Ο Πύργος της Μοναξιάς

by Valerio Massimo Manfredi, Λένα Ταχμαζίδου (Translator)

Από την αρχαιότητα, πυκνό μυστήριο καλύπτει την έρημο της Σαχάρας. Στρατιές ολόκληρες εξαφανίζονται χωρίς να αφήνουν πίσω τους κανένα απολύτως ίχνος, λες και τις κατάπιε η άμμος της ερήμου. Οι ελάχιστοι που καταφέρνουν να σωθούν κρατούν το στόμα τους κλειστό. Ο συνταγματάρχης Ζομπέρ, έμπειρος και ακέραιος αξιωματικός της Λεγεώνας των Ξένων, αποφασίζει να λύσει το μυστήριο έναντι οποιουδήποτε τιμήματος. Ένα παράλληλο μυστήριο επιχειρεί να λύσει ο Φίλιπ Γκάρετ ο οποίος αναζητά τον πατέρα του, έναν εξαιρετικής φήμης επιστήμονα που έχει εξαφανιστεί εδώ και πολλά χρόνια. Οι έρευνές του τον φέρνουν κι αυτόν στη Σαχάρα και καθώς η αναζήτησή του προχωρεί, πείθεται όλο και περισσότερο ότι ο πατέρας του είναι ο μόνος άνθρωπος στον πλανήτη που γνωρίζει τι συμβαίνει στο κομμάτι αυτό της ερήμου. Η λύση του πολύπλοκου αυτού μυστηρίου είναι το θέμα του "Πύργου της Μοναξιάς". Οι χαρακτήρες των ηρώων, όμως, συνθέτουν ένα εκρηκτικό μείγμα το οποίο απελευθερώνει ιδέες, απόψεις, συναισθήματα, παρορμήσεις, έναν καμβά ίσως πιο σημαντικό κι από την ίδια τη λύση του μυστηρίου. (ΑΠΟ ΤΗΝ ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑΣΗ ΣΤΟ ΟΠΙΣΘΟΦΥΛΛΟ ΤΟΥ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΥ)

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Thriller, Italy, Horror

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Valerio Massimo Manfredi is an Italian historian, writer, archaeologist and journalist. He was born in Piumazzo di Castelfranco Emilia, province of Modena and is married to Christine Fedderson Manfredi, who translates his published works from Italian to English. They have two children and live in a small town near Bologna.
Valerio Massimo Manfredi defines himself as an "Ancient World Topographer". Since 1978 he spends his time teaching in several European universities, digging ruins in the Mediterranean and in the Middle East, and writing novels.
The Professor of Classical Archaeology in the "Luigi Bocconi" University of Milan and a familiar face on European television, he has led scientific expeditions, excavations and explorations in Italy and overseas. In addition to this, he has published a number of scientific articles and essays as well as thirteen novels, including the Alexander trilogy and The Last Legion. Alexander was published in thirty-six languages in fifty-five countries and The Last Legion was sold for a major film production in the USA. The Last Legion film was released in 2007.

From Wikipedia

Reviews

[WarpDrive · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh... a bit too cartoonish and Indiana-Jonesy for my taste.

Ultimately, a disappointment - I was hoping something better from the same author of "The last Legion" (which, historical inaccuracies notwithstanding, was a really good historical fiction book).

Definitely forgettable.

[Kirsten McKenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled through this book. And I'm still confused about what happened in the end. The relationship between Father Boni and Father Hogan was one of the weirdest parts of the book, and there was never an explanation for why the father missing for ten years and what he was up to in that time, or if there was, I never picked up on it. I am perplexed.
On the plus side, there were some wonderful descriptive passages about the historic sites and the artefacts.
But I am still confused as I felt the book ended far too abruptly to give the reader a satisfactory conclusion. Can't recommend it. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't for me. The reader was expected to accept too many leaps of faith.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book-read written by Mr. Manfredi.
Although, not the kind of typical historical-fictions that I have known about his writings, I liked this one and most certainly enjoyed it.
The story is a mix of adventure, decently fast-paced sort-of thriller, includes a science-fictional element, and also a historical fiction (takes place in the early 1930s).
Locations range from the Vatican and Milan in Italy, to Aleppo and Palmyra in Syria, and the Sahara Desert. Loved the locations. :D
It seems from reviewers that the book is somehow compared at times with Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code (2003), but not-to-forget that this one was published in 1996.
The book is most certainly a light-read. But amongst light-reads, it was very enjoyable and entertaining, with never a moment to bore. If you are looking for heavy facts, and intellectually provocative stuff, then this is not the book for you. :)
A most possibly one-time read-and-forget kind of book.

