarse la vida y pan como buenamente podía en medio de la miseria. Un retrato en el que su discurso es gratamente adornado por citas muy memorables. Reverte recrea con acierto este asunto en libro, aireando así las miserias de una España en decadencia, en la que cada persona podía desde denunciar a otro a la inquisición y sin prueba alguna de no ser cristiano viejo. En el que los maravedís, lo compran todo. El poder siempre está en lo mismo, y el poder es el poder.
"Dentro frecuentaréis las confesiones
con las siervas hermosas
de Dios, y tratareislas como a esposas,
cándose por honradas
con pretexto que están endemoniadas"
Nos enseña además de forma ilustrativa los entresijos del proceso de denuncia al santo oficio, los métodos de tortura de la inquisición, en qué consistía un acto de fe, dándote una clase enorme calidad sobre una muy temida inquisición española. Alabo la utilización del lenguaje de esta época, desde expresiones a vocabulario, todo ello perfectamente integrado en cada página.
"Al octavo o noveno intento, Saldaña, Alatriste, Copons, mi padre y otros veteranos del tercio viejo de Cartagena lograron meterse dentro de la muralla a puros huevos"
No le veo ni puedo poner un pero a esta segunda entrega, me parece escrita de manera sublime como la anterior, muy ágil, pedagógica. Tanto me ha gustado, que he tenido que echar el freno de mano y no empezar "El sol de Breda". Quiero racionar un poco esta saga pues solo hay una primera vez y realmente es una saga y un autor (que estoy/voy leer casi todo) que ahora ocupan un lugar importante en mi estantería.
"En un mundo venal, hecho de hipocresía y falsas maneras, los poderosos , los buitres carroneñeros, los envidiosos, los cobardes y los canallas suelen cubrirse unos a otros"
November 27, 2020
El capitán Alatriste es el arquetipo de las opiniones de Reverte cada vez que habla de España y de su historia. Me encantó una frase.:
“Firmar así el acta de defunción de aquella infeliz España a la que había llevado al desastre, gastando el oro y la plata de América en festejos vanos, en enriquecer a funcionarios, clérigos, nobles y validos corruptos, y en llenar con tumbas de hombres valientes los campos de batalla de media Europa.”
“Infeliz España” … “festejos vanos”…..”corruptos” …”tumbas de hombres valientes en los campos de batalla de media Europa”. Y eso es el resumen de toda la Saga del Capitán Alatriste. Un soldado viejo de los tercios que vive, como puede, en un Madrid del siglo XVII al servicio de poderosos pero intentando conservar su honor en una España en decadencia.
Personajes maravillosos, TODOS, no solo Alatriste. Preciosista encaje histórico. Frases memorables. Diálogos impagables. Deje de amargura por esta España que amamos pero no conseguimos que funcione como nos gustaría a los españolitos…de aquella época y de la actual. Y que, ante las adversidades que nos tocan a unos y a otros, en la mayoría de las ocasiones por ganar un duro para subsistir o para que subsistan los nuestros, “no queda sino batirnos”.
Creo que Reverte acabó hasta las orejas de este personaje. Pues lo siento (mentira!) por él, pero a mí me atrapó y mi alma de lector lo llevará siempre cosido al corazón y a la conciencia.
Pondré esta review en todos los libros de la saga porque en realidad me da igual un libro que otro, o incluso una parte de cada libro u otra: todas son esto que escribo. Distintas peripecias más o menos desgraciadas sobre este guion.
“Firmar así el acta de defunción de aquella infeliz España a la que había llevado al desastre, gastando el oro y la plata de América en festejos vanos, en enriquecer a funcionarios, clérigos, nobles y validos corruptos, y en llenar con tumbas de hombres valientes los campos de batalla de media Europa.”
“Infeliz España” … “festejos vanos”…..”corruptos” …”tumbas de hombres valientes en los campos de batalla de media Europa”. Y eso es el resumen de toda la Saga del Capitán Alatriste. Un soldado viejo de los tercios que vive, como puede, en un Madrid del siglo XVII al servicio de poderosos pero intentando conservar su honor en una España en decadencia.
Personajes maravillosos, TODOS, no solo Alatriste. Preciosista encaje histórico. Frases memorables. Diálogos impagables. Deje de amargura por esta España que amamos pero no conseguimos que funcione como nos gustaría a los españolitos…de aquella época y de la actual. Y que, ante las adversidades que nos tocan a unos y a otros, en la mayoría de las ocasiones por ganar un duro para subsistir o para que subsistan los nuestros, “no queda sino batirnos”.
Creo que Reverte acabó hasta las orejas de este personaje. Pues lo siento (mentira!) por él, pero a mí me atrapó y mi alma de lector lo llevará siempre cosido al corazón y a la conciencia.
Pondré esta review en todos los libros de la saga porque en realidad me da igual un libro que otro, o incluso una parte de cada libro u otra: todas son esto que escribo. Distintas peripecias más o menos desgraciadas sobre este guion.
March 2, 2021
4.5/5 Estrellas.
Con la iglesia hemos topado!. En esta entrega el capitán Alatriste y sobre todo nuestro narrador, Iñigo Balboa, su pupilo, se ven atrapados por los siniestros e inexorables mecanismos de la terrible, pero eficaz Santa Inquisición.
Pérez-Reverte no para en mientes a la hora de analizar en boca de sus personajes las causas del inexorable declive que, ya en los primeros tiempos de Felipe IV, parecen evidentes en el Imperio español. Corrupción desbocada, oscurantismo, hipocresía, incultura, abuso de poder, nepotismo. Todo ello aprovechado por los poderosos (aristocracia e Iglesia incluidos), para manipular y exprimir al pueblo y por muchos otros para vivir del cuento y no pegar palo al agua. El imperio se acerca cada vez más al colapso. Imperio que pocos años más tarde se verá asediado por todos los frentes, con la guerra de los 30 años en Europa, la rebelión de Cataluña y Portugal y la ruina económica. Poco a poco, el orgullo de una sociedad, que se creía prácticamente invencible y elegida por Dios, se irá trocando en una sociedad arruinada, explotada, pesimista y hastiada......aunque esta ya es otra historia que veremos en las próximas entregas.
El cuadro de la época que nos presenta el autor, así como su manejo del lenguaje es simplemente magistral. Voto a tal, que no me esperaba tanto.
Finalmente nuestro rapaz, puede salir con bien de las garras de la Inquisición, y se prepara, junto con nuestro capitán, para marchar a Flandes bajo las banderas de los Tercios Viejos y bajo la cruz de San Andrés del Imperio.
Muy recomendable.
Con la iglesia hemos topado!. En esta entrega el capitán Alatriste y sobre todo nuestro narrador, Iñigo Balboa, su pupilo, se ven atrapados por los siniestros e inexorables mecanismos de la terrible, pero eficaz Santa Inquisición.
