The Last Cato: A Novel (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "All things of great beauty-from works of art to sacred objects-suffer the unstoppable effects of the passage of time, just as we do..." (more)
Key Phrases: second cornice, pulse meter, overcome pride, True Cross, Captain Glauser-Röist, Professor Boswell (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When the murder of an Ethiopian man covered with enigmatic tattoos roils the upper echelons of the Roman Catholic Church, Sister Ottavia Salina, head of the Restoration and Paleography Laboratory of the Vatican's Classified Archives, is called to interpret the symbolism of his "scarifications." Church officials inform Dr. Salina that the Ethiopian was but one of many who are stealing Ligna Crucis, relics of the original cross upon which Christ was crucified, from church reliquaries around the globe. The church charges her and two men—a captain of the pope's Swiss Guard, Kaspar Glauser-Roïst, and an Egyptian archeologist, Farag Boswell (whom she later falls for after 39 years of celibacy)—to retrieve the relics. Before you can say Da Vinci Code, the trio plunge into an eddy of intrigue and danger as they encounter a mysterious secret brotherhood and wend their way along a labyrinthine journey of initiation rituals—with clues provided by Dante's Divine Comedy. Asensi's first novel to be translated into English is formulaic, but readers with insatiable appetites for church history, secret societies and weird initiation rituals will find some delights. (Apr.)
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* Asensi's first novel to be published in English features a clandestine religious organization, a code contained in the work of a long-dead genius, a plucky heroine, and just the right combination of obscure history and plausible conjecture. Sound familiar? The Last Cato will inevitably draw comparisons to The Da Vinci Code, but this book is in many ways more compelling, if a bit less accessible. After Dr. Ottavia Salina, a nun working as a paleographer at the Vatican, is asked to decipher tattoos on the dead body of an "enemy of the Church" from Ethiopia, she soon discovers the deceased was tied up with the Staurofilakes, an ancient order who have sought to protect the True Cross and now seem to be stealing slivers of it from around the world. The key to tracking them down? Dante's Divine Comedy. Turns out that Dante was a member of the order himself, and that the notoriously dense Divine Comedy is a kind of coded guidebook to the order's rituals. Salina and a couple companions set off, with Dante as their guide, on a rollicking, round-the-world adventure. Some of the conjecture seems far-fetched, but the research is impeccable, and the behind-the-scenes Vatican life feels utterly authentic. As engrossing as it is intelligent, this just might be the next big book in the burgeoning religious thriller subgenre. John Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Rayo (April 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060828579
• ISBN-13: 978-0060828578
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #659,435 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book - not a DaVinci Code knockoff!, April 23, 2006

By	ellen "ellen in atlanta" (Atlanta, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Amazon Verified Purchase

At first I resisted getting this book, because I thought it was another DaVinci Code knockoff - then I saw it was written BEFORE Dan Brown's hit novel, and got it. And boy, am I glad I did! Beware if you are interested in this book, not to look too hard at the book description printed on this book's Amazon computer page - it has a big plot spoiler in it - But the book is wonderful, and is the 3rd book I literally was upset to finish! (The first was Angels and Demons, the second was Carved in Bone)
As an English major, I was familiar with Dante's The Divine Comedy - not my favorite work - but Dante did for this quest what Leonardo did for Brown's book. The quest, dealing with pieces of the Holy Cross that Jesus was crucified on, takes us on a grand adventure in many wonderful cities - As a Greek Orthodox Christian, was glad there were many accurate descriptions of different sites and priests - even the Patriarch in Constantinople - Also my name is deals with Helen and Constantine, so I was more tweeked with curiosity . The only thing I didn't like, and this was due to translation issues, is they especially at the beginning kept calling our churches as temples - Some folks still think we worship Zeus in temples, and in the translation the word church was printed as temple - but if that's the greatest thing wrong with this book no prob. Also beware, the chapters are 40 pages+ or so - This is a wonderful book filled with adventure, history, romance, and just about everything that makes you pick up a book and read it - This is definitely worth reading!!!!!!!!!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good read, December 24, 2006

By	kitjank "History Buff, artist and lover of al... (Hunt Valley, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Cato: A Novel (Hardcover)

