Still it consumed me, during the bad parts I hated the book and the emotions it made me feel, but carried on turning the pages until I knew Hernando’s fortunes had turned, and during the brief respites of happinesss I turned the pages and enjoyed the prose that opened a window to this period and place. The other thing was that I didn’t think this was as good as Cathedral of the Sea, Falcone’s first novel, set in Barcelona, which loved. I had to ignore the pile of unread books on my book shelf, which seemed to look at me accusingly every time I passed them by, they have been moved down out of eye level since.

After a while despite the sheer horror of what happened at the time, you almost run out of raw emotion to feel it, although there are a few times when my head was screaming for something to happen differently, someone to arrive earlier, for a meeting to end differently. When I say epic, I don’t just mean the arc of the story, the book is over 900 pages long. But Brahim returns to wreak revenge at the end of part two and Hernando’s life changes once again, and he focus’s even more intently on his plan to try to unite the two warring religions. Working his way up from shovelling manure at a Tannery to working in the Royal Stables he marries Fatima after Brahim is pushed out of the picture, and there is a brief period of peace in Hernando’s life. When the revolt is finally crushed Hernando and his family are amongst the thousands dispersed throughout Spain.

Unfortunately his step father also takes a liking to the young Fatima and in the first quarter of the book she passes from one to the other like a prize mule. Hernando’s family are caught up in the revolt by the Morisco’s against their Catholic oppressors and during this he inadvertently rescues Fatima, who he falls body and soul for. He learns the catechism and prayers from the church Sacristan while at the same time the Koran from the Scholar Hamid, whose name he later takes up. Shunned by both of the warring religions in Catholic Spain, Hernando is loved by his mother, Aisha, but despised by his step father, Brahim. The young bastard of a muslim girl who was was raped by a Catholic Priest is that protagonist. I was back, back in a tale that was going to engross me and take me over, where I would feel every twist and turnn in the fate of the protagonist.

Books by ildefonso falcones