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Serpent Papers Trilogy #1
The Serpent Papers
Barcelona, Summer 2003. Three women are sacrificed to an unknown purpose, skin carved with a cryptic alphabet, tongues cut from their mouths. Sent beautiful, sinister letters - clues, or confessions? - Inspector Fabregat cannot decipher the warnings within. As Barcelona explodes in revelry on the Festival of St Joan, Natalia Hernandez, flower of the National Theatre and Catalan idol, lies broken on the steps of the Cathedral. The city bays for blood, Fabregat chases a shadow-like suspect and signs that whisper of secrets beyond his grasp.
Barcelona, Winter 2014. Anna Verco - academic, book thief, savant - unearths letters hidden for centuries from a lightning-struck chapel in Mallorca. What they reveal compels her and Fabregat to reignite the Hernandez investigation. Every page she turns conceals a coded message; every street she treads leads her deeper into the labyrinth. As Fabregat baits her with suspects, and threats darken her steps, Anna hunts her own prey - the book that began it all, a medieval revelation written in the language of witches and alchemists: The Serpent Papers. Anna believes this book will unlock the mystery. She does not yet know she is the key.
Barcelona, Winter 2014. Anna Verco - academic, book thief, savant - unearths letters hidden for centuries from a lightning-struck chapel in Mallorca. What they reveal compels her and Fabregat to reignite the Hernandez investigation. Every page she turns conceals a coded message; every street she treads leads her deeper into the labyrinth. As Fabregat baits her with suspects, and threats darken her steps, Anna hunts her own prey - the book that began it all, a medieval revelation written in the language of witches and alchemists: The Serpent Papers. Anna believes this book will unlock the mystery. She does not yet know she is the key.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published January 29, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
October 15, 2023
The Serpent Papers is the first in a trilogy. The central character is a young American academic researcher Anna Verco, who has been employed by a private organisation to locate for them a manuscript believed to have been created by Rex Illuminatus, a medieval alchemist. The Serpent Papers manuscript created by Rex Illuminatus, is considered heretical and dangerous, and have been hidden and discovered over several centuries by people sympathetic to Illimintus’s views.
Anna’s search is closely bound up with three earlier times: 2003, 1851 and the medieval period when the manuscript was created. Each plot strand is presented separately from each other, and it took a while to piece the strands together.
Anna’s quest overlaps with Manel Fabregat, retired police officer. Fabregat was the senior police officer, overseeing the investigation into the murders of three women. The murders weren’t solved at the time and have remained unsolved in 2013. Fabregat had a breakdown as a result and took early retirement; however he remains keen to solve them. Two of the victims remain shadowy; the other victim Natalia Hernandez was a well-known actress. As the novel progresses, it emerges that Natalia’s life and death are central to the plot. Alongside her as central characters are the actor Oriol Duran and the director of her last play, Angel Villafranca.
I found all of the characters to be well developed, especially the central character of Anna Verco. Anna has the ability to hear voices from the past, which aids her in her quest to locate the manuscript. In earlier centuries, Anna would have been viewed as a mystic, and is now on medication to help her deal with this!
The novel is set in Barcelona and Valldemosa in Mallorca during autumn and winter when the tourists have mostly gone, and the places left to the locals.
I quite enjoyed the book, finding it well-written, with an ambitious plot, varied locations and a memorable set of characters, however, I felt disconnected at times, possibly because (for me) the pace was lacking at times.
Anna’s search is closely bound up with three earlier times: 2003, 1851 and the medieval period when the manuscript was created. Each plot strand is presented separately from each other, and it took a while to piece the strands together.
Anna’s quest overlaps with Manel Fabregat, retired police officer. Fabregat was the senior police officer, overseeing the investigation into the murders of three women. The murders weren’t solved at the time and have remained unsolved in 2013. Fabregat had a breakdown as a result and took early retirement; however he remains keen to solve them. Two of the victims remain shadowy; the other victim Natalia Hernandez was a well-known actress. As the novel progresses, it emerges that Natalia’s life and death are central to the plot. Alongside her as central characters are the actor Oriol Duran and the director of her last play, Angel Villafranca.
I found all of the characters to be well developed, especially the central character of Anna Verco. Anna has the ability to hear voices from the past, which aids her in her quest to locate the manuscript. In earlier centuries, Anna would have been viewed as a mystic, and is now on medication to help her deal with this!
The novel is set in Barcelona and Valldemosa in Mallorca during autumn and winter when the tourists have mostly gone, and the places left to the locals.
I quite enjoyed the book, finding it well-written, with an ambitious plot, varied locations and a memorable set of characters, however, I felt disconnected at times, possibly because (for me) the pace was lacking at times.
March 20, 2015
The blurb sounded great. A crime novel with a veneer of alchemy. A whodunit with a touch of magic. An exploration of ancient manuscripts with a hint of the paranormal. What a disappointment it was. The settings, the ideas are terrific but the execution is horrible, with a mish mashy confusion of a tangled plot that never settles down long enough to become interesting. As soon as a decent plot begins to develop, we're off to another time, another place, another voice - but it's never immediately clear where (or when) we've arrived and who we're listening to. It's never evident from the voice, because the characters are equally unconvincing and underdeveloped.
I enjoy complexity. I like a novel that makes me think, but this wasn't well done enough to make the many ill-meshed convolutions worth thinking through. After a while it got so terribly irritating I would have given the thing up if I hadn't been reading this to review. I hoped that the end would make the effort worthwhile, but the end was actually the worst of it. I felt cheated. The whole experience was extremely disappointing - all the more so because when it was good it was very good, but when it was bad, it was just horribly dull. It's a complex tale that got out of hand. It reads like it needed another 6 months work to sort it out; like it needs a really good edit (though presumably, coming from such a reputable publisher, that must already have been done). It felt unfinished, yet overly-worked. All smoke and mirrors, padded with unnecessary complexity in order to hide the booming, ringing emptiness at its heart and the suspicion that under all the glitter, the tale is just not very good.
I enjoy complexity. I like a novel that makes me think, but this wasn't well done enough to make the many ill-meshed convolutions worth thinking through. After a while it got so terribly irritating I would have given the thing up if I hadn't been reading this to review. I hoped that the end would make the effort worthwhile, but the end was actually the worst of it. I felt cheated. The whole experience was extremely disappointing - all the more so because when it was good it was very good, but when it was bad, it was just horribly dull. It's a complex tale that got out of hand. It reads like it needed another 6 months work to sort it out; like it needs a really good edit (though presumably, coming from such a reputable publisher, that must already have been done). It felt unfinished, yet overly-worked. All smoke and mirrors, padded with unnecessary complexity in order to hide the booming, ringing emptiness at its heart and the suspicion that under all the glitter, the tale is just not very good.
May 20, 2015
One of the most frustrating books I've read. If ever a book was in need of a tough editor this was it.
The constant time shifting and random introduction of characters gives the reader a sense of the writer showing off rather than progressing a plot.
It could've been so much better. The core premise of a modern day serial killer linked to the past via alchemy, the illuminati and mystical books showed promise. But ultimately the author lost their way and even the mystery ran out of puff.
This is the first of a trilogy so here's hoping the author improves over the journey.
Promising but unfulfilling.
The constant time shifting and random introduction of characters gives the reader a sense of the writer showing off rather than progressing a plot.
It could've been so much better. The core premise of a modern day serial killer linked to the past via alchemy, the illuminati and mystical books showed promise. But ultimately the author lost their way and even the mystery ran out of puff.
This is the first of a trilogy so here's hoping the author improves over the journey.
Promising but unfulfilling.
June 30, 2016
Do not be fooled by the blurb. The premise sounds great but actually it's lazy writing. Because the plot is disjointed, it takes a while for you to realise that there isn't much of a story, and that the characters are 2 dimensional. It is beautifully written but that's not enough, this genre needs a good story and a fast pace and you won't get that here. In one word - boring.
dnf
February 12, 2015Okay, I'm officially calling this my second DNF of 2015. Because I only reached page 156, and won't be skimming ahead, I'm not going to rate it.
I received this book for review. It sounded intriguing. It was intriguing at first. The main character seems to have a peculiar gift that isn't explained very well. I also liked the setting. And the horrible mystery of the dead girls, but... the fragmented storytelling style killed it for me. Instead of grabbing me and keeping me hooked as different pieces of the puzzle come together, it threw me out of the story. Kept me from returning for days.
So, yeah, the way this book is written didn't work for me. I really wanted to like it because it sounded like the kind of thriller I usually enjoy, and the mention of alchemy was cool. But I can't keep reading something I'm not feeling.