Pérez-Reverte no para en mientes a la hora de analizar en boca de sus personajes las causas del inexorable declive que, ya en los primeros tiempos de Felipe IV, parecen evidentes en el Imperio español. Corrupción desbocada, oscurantismo, hipocresía, incultura, abuso de poder, nepotismo. Todo ello aprovechado por los poderosos (aristocracia e Iglesia incluidos), para manipular y exprimir al pueblo y por muchos otros para vivir del cuento y no pegar palo al agua. El imperio se acerca cada vez más al colapso. Imperio que pocos años más tarde se verá asediado por todos los frentes, con la guerra de los 30 años en Europa, la rebelión de Cataluña y Portugal y la ruina económica. Poco a poco, el orgullo de una sociedad, que se creía prácticamente invencible y elegida por Dios, se irá trocando en una sociedad arruinada, explotada, pesimista y hastiada......aunque esta ya es otra historia que veremos en las próximas entregas.
El cuadro de la época que nos presenta el autor, así como su manejo del lenguaje es simplemente magistral. Voto a tal, que no me esperaba tanto.
Finalmente nuestro rapaz, puede salir con bien de las garras de la Inquisición, y se prepara, junto con nuestro capitán, para marchar a Flandes bajo las banderas de los Tercios Viejos y bajo la cruz de San Andrés del Imperio.
Muy recomendable.
April 12, 2022
Seré breve y conciso, como las propias aventuras del Capitán Alatriste: lenguaje magistral y una experiencia inmersiva en el crepúsculo del Siglo de Oro imperdible. Hay que leer estos libros, sí o sí. Y más siendo españoles.
La mordacidad de Reverte, su estilo crítico y su prosa magistral, tan atávica y evocadora aquí, su amor por el lenguaje y la historia española, su análisis de la naturaleza humana, del genio español. Una maravilla con toda la crudeza de lo que es real y mundano. Aquí lo tenéis todo. Me cae mal el académico, pero es un maestro.
Aunque parezca inverosímil: hablar de las gentes y de la sociedad del siglo XVII es hablar de nosotros, del hoy. Las pasiones y los apetitos humanos ignoran el ritmo vertiginoso del avance científico y tecnológico, y libros como "Limpieza de Sangre" así lo atestiguan. Es trágicamente revelador vernos reflejados, con nuestras grandezas y vergüenzas, en aquellos compatriotas que hollaron la ya lejana España de Felipe IV. Y esta es una de las mayores virtudes de estos libros que paradójicamente siguen resultando historia viva (revivida).
Al final no he sido tan breve. Vaya.
4,5 estrellas.
June 6, 2014
3.5 stars
I have to admit to having been disappointed by the eponymous first book in Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s ‘Captain Alatriste’ series of swashbuckling romances. It may have been due to unfair, or incorrect, expectations, but I remember being fairly nonplussed by my reaction. I love me a good swashbuckler, but despite this fact I have to admit that I find myself disappointed more often than not in the ones I pick up. Sabatini has one truly great entry in the genre that I have read (the superlative Scaramouche), but I have found myself distinctly underwhelmed by every other book by him that I have taken up…much to my chagrin. Doyle's 'Brigadier Gerard' stories are wonderful, but they are as much comedies as they are swashbucklers. I venerate Dumas père, but must admit that even his voluminous output has its ups and downs and contrary to popular belief I don’t think that most of his works should really be classified as true swashbucklers (though historical romance is such a close kissing cousin that they really ought to just get a room already). It was, therefore, with some trepidation that I took up volume two in the Alatriste series, _The Purity of Blood_. The meat of the story revolves around the titular ‘purity of blood’ that one must be able to prove (especially if you happen to have any Jewish descent in your family tree) in order to be considered an ‘Old Christian’ and the trouble (that’s putting it mildly) encountered by those conversos unable to do so to the satisfaction of the authorities, especially the infamous Inquisition. Alatriste and Íñigo get pulled into a plot that seems to be merely a family affair to begin with, until it becomes apparent that there are tendrils spilling out from it into much higher levels of society. Buckles are swashed, secrets revealed, and danger & death are always waiting in the wings. Through all of this Pérez-Reverte is able to bring into a swashbuckling adventure ruminations on the decay and hypocrisy inherent in the Spain of the ‘Golden Age’; a golden age that, not surprisingly, leaves quite a bit to be desired and, when seen face on, is neither better nor worse than any of mankind’s other blunders throughout history.
I will admit to once again feeling more or less indifferent for much of the novel. All in all it was fairly good...an intriguing mystery setting things up on the first page and a fast paced adventure that was out of the gate with little to no preamble, but I was still not sufficiently grabbed by the adventure to feel myself sucked into the world Pérez-Reverte was creating. I know he’s capable of this as he’s done it to perfection for me in the more slower paced The Fencing Master and the intriguing occult-literary mystery The Club Dumas, but so far in his pure swashbucklers I am not always fully engaged. There were moments though. The conceit of the book is that it is a first person memoir being told by Íñigo Balboa, Alatriste’s ward and companion ever since the boy’s father, an old soldier buddy of Alatriste’s, died in the latter’s arms and asked him to care for his son (more on this anon). This conceit allows us to enter into Íñigo’s mind as his remembrances of his youth take on the bitter-sweet savour of a man looking back on his halcyon days from the vantage of old age. Two moments here struck me as particularly moving. In the first Íñigo recalls the vision of Angélica de Alquézar, the great love of his life; a love that is not without its own ambivalent qualities:
Despite these moments that allow Pérez-Reverte’s novel to be tinged with that golden glow of memory so often ascribed to the ‘Golden Age of Spain’ in which these adventures take place, the memoir format is not without its complications. The fact of the matter is that Íñigo spends a large portion of his time separated from the Captain (no need to go into details here, that really would be a spoiler) and yet we still get whole chapters told from the perspective of Alatriste without losing the assumption that ultimately it’s all coming from Íñigo’s mouth (or pen). I’m not normally a stickler for the whole “what is the conceit of how we received this narrative” thing (though it is becoming something I think about more) and usually just go with the flow, but it did grate a bit here for me. I can’t believe that the laconic Alatriste told Íñigo anything but the barest details of what he did while they were separated, yet we still get a view into not only Alatriste’s actions, but his thoughts and words as well (not to mention those of the various friends and enemies with whom he interacts). I liked those chapters just fine as third person narrative, but they didn’t really work for me as parts of Íñigo’s memoirs. That quibble aside I found that as the book neared its conclusion I was warming up to it much more than my experience in the first half would have suggested. I would still say, though, that this is in some ways a book that works less as a thoroughly rousing adventure in and of itself, but is rather a further set up for the long term adventures of Alatriste and Íñigo, especially in regards to the relationships they have both with each other and with those who will prove to be the greatest thorns in their sides. Alatriste has a great moment at the end of the book with his nemesis, the thoroughly evil (yet still interestingly complex) swordsman and assassin Gualterio Malatesta, while the aforementioned reasons for the complex feelings of Íñigo for the lovely and deadly Angélica de Alquézar get some page time as she is shown to play a small, though key, role in the stratagem that nearly proves to be the end of our two heroes. All in all I wasn’t completely swept away by this story, but it planted enough seeds that promise potential greatness that I am committed to following along with the adventures these two motley heroes for at least a little while more. I hope Pérez-Reverte proves to live up to the promise.
