Purity of Blood (Captain Alatriste)

What's the best part about the book ? Quite clearly in bold capital letters , its the ATMOSPHERE. Spain at crossroads , barely holding on to its vast empire , with decadence and religious persecution spread all around- ravishing fare. Captain Alacriste is not so much a Zorro , rather more human with many flaws. Reconciled with the may failings of a brutal society , he carries out the role of a hired sword to perfection , with some streaks of strong character and a heart of gold.

The novel has multiple perspectives - the protagonist is an apprentice to the Captain who eventually plays a fairly important role in the chain of events. The plot is intricate , with the assignment that the Captain takes up hiding layers and layers of court intrigue. The title hints to the obsession in the Spanish clergy with purging the society of any Jewish influences. The protagonist lands up in prison , facing charges of breaking into an abbey - a charge punishable by death. You can almost hear the drumbeats in the background towards a violent climax. Though expectedly for a series , this does end well.

The real treat in the book is the snippets of history that you garner from the thoughts of the protagonist and Captain Alatriste. There is no attempt at moralising - there is evil in society , but that was the norm during the period. For a person with limited knowledge of Spanish History (me) , the book still keeps you rivetted to the end. Highly recommended

This is the second little book (some 260 pages all told) of the adventures of Captain Alatriste, the Spanish veteran soldier, as told by Inigo, his foster son. It has all of the qualities of the first episode, although it can be read separately from it. In addition to being a very entertaining and swashbuckling tale, it is also well-researched

The story focuses this time on the Spanish Inquisition and clearly shows to what extent it had become a power in the land with even the King's Chief Minister, the very powerful, reform-minded and scheming Count (soon to be Count-Duke) Olivares wary of taking it on, although he is the ultimate target of its machinations. Almost all of the characters of the first episode are present in this one, including the dark Gualterio Malatesta, Alatriste's nemesis and, of course, Bocanegra, the Spanish Inquisitor in the role of a rather terrifying arch-villain.

The story is built around the Inquisition's persecution of Jews in Spain, how it savagely enforced the Crown's ruling about "purity of blood" (no family "tainted" by Jewish ancestors could claim to belong to the nobility) and how it extracted confession from its "suspects." Needless to say, being suspected and arrested essentially meant that you were as good as guilty and condemned, given the methods used to make said "suspect" confess. All this is shown remarkably well with the author's usual talent in weaving a fascinating, spectacular and grim adventure story where our heroes attempt to help an elderly noble and his two sons to rescue their daughter and sister, respectively. The attempt goes horribly wrong, with Inigo falling in the clutches of the Inquisition.

I will stop here to avoid any spoilers. I will only mention that this one is just as exciting to read as the first episode, with a similar mix of high politics and daily struggles to survive in a rather hostile environment. Well worth five stars for being simultaneously very entertaining and very educational, something that is rather rare.

An interesting story about medieval Spain and the Spanish Inquisition which involves Captain Alatriste trying to rescue a young woman from a convent only to have his attempt end distastrously with his ward Inigo falling into the clutches of the Inquisition.

As I said when I reviewed the first of these books, the author seems determined to write these things with little plot and lots of atmosphere and poetry. In this current entry, Alatriste is hired to try and help a family (a father and 2 sons) rescue the boys' sister from a convent, where she's been molested by a priest. They want to get her out, but of course it'll take skullduggery and a bit of violence, and Alatriste is just the man for the job. However, things go horribly wrong, and he has to resort to some serious derring-do, and some scheming, to set things right...

I generally have enjoyed these first 2 books, but they're very short and without much plot. Be interesting to see where Perez-Reverte goes with the series.

The second in the series about Captain Alatriste, an enthralling story of a seventeenth-century Spanish soldier who, after retiring from the Spanish army, served as so many ex-soldiers did as a sword for hire. Arturo Pérez-Reverte is one of the best authors I have read. Alatriste is an excellent read and I highly recommend it. Simply outstanding.

Perhaps my title is a bit misleading, for it is the Captain's teen-aged companion, Inigo, who comes face to face with the Holy Office. Of course, those folks behind this particular situation are seriously attempting to have Inigo implicate the Captain in something, so that he can be brought to "justice". The plot keeps moving, and even though the ending appears to be a bit contrived, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The author's comments and reflections on the condition of Spain in the first third of the 17th century are quite telling, and collectively take up many pages. Perhaps these ruminations are the real reason this book was written, but the action is fast and furious, the heroes all valiant, the women all beautiful, and the villans all detestable. What more can one ask?

A. P. Reverte is amazing

Not Reverte's best, but a good read.

One of Arturo Perez Reverte's best and that is saying something.....Dave

I love Perez-Reverte's style of including just enough historical prose concerning the era within his chapters. In my opinion, it was just enough to give you flavor without overwhelming or distracting. While I found the "climax" a bit of a let-down, there was plenty to keep me smiling throughout. I look forward to the next book.