[Марија Николовска · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf-ing at 200 ish pages. J'ai essayé à plusieurs reprises de le lire mais je n'y arrive pas. J'abandonne (comme toujours mais cette fois-ci définitivement) au milieu de l'histoire parce qu'elle est effectivement inexistante. De milliers de détails inutiles, rien ne m'intéresse. Il n'y a que quelques storylines qui ne se mêlent pas du tout (au moins pas jusqu'à page 220).
Zéro, je ne recommande pas.

[Dimitrios · Rating 2 out of 5]

Σχετικά καλογραμμένο, αλλά κούρασε περισσότερο από όσο θα έπρεπε. Πολλά μυστήρια δεν λύθηκαν.

[GreekReaders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Θες να πας ένα ταξίδι στο χρόνο; Μήπως θέλεις να πας ένα ταξίδι στην έρημο; Ή μήπως θέλεις να πας ένα ταξίδι στο χρόνο και στην έρημο ταυτόχρονα;

Ο Μανφρέντι με τον Πύργο της Μοναξιάς του αποτελεί το σίγουρο μεταφορικό σου μέσο!

Δράση, αγωνία, οι καλοί και οι κακοί σε έναν αγώνα μέχρι το τέλος. Συνταγή γνωστή και αγαπημένη, δε θα μπορούσα να δώσω κάτι λιγότερο από πέντε αστέρια, θα ήταν αδικία άλλωστε.

Μ.

[Filippo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Non vorrei andare contro ad uno dei miei autori preferiti di sempre, non dopo aver letto capolavori come “lo scudo di Talos” e “Alexander”, ma oggettivamente questo “la torre della solitudine” è un lavoro che non rende giustizia al resto della produzione di Valerio Massimo Manfredi. Sembra quasi che l’autore stesso non credesse in quello che stava scrivendo, nei personaggi che stava delineando, nella storia che stava prendendo forma sotto la sua penna. Sempre che si possa parlare di storia. Diciamocelo chiaramente: non c’è una vera e propria storia in questo libro; né un finale. Durante la lettura mi sono trovato più volte in difficoltà, mi stancavo perfino a voltare pagina; non ero interessato a proseguire vicende così banali e vuote. Sono arrivato alla fine con una domanda: e quindi? Mi riesce perfino difficile scrivere due righe: c’è così poco da dire! Forse perché tutto quello di cui si può parlare in riferimento al romanzo è racchiudibile in poche righe buttate giù a caso come la storia stessa. Si parla di una “torre della solitudine”, una tomba, una ricerca nel deserto e di tre uomini coinvolti in quello che dovrebbe essere un viaggio corale stando a quanto c’è scritto nel retro copertina. Eppure è un viaggio perlopiù individuale quello di Philip, che vuole ritrovare il padre scomparso anni prima. Ad un certo punto del romanzo questa ricerca, che sembra urgente in un primo momento, viene interrotta momentaneamente dal protagonista per cosa? Ma ovviamente per cercare la donna di cui si è innamorato perdutamente al primo sguardo! E certo, ci mancava! Perché non aggiungere una banalissima storia d’amore degna di Federico Moccia e compagnia bella in un thriller archeologico. Certo, è una deviazione improvvisa della “trama” che comunque tornerà sui binari in seguito, ma è anche una forzatura allucinante, considerando che potevano esserci altri modi per volgerla in maniera interessante: che occasione sprecata! Oltre a Philip c’è anche padre Hogan, che deve partire da Roma ma non parte fino alla fine del libro (e questo viene ripetuto più volte durante il romanzo, eppure capitolo dopo capitolo con lui siamo sempre a Roma): deve cercare la torre della solitudine perché lui e un suo superiore hanno captato uno strano segnale che può essere decifrato solo nel deserto e la cui fonte potrebbe essere la torre della solitudine. Insieme a loro c’è anche un colonnello della legione straniera che cerca la torre per chissà quale motivo (non l’ho ancora capito, questo motivo). In tutto questo i tre personaggi principali non si incontrano se non verso la fine, il che rende le interazioni tra i tre quasi nulle, o comunque estremamente limitate: solo io leggendo la trama mi aspettavo una storia che coinvolgesse i tre personaggi principali in maniera maggiore ed in modo più incisivo?
Insomma, tra personaggi che hanno lo spessore di un libro di Fabio Volo e una trama che non decolla si arriva al finale più veloce e enigmatico di sempre, in cui non succede nulla. Finisce tutto così, senza risposte ai pochi misteri che potevano regalare un po' di interesse al lettore.
Unica nota a favore del libro è la presenza di vari riferimenti storici, mitologici, architettonici, che mostrano un minimo di ricerca contestuale da parte dell’autore. Questa è una nota positiva, sicuramente, induce il lettore a cercare determinati termini o argomenti sui internet, ampliando così le sue conoscenze.
Per il resto, come si è capito da queste poche righe messe giù alla veloce, quasi a caso e sotto effetto dell’alcol, questo è un libro da evitare se cercate una storia che sappia coinvolgere.

