The Club Dumas
by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
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Description
A provocative literary thriller that playfully pays tribute to classic tales of mystery and adventure Lucas Corso is a book detective, a middle-aged mercenary hired to hunt down rare editions for wealthy and unscrupulous clients. When a well-known bibliophile is found dead, leaving behind part of the original manuscript of Alexandre Dumas'sThe Three Musketeers, Corso is brought in to authenticate the fragment. He is soon drawn into a swirling plot involving devil worship, occult show more practices, and swashbuckling derring-do among a cast of characters bearing a suspicious resemblance to those of Dumas's masterpiece. Aided by a mysterious beauty named for a Conan Doyle heroine, Corso travels from Madrid to Toledo to Paris on the killer's trail in this twisty intellectual romp through the book world. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
P_S_Patrick These books have a fair bit in common. They are both intense and thrilling mysteries, involving the occult, conspiracies, books, murders, and are both set mainly in Europe. What The Club Dumas does, Foucalt's Pendulum does better, but that is just my opinion. I have known people give up on reading Foucalt's Pendulum because of its length, its abundance of complicated detail, and its demands on the readers concentration, but any serious reader who enjoyed the Club Dumas should enjoy this more. Anyone who enjoyed Eco's story, likewise, should enjoy the other book, but don't expect it to be quite as good, though I don't think there is a surplus of work in this genre that can compare, with this being more or less the next best thing that I have read.
Also recommended by stephaniefeldman, Sensei-CRS
211
112
Jannes A crime novel set among Londons book-dealers and collectors. Also deals with the occult.
30
Jannes More book-hunting with supernatural overtones.
Member Reviews
I truly like this book on several levels.
First - Same as in Six Days of Condor protagonist, I find the Lucas Corso's occupation to be something beautiful. While I never searched for this level of rare books, I fully understand how "hunt" for the book can wholly occupy the person. Joy of research, tracking various volumes and releases, and finally obtaining one of them is something that can only be experienced not told about. Author understands this and it is pure joy reading how books are investigated, linked to the other works, cross referenced ..... beautiful. It is path of acquiring knowledge, truly powerful one.
Second - Author successfully manages to intertwine two separate stories, at first not linked but later we become aware show more that there are links. One part is related to long lost Dumas manuscript that could uncover some not so flattering facts about Dumas as a writer. This leads to rather human twist, exaggerated by all people involved due to what you might call professional deformation - mixing the various story lines read during their career with reality, which causes imagination to run rampant and create .... lets say phobias and deadly situations. Second story is more ..... sinister. It is story of a rare volume written by Dutch publisher [for which Inquisition burned him on the stake] that can enable a person to communicate and summon the dark unholy forces. Here Corso and company thread the path that brings them in touch with people with shadowy past (Unger here the most), contacts dying horrendous deaths while also having something lurking at the edge, something powerful and terrifying. Both stories are so fast paced, so beautifully presented that you cannot but keep on reading.
Third - Endings. This is part where most reviewers feel they were played. I do not. First, entire story is more about the journey than the destination, and journey in this book is wonderful. Ending is in line what one might expect. First story, caused by human element has a very human ending. Convoluted [and to me rather silly]? Sure, but that's people - very rarely people do not complicate things and more than not actions seem silly. Second story on the other hand is darker and linked to forces that are invisible but horrifying and terrible. Now we have to understand that Lucas Corso is not stupid and not a man willing to sacrifice himself for nebulous reasons. He is aware that what Borja tries to do is dangerous, he feels it. And what does he do - he asks for money and when he sees that might not be possible he decides not to linger around. He tries to survive. This taken into account, ending of second story-line was no surprise for me. As a matter of fact I am not sure what more could be expected from Corso? He managed to survive with one piece of the puzzle firmly next to him - right? Goal achieved.
Characters are given in very detailed way. I truly enjoyed their conversations and flow of thought. One of the best (comic relief of sorts) is Corso's friend from Harpooner's Club, especially at the end. Corso himself is a loner, well versed in lore of old books, and knowledge how to obtain them. But he is a loner, unable to establish personal contact with other people and this isolation has effects - he starts to let his imagination affect his actions. It is not that he is crazy, no. It is just that his imagination runs uncontrolled and because of this he sees some patterns which does not help his paranoia and anxiety (attempts on his life notwithstanding).
Every character is fully fleshed out and has its place in the story.
Author writes wonderfully, and manages to glue you to the book and just wont let you go until the very end.
