Leonardo and the Death Machine

Young Legends

by Robert J. Harris

Adventure thriller set in Renaissance Italy starring Leonardo da Vinci as a young apprentice who witnesses a murder and becomes involved in a plot to take over the city. LEONARDO AND THE DEATH MACHINE is first and foremost a thriller, set against the background of Renaissance Italy. However, the Leonardo of the title is in fact Leonardo da Vinci. This is a totally fictional adventure, but it COULD have happened. When we first meet Leonardo we find him apprenticed to a successful artist in Florence. But although he yearns to be a great artist himself, he's rather disillusioned with his apprenticeship, which has made him more of an errand boy than an art student. Then, when an impromptu street football match ends in an arm injury for his friend Sandro (whom history will know as Botticelli), Leonardo leaps at the opportunity to help out the unfortunate painter who has been commissioned to paint a portrait for the rich Medici family. Little does our young hero know that soon he will be dragged into murder and intrigue, and will be fleeing for his life!

Genres: Romance, Historical Fiction, Psychology, Historical, Family, Crime, Adventure

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Robert J. Harris (Bob) is a Scottish academic and author of children's fantasies and historical novels, best known for his collaborations with Jane Yolen. He also designed the fantasy board game Talisman. Recently Bob released his sequel to Talisman, Mythgardia. He lives in Scotland and is married to American author Deborah Turner Harris.

Reviews

[juju · Rating 5 out of 5]

que lindo 🥺

[ValeS · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

[André Martins · Rating 3 out of 5]

The early life of Leonardo da Vinci.

A fictional and youth novel about the known Leonardo da Vinci in which he was an art apprentice during his youth. His ambition took him until a discovery of a death machine, which is the main subject this story conveys. There is some engaging contextual information about the Medici family and the city of Florence during the Renaissance time.

An average book, that reveals some lack of depth and more developed ideas. Last, the book is properly suitable for 10-14 years.

[sophia lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars for me.This is an amazing historical fiction. Robert.J.Harris wrote the story in such an intriguing way that I read the book continuously. At the end of the book, the author shared the real information of what happened in the past and Leonardo's friendship with the other characters. The end information gave me information I never knew. I think this book would be one of my favorite historical fictions so far.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

" … Questo è quello che ci fa grandi Leonardo: le nostre scelte e il coraggio di cui abbiamo bisogno per portarle avanti … "
Una storia tumultuosa e intrigante con protagonisti adolescenti di altissimo livello Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, Lorenzo de' Medici …

[Lucas Soares · Rating 3 out of 5]

Acho que esse foi o único livro que eu li no meu ensino fundamental 2.

[Angelica Casali · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Questo è quello che ci fa grandi, Leonardo: le nostre scelte, e il coraggio di cui abbiamo bisogno per portarle aventi”

[Owen McGrath · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was a pleasant read, nothing to write home about but was entertaining to pass the time with.

[Tanya Santos · Rating 3 out of 5]

giro

[Chiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

ci sta dai, carino

[Chicco Padovan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Di Robert J Harris avevo già letto William Shakespeare e la mappa dell’ignoto (Mondadori). In Leonardo e la macchina infernale la formula non cambia: un personaggio storico in età adolescenziale – in questo caso Leonardo da Vinci – e un piano criminale da sventare.
Se l’altro libro mi aveva convito senza remore, però, in questo ho avvertito una certa tendenza al ripetersi. Harris copia se stesso: i protagonisti e la vicenda sono diversi, ma la sensazione è quella di leggere lo stesso libro.
Leonardo e Fresina, la giovane schiava che diventerà spalla dell'eroe nel dipanarsi del racconto, sono dei bei personaggi, ma non c’è mai il reale tentativo di scavare più a fondo nelle loro emozioni, di spingersi un po’ più in là dello stretto necessario.
Rimane una lettura di grande intrattenimento, scritta molto bene e dotata di gran ritmo, ma almeno per quanto mi riguarda fine a se stessa, priva di quel valore aggiunto che rende un libro caro al cuore.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book- suitable for 10-12 year olds. It moves at a good pace and has lots of interesting contextual information about the Medici family and Florence during the Renaissance. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book to read...Enjoyable!

[Deyara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, quick read. Liked the ideas about Leonardos early life, this was fun to read.

[Karen Desmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

4

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting fictional novel about Leonardo Da Vinci as an apprentice artist. Yet it lacked depth and a holistic ending to complete the novel. Overall an entertaining novel by Robert J Harris.

[Joao Amorim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Foi umlivro engraçado que a professora Isilda me ofereceu para ver se eu lia. Gostei do livro como prólogo para depois jogar Assassin's creed