[PMc · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving 3 stars, as I felt some of the story ideas were fascinating. Some of the frustrating ideas were:
The man of the seven tombs idea - but equally, it was frustrating that this remained vague, giving us hints that it is the bible Cain. But did it mean he's dead, or immortal?
Tubalcain and the people of Delfud - the whole premise of their mind challenging god and heading to the distant constellation was clever but it had no detail! So again, the reader had the hint of a great idea then it never became concrete. Who travelled all that distance? Was it Cain? Was it a bunch of priests? Who came back? Was it god? Was it an angel? Totally vague but an original idea.
The Blemmyae - I'm sure this is from some vague old legend so it did sort of work. But where did they keep the man's wife, under the sand? How did she breathe? And where do they go? Are they immortal? Again, it was too vague.
The priests, especially father Hogan and father Boni. This had a level of intrigue. What did they find? What would the outcome be?
Marconi - he had 2 cameos and by his 2nd one, he hinted that he knew more and best not to say anything etc....this had a layer of intrigue but also didn't go anywhere!
The whole Desmond Garrett and Selznick thing was the Dolorous Blow, Cain and Abel, the sinner's wound. How was it not fatal and why didn't it hurt more? Selznick went from typical baddie to misunderstood and equally wronged desperado.
Philip - much of this story had some structure, the absent dad but the mutual love between them always strong. Coming of age etc. His lightning quick romance didn't go into detail and when it did attempt any, it was stilted.
Kallat Hallaki - great idea. Not too much wrong with this Shangri-La
the legion
Col Jobert - just when we had the hint of a character, it was over for him, the book I mean
El Kassem - he reminded me of the tribesman from the original Mummy film with Brendan Fraser. Loyal, tough, man of the desert. El Kassem was actually good in it.
Desmond Garrett - his character had the most vim and vigour, alongside his sidekick, with him playing the lone ranger to El Kassem's Tonto. The way it ended for both of them was lucky; they got to head off into the pages of history.
Overall, just so many ideas that seemed to end vaguely or not at all. I think the plot just needed more conversation between the editor and writer, to iron out the lack of explanation, as if Manfredi decided to pick this up again and issue a new version, I think it could be very good. But it would need all the above issues corrected

[Mathias Villafañe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uffff pero que mal comienzo para empezar a conocer al autor.
Tengo que reconocer que la premisa y las primeras paginas me engancharon,pinta bueno, pero luego se hace tedioso. La trama de la iglesia se podría haber eliminado, total no aporta nada, no se resuelven los problemas que plantea.
Los de las siete tumbas lo vi muy forzado... con no demasiado sustento. Ese romance a primera vista re mehh. Actitudes contradictorias de los personajes....
Quizas recalcar algo que me gusto un poco, esto de los viajes y buscar pistas: EL PROBLEMA ES QUE NO SE RESUELVE EL MISTERIO.
El peor libro que leí en el 2021. Tengo un libro mas en la estaria de Manfredi, supongo que este libro fue un mal trago nomás.....