It's such a shame. :(
I received this book for review. It sounded intriguing. It was intriguing at first. The main character seems to have a peculiar gift that isn't explained very well. I also liked the setting. And the horrible mystery of the dead girls, but... the fragmented storytelling style killed it for me. Instead of grabbing me and keeping me hooked as different pieces of the puzzle come together, it threw me out of the story. Kept me from returning for days.
So, yeah, the way this book is written didn't work for me. I really wanted to like it because it sounded like the kind of thriller I usually enjoy, and the mention of alchemy was cool. But I can't keep reading something I'm not feeling.
It's such a shame. :(
March 26, 2019
This book was just a mess. I got this on sale like years ago and for some reason it has sat on my shelf since then. Now I finally took the challenge to read this, even if the 2* average rating was not really inspiring. Well, after 20 pages I was sure this was going to my trift shop pile - after 480 pages I was ready to burn this.
If any book has ever been in serious need of some harsh editing, this was it. The book was divided in books ("book the second"??? why not "the second book"?), chapters, smaller chapters and even those smaller chapters were divided by weird symbols to smaller parts.
And because this was obviously a memory exercise as well, the plot moved in time and space freely, the characters and perspectives always changing. A shame I really took no interest in any of them - and the fact that it took me sometimes pages to understand which character was where and when, since the "I" in the start of the first paragraph did not help very much.
There were also chapters two pages long - and "letters" that lasted like twenty pages and contained pages and pages of fucking dialogue. One hell of a memory this dude has, if he can repeat whole conversations to his wife via letter. And seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if his request to burn all the letters was unnecessary, since I have a feeling the wife was shredding them as they came since she never even answered.
So there were multiple characters that all had looong backstories in different timelines, so the plot went back and forth, adding always new (uninteresting) characters. And half of these were somewhat bilingual - which of course meant that their dialogue was half english, half spanish. And no, I don't speak spanish and no there weren't any helpful translations, even if I was very interested in what they were eating that one time when one character basically said "eggs fried in olive oil" for some reason in spanish. If I were asking what you're cooking and you answered me in some gibberish i would not take a bite, no matter how good it smells.
And also no, that's not how bilinguality works and if you keep jumping from one language to another inside your sentence you're just an asshole. There were sentences like "there was so much le sang" with the le sang written in cursive and I'm just WHY CAN'T YOU SAY BLOOD FOR FUCK'S SAKE.
And the cursive - there was a lot of it. Like half of this book was written in cursive, since all the foreign words, all the thoughts, all the titles of books and poems...... all in cursive. And for some reason the main character kept responding with cursive, confusing the hell of me.
"How you doing" says some random character.
Good.
"Yeah, me too."
Like.... did she think that? Did she say it out loud??? There isn't even a citation. And the other character behaves like she actually said something, so why the hell is it not written in the same style? It was confusing as hell to read whole conversations with the other character just monologuing and our main character thinking the answers.
Or was it just because she was a psychic? She had some kind of psychic powers that caused her one time nightime nosebleed and usually hallucinations. And once she followed some dead girl in a trans and dug up some hidden diary of hers. Like is there actual magic here? The concept would have been interesting - magic, alchemy, vile murders - if the plot had not jumped so much and the characters had been more interesting. Now I had no time to get to know anyone, let alone understand anyone's motives.
And as if the plot, language and characters weren't bad enough, the writing style itself was odd. There were whole paragraphs where the character made soup. There were once seven fucking sentences about the main character's shoes. I would have understood if this was some Gillian Flynn OCD manic-depressive girl but other than her "medical condition" which I assumed was physical, there was never any proof of that. But why else. Would anyone. Write seven sentences. About shoes. How dirty they are. And where they bought them. And why. The sentences. Were. This short.
If any book has ever been in serious need of some harsh editing, this was it. The book was divided in books ("book the second"??? why not "the second book"?), chapters, smaller chapters and even those smaller chapters were divided by weird symbols to smaller parts.
And because this was obviously a memory exercise as well, the plot moved in time and space freely, the characters and perspectives always changing. A shame I really took no interest in any of them - and the fact that it took me sometimes pages to understand which character was where and when, since the "I" in the start of the first paragraph did not help very much.
There were also chapters two pages long - and "letters" that lasted like twenty pages and contained pages and pages of fucking dialogue. One hell of a memory this dude has, if he can repeat whole conversations to his wife via letter. And seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if his request to burn all the letters was unnecessary, since I have a feeling the wife was shredding them as they came since she never even answered.
So there were multiple characters that all had looong backstories in different timelines, so the plot went back and forth, adding always new (uninteresting) characters. And half of these were somewhat bilingual - which of course meant that their dialogue was half english, half spanish. And no, I don't speak spanish and no there weren't any helpful translations, even if I was very interested in what they were eating that one time when one character basically said "eggs fried in olive oil" for some reason in spanish. If I were asking what you're cooking and you answered me in some gibberish i would not take a bite, no matter how good it smells.
And also no, that's not how bilinguality works and if you keep jumping from one language to another inside your sentence you're just an asshole. There were sentences like "there was so much le sang" with the le sang written in cursive and I'm just WHY CAN'T YOU SAY BLOOD FOR FUCK'S SAKE.
And the cursive - there was a lot of it. Like half of this book was written in cursive, since all the foreign words, all the thoughts, all the titles of books and poems...... all in cursive. And for some reason the main character kept responding with cursive, confusing the hell of me.
"How you doing" says some random character.
Good.
"Yeah, me too."
Like.... did she think that? Did she say it out loud??? There isn't even a citation. And the other character behaves like she actually said something, so why the hell is it not written in the same style? It was confusing as hell to read whole conversations with the other character just monologuing and our main character thinking the answers.
Or was it just because she was a psychic? She had some kind of psychic powers that caused her one time nightime nosebleed and usually hallucinations. And once she followed some dead girl in a trans and dug up some hidden diary of hers. Like is there actual magic here? The concept would have been interesting - magic, alchemy, vile murders - if the plot had not jumped so much and the characters had been more interesting. Now I had no time to get to know anyone, let alone understand anyone's motives.
And as if the plot, language and characters weren't bad enough, the writing style itself was odd. There were whole paragraphs where the character made soup. There were once seven fucking sentences about the main character's shoes. I would have understood if this was some Gillian Flynn OCD manic-depressive girl but other than her "medical condition" which I assumed was physical, there was never any proof of that. But why else. Would anyone. Write seven sentences. About shoes. How dirty they are. And where they bought them. And why. The sentences. Were. This short.
January 20, 2015
Initially this felt rather disjointed and it was a feeling I found hard to shake off sometimes. While some of the chapters are well signed as to time and place, at times that signing seemed to fail and left me a little puzzled. Bear in mind that this was a proof copy that I read so the lack of signposting may relate to that. However I did love the "feel" of this writing and frequently found it compelling. The book covers subjects such as gnosticism, mysticism, alchemy as well as more common issues and has some quite Gothic violence in. The references and pointers to alchemy and the like were maybe a little academic for me.
Set mainly in Barcelona and Mallorca, the descriptive writing was evocative and, in particular, the sections on Barcelona, set in different eras, brought the city and its history alive. However for me this has been quite a hard book to review. I find the concept very appealing taking into account the esoteric subjects as well as historical legend and fact. The writing is simply lovely - poetic at times, powerful at times, violent at times and leaving a sense of real dread. Some parts of the book left me completely involved and engaged however other parts seem to leave me rather unsure and I felt that the pace was a little lacking at times. I think Jessica Cornwell is an exceptionally promising writer and I look forward to further books even if this one didn't quite work for me.
Disclosure - I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.
Set mainly in Barcelona and Mallorca, the descriptive writing was evocative and, in particular, the sections on Barcelona, set in different eras, brought the city and its history alive. However for me this has been quite a hard book to review. I find the concept very appealing taking into account the esoteric subjects as well as historical legend and fact. The writing is simply lovely - poetic at times, powerful at times, violent at times and leaving a sense of real dread. Some parts of the book left me completely involved and engaged however other parts seem to leave me rather unsure and I felt that the pace was a little lacking at times. I think Jessica Cornwell is an exceptionally promising writer and I look forward to further books even if this one didn't quite work for me.
Disclosure - I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.
December 8, 2015
I barely made it to page 50 because the writing is so terrible. I can't say anything for the plot but I think the style of writing leaves much to be desired. It is written in a bizarre mishmash of urgent first person present tense plus lots of contrived sentences with no verbs which I find have a reflective, cinematic quality at odds with the immediacy of the first person ("Halting light peculiar to London in October." "The librarian's eyes damp-rimmed and glassy beneath long doe-like lashes.").