I have to admit to having been disappointed by the eponymous first book in Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s ‘Captain Alatriste’ series of swashbuckling romances. It may have been due to unfair, or incorrect, expectations, but I remember being fairly nonplussed by my reaction. I love me a good swashbuckler, but despite this fact I have to admit that I find myself disappointed more often than not in the ones I pick up. Sabatini has one truly great entry in the genre that I have read (the superlative Scaramouche), but I have found myself distinctly underwhelmed by every other book by him that I have taken up…much to my chagrin. Doyle's 'Brigadier Gerard' stories are wonderful, but they are as much comedies as they are swashbucklers. I venerate Dumas père, but must admit that even his voluminous output has its ups and downs and contrary to popular belief I don’t think that most of his works should really be classified as true swashbucklers (though historical romance is such a close kissing cousin that they really ought to just get a room already). It was, therefore, with some trepidation that I took up volume two in the Alatriste series, _The Purity of Blood_. The meat of the story revolves around the titular ‘purity of blood’ that one must be able to prove (especially if you happen to have any Jewish descent in your family tree) in order to be considered an ‘Old Christian’ and the trouble (that’s putting it mildly) encountered by those conversos unable to do so to the satisfaction of the authorities, especially the infamous Inquisition. Alatriste and Íñigo get pulled into a plot that seems to be merely a family affair to begin with, until it becomes apparent that there are tendrils spilling out from it into much higher levels of society. Buckles are swashed, secrets revealed, and danger & death are always waiting in the wings. Through all of this Pérez-Reverte is able to bring into a swashbuckling adventure ruminations on the decay and hypocrisy inherent in the Spain of the ‘Golden Age’; a golden age that, not surprisingly, leaves quite a bit to be desired and, when seen face on, is neither better nor worse than any of mankind’s other blunders throughout history.
I will admit to once again feeling more or less indifferent for much of the novel. All in all it was fairly good...an intriguing mystery setting things up on the first page and a fast paced adventure that was out of the gate with little to no preamble, but I was still not sufficiently grabbed by the adventure to feel myself sucked into the world Pérez-Reverte was creating. I know he’s capable of this as he’s done it to perfection for me in the more slower paced The Fencing Master and the intriguing occult-literary mystery The Club Dumas, but so far in his pure swashbucklers I am not always fully engaged. There were moments though. The conceit of the book is that it is a first person memoir being told by Íñigo Balboa, Alatriste’s ward and companion ever since the boy’s father, an old soldier buddy of Alatriste’s, died in the latter’s arms and asked him to care for his son (more on this anon). This conceit allows us to enter into Íñigo’s mind as his remembrances of his youth take on the bitter-sweet savour of a man looking back on his halcyon days from the vantage of old age. Two moments here struck me as particularly moving. In the first Íñigo recalls the vision of Angélica de Alquézar, the great love of his life; a love that is not without its own ambivalent qualities:
At times, when memories seem so sweet that I long even for old enemies, I go and stand before the portrait Diego Velázquez painted of her, and stay for hours looking at her in silence, painfully aware that I never truly knew her. But along with the scars that she inflicted, my old heart still holds the conviction that that girl, that woman who inflicted upon me every evil she was capable of, also, in her way, loved me till the day she died.The second was in a moment of truth for Íñigo in which his mettle and devotion to his master are tested. In this moment he finds
“…that there are some things no man can tolerate though it cost him his life or, precisely, because that life would not be worth living if he yielded.”I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to say that Íñigo proves himself worthy of the Captain’s respect and devotion.
Despite these moments that allow Pérez-Reverte’s novel to be tinged with that golden glow of memory so often ascribed to the ‘Golden Age of Spain’ in which these adventures take place, the memoir format is not without its complications. The fact of the matter is that Íñigo spends a large portion of his time separated from the Captain (no need to go into details here, that really would be a spoiler) and yet we still get whole chapters told from the perspective of Alatriste without losing the assumption that ultimately it’s all coming from Íñigo’s mouth (or pen). I’m not normally a stickler for the whole “what is the conceit of how we received this narrative” thing (though it is becoming something I think about more) and usually just go with the flow, but it did grate a bit here for me. I can’t believe that the laconic Alatriste told Íñigo anything but the barest details of what he did while they were separated, yet we still get a view into not only Alatriste’s actions, but his thoughts and words as well (not to mention those of the various friends and enemies with whom he interacts). I liked those chapters just fine as third person narrative, but they didn’t really work for me as parts of Íñigo’s memoirs. That quibble aside I found that as the book neared its conclusion I was warming up to it much more than my experience in the first half would have suggested. I would still say, though, that this is in some ways a book that works less as a thoroughly rousing adventure in and of itself, but is rather a further set up for the long term adventures of Alatriste and Íñigo, especially in regards to the relationships they have both with each other and with those who will prove to be the greatest thorns in their sides. Alatriste has a great moment at the end of the book with his nemesis, the thoroughly evil (yet still interestingly complex) swordsman and assassin Gualterio Malatesta, while the aforementioned reasons for the complex feelings of Íñigo for the lovely and deadly Angélica de Alquézar get some page time as she is shown to play a small, though key, role in the stratagem that nearly proves to be the end of our two heroes. All in all I wasn’t completely swept away by this story, but it planted enough seeds that promise potential greatness that I am committed to following along with the adventures these two motley heroes for at least a little while more. I hope Pérez-Reverte proves to live up to the promise.
October 20, 2023
Continuación de las aventuras de Alatriste y apenas he notado que sea un segundo libro: mismo tono, atmósfera, personajes...
Esta vez vemos cómo Alatriste e Iñigo de Balboa caen en manos de la Inquisición y gracias a la maestría de Reverte con el lenguaje nos sumergimos en esta época del declive del Imperio Español. Y esto es lo que más interés me está despertando en estos libros: el cómo uno de los imperios más grandes que han existido va derrumbándose por la codicia, corrupción y violencia y aún así haya gente con honor cuando lo fácil es hacer lo contrario.
Esta vez vemos cómo Alatriste e Iñigo de Balboa caen en manos de la Inquisición y gracias a la maestría de Reverte con el lenguaje nos sumergimos en esta época del declive del Imperio Español. Y esto es lo que más interés me está despertando en estos libros: el cómo uno de los imperios más grandes que han existido va derrumbándose por la codicia, corrupción y violencia y aún así haya gente con honor cuando lo fácil es hacer lo contrario.
January 21, 2017
"But that is the way of life, and that was but one of the first times...that I was taught a useful lesson about how appearances trump truth, and how villains hide their vices behind masks of piety, honor, and decency."
Priests are using their position of authority to influence novices at a convent in Spain. Captain Alitriste is hired by a father and his sons to rescue his daughter from a particular chaplain's heinous clutches. Instead the story mutates into a mission to save Alitriste's ward from the Inquisition.
Although the book easily met its stride, I never felt it met its potential. The book was much too short for my tastes. This is one of my favorite authors, and he could have developed a top tale with this one. Except when the problem with the nunnery is discussed at the beginning, it's never spoken of again. This topic was a treasure trove of ideas just waiting to happen. Also there is only one sword fight of note.