[Elena Angelini · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mi aspettavo molto di più da un autore che avevo apprezzato in precedenza. L'inizio crea grandi aspettative, alimentate da un intreccio di eventi e personaggi che promettono un prosieguo avvincente. Invece i personaggi rimangono appena abbozzati e la storia corre troppo precipitosamente verso un finale scontato e un po' deludente. Il linguaggio è troppo lezioso in alcuni passaggi, in altri le frasi rimangono un po' monche come se non fossero state rilette (per la verità ci sono anche parecchi refusi, ma per questi dovrebbe fare un esame di coscienza la casa editrice).

[Panos Mangan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't be too harsh on the book. Before comparing it to Dan Brown and other contemporary literature, bear in mind that it was written in the 80s, long before the Da Vinci Code madness.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

🇮🇹 Tema notevolmente interessante, soprattutto il percorso che il giovane Philip deve affrontare per riuscire a ritrovare suo Padre.

Un racconto pieno zeppo di avventura, antichità e miti, e con un incredibile mistero da svelare.

Il libro inizia con un ritmo, a parer mio, troppo lento, ma fortunatamente riesce a catturare l'attenzione del lettore dopo alcuni capitoli!

___________________

🇬🇧 I've found the topic really interesting, especially the hard path Philip has to go through to find his father.

A novel full of adventure, ancientness and myths, with a huge mistery to unveil.

The story is too slow in the beginning, but luckily it manages to catch Reader's attention after a couple chapters!

[Madison Ham · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book was nothing special, it was definitely an enjoyable read. There were essentially three plotlines that all came together at the end which made for an interesting read but I think that the overall quality of each plotline suffered because of this. The characters in each plotline were all working towards the same goal which is why they met at the end but I found it hard to understand each character's motives for seeking the goal and the other actions they did along the way. However, I did like how each time one of the plotlines was exposed to a place or thing that the audience already knew about, we were exposed to new information that wasn't previously known which stopped it from becoming boring. I did like the ending and especially how it linked to the Roman prologue at the start of the book but I felt that it happened too fast to really appreciate what had occurred and the aftermath of it. I read the English version that was translated from the Italian original so perhaps some of the nuance was lost in the translation.

[EmBe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Der Roman stellt eine fruchtbare Mischung aus H.P. Lovecraft und Indiana Jones dar, wenngleich die archäologische Seite viel plausibler als bei bei anderen Autoren ist, denn Manfredi ist Archäologe mit Doktortitel und hat lange in diesem Berufsfeld gearbeitet, ehe er mit dem Schreiben von Romanen begann. Ich habe den Roman sehr gerne gelesen, er war sehr spannend und farbig. Antike und Gegenwart, Kosmos und Erde (Vatika und Sudan) wird hier sehr ansprechend ineinander in Beziehung gesetzt.

[Xabi1990 · Rating 2 out of 5]

5/10 en 2009.

17 libros he leído de Manfredi. 2 no pude acabarlos (Teutoburgo y La conjura de las reinas) y sólo uno del resto se llevó un pobre 5/10: este.

Por eso que no os engañe la atrayente sinopsis, yo sólo se lo recomendaría a lectores irredentos del autor. Para los demás hay cosas mejores (casi todas las suyas, vamos). Por eso se queda en las dos estrellas. Podían ser tres, pero le castigo por ser de sus peores libros.