Some more examples of painfully bad writing that I noted down during my brief sojourn with this book:
"He flinches beneath the tweed." (p. 23)
"My eyes read hungrily, my mouth hanging open, I can feel my tongue grow heavy, treading over the letters." (p. 24)
"Old words, milky and half forgotten, burial mound shrouded in gold." (p. 24)
I think Cornwell has been overtaken with excitement at the idea of creating a magical mood through a range of fashionable ideas (alchemy! monasteries! palaeography! illumination! secret societies!). It feels as though her main objective was to craft an atmosphere rather than tell any particular story and the result is that it feels extremely heavy-handed yet two-dimensional.
Some more examples of painfully bad writing that I noted down during my brief sojourn with this book:
"He flinches beneath the tweed." (p. 23)
"My eyes read hungrily, my mouth hanging open, I can feel my tongue grow heavy, treading over the letters." (p. 24)
"Old words, milky and half forgotten, burial mound shrouded in gold." (p. 24)
I think Cornwell has been overtaken with excitement at the idea of creating a magical mood through a range of fashionable ideas (alchemy! monasteries! palaeography! illumination! secret societies!). It feels as though her main objective was to craft an atmosphere rather than tell any particular story and the result is that it feels extremely heavy-handed yet two-dimensional.
June 25, 2015
This book is just all over the shop. The frequent use of two or three word descriptors was incredibly irritating, but the thing that really killed this book for me was the author's assumption that the reader had any idea what she was going on about. It really felt like an early draft that hadn't been edited yet. Probably the least enjoyable book I've read this year.
February 1, 2015
Barcelona, Summer 2003. Three women are sacrificed to an unknown purpose, skin carved with a cryptic alphabet, tongues cut from their mouths. Sent beautiful, sinister letters - clues, or confessions? - Inspector Fabregat cannot decipher the warnings within. As Barcelona explodes in revelry on the Festival of St Joan, Natalia Hernandez, flower of the National Theatre and Catalan idol, lies broken on the steps of the Cathedral. The city bays for blood, Fabregat chases a shadow-like suspect and signs that whisper of secrets beyond his grasp. Barcelona, Winter 2014. Anna Verco - academic, book thief, savant - unearths letters hidden for centuries from a lightning-struck chapel in Mallorca. What they reveal compels her and Fabregat to reignite the Hernandez investigation. Every page she turns conceals a coded message; every street she treads leads her deeper into the labyrinth. As Fabregat baits her with suspects, and threats darken her steps, Anna hunts her own prey - the book that began it all, a medieval revelation written in the language of witches and alchemists: The Serpent Papers. Anna believes this book will unlock the mystery. She does not yet know she is the key.
Okay, how best to describe this? I loved this, I loved the history, so richly written, embedded throughout the story, everywhere you turn, the breaks in the narrative for the letters and other bits and pieces of information, that add to the story without slowing down the pace. And what a pace it was! Absolutely perfectly paced, with an engaging and smooth narrative sprinkled with, like I said, breaks for other bits of information that help you understand what's going on, give you insights, help paint the background and the history basically!
I for one, usually read fairly easy crime books, and by easy, I mean easily written, easy to work out what's going on and so on, this was beautifully written and certainly requires all of your concentration, you need to keep up to speed with what's going on if you have any hope of coming up with a suspect of your own. I for one, thought it was someone, and I was wrong, the book was unpredictable and I didn't know what was going to happen next, I didn't know who the killer was, I didn't know who Natalia really was, at one point I did think the worst of her! I loved not knowing where the story was going to go next. It's a very intelligent book, cleverly written, with many different aspects and sides to it, all woven together.
There was one minor problem I had with the book, and that was that at the beginning I did get a bit confused as the narrative felt a bit disjointed, and I wasn't sure when or where we where, but that was just at the beginning and only one or two times, and I did get used to it and I found the plot too compelling to let it bother me too much! Just a fair warning that it might be hard to get your head around in the beginning.
I've read books pertaining to alchemy before, but this had a more academic feel to how it was written in the book and inserted in to the storyline, I feel like I'd like to know more about this area of history, but I fear I'm not intelligent enough! I was utterly baffled by the alphabet/code, like I understood the basic principal of it (thanks to the book!) but in practice I was so many shades of "whoa". History I can do easily, reading and so on, but I fail at the more scientific aspects of education!
I felt like I learned a lot from the book about alchemists and such and that area of history, without the pace of the book being sacrificed nor the plot, it all slotted smoothly in between books, and you got a very broad understanding of the principles and how they related to the murders. I'm unsure if I should actually call the whole alchemy thing history actually...is it more legend...or? I don't know, but I was loving it, or the parts I could understand anyway!
Barcelona is a place I've always wanted to go, the rich setting with it's history and art came alive from the pages of the book, and did nothing to slow my desire to go there in person one day!
Overall, while I think this book may be a bit of a struggle in the beginning, overall it's so compelling you have no choice but to carry on reading to learn more and find out who the killer is and try to put all the clues and information you have together to try to come to your own conclusion! Rich history, rich setting, a complex plot, and a vivid world, I'm excited to see more from the author!
Okay, how best to describe this? I loved this, I loved the history, so richly written, embedded throughout the story, everywhere you turn, the breaks in the narrative for the letters and other bits and pieces of information, that add to the story without slowing down the pace. And what a pace it was! Absolutely perfectly paced, with an engaging and smooth narrative sprinkled with, like I said, breaks for other bits of information that help you understand what's going on, give you insights, help paint the background and the history basically!
I for one, usually read fairly easy crime books, and by easy, I mean easily written, easy to work out what's going on and so on, this was beautifully written and certainly requires all of your concentration, you need to keep up to speed with what's going on if you have any hope of coming up with a suspect of your own. I for one, thought it was someone, and I was wrong, the book was unpredictable and I didn't know what was going to happen next, I didn't know who the killer was, I didn't know who Natalia really was, at one point I did think the worst of her! I loved not knowing where the story was going to go next. It's a very intelligent book, cleverly written, with many different aspects and sides to it, all woven together.
There was one minor problem I had with the book, and that was that at the beginning I did get a bit confused as the narrative felt a bit disjointed, and I wasn't sure when or where we where, but that was just at the beginning and only one or two times, and I did get used to it and I found the plot too compelling to let it bother me too much! Just a fair warning that it might be hard to get your head around in the beginning.
I've read books pertaining to alchemy before, but this had a more academic feel to how it was written in the book and inserted in to the storyline, I feel like I'd like to know more about this area of history, but I fear I'm not intelligent enough! I was utterly baffled by the alphabet/code, like I understood the basic principal of it (thanks to the book!) but in practice I was so many shades of "whoa". History I can do easily, reading and so on, but I fail at the more scientific aspects of education!
I felt like I learned a lot from the book about alchemists and such and that area of history, without the pace of the book being sacrificed nor the plot, it all slotted smoothly in between books, and you got a very broad understanding of the principles and how they related to the murders. I'm unsure if I should actually call the whole alchemy thing history actually...is it more legend...or? I don't know, but I was loving it, or the parts I could understand anyway!
Barcelona is a place I've always wanted to go, the rich setting with it's history and art came alive from the pages of the book, and did nothing to slow my desire to go there in person one day!
Overall, while I think this book may be a bit of a struggle in the beginning, overall it's so compelling you have no choice but to carry on reading to learn more and find out who the killer is and try to put all the clues and information you have together to try to come to your own conclusion! Rich history, rich setting, a complex plot, and a vivid world, I'm excited to see more from the author!
April 14, 2015
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The Serpent Papers, despite being Jessica Cornwell’s first novel, has already been signed on by the publishing house (and it’s a big one) to be made into a trilogy. Yet after finishing this novel, I wasn’t exactly sure why it needed to be a trilogy – or alas, who would take the time to read it.
The blurb to The Serpent Papers sounded great. Set in Barcelona, Spain, it tells the intermingling stories that centre around Anna Verco – a ‘book hunter’ who also has a strange, supernatural gift. Surrounding the main plot of Anna trying to track down a really old and powerful book is the crime story of four women who were brutally murdered 10 years ago. As Anna tries to help the police solve the murders, she sets herself on a path that may very well lead to her discovering the book…but also getting herself killed.