As an outline or rough draft, this was a great book. I just wish Perez-Reverte had done more.
Priests are using their position of authority to influence novices at a convent in Spain. Captain Alitriste is hired by a father and his sons to rescue his daughter from a particular chaplain's heinous clutches. Instead the story mutates into a mission to save Alitriste's ward from the Inquisition.
Although the book easily met its stride, I never felt it met its potential. The book was much too short for my tastes. This is one of my favorite authors, and he could have developed a top tale with this one. Except when the problem with the nunnery is discussed at the beginning, it's never spoken of again. This topic was a treasure trove of ideas just waiting to happen. Also there is only one sword fight of note.
As an outline or rough draft, this was a great book. I just wish Perez-Reverte had done more.
October 14, 2025
Приключенията на капитан Алатристе и верния нему Иниго продължават.
Схватката със Светата Инквизиция е жестока и безмилостна, без полезен изход, а прошката е почти невъзможна и все пак, докато човек диша - надежда има!
Цитати:
"...всеки истински мъж може да избере как и къде да умре, но никой не избира нещата, които си спомня."
"Не съм привърженик на даването на съвети — на чужд гръб и сто тояги са малко, — ала ето ви един безплатно: нека ваши милости нямат вяра на човек, който чете само една книга."
Схватката със Светата Инквизиция е жестока и безмилостна, без полезен изход, а прошката е почти невъзможна и все пак, докато човек диша - надежда има!
Цитати:
"...всеки истински мъж може да избере как и къде да умре, но никой не избира нещата, които си спомня."
"Не съм привърженик на даването на съвети — на чужд гръб и сто тояги са малко, — ала ето ви един безплатно: нека ваши милости нямат вяра на човек, който чете само една книга."
July 7, 2021
Siguen las aventuras de Iñigo de Balboa, Alatriste, Francisco de Quevedo y todos los demás protagonistas de esta historia. En esta segunda entrega nuestros protagonistas, mientras preparan su incorporación a los Tercios, se ven envueltos en una turbia trama que les hace enfrentarse de lleno con el Santo Oficio, envuelto en una lucha de poder contra el Conde-Duque de Olivares, valido de nuestro rey Felipe el Cuarto. Aunque aún sólo tiene 12-13 años comenzamos a vislumbrar el papel que jugará de seguro la bella y malvada Angélica...
May 22, 2024
"Cualquier hombre cabal puede escoger la forma y el lugar donde morir, pero nadie elige las cosas que recuerda."
"Nunca se sabe qué van a apuntar los dados, y estos siempre empiezan a rodar antes de que uno mismo lo advierta."
Segunda entrega de la serie Las aventuras del capitán Alatriste, protagonizada por el veterano soldado Diego Alatriste y su joven protegido Íñigo Balboa. En esta ocasión, Alatriste se ve envuelto en una peligrosa misión que lo llevará a enfrentarse a poderosos enemigos en la España del Siglo de Oro. No me voy a liar mucho con esta reseña, pues en el libro tenéis la sinopsis, y también muy buenas reseñas de algunos compañeros aquí mismo.
"Denunciar a los malvados sin pruebas, atacarlos sin armas, confiar a ciegas en la razón o en la justicia, es a menudo el mejor camino para encontrar la propia perdición."
Simplemente diré que esta continuación cumple con creces las expectativas generadas por su predecesora. Aquí podrás encontrar, por nombrar algunas de sus bondades, aventuras de las buenas, grandes personajes, engaños y triquiñuelas, acción, ritmo ágil, diálogos punzantes cual vizcaína y una ambientación magistral de la España del Siglo XVII. No se puede pedir más. Simplemente ir a por el siguiente.
"Desconfíen siempre vuestras mercedes de quien es lector de un solo libro."
"Nunca se sabe qué van a apuntar los dados, y estos siempre empiezan a rodar antes de que uno mismo lo advierta."
Segunda entrega de la serie Las aventuras del capitán Alatriste, protagonizada por el veterano soldado Diego Alatriste y su joven protegido Íñigo Balboa. En esta ocasión, Alatriste se ve envuelto en una peligrosa misión que lo llevará a enfrentarse a poderosos enemigos en la España del Siglo de Oro. No me voy a liar mucho con esta reseña, pues en el libro tenéis la sinopsis, y también muy buenas reseñas de algunos compañeros aquí mismo.
"Denunciar a los malvados sin pruebas, atacarlos sin armas, confiar a ciegas en la razón o en la justicia, es a menudo el mejor camino para encontrar la propia perdición."
Simplemente diré que esta continuación cumple con creces las expectativas generadas por su predecesora. Aquí podrás encontrar, por nombrar algunas de sus bondades, aventuras de las buenas, grandes personajes, engaños y triquiñuelas, acción, ritmo ágil, diálogos punzantes cual vizcaína y una ambientación magistral de la España del Siglo XVII. No se puede pedir más. Simplemente ir a por el siguiente.
"Desconfíen siempre vuestras mercedes de quien es lector de un solo libro."
June 7, 2016
Главное достоинство [русских переводов] книг Переса-Реверте о приключениях капитана Алатристе – прекрасный литературный язык – классически образный, не слишком витиеватый, богатый, но не вычурный, – который в современных романах встречается так редко. Большая читательская радость и спасибо переводчику.
Ну, и отдельно хочется отметить, как, в сущности, такому роману-безделице, который лично я планирую читать своему сыну вместо "Трёх мушкетеров", когда ему будет лет десять, как такому незамысловатому на первый взгляд произведению в нескольких буквально страницах удаётся блестяще показать читателю, что за ад была испанская инквизиция. Это, друзья, будет пострашнее детективов с расчлененкой.
Ну, и отдельно хочется отметить, как, в сущности, такому роману-безделице, который лично я планирую читать своему сыну вместо "Трёх мушкетеров", когда ему будет лет десять, как такому незамысловатому на первый взгляд произведению в нескольких буквально страницах удаётся блестяще показать читателю, что за ад была испанская инквизиция. Это, друзья, будет пострашнее детективов с расчлененкой.
August 20, 2018
Uma aventura de Alatriste cheia de reviravoltas e intrigas da igreja. Rivais mortíferos e autos de fé.
O capitão tem a missão de encontrar uma jovem noviça. A inquisição quer de novo acabar com Alatriste. Mas ele consegue escapar de novo das suas mãos e salvar uma jovem de uma acusação falsa.
O título da obra refere-se a um período negro da História em que a igreja pretendia "limpar" a sociedade dos hereges ( os judeus e individuais que eram contram os preceitos do Santo Ofício ).
O capitão tem a missão de encontrar uma jovem noviça. A inquisição quer de novo acabar com Alatriste. Mas ele consegue escapar de novo das suas mãos e salvar uma jovem de uma acusação falsa.
O título da obra refere-se a um período negro da História em que a igreja pretendia "limpar" a sociedade dos hereges ( os judeus e individuais que eram contram os preceitos do Santo Ofício ).
April 30, 2021
Капитан Алатристе успява да се забърка в по-голяма каша дори от предната. Инквизицията никак не го е забравила, а услуга на приятел довежда до сериозни изпитания за тринайсетгодишния му паж Иниго.