Great book, highly recommended. show less
First - Same as in Six Days of Condor protagonist, I find the Lucas Corso's occupation to be something beautiful. While I never searched for this level of rare books, I fully understand how "hunt" for the book can wholly occupy the person. Joy of research, tracking various volumes and releases, and finally obtaining one of them is something that can only be experienced not told about. Author understands this and it is pure joy reading how books are investigated, linked to the other works, cross referenced ..... beautiful. It is path of acquiring knowledge, truly powerful one.
Second - Author successfully manages to intertwine two separate stories, at first not linked but later we become aware show more that there are links. One part is related to long lost Dumas manuscript that could uncover some not so flattering facts about Dumas as a writer. This leads to rather human twist, exaggerated by all people involved due to what you might call professional deformation - mixing the various story lines read during their career with reality, which causes imagination to run rampant and create .... lets say phobias and deadly situations. Second story is more ..... sinister. It is story of a rare volume written by Dutch publisher [for which Inquisition burned him on the stake] that can enable a person to communicate and summon the dark unholy forces. Here Corso and company thread the path that brings them in touch with people with shadowy past (Unger here the most), contacts dying horrendous deaths while also having something lurking at the edge, something powerful and terrifying. Both stories are so fast paced, so beautifully presented that you cannot but keep on reading.
Third - Endings. This is part where most reviewers feel they were played. I do not. First, entire story is more about the journey than the destination, and journey in this book is wonderful. Ending is in line what one might expect. First story, caused by human element has a very human ending. Convoluted [and to me rather silly]? Sure, but that's people - very rarely people do not complicate things and more than not actions seem silly. Second story on the other hand is darker and linked to forces that are invisible but horrifying and terrible. Now we have to understand that Lucas Corso is not stupid and not a man willing to sacrifice himself for nebulous reasons. He is aware that what Borja tries to do is dangerous, he feels it. And what does he do - he asks for money and when he sees that might not be possible he decides not to linger around. He tries to survive. This taken into account, ending of second story-line was no surprise for me. As a matter of fact I am not sure what more could be expected from Corso? He managed to survive with one piece of the puzzle firmly next to him - right? Goal achieved.
Characters are given in very detailed way. I truly enjoyed their conversations and flow of thought. One of the best (comic relief of sorts) is Corso's friend from Harpooner's Club, especially at the end. Corso himself is a loner, well versed in lore of old books, and knowledge how to obtain them. But he is a loner, unable to establish personal contact with other people and this isolation has effects - he starts to let his imagination affect his actions. It is not that he is crazy, no. It is just that his imagination runs uncontrolled and because of this he sees some patterns which does not help his paranoia and anxiety (attempts on his life notwithstanding).
Every character is fully fleshed out and has its place in the story.
Author writes wonderfully, and manages to glue you to the book and just wont let you go until the very end.
Great book, highly recommended. show less
terrifically fun and exciting (and much better than the film based on it, The Ninth Gate), this occult metafictive pastiche detective story thing was jolly fun from beginning to end. and now i want to read everything i can get my hands on about demonology and devil summoning.
Brimming with esoteric antiquarian knowledge and a bevy of name dropping “The Dumas Club” by Arturo Perez-Reverte is a whirlwind of noir detective work. Set in Spain but spanning both sides of the Pyrenees Mr. Perez-Reverte writes a hard-boiled case of mystery and suspense revolving around a mid-nineteenth century manuscript from Alexandre Dumas and a satanic text named “The Nine Doors.” What I truly enjoyed about this novel was the sheer depth of research, the surprising twists and the depth of research Mr. Perez-Reverte had to go through to write this suspenseful tale. The threadbare but explosively volatile portrait he paints of his hero Lucas Corso alone is almost worth the read. An excellent and definitely not the last book show more I shall enjoy from Mr. Perez-Reverte. show less
For the bibliophile, I don't think there's a better (fiction) book out there. The main character, Corso, is in the business of finding and delivering rare and valuable books.
Corso is entrusted with two different valuable books, both of which are at the center of various murders. While trying to find information on, and deliver, the books, he becomes tangled in a noose of questions and suspicion, all the while trying to stay alive.
As dire as all this is, he never really understands the danger, or the stakes, until it's too late.
And that's the plot, in a nutshell.
I think Corso is one of the most interesting, and frustrating, and lovable, characters in literature. He's ill-mannered, corrupt, and self-centered (among other things). But show more he's also intelligent and, as we find out, injured. It's really hard not to like him.
As a book lover, I adored all the details and description of both books and the world of book-dealing.
Unfortunately, this book was also the victim of a great Hollywood Massacre (The Ninth Gate, starring Johnny Depp). If you've seen the movie but haven't read the book, you'll be surprised to find that the book is absolutely nothing like the movie.
If you haven't seen the movie, or even if you have, do yourself a favor and read this book. show less
Corso is entrusted with two different valuable books, both of which are at the center of various murders. While trying to find information on, and deliver, the books, he becomes tangled in a noose of questions and suspicion, all the while trying to stay alive.