Sounds cool, right? It’s got old books, a book hunter, an awesome setting and a bit of alchemy thrown into the mix. Despite being a fiction book there were tonnes of facts about real people, which is something I really love too (it makes me look extra brainy at trivia nights). Yet this book fell flat, and it held no emotional or intellectual appeal for me at all. In fact, from about page 200 (its about 500 pages long), I was longing for the end – and if I didn’t have the rule that once I start a book I need to finish it…well, I wouldn’t have finished The Serpent Papers.
There were two problems with this book and they both can be described as such ‘biting off more than you can chew’. Jessica Cornwell is clearly a very intelligent woman, but unfortunately she seems more interested in including everything she knows about alchemy and history onto the pages, without dumbing it down to people who have never studied it. I know that we give authors like Dan Brown a hard time for essentially writing ‘low brow’ literature, but the reason he’s so successful is that he gets all these facts that most of us have never heard of and spins them in a way that is both relevant to the story, as well as understandable to the average reader. And while Cornwell may argue that her novel is for more of an educated audience, I stand by my point that even educated people don’t know much about 16th century alchemists.
So, as a result, while these facts could have been stimulating and in fact add colour to the storyline, what ended up happening was that I became so dulled and confused by them that I zoned out for pages at a time.
The second issue with The Serpent Papers is that Cornwell simply had too much going on. In those 500 odd pages, she had the main story of Anna searching for her book; a 10-year old murder case to be solved; perspective from the accused murderer (from ten years ago); then we go backwards and forwards from a few centuries ago where a series of letters are being written about Rex Illuminatus; and to top it all off, the story starts mid-way, so that we’re unsure who we’re dealing with at first – Anna, or one of the dead women?
And while including so much information has the unfortunate side effect of being confusing, the bigger issue is that things that should be included are left out, and things that aren’t necessary are kept in. For example, there’s a 60-page story arch about a character who was accused of the murders – so we hear about why he was the supposed killer, we hear from his roommate and hey, we even learn that a friend of his was actually a lesbian. NOT RELEVANT. Why is this not relevant? Because he isn’t actually the killer, surprise surprise, and after that 60 pages dedicated to him, we don’t really hear from him again. Yet, this information is included, but at a cost – Anna’s discovery, which essentially leads to the ending of the book is sloppy, underdeveloped and too easily solved – she does it simply with her psychic powers. It was as though Cornwell just lost steam by the end of the novel. And for a crime novel, I think most people would agree that that’s just disappointing.
I feel bad to leave such a bad review about The Serpent Papers but it just really disappointed me. What could have been a really great premise for a novel fell flat almost immediately, and while Jessica Cornwell definitely has the knowledge and intelligence to be a great writer, I think she needs a strong editing team and a bit of experience before she gets there.
The Serpent Papers, despite being Jessica Cornwell’s first novel, has already been signed on by the publishing house (and it’s a big one) to be made into a trilogy. Yet after finishing this novel, I wasn’t exactly sure why it needed to be a trilogy – or alas, who would take the time to read it.
The blurb to The Serpent Papers sounded great. Set in Barcelona, Spain, it tells the intermingling stories that centre around Anna Verco – a ‘book hunter’ who also has a strange, supernatural gift. Surrounding the main plot of Anna trying to track down a really old and powerful book is the crime story of four women who were brutally murdered 10 years ago. As Anna tries to help the police solve the murders, she sets herself on a path that may very well lead to her discovering the book…but also getting herself killed.
Sounds cool, right? It’s got old books, a book hunter, an awesome setting and a bit of alchemy thrown into the mix. Despite being a fiction book there were tonnes of facts about real people, which is something I really love too (it makes me look extra brainy at trivia nights). Yet this book fell flat, and it held no emotional or intellectual appeal for me at all. In fact, from about page 200 (its about 500 pages long), I was longing for the end – and if I didn’t have the rule that once I start a book I need to finish it…well, I wouldn’t have finished The Serpent Papers.
There were two problems with this book and they both can be described as such ‘biting off more than you can chew’. Jessica Cornwell is clearly a very intelligent woman, but unfortunately she seems more interested in including everything she knows about alchemy and history onto the pages, without dumbing it down to people who have never studied it. I know that we give authors like Dan Brown a hard time for essentially writing ‘low brow’ literature, but the reason he’s so successful is that he gets all these facts that most of us have never heard of and spins them in a way that is both relevant to the story, as well as understandable to the average reader. And while Cornwell may argue that her novel is for more of an educated audience, I stand by my point that even educated people don’t know much about 16th century alchemists.
So, as a result, while these facts could have been stimulating and in fact add colour to the storyline, what ended up happening was that I became so dulled and confused by them that I zoned out for pages at a time.
The second issue with The Serpent Papers is that Cornwell simply had too much going on. In those 500 odd pages, she had the main story of Anna searching for her book; a 10-year old murder case to be solved; perspective from the accused murderer (from ten years ago); then we go backwards and forwards from a few centuries ago where a series of letters are being written about Rex Illuminatus; and to top it all off, the story starts mid-way, so that we’re unsure who we’re dealing with at first – Anna, or one of the dead women?
And while including so much information has the unfortunate side effect of being confusing, the bigger issue is that things that should be included are left out, and things that aren’t necessary are kept in. For example, there’s a 60-page story arch about a character who was accused of the murders – so we hear about why he was the supposed killer, we hear from his roommate and hey, we even learn that a friend of his was actually a lesbian. NOT RELEVANT. Why is this not relevant? Because he isn’t actually the killer, surprise surprise, and after that 60 pages dedicated to him, we don’t really hear from him again. Yet, this information is included, but at a cost – Anna’s discovery, which essentially leads to the ending of the book is sloppy, underdeveloped and too easily solved – she does it simply with her psychic powers. It was as though Cornwell just lost steam by the end of the novel. And for a crime novel, I think most people would agree that that’s just disappointing.
I feel bad to leave such a bad review about The Serpent Papers but it just really disappointed me. What could have been a really great premise for a novel fell flat almost immediately, and while Jessica Cornwell definitely has the knowledge and intelligence to be a great writer, I think she needs a strong editing team and a bit of experience before she gets there.
March 24, 2015
A complex and interwoven narrative spanning several centuries. The writing is rich in description, containing quite an array of characters.
Our protagonist, Anna, is a scholar with an interest in books from the middle ages. She is caught up in a hunt for some obscure manuscripts - the serpent papers - and seeks to unravel the mystery that surrounds them. This search takes her to Spain, where she steps into the employ of a mysterious beneficier. As the secrets deepen and the mystery unfolds, links start to appear, connecting these manuscripts with the brutal murders of three women and the much-adored Spanish actress, Natalia Hernandez.
This is an elaborate and complicated story, with excerpts from diaries, letters, and conversations. It is the sort of narrative that requires a sharp mind and clear concentration to grasp the threads and start to unravel the deeper mystery. As a narrator, Anna cannot be particularly relied on to tell the truth - she suffers from strange hallucinations and occasional black-outs.
I am sad to say that I lack either the intelligence or the concentration (you can decide which - probably both) to fully grasp the full extent of what this story was trying to say. It is a convuluted, complicated labyrinth, entangled together in less than 500 pages. The switching of the narrators confused me, and there were so many levels that I constantly felt stranded on the wrong floor. It is possibly a story that would benefit from multiple readings, possibly in a silent room, devoid of distractions.
Our protagonist, Anna, is a scholar with an interest in books from the middle ages. She is caught up in a hunt for some obscure manuscripts - the serpent papers - and seeks to unravel the mystery that surrounds them. This search takes her to Spain, where she steps into the employ of a mysterious beneficier. As the secrets deepen and the mystery unfolds, links start to appear, connecting these manuscripts with the brutal murders of three women and the much-adored Spanish actress, Natalia Hernandez.
This is an elaborate and complicated story, with excerpts from diaries, letters, and conversations. It is the sort of narrative that requires a sharp mind and clear concentration to grasp the threads and start to unravel the deeper mystery. As a narrator, Anna cannot be particularly relied on to tell the truth - she suffers from strange hallucinations and occasional black-outs.
I am sad to say that I lack either the intelligence or the concentration (you can decide which - probably both) to fully grasp the full extent of what this story was trying to say. It is a convuluted, complicated labyrinth, entangled together in less than 500 pages. The switching of the narrators confused me, and there were so many levels that I constantly felt stranded on the wrong floor. It is possibly a story that would benefit from multiple readings, possibly in a silent room, devoid of distractions.