[Eve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Este libro tiene todo a lo que Manfredi nos tiene acostumbrados: aventura, hechos históricos, ubicaciones geográficas fieles y bastante intriga. Lo que le falta es un final! "Abierto" apenas alcanza para describirlo y uno se queda con muchos interrogantes que no se solucionan ni por asomo. La verdad, el viaje fue entretenido, pero el destino... decepcionante.

[Tim Maidment · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ambitious story that doesn't quite manage to gel together. Every occult mystery checkbox of the recent past gets ticked in a "throw in the kitchen sink" kind of way and I liked the central conceit - but the execution just didn't quite work for me

[christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Οι λάτρεις των ταινιών «Η Μούμια» επιβάλλεται να το διαβάσουν (είναι μερικές από τις all time αγαπημένες μου ταινίες).

Ο λόγος που έβαλα τρία αστέρια είναι γιατί, τα κεφάλαια είναι αρκετά μεγάλα -προτιμώ τα μικρά- και σε μερικά σημεία υπήρχε αργός ρυθμός.

Κατά τα άλλα είναι ένα ωραίο βιβλίο.

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was bad ,i suggest skipping this one

[Juanma Amagliani · Rating 3 out of 5]

El libro es bueno, de paso bastante rápido, personajes con potencial y una trama que logra conjugar misterios del pasado bastante diversos de una forma convincente. No puedo acordar con otras críticas sobre que el final es oscuro o abierto, no lo es, desde antes del viaje de Hogan era claro lo que iba a pasar, solo hay que tomarse el trabajo de interpretarlo. De hecho, con interpretación , es predecible en algunos puntos. No me costó trabajo, por ejemplo, darme cuenta de quién era "el malo" desde el momento en que mencionan que "no puede morir" o "su primer crimen", solo son necesarios unos pocos conocimientos bíblicos (muy recomendado antes de leer). Quizás el problema más grande que le encuentro es que en ese paso rápido que toma el texto se pierden mucho las motivaciones, intenciones y relaciones entre los personajes. No importa que tan pensada esté la vida de la persona que me están presentando, si está escrito todo en media página y a la siguiente ya le está dando al protagonista algo importante, no deja de ser un Deus ex machina. Es un problema recurrente que le quita mucho a la perspectiva épica y grandilocuente de la historia (pareciera que, ocupado en la "gran trama", Manfredi olvida los pequeños detalles), no permite encariñarse con los personajes, y que se podría haber solucionado con agregarle menos de 50 páginas extra a una novela que es bastante corta. Por lo demás, una lectura recomendada, aunque no urgente.

[Pietro Mirabelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dunque la storia, almeno nella sua fase di sviluppo iniziale mi è piaciuta. Per certi versi ricalca il rapporto tra Padre e Figlio molto simile a quello tra Indiana Jones e suo padre. La lettura è piacevole, con tutti i vari salti di scena. Intriga la presenza del Vaticano, della Legione Straniera, di una Terra Misteriosa. L'apice di raggiunge sul finale, ma il problema resta il finale. Esso è in effetti, come spesso accade nei libri di Manfredi, non spiegato, frettoloso ed aperto. Mi ha fatto pena vedere l'epilogo dei personaggi principali racchiuso in poche righe (letteralmente). Posso ammettere che il fulcro principale di tutto, il messaggio dal Cosmo, sia stato mantenuto celato. Quale messaggio da Dio l'autore si poteva inventare? L'ha lasciato volutamente sospeso, ma destinato ai Papi, sottintendendo che la Chiesa lo stia ancora oggi attualmente decodificando o seguendo.
Nel complesso bello, ma con un gran finale sprecato, viste le premesse.