Wasn't too sure about this one at first, and I went back and forth before I decided to buy it. It turned out to be one of those books you are actually dissapointed when it ends and there isn't a sequal. The charachters are fantastic! It's been a long time since I've read a book where the people in it were very real and alive. Asensi did a beautiful job in that. Regardless of the other reviews that complain about the translation, I had no problem whatsoever with it. It flowed and read like a well written novel should. The plot was gripping and the history and descriptions of all the places were so well done. The ending was just a bit, well, kind of sappy, so the 4 stars instead of 5, but that by no means took away any of the enjoyment I got from reading it. If you like history, travel and a good thriller, you will like this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars (3.5 stars) Intriguing mystery, exciting adventure--but something got lost in the translation..., July 13, 2006

By	Cassie W. (Ohio) - See all my reviews

Sister Ottavia Salina is a doctor of paleography, the director of the Vatican's Classified Archives, and a member of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She spends her days interpreting centuries-old documents only a handful of people have ever seen. When the body of an Ethiopian man covered with tattoos of crosses and Greek letters is discovered, the Vatican summons Dr. Salina to a private meeting. Given only the sparest of details about the events surrounding the Ethiopian man's death, Ottavia is ordered to discover the origins of and meaning behind the strange tattoos. There to help her with her interpretation are Captain Glauser-Röist ("The Rock," as Ottavia calls him, is the captain of the Vatican's elite Swiss Guard) and Farag Boswell, a half-English, half-Arabian archaeologist working in Alexandria.

It isn't long before the trio discovers that the strange tattoos of crosses and Greek letters link the corpse to the Staurofilakes, a secret brotherhood dedicated to protecting the "True Cross," the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Over the years, fragments of the Cross have passed out of their reach, to churches all over Europe. Now, the Staurofilakes are stealing the fragments of the Cross back, using any means necessary to fulfill the long-ago oath they made to protect it. One of the Staurofilakes' most prominent members was Dante Alighieri, and Ottavia and her team soon realize that Dante hid secrets about the Staurofilakes in the text of 'The Divine Comedy,' his greatest work. These secrets will take Ottavia, The Rock, and Farag through the seven levels of Purgatory (each level representing one of the seven deadly sins) and to seven ancient cities in Europe (Rome, Pride; Ravenna, Envy; Jerusalem, Anger; Athens, Sloth; Constantinople, Greed; Alexandria, Gluttony; and Antioch, Lust). If they can survive the Staurofilakes' tests, they will earn entrance into the Earthly Paradise--and hopefully discover the whereabouts of the missing True Cross for the Vatican.

THE LAST CATO is the novel that very well could have inspired THE DAVINCI CODE; as previous reviewers here have mentioned, this book does for Dante what Brown's novel did for da Vinci. Unfortunately, many people who have grown tired of the biblical mystery theme will disregard this book as a knock-off when it really isn't; it was published in 2001 (in Spanish), two years before THE DAVINCI CODE. And THE LAST CATO is a very good book; it shouldn't be disregarded!

Asensi does many things well in this, her first novel to be published in English. She's created an intriguing mystery that keeps you guessing until the last page, and she's used 'The Divinie Comedy' in really ingenious ways. THE LAST CATO is well-paced, well-researched, and intricate, and the ending is remarkably fulfilling.

However, there are some problems with the novel, and some of them are probably related to the translation from Spanish to English. The sentence structure is odd in many instances, and the novel is peppered with incorrect word usage and awkward phrasing which make reading it difficult at times. The historical information is often ponderous and lecture-y and the dialogue isn't realistic. Asensi's attempts to develop her characters feel forced; the romance that occurs late in the novel doesn't ring true AT ALL, and the scenes with Ottavia's family seem only to hinder the development of the story.

But the research is impeccable, and the puzzle is ingenious. THE LAST CATO is only mediocre in the writing department, but it's definitely an exciting, intelligent adventure. When a book inspires me to do my own research into a subject, like this one did, I know the reading has been worthwhile. If you're thinking about reading THE LAST CATO, I'd suggest going to the book's web site, which is what initially turned me on to the novel; the site's very well done.

THE LAST CATO is not perfect, but it's definitely worth a read.