July 2, 2015
Brilliant! As I began The Serpent Papers I thought of what a great director Jessica Cornwell, the author, would be. The book is exquisitely visual and beautiful. The many characters at the beginning remind me of reading Jane Austin or George Elliot. There is the need to be a quiet observer and stand by until the characters weave together an intriguing cloth. The complexity is completely worth it, I do not know how it would have the richness it has otherwise. Serpent Papers reminded me too of a collage, painting the past into the present. In the end I so look forward to the next book in the trilogy, so that I see how the future has already been painted in this present tapestry. I can not finish without saying and in the last scene I felt like I was there, in it….. having gotten to know the characters intimately and over time. THAT was chilling, and empathic simultaneously, not an easy feat in this age of visual and violence overload. Serpent Papers is intelligently written and so beautiful, it carried me through, even though I was dead tired at the end of full days. I always looked forward to reading it. We have to have the next book in the trilogy, or it will be like the theme of the destroyed and lost books of the past is carried into the future, and we have lost another woman’s voice and words but from the other side of the present.
May 21, 2015
I had high hopes of this novel, having read some reviews, but actually found it a disappointment because I couldn't really engage with any of the characters. Perhaps the amount of plot got in the way of meaningful character development.
Anna Verco is hunting for a medieval manuscript, the Serpent Papers, which contains magical revelations. Somehow, the document is linked to a series of gruesome murders in Barcelona and Mallorca. As Anna searches for the Papers, she comes to realise that she is also a target!
This is the first of a trilogy, but I don't think that I will be reading the next volumes.
Anna Verco is hunting for a medieval manuscript, the Serpent Papers, which contains magical revelations. Somehow, the document is linked to a series of gruesome murders in Barcelona and Mallorca. As Anna searches for the Papers, she comes to realise that she is also a target!
This is the first of a trilogy, but I don't think that I will be reading the next volumes.
September 6, 2024
Une des lectures les plus laborieuses de ma vie, sous couvert de lâcher 4 préceptes d'alchimie pétés l'auteur (sa filiation est la seule explication du succès de cet ouvrage à mes yeux) nous sert une espèce de récit lent, avec une mise en place semblant sans fin ni sens sur les bons trois quarts du livre jusqu'à un dénouement qui est tellement fade que j'ai dû recommencer un thriller le jour même pour me rabibocher avec le style.
Bref ne perdez pas votre temps, je suis resté 2 ans pour digérer ces pages et j'ai juste le sentiment d'avoir perdu du temps.
En un mot "déçu".
Bref ne perdez pas votre temps, je suis resté 2 ans pour digérer ces pages et j'ai juste le sentiment d'avoir perdu du temps.
En un mot "déçu".
January 3, 2018
Such a beautifully written, intelligent mystery - the reader must have his or her wits about them. Loved the Spanish setting and the cast of characters, past and present, who come and go through the novel.
April 26, 2015
I have to agree with many of the other reviews. I bought this because of the advance reviews and was disappointed. The setting and premise is great the execution falls somewhat short
October 8, 2015
could've been good. instead was irritating.
November 30, 2015
Ma chronique, Abandon : http://enjoybooksaddict.blogspot.fr/2...
March 19, 2018
DNF 25%. I just couldn’t keep reading this book. It was a struggle.
August 18, 2016
Jessica Cornwellová „Hadie listiny“
Hadie listiny sú určené pre odvážnych čitateľov, ktorí majú vo svojej čitateľskej výbave ukrytú veľkú dávku trpezlivosti a húževnatosti. Presne tieto vlastnosti budú potrebovať, ak sa rozhodnú zahryznúť sa do debutu vnučky anglického prozaika a autora známych špionážnych románov Johna le Carréa (Jeden musí z kola von).
Hadie listiny sa pýšia kvetnatými prívlastkami. Väčšina popredných recenzentov z rôznych svetových magazínov (The Irish Independent, The Times, The Guradian, The Observer, Literary Review, atď.) im prisúdila označenie inteligentného, dych berúceho a predovšetkým na zvraty bohatého viacvrstvového príbehu, ktorý svojou nápaditosťou vyniká. Silné ženské charaktery dotvárajú ťaživú atmosféru ľahkého, miestami priamočiareho rozprávania a podčiarkujú tak autorkin cit pre prácu s náročným motívom i textom. Hadie listiny vraj predstavujú unikátnu zmes Dana Browna a Carlosa Ruiza Zafóna. Čítajú sa o trošku ťažšie, pretože ich výstavba v sebe nesie základné prvky detektívnej fikcie, fantastického thrilleru a psychologickej drámy. Hadie listiny sú takmer dokonalé, takže, úplne pochopiteľne, v nich nebude fungovať nič z vyššie vymenovaného.
Jessica Cornwellová vydala svoj prvý román pred rokom. V októbri minulého roka ho pod prívlastkom „nevšedný mystický thriller s nádychom alchýmie“ vydalo aj vydavateľstvo PLUS. Kniha na prvý pohľad zaujme nielen svojím vzhľadom, ale aj anotáciou. Tá vás až neuveriteľne autenticky prenesie do rozpálenej Barcelony, v ktorej autorka strávila pomerne dlhé a aj plodné obdobie svojho života. Štúdium drámy na Autonómnej univerzite i úzka spolupráca s katalánskou divadelnou spoločnosťou La Fura dels Baus tvorili inspiračné zdroje pre príbeh, ktorý by pokojne mohol konkurovať historickým románom Philippa Vandenberga či Michaela Clynesa, okultným poviedkam sira Arthura Conana Doyla, fantastickej trilógie Guillerma del Tora a Chucka Hogana i filmovým a televíznym klasikám s bohatými žánrovými presahmi (Vraždy podľa Judáša, Sedem, Zodiac, Purpurové rieky, Fringe, Mentalista...). Nadšenie, ktoré vo vás Jessica Cornwellová svojou trošku naturálnou a výrazne magickou knihou rozdúcha, sa vytráca okamžite po prvej prečítanej strane.
Hadie listiny sú tematicky rozdelené do troch kníh a jedného epilógu. Každá časť posúva klasicky dej v príbehu ďalej, a to podľa toho, akým smerom sa vyvíja pátranie hlavnej predstaviteľky príbehu Anny. Spolu s Annou cestujeme z bodu A do bodu B či z jedného extrému do druhého, nikdy sa niekde nezdržíme tak dlho, aby sme mohli vstrebať zmenu, ktorá v rozprávaní nastala a aklimatizovať sa na podmienky, ktoré so sebou exotické mestá, miesta aj mestečká prinášajú. Za toto zvláštne skákanie môže vlastne povaha Anny.
Anna je roztržitá, nestála, trpí preludmi, fantazmagóriami, lieči sa z rôznych chorôb, ktoré však čitateľovi ostávajú zahmlené. A to iba preto, aby Annu zahalili do rúška tajomstva, ktoré je potrebné pre výstavbu detektívke zápletky. Bez rôznych odbočení by sme mali pred očami priamočiaro nalinkovaný monotónny príbeh. Vraha by sme odhalili ani nie pred polovicou knihy a keďže Anna nemá spoločníka, ktorý by umne ukrýval stopy a miatol svojou nešikovnosťou čitateľa, preberá túto zodpovednú úlohu rozprávač.
Rozprávač musí zabaviť čitateľa natoľko, aby nestratil o dej záujem. Siaha po digresiách, pomocou ktorých príbeh pekne vrství. Odbočky sa odvíjajú od Anninho povolania, ako aj od poslania, ktoré jej jej práca priniesla. Tvoria krátke príbehy, niekedy vzájomne na seba nadväzujúce, inak ucelené, a tematicky prepojené s alchymistickým učením. Približujú a svojsky vykladajú rôzne proroctvá, historické míľniky, zakázané spisy, vedecké náuky, náboženské dogmatizmy, ezoterické špekulácie, všetky tie podivuhodné veci, ktoré so sebou priniesol starovek a Jessicu Cornwellovú natoľko zaujali, až im vo svojom románe vyčlenila veľké miesto.
Mohlo by sa povedať, že delenie na celky románu prospelo. Vnášajú do rozprávania harmóniu a podľa fungujúceho kľúča rytmicky striedajú pasáže z prítomnosti s pasážami z minulosti. V príjemnom pomere dávkujú vyšetrovanie. Hlavne spôsob, ktorý sa zvolil*, takže odľahčujú prítomnú brutalitu zločinu, ako aj Anniných démonov. Bohužiaľ, ak ste sa doteraz nestreli s klasickou detektívkou a nefandíte ani zložitým umeleckým textom, ktoré sú plné symboliky a kvetnatých jazykových prostriedkov, čo majú iba neprirodzene ukryť všednosť témy za vatu plnú bizarného výrazového klišé, budete mať s čítaním Hadích listín nemalé problémy.