As dire as all this is, he never really understands the danger, or the stakes, until it's too late.
And that's the plot, in a nutshell.
I think Corso is one of the most interesting, and frustrating, and lovable, characters in literature. He's ill-mannered, corrupt, and self-centered (among other things). But show more he's also intelligent and, as we find out, injured. It's really hard not to like him.
As a book lover, I adored all the details and description of both books and the world of book-dealing.
Unfortunately, this book was also the victim of a great Hollywood Massacre (The Ninth Gate, starring Johnny Depp). If you've seen the movie but haven't read the book, you'll be surprised to find that the book is absolutely nothing like the movie.
If you haven't seen the movie, or even if you have, do yourself a favor and read this book. show less
I was inspired to read this after I watched the Roman Polanski/Johnny Depp film, "The Ninth Gate" a while back. The film was entertaining in its own right - I find Johnny Depp unenjoyable actor to watch. However the film overall wasn't that great.
My usual philosophy is that the book is better than the film. I have been proved right again! This book is a gem. The book runs two narratives (three if you count the Three Musketeers) alongside one another. The film barely manages the one - the demonic aspect of the story.
Arturo Perez-Reverte has created a masterful novel and narrative with this book. The text is accessible and the story arcs are great. The narrative always moves forward preserving the flow and suspense in equal measure. show more There is humour here but not in the laugh out loud manner; so it doesn't become a parody of the genre. There is incredible attention to. Whether the details and texts described are real or not is difficult to elucidate - it seems so detailed that it seems real. The skill of the master narrator. The characters are well constructed, charismatic and generate empathy, sympathy or dislike.
In spite of the poor movie conversion Corso is still Johnny Depp in my mind.
It is unlike anything else I have recall of reading - so very original. The translation from the Spanish by Sonia Soto is excellent.
If you want a fun adventure novel with a bit of history, occult, suspense and adventure you really need to read this. READ not heard or watched. show less
My usual philosophy is that the book is better than the film. I have been proved right again! This book is a gem. The book runs two narratives (three if you count the Three Musketeers) alongside one another. The film barely manages the one - the demonic aspect of the story.
Arturo Perez-Reverte has created a masterful novel and narrative with this book. The text is accessible and the story arcs are great. The narrative always moves forward preserving the flow and suspense in equal measure. show more There is humour here but not in the laugh out loud manner; so it doesn't become a parody of the genre. There is incredible attention to. Whether the details and texts described are real or not is difficult to elucidate - it seems so detailed that it seems real. The skill of the master narrator. The characters are well constructed, charismatic and generate empathy, sympathy or dislike.
In spite of the poor movie conversion Corso is still Johnny Depp in my mind.
It is unlike anything else I have recall of reading - so very original. The translation from the Spanish by Sonia Soto is excellent.
If you want a fun adventure novel with a bit of history, occult, suspense and adventure you really need to read this. READ not heard or watched. show less
I love this genre: a book prompts a mystery, the unraveling of which requires accumulating much book lore. Much of this novel is excellent for this reason, but I must say I was not fully convinced by all the characters' motivations. Two strands are involved, one centering on Alexander Dumas and the Three Musketeers, and another focusing on a fictional Nine Gates, a book to summon the devil (which apparently is available for purchase on Amazon. Go figure.). The lead character meets up with a girl much his junior (whom he sleeps with, of course, as in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), although I did find his impotence at the big moment to be a touch of believable realism. We are led to believe that she is actually the devil. It was never show more clear to me, though, why one needs an arcane coded book to summon the devil when s/he's walking around doing whatever s/he does. Still, her demonic credentials may be as misleading as the entire Dumas subplot, which, interesting as it was, is no more than an accidental distraction. I may be tempted to view the film adaptation again, but I recall being similarly confused by the ending there as well. For example, as I think about it, it didn't seem that distinguishing true from fake engravings made a difference in the ritualistic interpretation. The signs and symbols on which the analysis was based were not the elements that varied, as far as I could tell. Yet somehow depending on the forged ninth image made all the difference. As I said, very confusing, and not sure it makes much sense. show less
I get the feeling this book was meant to be tongue in cheek, but that, during translation, tongue and cheek became separated. As it stands, the writing here is overwrought, purple, inflated, and boring. There are two separate mysteries here, which never come together, which left me (and the protagonist) disappointed. This is a book I just *barely* got through. I kept going, and eventually, about halfway through, a mystery or two did rear their heads. Prior to that, I was just watching a schlemiel stumble around, drink gin, and smoke unfiltered cigarettes. The antique book trade info was all that kept me going, and even that was pretty dull. Calling this a suspense thriller for intellectuals is good marketing, but far from the truth. show more It's all atmosphere and no guts, no meat and potatoes. I can't imagine any veteran mystery or thriller fan putting up with this book. How it became such a huge success is one of those mysteries up there with Brittany Spears and Harry Potter. Oops. Shouldn't have said that. There are three blondes in the book with big boobs, no other women. The final one calls herself Irene Adler, and we never do find out her real name, where she came from, or what she's doing in the story. This, perhaps, is the most egregious of the book's many sins. But then, I suppose a book about summoning the devil should be sinful. Too bad there's so little pleasure to go along with it. show less
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Published Reviews
ThingScore 88
"Spain's bestselling novelist follows three polished and erudite thrillers (The Flanders Panel; The Club Dumas; The Seville Communion) with a fourth that combines the classic art of fencing, 19th-century Spanish monarchical politics and the eternal lure of the femme fatale."