Тази част ми хареса дори повече от първата, а Перес-Реверте все така перфектно и убедително описва Испания от 17-и век и потапя читателя до шията (поне) в атмосферата на епохата. Действието е бързо и сюжетът е добър - какво повече може да иска читателят от приключенски роман?
Тази част ми хареса дори повече от първата, а Перес-Реверте все така перфектно и убедително описва Испания от 17-и век и потапя читателя до шията (поне) в атмосферата на епохата. Действието е бързо и сюжетът е добър - какво повече може да иска читателят от приключенски роман?
August 16, 2016
Este es el Alatriste que más me ha gustado. La Inquisición y los autos de Fé dan mucho juego, sobre todo si son en La Plaza Mayor de Madrid y el que lo lee es "gato" y, por tanto, se puede imaginar la situación. La fallida película que se hizo en su día obviaba esta segunda aventura y se centraba más en otros pasajes "más fáciles" de filmar; una lástima. A ver si la HBO se da cuenta del potencial de estos libros de aventuras y hace una serie a la altura. Creo que media España la vería.
December 8, 2015
Una historia mucho más oscura que la novela anterior.
A pesar de que hay un giro de la trama que no me ha gustado demasiado, le voy a poner sus 4 estrellas. Se trata de una novela de rápida lectura, que me ha absorbido desde el principio. Me ha encantado descubrir varios términos en castellano antiguo, así como adjetivos que son como joyas rescatadas por un gran conocedor de nuestra lengua.
Seguimos adelante con la saga.
A pesar de que hay un giro de la trama que no me ha gustado demasiado, le voy a poner sus 4 estrellas. Se trata de una novela de rápida lectura, que me ha absorbido desde el principio. Me ha encantado descubrir varios términos en castellano antiguo, así como adjetivos que son como joyas rescatadas por un gran conocedor de nuestra lengua.
Seguimos adelante con la saga.
July 2, 2018
Шеметните приключения на капитан Алатристе продължават, все така пречупени през призмата на неговия повереник и хроникьор по неволя - тринадесет годишния хлапак Иниго Балбоа. Артуро Перес-Реверте хитроумно вплита реални исторически персонажи в повествованието, за да придаде щипка достоверност на задъханата фабула и да демонстрира обичайните задълбочени познания, с които отдавна ме е спечелил като почитател.
January 21, 2024
Captain Diego Alatriste is a sword for hire. The narrator of the series is Íñigo Balboa who tells the stories as history but was a boy when the events happened. Balboa is the son of a man who fought and died alongside Alatriste in Spain's war in Flanders. And so Alatriste has become the boy's surrogate father. The time is the first quarter of the 17th Century, that of the Spanish Inquisition.
The novels wanders a bit. In the wandering we learn not a little about the Inquisition. If a man's great grandfather converted from Judaism to Christianity, that tainted blood carried down through the generations. There was no way for a descendant to have purity of blood. And to not have purity of blood meant he could not hold office in the government. And that wasn't the worst of it, such a person could be found and burned at the stake. Such a family history was hidden and patched over because for it to be known threatened not just a way of life but likely a man's life itself. Alatriste does not have a Jewish bloodline, but has been hired to rescue a young girl, hidden in a nunnery where the priests regularly abuse the novitiates. Or at least that is what he is supposedly hired to do. We learn eventually that this poor girl was but a pawn in a power struggle.
This series is a cut above the usual swashbuckler. There is nothing wrong with swashbucklers and they are fun for the pure enjoyment of the adventure. Here, we have something a bit more sinister - and something to be learned for this reader who knew little about the Inquisition. First, there was something that applies to politics (and perhaps to politics no matter the time period, even present day):
"They could care less about evidence," said don Francisco, taking possession of the jug of muscatel. "They fabricate it or they buy it. Money, after all," and between sips, he recited,
The novels wanders a bit. In the wandering we learn not a little about the Inquisition. If a man's great grandfather converted from Judaism to Christianity, that tainted blood carried down through the generations. There was no way for a descendant to have purity of blood. And to not have purity of blood meant he could not hold office in the government. And that wasn't the worst of it, such a person could be found and burned at the stake. Such a family history was hidden and patched over because for it to be known threatened not just a way of life but likely a man's life itself. Alatriste does not have a Jewish bloodline, but has been hired to rescue a young girl, hidden in a nunnery where the priests regularly abuse the novitiates. Or at least that is what he is supposedly hired to do. We learn eventually that this poor girl was but a pawn in a power struggle.
This series is a cut above the usual swashbuckler. There is nothing wrong with swashbucklers and they are fun for the pure enjoyment of the adventure. Here, we have something a bit more sinister - and something to be learned for this reader who knew little about the Inquisition. First, there was something that applies to politics (and perhaps to politics no matter the time period, even present day):
"They could care less about evidence," said don Francisco, taking possession of the jug of muscatel. "They fabricate it or they buy it. Money, after all," and between sips, he recited,
"Can buy honor, and take it away,Another paragraph, having to do with fanaticism, but perhaps can be extended to the low levels of education in the US today.
break any law, destroy any prey."
And worst of all is the person who acts as exegete of The Word -- whether it be from the Talmud, the Bible, the Koran, or any other book already written or yet to come. I am not fond of giving advice -- no one can pound opinions into another's head -- but here is a piece that costs you nothing: Never trust a man who reads only one book.Because the author takes such a roundabout route to get to the adventure I thought I signed up for, I was ready to rate this just 3-stars. Instead, I found the wanderings contributed more to the story than I'd anticipated. This isn't literature, of course. If I didn't have that confounded standard of awarding 5-stars to what I think of as necessary reading, this would get that 5th star. No, this isn't necessary, but I look forward to seeing if the author can maintain this standard in the next in the series.
March 16, 2025
Pues pienso de este exactamente igual que el primero, una pena que Alatriste no me hubiese enganchado antes. El señor Perez-Reverte es un claro referente del buen hacer de un escritor.
Su escritura refleja, seriedad, documentacion y unas maneras exquisitas. Espectacular y gran desconocido para mí hasta ahora y del que sin duda seguiré leyendo a su Alatriste y las demás obras.
Espectacular está obra con las descripciones de la Santa Iglesia y los tejemanejes de los poderes.Y yo me pregunto si lo de la España actual nos viene ya de lejos o al señor Perez-Reverte se deja llevar y le gusta hacer leña. Lo dejo a criterio personal.
Su escritura refleja, seriedad, documentacion y unas maneras exquisitas. Espectacular y gran desconocido para mí hasta ahora y del que sin duda seguiré leyendo a su Alatriste y las demás obras.
Espectacular está obra con las descripciones de la Santa Iglesia y los tejemanejes de los poderes.Y yo me pregunto si lo de la España actual nos viene ya de lejos o al señor Perez-Reverte se deja llevar y le gusta hacer leña. Lo dejo a criterio personal.
January 22, 2023
Cada uno me gusta más que el anterior. Una belleza estilística y una historia muy terca. Una genialidad.