Práve výstavba príbehu, voľba rozprávača i včlenenie konkrétnych odbočiek do hlavnej dejovej línie, premenilo rukopis na zbytočne komplikovanú hru so základnými stavebnými jednotkami románu. Pohnútky spisovateľky, ktoré viedli k tomuto abstraktnému mixu, sú pre nás neznáme. To, čo však vieme, je to, že kniha ako celok nefunguje.
Vidieť sa to môže pri klasickom členení, kedy vás bude jeden odsek, a to vrátane v ňom obsiahnutom dialógu aj vnútornom monológu, v ktorom sa často objavuje polopriama reč, sprevádzať pokojne dve až tri strany. To zleje práve čítanú pasáž dokopy a vy odrazu máte problém rozpoznať, kde sa v danom momente nachádzate. Či ste stále doma u Anny, ktorá myšlienkami odbieha k nepodstatnému opisu západu slnka a svojej prvej lásky, aby sa opäť vrátila k meritu veci, a aj to iba stroho. Alebo ste sa prehupli do minulosti, ktorá vysvetľuje, o čom sa to vlastne Anna pred chvíľou s hlavným vyšetrovateľom bavila, pretože autorka, a my nevieme prečo, predpokladá, že aj v úplne jednoduchých veciach nebudete zorientovaní a je preto dôležité doplniť vaše základné vzdelanie.
Zle zvládnutá úprava rukopisu sa podpisuje aj na výbere rozprávača. Jessica Cornwellová sa očividne nevedela rozhodnúť, aký typ by bol pre čitateľa najviac atraktívny, a tak vsádza na istotu a volí všetky. Pekne ich natlačí na pomerne malú plochu skoro na každú stranu a ihneď za sebou. A my sme opäť raz v príbehu stratení.
Vzhľadom na to, že i ICH či ER forma prirástla Jessice Cornwellovej k srdcu, bude čitateľov trápiť bezhlavým lietaním od jednej formy k druhej. Podobne tak na nich bezohľadne vysype všetky Annine preludy, ktoré jej spôsobujú migrény, vrátane jej prekliatia tzv. média. Tento nadprirodzený prvok v sebe neukrýva nič viac a ani nič menej, len pateticky opísané živé sny napomáhajúce hlavnej postave hľadať či už vzácne knihy, alebo zrekonštruovať prípad barbarských vrážd cez živé obrazy jednotlivých obetí. Nebolo by na tom nič zlé, ak by sa autorka nerozhodla preludy oživiť umelou a neprirodzenou lexikou alebo jednočlennými vetami.
Rozkúskovaný text, stavy tranzu, v ktorých hlavná postava prebýva častejšie, akoby to bolo milé, a lyrické výpovede symboliky ukrytej v motíve vraha, spomaľujú dej. Komplikujú prežívanie práve prečítaného. Nedovoľujú porozumieť primitívnym faktom na prvý nádych a ubíjajú aj výrazný charakter prítomných postáv. Preto je ťažké stotožniť sa s kýmkoľvek, komukoľvek vidieť do hlavy, kohokoľvek spoznať bližšie, ponoriť sa do akejkoľvek postavy na scéne. Jessica Cornwellová nás ukracuje o intímne zblíženie sa s hrdinami románu, ktorý má potenciál. Tento prirodzený akt je potláčaný nadmerným množstvom zbytočnej vaty, čo jednoducho rozčuľuje.
Hadie listiny sú jedným veľkým paradoxom. Zaujímavé sú preto, že sa snažia priblížiť klasickej detektívke. Chcú to urobiť tak, aby sa odlíšili od jej monotónnej schémy, ako to pred časom urobila napríklad Maureen Jenningsová. Zároveň sa snažia šokovať mystickou zápletkou a nadprirodzeným prvkom v duchu Guillerma del Tora alebo Brama Stokera. Sú nasiaknuté zaujímavými informáciami, faktografickými pasážami, znepokojivými úryvkami a vôňou prastarých kníh. Ich knižná úprava však pohorela na plnej čiare. Autorka nezvládla svoj prvý debut. Násilne chcela byť iná a stoj čo stoj zaznamenať každý jeden detail, a to bez ohľadu na dĺžku knihy, čím si zbytočne uškodila. Môžete vynaložiť veľa úsilia na to, aby ste sa jej dielom prelúskali. I tak sa pravidelne vyskytnú situácie, kedy to s príbehom vzdáte a tú či onú pasáž preskočíte. A toto vaše rozhodnutie vám prekvapivo neuškodí, pretože vynechané veci nie sú a ani nikdy nebudú pre dej dôležité. Ich vynechaním sa o nič neukrátite, len si prakticky skrátite svoje trápenie.
Kniha Jessicy Cornwellovej tak trochu predstavuje telenovelu. Prvý diel vás pohltí, ten zvyšok je bezvýznamný, koniec neprekvapí, ale výstižne vysvetlí všetko, čo sa medzi začiatkom a koncom udialo. Ak máte chuť ponoriť sa do emočne vyprahnutého sveta upotenej Barcelony, nebudeme vám v tom brániť. Len si vás dovolíme upozorniť na to, že táto voľba nie je šťastná a hodnotenia anglo-amerických literátov zase zavádzajúce. Ale aj napriek tomu je tá menšina v nás zvedavá na autorkin reparát. Hadie listiny predstavujú trilógiou. A jedna kniha ju predsa netvorí. Aspoň nie v našom alternatívnom svete.
* stredobodom pozornosti je vyriešenie zločinu od jeho konca až po jeho začiatok, pričom páchateľ, rovnako ako jeho pohnútky, sú odhalené až na konci vyšetrovania a tomuto odhaleniu predchádza postupné odkrývanie usvedčujúceho materiálu
Fantasy-svet.net
Hadie listiny sú určené pre odvážnych čitateľov, ktorí majú vo svojej čitateľskej výbave ukrytú veľkú dávku trpezlivosti a húževnatosti. Presne tieto vlastnosti budú potrebovať, ak sa rozhodnú zahryznúť sa do debutu vnučky anglického prozaika a autora známych špionážnych románov Johna le Carréa (Jeden musí z kola von).
Hadie listiny sa pýšia kvetnatými prívlastkami. Väčšina popredných recenzentov z rôznych svetových magazínov (The Irish Independent, The Times, The Guradian, The Observer, Literary Review, atď.) im prisúdila označenie inteligentného, dych berúceho a predovšetkým na zvraty bohatého viacvrstvového príbehu, ktorý svojou nápaditosťou vyniká. Silné ženské charaktery dotvárajú ťaživú atmosféru ľahkého, miestami priamočiareho rozprávania a podčiarkujú tak autorkin cit pre prácu s náročným motívom i textom. Hadie listiny vraj predstavujú unikátnu zmes Dana Browna a Carlosa Ruiza Zafóna. Čítajú sa o trošku ťažšie, pretože ich výstavba v sebe nesie základné prvky detektívnej fikcie, fantastického thrilleru a psychologickej drámy. Hadie listiny sú takmer dokonalé, takže, úplne pochopiteľne, v nich nebude fungovať nič z vyššie vymenovaného.
Jessica Cornwellová vydala svoj prvý román pred rokom. V októbri minulého roka ho pod prívlastkom „nevšedný mystický thriller s nádychom alchýmie“ vydalo aj vydavateľstvo PLUS. Kniha na prvý pohľad zaujme nielen svojím vzhľadom, ale aj anotáciou. Tá vás až neuveriteľne autenticky prenesie do rozpálenej Barcelony, v ktorej autorka strávila pomerne dlhé a aj plodné obdobie svojho života. Štúdium drámy na Autonómnej univerzite i úzka spolupráca s katalánskou divadelnou spoločnosťou La Fura dels Baus tvorili inspiračné zdroje pre príbeh, ktorý by pokojne mohol konkurovať historickým románom Philippa Vandenberga či Michaela Clynesa, okultným poviedkam sira Arthura Conana Doyla, fantastickej trilógie Guillerma del Tora a Chucka Hogana i filmovým a televíznym klasikám s bohatými žánrovými presahmi (Vraždy podľa Judáša, Sedem, Zodiac, Purpurové rieky, Fringe, Mentalista...). Nadšenie, ktoré vo vás Jessica Cornwellová svojou trošku naturálnou a výrazne magickou knihou rozdúcha, sa vytráca okamžite po prvej prečítanej strane.
