4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, but oddly disappointing, July 25, 2006
This book came to my attention only after I saw the movie The Ninth Gate, and I was immediately interested. The movie seemed to leave several questions unanswered, and I believed that a book would be a better medium for a mystery about books than film. Well, it was, but I was still left with unanswered questions.
The book follows the expolits of Lucas Corso, an alcoholic anti-hero, as he tracks down the source of exceedingly rare occult literature as a mercenary book trader. The best parts of the book center around his relationship with a strange girl with green eyes, who joins him for unexplained reasons on his quest. However, loosely connected to this intriguing investigation is a manuscript chapter from The Three Musketeers, which takes on strange dimensions as character parallels from the Musketeers oppose him on his journey. The background is peopled with unique characters, and various asides are devoted to describing the murky world of the rare book black market, the biography of Alexandre Dumas, or the nature of the devil and medieval occult practices.
These excerpts answered many of the questions posed by the film, fleshing out my understanding of plenty of side-issues. Several illustrations in the book also made these chapters more enjoyable. It was only at the end that I despaired of an explanation that united the two detective stories of Dumas and the devil. Instead of everything "coming together" as in a Sherlock Holmes story, the motivation for the entire quest comes unravelled into two distinct threads which are only coincidentally united. I admit that the movie had spoiled the final twist for me, which is perhaps the reason I found it unsatisfying. However, the author seems to have made some effort to assert the unity of the two strands of plot via Corso himself, who reflects to himself that he is caught in a literary twilight zone and refuses to be surprised by events which refer to literature. During the pursuit, I was pleased by all of this, but only on the condition of an eventual rationale. The rationale, once revealed, left me unimpressed.
Not that the book is without its charm; in fact, much in the style of Umberto Eco, the answer to the mystery is not the fanciful one the main character supposes- or rather, not the whole answer. The Club Dumas reminded me of Eco's book Foucault's Pendulum in particular, although this one is much more digestable to a leisurely fan. I will continue to suspect that the movie for The Ninth Gate spoiled the book for me; therefore, I would recommend anyone interested in this subject to read the book prior to the movie. The aftertaste may be more palatable.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
As Always Better and Different Than the Movie, June 13, 2002
By A Customer
I watched "the Ninth Gate" with some friends last summer. They were only interested in the surface of the plot but I was more interested in the esoteric part of the movie. When I first went to school my English teacher told me that a book, "The Club Dumas" was based on. I imeadiatly went out to buy the book and when I read it I was glad that I did.
There are a few different plots that are going on at the same time, and you are constantly confised so you want to read on to figure out what is going on. He does a great job explaining everything at the end of the book and you feel smart because you figured th book out. T do have to say that the confusion iss the books downfall too.
The point of view changes two ar three times a chapter along with the scene making it hard to follow at times. After you have read the chapter a few chapters later you figure out what is going on and how it relates.
A great mystery that follows the tradition and breaks the rules.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Genial hasta la última letra, July 15, 2000
This review is from: El Club Dumas (Alfaguara Hispanica) (Spanish Edition) (Paperback)
El Club Dumás es una muestra clarísima del talento de su autor, un contemporáneo que se ha dedicado a ofrecernos buena literatura. En esta novela la aventura de su protagonista descubre un mundo en donde los libros son los verdaderos dueños del poder: capaces de dominar la vida misma. La caza de unos manuscritos son la excusa para que un estudioso de Dumas sea parte de otra intriga aún mayor, la del Club del cual no sabe socio...o al menos, no por su voluntad. Cada página es un misterio nuevo, y como en todos los libros de Pérez-Reverte, cualquier hipótesis que se haga el lector, estará equivocada. No queda otro camino que formar parte del Club Dumas.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