October 3, 2018
Ξεκάθαρες νόρμες, χαρακτηριστικό ύφος και γλαφυρή ανάλυση χαρακτήρων. Από τα πλέον δυσεύρετα βιβλία αφού οι εκδόσεις Πατάκη έχουν σταματήσει την κυκλοφορία του, 'η καθαρότητα του αίματος' είναι ένα δυνατό ιστορικό δράμα που ακολουθεί την πορεία του λοχαγού Αλατρίστε και του νεαρού ακολούθου του, του Ίνιγο Βαλβόα (η αφήγηση της ιστορίας γίνεται από την δική του σκοπιά) σε μια περήφανη Ισπανία που όμως παραπαίει. Ο θρησκευτικός σκοταδισμός, η υποκρισία, ο πλούτος που εξαγοράζει συνειδήσεις και προνόμια, ένας βασιλιάς πιόνι και η μόνιμη απειλή πληρωμένων δολοφόνων και ευερέθιστων κακούργων που καραδοκούν σε σκοτεινές γωνίες συνθέτουν το πλαίσιο της ιστορίας μας μέσα στο οποίο ο λοχαγός Αλατρίστε παλεύει για να σώσει τον εαυτό του και τους φίλους του από μια τρομερή συνομωσία που απειλεί τις ζωές τους. Η μετάφραση είναι αρκετά καλή και μεταφέρει σε μεγάλο βαθμό την προσωπική σφραγίδα του συγγραφέα.
April 6, 2022
Bueno, el Arturito es de esos escritores que como redactan tan bien te cuesta darte cuenta de las cagadas narrativas. Osea el libro me ha gustado casi tanto como el primero, pero colega, es que en verdad el plot no tiene ni medio sentido AJAJAJAJAJAJAJA
Osea el argumento, así sin spoilers, consiste en que la Inquisición captura al muchacho que va con Alatatriste y hay que rescatarlo. Pero es que no tiene sentido ni el por qué le capturan ni el plan que montan.
Y lo de los flashbacks es que cruza líneas, osea son larguísimos (y oye, están bien) pero es que cuando vuelves al plot principal parece que te has levantado de una siesta de tres horas y estas ahí como que "dónde estoy, qué está pasando".
Osea el argumento, así sin spoilers, consiste en que la Inquisición captura al muchacho que va con Alatatriste y hay que rescatarlo. Pero es que no tiene sentido ni el por qué le capturan ni el plan que montan.
Y lo de los flashbacks es que cruza líneas, osea son larguísimos (y oye, están bien) pero es que cuando vuelves al plot principal parece que te has levantado de una siesta de tres horas y estas ahí como que "dónde estoy, qué está pasando".
August 28, 2021
Segunda entrega de las aventuras de nuestro capitán (que no era capitán, sino cabo de escuadra, pero le respetaban tanto sus hombres que así lo llamaban) favorito. Aquí Reverte pinta un fresco con muchas escenas: los tercios lejanos en Flandes, el crimen detectivesco que hay que resolver lo antes posible, y los malos malísimos que maniobran en la distancia, y no tan en la distancia, como parte de un arco mayor. Las descripciones de madrid, las escenas, los diálogos, todo está cuidadísimo, y lo he disfrutado como un gran libro de aventuras, con trasfondo filosófico y cansado, al estilo Reverte.
July 8, 2016
well, I couldn't resist myself and read the second book in Captain Alatriste's series, the very next week it was published, and I liked it!!!
April 3, 2025
No suelo leer tan seguidos dos libros del mismo autor pero después de la visita guiada al Madrid literario y de que en varias ocasiones se mencionara al personaje creado por Pérez Reverte, decidí ponerme con el segundo de la serie muchos años después de haber leído el primero.
Me lo he pasado bien leyéndolo, sobre todo por la imitación que hace el autor del lenguaje de la época y por la descripción de las costumbres y el carácter español. Además, he recordado algunas cosas sobre la Inquisición que ya tenía olvidadas.
Me lo he pasado bien leyéndolo, sobre todo por la imitación que hace el autor del lenguaje de la época y por la descripción de las costumbres y el carácter español. Además, he recordado algunas cosas sobre la Inquisición que ya tenía olvidadas.
January 16, 2021
"Diego Alatriste era tão filho-da-puta quanto qualquer outro, mas era desses filhos-da-putas que respeitam certas regras".
January 7, 2021
I should probably put a spoiler warning, but I also feel like spoiling the plot will save a lot of time for people who are intrigued by the book description.
The book description says that Captain Alatriste & co are going to attempt to save the daughter of a wealthy family, from a convent with a corrupt priest. Well spoiler alert, that doesn't happen! They try to save her, but this little kid in the captain's party gets captured by the Inquisition, and they forget about the girl and spend the rest of the book figuring out how they're gonna save him.
At the end, the girl and the surviving members of her family are publicly executed, but the boy is saved just in the nick of time because one dude threatens to expose some corruption, in front of most of Spain including the Royal family? I read it at 2 AM so maybe I missed something crucial but it all happened very fast.
Then Captain Alatriste & co are like "aw it's too bad we couldn't save her and her family. But hey at least we rescued Iñigo :)" like what??? Tney were supposed to save one person and instead most of the family ended up dead. what was the point of this plot then? What a waste of time. Thankfully it was a short book.
The book description says that Captain Alatriste & co are going to attempt to save the daughter of a wealthy family, from a convent with a corrupt priest. Well spoiler alert, that doesn't happen! They try to save her, but this little kid in the captain's party gets captured by the Inquisition, and they forget about the girl and spend the rest of the book figuring out how they're gonna save him.
At the end, the girl and the surviving members of her family are publicly executed, but the boy is saved just in the nick of time because one dude threatens to expose some corruption, in front of most of Spain including the Royal family? I read it at 2 AM so maybe I missed something crucial but it all happened very fast.
Then Captain Alatriste & co are like "aw it's too bad we couldn't save her and her family. But hey at least we rescued Iñigo :)" like what??? Tney were supposed to save one person and instead most of the family ended up dead. what was the point of this plot then? What a waste of time. Thankfully it was a short book.
February 2, 2024
Leo las aventuras de Alatriste de manera esporádica, pero de que el relato se pone bueno ya es imposible soltar el libro y vaya aventura que me dio Reverte en esta ocasión. “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!” ciertamente no Iñigo. Que susto le han dado, es mi narrador y estaba consciente que tenía que salir vivo del asunto, pero se la pusieron difícil a Alatriste. Estuvo muy bueno este libro y me gusta que cada historia cierre por completo porque es más fácil leer a destiempos sin tener que llevar el hilo de una trama muy cerrada como sucede en otras series.
June 22, 2022
Perez-Reverte is such a fabulous author. He can turn a swashbuckling tale of mercenaries and Inquisitors in Spain's Golden Age into a true work of art.
Thoughtful, evocative, disturbing, and brilliant.
I wish I had enough Spanish to read him in the original, given how his prose shines in translation.
Thoughtful, evocative, disturbing, and brilliant.
I wish I had enough Spanish to read him in the original, given how his prose shines in translation.
July 25, 2022
Como siempre una gran ambientación y muy bien escrito. Entretenido, aunque me he quedado con ganas de más.