Hadie listiny sú tematicky rozdelené do troch kníh a jedného epilógu. Každá časť posúva klasicky dej v príbehu ďalej, a to podľa toho, akým smerom sa vyvíja pátranie hlavnej predstaviteľky príbehu Anny. Spolu s Annou cestujeme z bodu A do bodu B či z jedného extrému do druhého, nikdy sa niekde nezdržíme tak dlho, aby sme mohli vstrebať zmenu, ktorá v rozprávaní nastala a aklimatizovať sa na podmienky, ktoré so sebou exotické mestá, miesta aj mestečká prinášajú. Za toto zvláštne skákanie môže vlastne povaha Anny.
Anna je roztržitá, nestála, trpí preludmi, fantazmagóriami, lieči sa z rôznych chorôb, ktoré však čitateľovi ostávajú zahmlené. A to iba preto, aby Annu zahalili do rúška tajomstva, ktoré je potrebné pre výstavbu detektívke zápletky. Bez rôznych odbočení by sme mali pred očami priamočiaro nalinkovaný monotónny príbeh. Vraha by sme odhalili ani nie pred polovicou knihy a keďže Anna nemá spoločníka, ktorý by umne ukrýval stopy a miatol svojou nešikovnosťou čitateľa, preberá túto zodpovednú úlohu rozprávač.
Rozprávač musí zabaviť čitateľa natoľko, aby nestratil o dej záujem. Siaha po digresiách, pomocou ktorých príbeh pekne vrství. Odbočky sa odvíjajú od Anninho povolania, ako aj od poslania, ktoré jej jej práca priniesla. Tvoria krátke príbehy, niekedy vzájomne na seba nadväzujúce, inak ucelené, a tematicky prepojené s alchymistickým učením. Približujú a svojsky vykladajú rôzne proroctvá, historické míľniky, zakázané spisy, vedecké náuky, náboženské dogmatizmy, ezoterické špekulácie, všetky tie podivuhodné veci, ktoré so sebou priniesol starovek a Jessicu Cornwellovú natoľko zaujali, až im vo svojom románe vyčlenila veľké miesto.
Mohlo by sa povedať, že delenie na celky románu prospelo. Vnášajú do rozprávania harmóniu a podľa fungujúceho kľúča rytmicky striedajú pasáže z prítomnosti s pasážami z minulosti. V príjemnom pomere dávkujú vyšetrovanie. Hlavne spôsob, ktorý sa zvolil*, takže odľahčujú prítomnú brutalitu zločinu, ako aj Anniných démonov. Bohužiaľ, ak ste sa doteraz nestreli s klasickou detektívkou a nefandíte ani zložitým umeleckým textom, ktoré sú plné symboliky a kvetnatých jazykových prostriedkov, čo majú iba neprirodzene ukryť všednosť témy za vatu plnú bizarného výrazového klišé, budete mať s čítaním Hadích listín nemalé problémy.
Práve výstavba príbehu, voľba rozprávača i včlenenie konkrétnych odbočiek do hlavnej dejovej línie, premenilo rukopis na zbytočne komplikovanú hru so základnými stavebnými jednotkami románu. Pohnútky spisovateľky, ktoré viedli k tomuto abstraktnému mixu, sú pre nás neznáme. To, čo však vieme, je to, že kniha ako celok nefunguje.
Vidieť sa to môže pri klasickom členení, kedy vás bude jeden odsek, a to vrátane v ňom obsiahnutom dialógu aj vnútornom monológu, v ktorom sa často objavuje polopriama reč, sprevádzať pokojne dve až tri strany. To zleje práve čítanú pasáž dokopy a vy odrazu máte problém rozpoznať, kde sa v danom momente nachádzate. Či ste stále doma u Anny, ktorá myšlienkami odbieha k nepodstatnému opisu západu slnka a svojej prvej lásky, aby sa opäť vrátila k meritu veci, a aj to iba stroho. Alebo ste sa prehupli do minulosti, ktorá vysvetľuje, o čom sa to vlastne Anna pred chvíľou s hlavným vyšetrovateľom bavila, pretože autorka, a my nevieme prečo, predpokladá, že aj v úplne jednoduchých veciach nebudete zorientovaní a je preto dôležité doplniť vaše základné vzdelanie.
Zle zvládnutá úprava rukopisu sa podpisuje aj na výbere rozprávača. Jessica Cornwellová sa očividne nevedela rozhodnúť, aký typ by bol pre čitateľa najviac atraktívny, a tak vsádza na istotu a volí všetky. Pekne ich natlačí na pomerne malú plochu skoro na každú stranu a ihneď za sebou. A my sme opäť raz v príbehu stratení.
Vzhľadom na to, že i ICH či ER forma prirástla Jessice Cornwellovej k srdcu, bude čitateľov trápiť bezhlavým lietaním od jednej formy k druhej. Podobne tak na nich bezohľadne vysype všetky Annine preludy, ktoré jej spôsobujú migrény, vrátane jej prekliatia tzv. média. Tento nadprirodzený prvok v sebe neukrýva nič viac a ani nič menej, len pateticky opísané živé sny napomáhajúce hlavnej postave hľadať či už vzácne knihy, alebo zrekonštruovať prípad barbarských vrážd cez živé obrazy jednotlivých obetí. Nebolo by na tom nič zlé, ak by sa autorka nerozhodla preludy oživiť umelou a neprirodzenou lexikou alebo jednočlennými vetami.
Rozkúskovaný text, stavy tranzu, v ktorých hlavná postava prebýva častejšie, akoby to bolo milé, a lyrické výpovede symboliky ukrytej v motíve vraha, spomaľujú dej. Komplikujú prežívanie práve prečítaného. Nedovoľujú porozumieť primitívnym faktom na prvý nádych a ubíjajú aj výrazný charakter prítomných postáv. Preto je ťažké stotožniť sa s kýmkoľvek, komukoľvek vidieť do hlavy, kohokoľvek spoznať bližšie, ponoriť sa do akejkoľvek postavy na scéne. Jessica Cornwellová nás ukracuje o intímne zblíženie sa s hrdinami románu, ktorý má potenciál. Tento prirodzený akt je potláčaný nadmerným množstvom zbytočnej vaty, čo jednoducho rozčuľuje.
Hadie listiny sú jedným veľkým paradoxom. Zaujímavé sú preto, že sa snažia priblížiť klasickej detektívke. Chcú to urobiť tak, aby sa odlíšili od jej monotónnej schémy, ako to pred časom urobila napríklad Maureen Jenningsová. Zároveň sa snažia šokovať mystickou zápletkou a nadprirodzeným prvkom v duchu Guillerma del Tora alebo Brama Stokera. Sú nasiaknuté zaujímavými informáciami, faktografickými pasážami, znepokojivými úryvkami a vôňou prastarých kníh. Ich knižná úprava však pohorela na plnej čiare. Autorka nezvládla svoj prvý debut. Násilne chcela byť iná a stoj čo stoj zaznamenať každý jeden detail, a to bez ohľadu na dĺžku knihy, čím si zbytočne uškodila. Môžete vynaložiť veľa úsilia na to, aby ste sa jej dielom prelúskali. I tak sa pravidelne vyskytnú situácie, kedy to s príbehom vzdáte a tú či onú pasáž preskočíte. A toto vaše rozhodnutie vám prekvapivo neuškodí, pretože vynechané veci nie sú a ani nikdy nebudú pre dej dôležité. Ich vynechaním sa o nič neukrátite, len si prakticky skrátite svoje trápenie.
Kniha Jessicy Cornwellovej tak trochu predstavuje telenovelu. Prvý diel vás pohltí, ten zvyšok je bezvýznamný, koniec neprekvapí, ale výstižne vysvetlí všetko, čo sa medzi začiatkom a koncom udialo. Ak máte chuť ponoriť sa do emočne vyprahnutého sveta upotenej Barcelony, nebudeme vám v tom brániť. Len si vás dovolíme upozorniť na to, že táto voľba nie je šťastná a hodnotenia anglo-amerických literátov zase zavádzajúce. Ale aj napriek tomu je tá menšina v nás zvedavá na autorkin reparát. Hadie listiny predstavujú trilógiou. A jedna kniha ju predsa netvorí. Aspoň nie v našom alternatívnom svete.
* stredobodom pozornosti je vyriešenie zločinu od jeho konca až po jeho začiatok, pričom páchateľ, rovnako ako jeho pohnútky, sú odhalené až na konci vyšetrovania a tomuto odhaleniu predchádza postupné odkrývanie usvedčujúceho materiálu
Fantasy-svet.net
July 22, 2017
Barcelone, été 2003. Trois femmes sont assassinées, leurs corps ont été mutilés, la peau gravée de nombreux signes ésotériques. L’enquête piétine et est abandonnée.
