This is the last book in Zafron’s Cemetery of Lost Books series, and this is the darkest volume yet. It’s the last days of Franco’s rule and although he’s an old man, his rule is just ass brutal and oppressive as ever. Alicia Gris, who was saved by our old friend, Fermin in the dark days of the Spanish Civil War is now working for some of the more disreputable members of the regime’s security system. But as always in Zafron’s novels, nothing can be straight forward, and Alicia finds herself in a web of cross and double cross that keeps the reader guessing until the very end.

As the old regime unravels, its principals desperately hold on to their positions of power and things become deadly for those caught in their crosshairs.

This is a long book, but it will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. ( )

Bello, bello. La giusta chiusura per una lunga storia fatta di personaggi straordinari. ( )

Ever been to a celebration, perhaps a wedding reception, composed of a myriad, imperfect components yet taken together gave an outrageously fun, memorable good time? Perhaps the band was mediocre but the music appropriate and energetic, the food oddly-seasoned but plentiful and fresh, the drinks exotic but free and bottomless, and dance partners all strangers but outgoing and enthusiastic? There were flaws in the details but the overall experience was a _great time_? Yeah, well, that's this book in a snapshot.

To call "The Labyrinth of the Spirits" 'byzantine' does favors neither to the book nor Byzantium, and that is if one views "TLotS" only as a stand-alone novel. Taken as the climax and conclusion of the novel-in-four-parts that it really is, there are too many elements, threads, character arcs, and tragic spirals to even discuss sanely. But it is ravishingly satisfying, even though there are overwrought and overplayed parts to it. There are boogeymen that remain on stage well past their expiration date, there are delays in exposition that confound reason, and, apparently, Barcelona has crap weather. But there are joys to balance the tragic, and the sun does actually come out.

And Ruiz has now given us a character in Alicia Gris that stands up to the Iberian Falstaff that is Fermin, a razor-sharp yin to his yang. Gracias. ( )

After reading two previous Carlos Ruiz Zafon books, I looked forward to reading the 800 pages of The Labyrinth of the Spirits. I bought it a couple of months before embarking on a long trip I was planning saved it until then so that I would be able to drown myself in the flow of the beautiful writing for long bursts of time every time I picked it up and then finish the book faster than I ordinarily could get through 800 pages in my regular day to day living. It turned out to be a wise plan.
Zafon sweeps readers into his stories quickly and then enthralls and dazzles them with the complexity of his marvelous plots and the mesmerizing beauty of his language. No one writes as beautifully and lyrically as a Spaniard.
The book is marvelously complex, plots within plots, suspenseful episode followed my more suspense yet accompanied by some moments of tenderness and love and even some occasional and wonderful humor. What more could a person want in a book?
The story takes place in Spain at the end of the civil war that brought him to power and the years of his reign of terror. The intrigues of the story rest in the evil, ruthlessness, and violence that those with absolute power wield in order to protect their positions. The plot contains some very grisly and detailed scenes of violence that fully utilize the author’s talent for conveying the pain and suffering of the victims while also exploring the cold-hearted ruthlessness of those applying the torture. It is not a book for children or those easily disturbed by such descriptions.
Just as masterful as Zafon’s capacity for writing suspense and complex plots is his capacity to develop authentic seeming characters, each of which displays characteristics that differentiate one character from another. Each of the villains in the story, and there are many, is unlike the others, displaying different “skills”, motivations, and techniques of their trade, yet each of the villainous characters feels no shame, guilt nor remorse for what they do. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, yet few books so fully demonstrate to readers exactly what that chinches actually means.
This is a long book. Even the more avid readers among us generally shy away from such lengthy books. I often make my own reading choices influenced by how long the book is, seldom deciding to read books of 500 or more pages. The Labyrinth of the Spirits deserves every second readers invest in savoring its 800 pages. Those who do will probably feel as if they’d like to read everything Zafon has ever written, a feeling which I personally derive from very few authors, but very few authors write this well, tell stories this engaging, or satisfy reader expectations so well. ( )

I love all books in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series! The writing is just so good. I will say this one was probably my least favorite .... mostly because it was so long and just didn't have the "magic" that the original books had. However, still worth my read and I am now inspired to re-read Shadow of the Wind (which everyone should read!). ( )