Seguiré con la serie. 7/10
Seguiré con la serie. 7/10
March 27, 2016
I have been a long-time fan of Arturo Perez-Reverte, for a variety of reasons I will get to in a moment. But before I begin my gushing, I would like to note my minimal disappointment in him for the Captain Alatriste series. I find series, like television series, significantly more difficult to "write correctly". It ends up leading toward quantity over quality, the adage "less is more" coming in handy quite frequently. As opposed to short stories- or short films, to follow the analogy- where condensing is the art. Or Perez-Reverte's forte, the novel, where it feels like each word is necessary, each scene considered, each chapter necessary.
This series was far too long. I am confident in this assessment as I already feel this way two of of seven books in. I found it validating that the 2006 film, "Alatriste", starting Viggo Mortenson from " The Road", need be less than three hours. This is no "Game of Thrones", one series season a book.
What we get here is the ebb and flow of a good story lengthened at unecessary points, making other details seem rushed, other necessary narrative structure aspects seem disproportionately lengthy. Worst of all, the abrupt ending to "Captain Alatriste" makes it blatantly that there will be a sequel. And not because it is a cliff-hanger. "Captain Alatriste" actually ties necessary loose ends in that it could stand alone as a novel. Except for the pacing and anticlimactic conclusion, which goes a little something like this, referencing The Hero's Journey [http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero... ordinary would, call to adventure, refusal, (barely any meeting the mentor or crossing the threshold), tests, ordeal (extremely short), the reward, the road back. And then the ending trails off after that. No resurrection or return of the elixir, the necessary stages eleven and twelve.
"Purity of Blood" is significantly better in pacing, with illustration of most of the stages. It still was left open-ended for the series continuance, though.
In conclusion, I would have respected the novels far more had they not been forced into a series. But, they were, and I rated accordingly. Luckily for readers, Perez-Reverte is a talented enough author that his storytelling proficiency and handling of language makes up for most of this.
Prince Alatriste. A character that I greatly admire; written well and, importantly, consistent.
The facts: Captain Diego Alatriste y Tenorio (1582–1643), Leonese soldier since he was 13. Never an official captain, he earned the nickname when he had to briefly take command of his unit after their real captain was killed. He survives in peacetime as a sword for hire in Madrid.
The more important facts can best be described by a sonnet written by his friend, poet Don Francisco de Quevedo:
"You, Diego, whose sword so nobly defends
The name and honor of your family,
As long as you are blessed with life to live, You will battle every enemy.
You wear the tunic of an old brigade,
And with God's help, you wear it without stain.
Your scruples are so uncompromising
That you will never let it be profaned.
Courageous on the bloody battlefield,
In days of peace, still more honor you acquire.
And in your heart and mind there breathes such fire
That to empty boasting you will never yield."
No words from me needed.
Speaking of the poems, they were a pleasure to read. Not being a reader of poetry, I had a hard time understanding several of them, but there were many others, scattered throughout the text and then at the end of the story, describing characters, mocking situations, describing the culture, emphasizing pride for Spain, even in a "poet-off", responding to another poet's less then flattering poetry.
Next on the list of things I loved in the first two books is Perez's already established impressive expertise on the fascinating history of fencing. Mind you, the real study of ancient fencing, not today's changed "sport" with all its safety precautions. In Captain Alatriste's universe, fencing was not a "sport". Or a "sport". It was a necessary way of life. Survival. One misstep could equal a bloody death. I actually liked the author's "The Fencing Master" where he goes into far greater detail with the art. But you will have to read my review for that one to learn more!
The settings of his stories are always intriguing. His descriptions make them even magnificent. Thrilling. Unbelievable. Fascinating. Even better yet, then, to find out that these are real places, in works history. The Captain Alatriste series takes place in the 1620s, 1623-1626 to be exact, so far. A time with balls and courtesans, kinds and queens, gold and silver. And swordsmanship.
There are seven novels written in the series as of 2011, with two more in the works.
The series is narrated by Íñigo Balboa y Aguirre, the young Basque squire of Alatriste. He is the son of Lope Balboa, who was an old friend and comrade of Alatriste. Alatriste's pledge to the dying Lope is to take care of his son. Young Iñigo follows Alatriste like a shadow, idolizing him, although he rarely expresses any live, affection, or even vocal appreciation when Iñigo saves his life. Alatriste tries to steer him away from his dangerous lifestyle, but Iñigo's tenacity eventually wins. Once this is understood, Alatriste shows him a thing or two.
Alongside all this, historic Spanish events are mentioned, cultural information is given. A short guide to ancient Spain. As far as I can tell, Perez-Reverte includes these with accuracy. As illustrated by his previous novel "The Dumas Club", Perez-Reverte has a great appreciation for Spanish literature. Cervantes references are also frequent, which I fully admired.
In the first novel, it is 1623. Diego Alatriste and Italian sword-for-hire Gualterio Malatesta are paid by two mysterious masked characters to kill a pair of unknown English visitors in Madrid. They are hired by cloaked characters, as mysterious as they are dangerous. To be exact, after they are given their directions to merely rob the travelers with "no blood" by a man who leaves the room, a hidden character reveals himself from behind a wall. This man offers more than double for them to kill the travelers. Alatriste and Malatesta accept. It is quickly discovered that the motivation behind this is religious.
In "Purity of Blood", it is still 1623, Madrid. The author focuses even more on religious aspects, the title referring to Portuguese, Jewish blood being unpure, grounds for immediate death by most, the Royal Court included. The novel opens with the murder of a woman, left in front of the church. Quevedo seeks help from Alatriste to rescue a girl forced to enter a convent; meanwhile Alatriste's young squire Íñigo Balboa deepens his infatuation with the adolescent maidservant of the Queen, Angélica de Alquézar. The Italian Malatesta returns, continuing the rivalry.
**** Spoilers ***
Captain Alatriste:
On the night of their deed, The Italian (who is discernable by his "ti-ri-tu, ta-ta" incantation- something that gives him away in future duels) and Alatriste are about to finish the men when Alatriste had a change of heart and spares the men, forcing Malatesta as well. (This despite the Italian's dishonorable, vindictively cunning tricks, such as miming a surrender.) Malatesta leaves the scene with the promise of revenge.
Alas, the intended victims turn out to be the Duke of Buckingham and the Prince of Wales, on a mission to seduce the Infanta. A high profile, high danger, high complexity assignment. Everything he tries hard to avoid. Unfortunately, having been deceived, Alatriste little choice in the matter now. The Prince, for his part, is most grateful and swears to be in Alatriste's debt.
The second villain here turns out to be the hidden man in that room long ago. A Dominican friar named Bocanegra, an official of the Inquisition. Cloaked by his followers in the church as well as lies, bureaucracy, politics, and red tape, he is almost untouchable. His known but unseen presence seems to envoke a feeling of doom throughout.
"Purity of Blood":
During their rescue of the girl, young Iñigo is captured by the Inquisition. It is found out by Alatriste and Quevedo that they were set up by the rival from Book One, Malatrsta.