2014. Anna, une jeune chercheuse en histoire médiévale, peine à maîtriser les visions qui l’assaillent de façon impromptue. Fabregat, le policier en charge de l’enquête de 2003, est convaincu que ce don peut le conduire à l’assassin. Anna accepte de l’aider.
The Independent a qualifié « les pages du serpent » comme étant le livre qui pourrait détrôner « Le Code Da Vinci » … que les fans de Dan Brown ne s’inquiètent pas : « les pages du serpent » n’arrive absolument pas à supplanter le « Code ». La lecture est longue (j’ai failli l’abandonner à plusieurs reprises), décousue, sans attrait, entrecoupée de chapitres sur la correspondance d’un homme du 19e siècle. Le récit abonde en visions de la jeune femme, tellement embrouillées que l’on perd rapidement le fil. Le personnage principal, Anna, est vide, terriblement absent, plat, pauvre, en résumé : on ne s’y attache pas un instant. Quant à l’intrigue, je serais bien en peine d’en livrer un résumé. Livre à oublier, très vite !
2014. Anna, une jeune chercheuse en histoire médiévale, peine à maîtriser les visions qui l’assaillent de façon impromptue. Fabregat, le policier en charge de l’enquête de 2003, est convaincu que ce don peut le conduire à l’assassin. Anna accepte de l’aider.
The Independent a qualifié « les pages du serpent » comme étant le livre qui pourrait détrôner « Le Code Da Vinci » … que les fans de Dan Brown ne s’inquiètent pas : « les pages du serpent » n’arrive absolument pas à supplanter le « Code ». La lecture est longue (j’ai failli l’abandonner à plusieurs reprises), décousue, sans attrait, entrecoupée de chapitres sur la correspondance d’un homme du 19e siècle. Le récit abonde en visions de la jeune femme, tellement embrouillées que l’on perd rapidement le fil. Le personnage principal, Anna, est vide, terriblement absent, plat, pauvre, en résumé : on ne s’y attache pas un instant. Quant à l’intrigue, je serais bien en peine d’en livrer un résumé. Livre à oublier, très vite !
April 30, 2018
Library.
I picked this up on the back of the summary. The author has a good hand with description, and the use of sentence fragments really helps build up the scene. However, I think some of it could have been trimmed, particularly since it's at the start of every chapter.
In general, there could be a great deal more editing to the book. The switching between different periods and different views was interesting to start, but didn't seem to connect to the actual plot. I wonder if these are supposed to connect to the later two books that are apparently planned, but if you're reading for the actual mystery in the current book, it doesn't exactly flow.
The plot itself also falls to pieces. Basically the whole mystery ends up being solved by the villain revealing himself. The motive for it isn't strong enough to carry the multi-year murder plot and doesn't seem to have any connection to the whole book search/alchemy sub-plot, other than a tangential one.
As another reviewer suggested, it seems to have needed some more editing to tighten it up plotwise.
I picked this up on the back of the summary. The author has a good hand with description, and the use of sentence fragments really helps build up the scene. However, I think some of it could have been trimmed, particularly since it's at the start of every chapter.
In general, there could be a great deal more editing to the book. The switching between different periods and different views was interesting to start, but didn't seem to connect to the actual plot. I wonder if these are supposed to connect to the later two books that are apparently planned, but if you're reading for the actual mystery in the current book, it doesn't exactly flow.
The plot itself also falls to pieces. Basically the whole mystery ends up being solved by the villain revealing himself. The motive for it isn't strong enough to carry the multi-year murder plot and doesn't seem to have any connection to the whole book search/alchemy sub-plot, other than a tangential one.
As another reviewer suggested, it seems to have needed some more editing to tighten it up plotwise.
July 17, 2021
i honestly really disliked this in the beginning because there was a good 50 pages or so of almost complete sentence fragments with maybe one verb every seven lines. i was genuinely gritting my teeth in frustration at some points. that style seemed to drop away eventually though (it showed up again later, but more carefully and deliberate) but it still made the story really difficult to get into because i was spending all my time trying to figure out how to actually read the “sentences”.
i really enjoyed the entire middle of the book. it had the academic murder mystery vibe i’ve been looking for and ended up being something i looked forward to reading every day.
unfortunately, it was bookended by another tedious maybe 40 pages or so, which dulled the adrenaline and excitement that had been built up. not so much to do with the writing style in these pages so much as it just seemed like a rushed conclusion.
i really did love a majority of the middle of the book though, the actual investigation portion, which was surprising after that horrendous start lollll
i really enjoyed the entire middle of the book. it had the academic murder mystery vibe i’ve been looking for and ended up being something i looked forward to reading every day.
unfortunately, it was bookended by another tedious maybe 40 pages or so, which dulled the adrenaline and excitement that had been built up. not so much to do with the writing style in these pages so much as it just seemed like a rushed conclusion.
i really did love a majority of the middle of the book though, the actual investigation portion, which was surprising after that horrendous start lollll
June 5, 2018
Nechcem túto knihu nejak zhadzovať, ale pri jej čítaní som najprv nevedela ako dopadla u druhých čitateľov. Takže bol to ako keby taký skok do neznáma. Po jej dočítaní, a prezretí iných recenzií od ostatných užívateľov, to tak trochu chápem, prečo tak ospevovaná kniha nie je vôbec dobre hodnotená. Jednoducho ona dobrá nie je. Je to však čiste môj názor. Samozrejme, že som videla i dobré hodnotenia, avšak o ich prevládaní sa naozaj nedá hovoriť. Mám veľmi rada alchýmiu, rôzne hádanky a rébusy a podobne. Avšak pre občasnú komplikovanosť knihy, sa kniha samotná stala akýmsi rébusom pre mňa.
January 13, 2024
The low ratings the book have delayed me initially from picking it up. But thankfully I did and enjoyed this long journey! Yes the book is long with some details that could be omitted, but neverthless it is a good read heavy with the right amount of darkness.
It is understandalbe why some reviewers found the book discourse disengaging yet I see that the novel is better 'visualised' as a movie or a play than a book that move unpredictably between different locations and time eras.
Overall, the story is catching and can't wait for the next book in the trilogt
It is understandalbe why some reviewers found the book discourse disengaging yet I see that the novel is better 'visualised' as a movie or a play than a book that move unpredictably between different locations and time eras.
Overall, the story is catching and can't wait for the next book in the trilogt
June 21, 2023
Hoo boy.
This definitely hit the so-bad-it’s-good spot for me, perfect campfire reading. Mysterious cults and violent murders! Really short, choppy sentences that are trying Really Hard to be artsy! Weird amount of time spent on the protagonist’s underwear (too much to be normal, too little to be sexy)! Terrible Olde Englishe (okay, it was not the worst I’ve read, but it had some pretty amusing moments)!
If you like that stuff too, give it a shot.
This definitely hit the so-bad-it’s-good spot for me, perfect campfire reading. Mysterious cults and violent murders! Really short, choppy sentences that are trying Really Hard to be artsy! Weird amount of time spent on the protagonist’s underwear (too much to be normal, too little to be sexy)! Terrible Olde Englishe (okay, it was not the worst I’ve read, but it had some pretty amusing moments)!
If you like that stuff too, give it a shot.
August 1, 2023
Un livre dont le début s'annonce intéressant, mais devient vite lassant et difficile à lire à cause d'une multitude de détails sur des choses qui n'ont que peu d'intérêt pour l'intrigue.
On se retrouve projeté dans des endroits/époques différentes sans être guidé.
Les moments du livre qui ont besoin de plus d'approfondissement sont survolés.
A éviter, sauf si on aime être perdu les 3/4 du temps.
On se retrouve projeté dans des endroits/époques différentes sans être guidé.
Les moments du livre qui ont besoin de plus d'approfondissement sont survolés.
A éviter, sauf si on aime être perdu les 3/4 du temps.
April 13, 2018
Celkový námět a styl mi nepřišly špatné. Autorka toho zjevně ví o alchymii hodně, ale pro nezasvěceného čtenáře jsou ty popisy někdy příliš zdlouhavé a vyčerpávající. Ve finále to úplně ubilo jakékoliv napětí z detektivní zápletky a rozuzlení mi přišlo zbytečně jalové. Nicméně líbila se mi neobvyklá postava hlavní hrdinky a pěkně zachycená atmosféra Barcelony.
August 25, 2019
I only just kept going on this one. I found the style of the first part of the book disconcerting with staccato sentences and phrases. It also jumped in time, not just back to part of the back story but to other parts of the back story at differing times. However, my biggest problem is that the crime was solved using a sort of telepathy which I just did not buy into.
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