added by bookfitz
"Not quite equal to Perez-Reverte’s very best, though it succeeds admirably both as a vivid picture of an unfamiliar culture and as high, sophisticated entertainment."
added by bookfitz
Junak romana, Lukas Korso, je vrstan poznavalac retkih rukopisa i antikvitetnih knjiga. Kad je poznati izdavač i bibliofil pronađen mrtav u svom kabinetu, ispostavlja se da je posedovao rukopis 42. poglavlja Diminog romana Tri musketara. Korso je angažovan da potvrdi autentičnost rukopisa, ali istovremeno za drugog klijenta mora da utvrdi koji je od tri postojeća primerka okultnog show more priručnika Knjiga o devet vrata u kraljevstvo senki pravi. Neko, međutim, po obrascu književne zbilje otežava Korsovo istraživanje, roman se raslojava na nekoliko nivoa, a glavni junak i čitalac lutaju između dve knjige i tri zapleta, nekoliko ubistava i ljubavnih veza, da bi tek čudno društvo Kluba Dima dovelo do razrešenja. show less
added by Sensei-CRS
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Past Discussions
Club Dumas by Centipede press in Fine Press Forum (November 2023)
Author Information
74+ Works 37,764 Members
Novelist and former journalist Arturo Pérez-Reverte Gutiérrez was born in Cartagena, Spain on November 25, 1951. He started his journalistic career writing for the Spanish newspaper Pueblo and later for Television Espanola - the Spanish state owned television, in the role of war correspondant. He worked as a war correspondent from 1973 to1994 show more before becoming a full-time writer. His first novel, El húsar, which was set in the Napoleonic Wars, was published in 1986, and he is well-known internationally for his popular Captain Alatriste fiction series, which takes place in 17th-century Europe. Pérez-Reverte has been elected to the Spanish Royal Academy. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Awards and Honors
Awards
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Work Relationships
Has the adaptation
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Club Dumas
- Original title
- El club Dumas
- Alternate titles
- La sombra de Richelieu
- Original publication date
- 1993
- People/Characters
- Lucas Corso; Boris Balkan; Flavio La Ponte; Liana Taillefer; Varo Borja; Victor Fargas (show all 13); Irene Adler; Baroness Freida Ungern; Alexandre Dumas; Lucifer; The Devil; Don Jamie; Dona Adela de Otero
- Important places
- Madrid, Spain; Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain; Paris, France; Sintra, Portugal; Spain; Meung-sur-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France
- Related movies
- The Ninth Gate (1999 | IMDb | Roman Polanski)
- Epigraph
- I am the most courteous man in the world. I pride myself on never having once been rude, in this land full of the most unutterable scoundrels, who will come and sit down next to you their woes and even declaim their poetry to... (show all) you.
-Heinrich Heine, Reisebilder - Dedication
- For Carlota. And for the Knight of the Yellow Doublet.
- First words
- The flash projected the outline of the hanged man onto the wall.
- Quotations
- "Like any intelligent being, the devil likes games, riddles. Obstacle courses where the weak and incapable fall by the wayside and only superior spirits -- the initiates -- win." [Baroness Frieda Ungern, 231]
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)And everyone gets the devil he deserves.
- Blurbers
- Livesey, Margot; Eaude, Michael
- Original language
- Spanish
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 863.64
- Canonical LCC
- PQ6666.E765
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
- DDC/MDS
- 863.64 — Literature & rhetoric Spanish, Portuguese, Galician literatures Spanish fiction 20th Century 1945-2000
- LCC
- PQ6666 .E765 — Language and Literature French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese literatures Spanish literature Individual authors, 1961-2000
- BISAC
Statistics
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- Reviews
- 169
- Rating
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- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 118
- ASINs
- 29