Iñigo is tortured, but no matter how intolerable it becomes, he refuses to mention any names.
Calling on favors from those whom are indebted to him (unsurprisingly, there are many), Captain Alatriste achieves the impossible. He finds information that prevents Iñigo's death by gauntlet, a public spectacle. The information? That the King's favorite, with the power to grant clemency and to pardon, is of "unpure" blood as well.
This series was far too long. I am confident in this assessment as I already feel this way two of of seven books in. I found it validating that the 2006 film, "Alatriste", starting Viggo Mortenson from " The Road", need be less than three hours. This is no "Game of Thrones", one series season a book.
What we get here is the ebb and flow of a good story lengthened at unecessary points, making other details seem rushed, other necessary narrative structure aspects seem disproportionately lengthy. Worst of all, the abrupt ending to "Captain Alatriste" makes it blatantly that there will be a sequel. And not because it is a cliff-hanger. "Captain Alatriste" actually ties necessary loose ends in that it could stand alone as a novel. Except for the pacing and anticlimactic conclusion, which goes a little something like this, referencing The Hero's Journey [http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero... ordinary would, call to adventure, refusal, (barely any meeting the mentor or crossing the threshold), tests, ordeal (extremely short), the reward, the road back. And then the ending trails off after that. No resurrection or return of the elixir, the necessary stages eleven and twelve.
"Purity of Blood" is significantly better in pacing, with illustration of most of the stages. It still was left open-ended for the series continuance, though.
In conclusion, I would have respected the novels far more had they not been forced into a series. But, they were, and I rated accordingly. Luckily for readers, Perez-Reverte is a talented enough author that his storytelling proficiency and handling of language makes up for most of this.
Prince Alatriste. A character that I greatly admire; written well and, importantly, consistent.
The facts: Captain Diego Alatriste y Tenorio (1582–1643), Leonese soldier since he was 13. Never an official captain, he earned the nickname when he had to briefly take command of his unit after their real captain was killed. He survives in peacetime as a sword for hire in Madrid.
The more important facts can best be described by a sonnet written by his friend, poet Don Francisco de Quevedo:
"You, Diego, whose sword so nobly defends
The name and honor of your family,
As long as you are blessed with life to live, You will battle every enemy.
You wear the tunic of an old brigade,
And with God's help, you wear it without stain.
Your scruples are so uncompromising
That you will never let it be profaned.
Courageous on the bloody battlefield,
In days of peace, still more honor you acquire.
And in your heart and mind there breathes such fire
That to empty boasting you will never yield."
No words from me needed.
Speaking of the poems, they were a pleasure to read. Not being a reader of poetry, I had a hard time understanding several of them, but there were many others, scattered throughout the text and then at the end of the story, describing characters, mocking situations, describing the culture, emphasizing pride for Spain, even in a "poet-off", responding to another poet's less then flattering poetry.
Next on the list of things I loved in the first two books is Perez's already established impressive expertise on the fascinating history of fencing. Mind you, the real study of ancient fencing, not today's changed "sport" with all its safety precautions. In Captain Alatriste's universe, fencing was not a "sport". Or a "sport". It was a necessary way of life. Survival. One misstep could equal a bloody death. I actually liked the author's "The Fencing Master" where he goes into far greater detail with the art. But you will have to read my review for that one to learn more!
The settings of his stories are always intriguing. His descriptions make them even magnificent. Thrilling. Unbelievable. Fascinating. Even better yet, then, to find out that these are real places, in works history. The Captain Alatriste series takes place in the 1620s, 1623-1626 to be exact, so far. A time with balls and courtesans, kinds and queens, gold and silver. And swordsmanship.
There are seven novels written in the series as of 2011, with two more in the works.
The series is narrated by Íñigo Balboa y Aguirre, the young Basque squire of Alatriste. He is the son of Lope Balboa, who was an old friend and comrade of Alatriste. Alatriste's pledge to the dying Lope is to take care of his son. Young Iñigo follows Alatriste like a shadow, idolizing him, although he rarely expresses any live, affection, or even vocal appreciation when Iñigo saves his life. Alatriste tries to steer him away from his dangerous lifestyle, but Iñigo's tenacity eventually wins. Once this is understood, Alatriste shows him a thing or two.
Alongside all this, historic Spanish events are mentioned, cultural information is given. A short guide to ancient Spain. As far as I can tell, Perez-Reverte includes these with accuracy. As illustrated by his previous novel "The Dumas Club", Perez-Reverte has a great appreciation for Spanish literature. Cervantes references are also frequent, which I fully admired.
In the first novel, it is 1623. Diego Alatriste and Italian sword-for-hire Gualterio Malatesta are paid by two mysterious masked characters to kill a pair of unknown English visitors in Madrid. They are hired by cloaked characters, as mysterious as they are dangerous. To be exact, after they are given their directions to merely rob the travelers with "no blood" by a man who leaves the room, a hidden character reveals himself from behind a wall. This man offers more than double for them to kill the travelers. Alatriste and Malatesta accept. It is quickly discovered that the motivation behind this is religious.
In "Purity of Blood", it is still 1623, Madrid. The author focuses even more on religious aspects, the title referring to Portuguese, Jewish blood being unpure, grounds for immediate death by most, the Royal Court included. The novel opens with the murder of a woman, left in front of the church. Quevedo seeks help from Alatriste to rescue a girl forced to enter a convent; meanwhile Alatriste's young squire Íñigo Balboa deepens his infatuation with the adolescent maidservant of the Queen, Angélica de Alquézar. The Italian Malatesta returns, continuing the rivalry.
**** Spoilers ***
Captain Alatriste:
On the night of their deed, The Italian (who is discernable by his "ti-ri-tu, ta-ta" incantation- something that gives him away in future duels) and Alatriste are about to finish the men when Alatriste had a change of heart and spares the men, forcing Malatesta as well. (This despite the Italian's dishonorable, vindictively cunning tricks, such as miming a surrender.) Malatesta leaves the scene with the promise of revenge.
Alas, the intended victims turn out to be the Duke of Buckingham and the Prince of Wales, on a mission to seduce the Infanta. A high profile, high danger, high complexity assignment. Everything he tries hard to avoid. Unfortunately, having been deceived, Alatriste little choice in the matter now. The Prince, for his part, is most grateful and swears to be in Alatriste's debt.
The second villain here turns out to be the hidden man in that room long ago. A Dominican friar named Bocanegra, an official of the Inquisition. Cloaked by his followers in the church as well as lies, bureaucracy, politics, and red tape, he is almost untouchable. His known but unseen presence seems to envoke a feeling of doom throughout.
"Purity of Blood":
During their rescue of the girl, young Iñigo is captured by the Inquisition. It is found out by Alatriste and Quevedo that they were set up by the rival from Book One, Malatrsta.
Iñigo is tortured, but no matter how intolerable it becomes, he refuses to mention any names.
Calling on favors from those whom are indebted to him (unsurprisingly, there are many), Captain Alatriste achieves the impossible. He finds information that prevents Iñigo's death by gauntlet, a public spectacle. The information? That the King's favorite, with the power to grant clemency and to pardon, is of "unpure" blood as well.
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