[Άννα Μωραΐτη · Rating 3 out of 5]

Μέτριο, ωραία υπόθεση που θυμίζει Indiana Jones, προσωπικά μ αρέσουν αυτά. Καλή πλοκή, με αρκετό μυστήριο, ξεκινά πολλά υποσχόμενο καταλήγει όμως με έναν γρήγορο βεβιασμένο επίλογο. Πολύ απογοητευτικό! Ανυπομονεις να φτάσεις στο τέλος να δεις τι γίνεται, ποιο είναι το μνμ, τι συμβαίνει με τον Πατήρ Μπονι και Χογκαν.. Ε με αυτές τις απορίες θα μείνεις και με πολλές ακόμα άλλες. Επίσης να σχολιάσω το γεγονός ότι υπάρχουν λάθη που είναι κραυγαλέα και που διορθώνονται από την μεταφράστρια, τα οποία με απογοήτευσαν επίσης. Είχα την αίσθηση ότι ήθελε να το ξεπεταξει το βιβλιαράκι και δεν έκανε σωστά τη δουλειά του ο κ. Μανφρεντι, με επιβεβαίωσε και στο τέλος με το κλείσιμο.

[Jorge Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an enjoyable enough read though there are many inconsistencies and plot errors. For instance Philip is locked up, he cannot climb up the flue as there is an iron grill bolted onto the ceiling . . .until El Kassem arrives and lowers a rope for him to climb. . .at which point the metal grill apparently no longer exists.
Many things happen for our protagonist simply because it is convenient to keep the plot moving, in this regard it is not unlike the pulp adventure tales of the thirties and forties but unfortunately is not written in that same style otherwise I might forgive such plot armour.
The author has a good story here but ultimately it feels rushed.

[Antonis Maronikolakis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an average read. I picked it up as a teenager, but I still remember how it wasn't great. The plot is interesting and the idea fascinating, but apart from that it doesn't have much else going for it. The characters feel flat and unrealistic, especially the protagonist, and there are moments in the story that feel like a chore to read through. Despite that, it is not a bad read. Maybe it's because I was a teenager at the time, but I liked it overall. Not the best, but an interesting pick-up.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Purtroppo questa volta Manfredi non mi è proprio piaciuto, e si è meritato una sola e unica poco decorosa stellina. Niente che mi sia piaciuto, nè la trama, nè i personaggi e anche il suo solito modo di scrivere mi è sembrato qui carente. Mi ha dato l’impressione di essere un romanzo scritto giusto per pubblicare qualcosa. La peggior cosa la fine: troppo sbrigativa e che non spiega la maggior parte dei misteri del libro.

[Phil Shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should have been good but quite honestly it wasn't. It may be because it is translated from Italian into English and has lost the original poetry in the language. It may be that it never had any in the first place and is just a very badly written book. A book in which characters and plot are kept two dimensional and no attempt is made to expand the story even when it is crying out for it. The climax is a stunning disappointment. Everything has been leading to what you hope and expect will be an exciting finish. But then you see that there is only six pages left and you just know that like the rest of the book the ending is going to be brief and hurried. And it is, with main characters being killed off without you even knowing! I honestly don't think I will be reading any more of Mr. Manfredi' books any time soon.

[Chosi · Rating 2 out of 5]

La primera mitad se mi hizo algo de bola, luego hacia la parte final el libro mejora. El autor dijo que fue su mejor novela hasta la fecha, pero para mi está lejos de Quimaira o Palladion que son los que veo con un estilo más similar en el que se toma algo histórico como referencia pero luego es una historia en el presente con toques de best seller.

[Javier Baquero · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Tres estrellas y media).
Me ha gustado mucho esta novela de Manfredi, me ha recordado a una buena historia protagonizada por Indiana Jones con sus buenas dosis de aventuras, misterio y grandes personajes. Quizás lo que menos me ha gustado ha sido el ambiguo y atropellado desenlace ya que no satisface cuando el resto de la historia sí.

[Claudio Valverde · Rating 1 out of 5]

Francamente me pareció mediocre. Muchos lugares comunes, muy poco original. Me pareció una de esa películas que dan en la TV los sábados por la tarde. Lleno de lugares comunes, todo muy previsible. Un fiasco. No lo recomiendo

[María Paz · Rating 2 out of 5]

He leído muchos libros de Manfredi y nunca ne había topado con uno que me decepcionara; hasta este.
Podría haber sido bueno, pero todo el tiempo me pareció apresurado, poco robusto, no pude sumergirme en el libro.