Purity of Blood

Captain Alatriste is the archetype of Reverte's opinions whenever he speaks of Spain and its history. I loved a phrase: "Signing thus the death certificate of that unhappy Spain which had been led to disaster, spending the gold and silver of America on vain festivals, on enriching officials, clergy, nobles and corrupt favorites, and on filling the battlefields of half of Europe with the graves of brave men." "Unhappy Spain"… "vain festivals"… "corrupt"… "graves of brave men on the battlefields of half of Europe". And that is the summary of the entire Captain Alatriste Saga. An old soldier of the tercios who lives, as best he can, in a Madrid of the 17th century in the service of the powerful but trying to preserve his honor in a decadent Spain.

The wonderful characters, ALL of them, not just Alatriste. Priceless historical lace. Memorable phrases. Invaluable dialogues. Let's leave aside the bitterness for this Spain that we love but cannot get to function as we would like for us Spaniards…of that time and of the present. And that, in the face of the adversities that befall us, in most cases to earn a hard coin to subsist or for our loved ones to subsist, "there is nothing left but to fight".

I think Reverte ended up being fed up with this character. Because I feel sorry for him (a lie!), but he caught me and my reader's soul will always carry him sewn to the heart and conscience.

I will put this review in all the books of the saga because in reality it doesn't matter to me one book or another, or even one part of each book or another: all of them are what I write. Different more or less unfortunate adventures on this plot.

I truly relished the first book in this captivating series, Captain Alatriste. It served as a mere prologue, setting the stage for what was to come. In "Purity of Blood", we are introduced to a handful of additional characters, which enriches the story's tapestry. The plot line is a thrilling "will the boy be saved" scenario, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. Simultaneously, a number of "revenge" issues and explanations are gradually unfolding. I would venture to say that this book is like a lighter version of "Monte Cristo". I already have the third installment of this series sitting on my to-read shelf at home, eagerly awaiting my attention. I can't wait to delve into it and continue this exciting literary journey.

I'm sure it will be just as engaging and full of surprises as the previous ones.

The author's ability to create vivid characters and weave a complex yet compelling plot is truly remarkable.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys historical fiction with a touch of adventure and mystery.

The sequel is almost as good as the first one.

This statement holds true for many successful franchises. When a sequel is created, there is always a certain level of anticipation from the fans. They hope that the new installment will live up to the standards set by the original.

In some cases, the sequel manages to not only meet but exceed those expectations. It may offer new and exciting storylines, develop the characters further, and improve upon the overall production values.

However, creating a great sequel is not an easy task. It requires a talented team of writers, directors, and actors who understand the essence of the original and are able to build upon it in a meaningful way.

When done right, a sequel can be just as enjoyable and memorable as the first one, continuing the legacy of the franchise and captivating audiences for years to come.

This is a great cloak-and-dagger novel that adheres to the historical period in terms of the thinking of the time or its way of speaking.

In some aspects, it is not as adult as I would like, but it more than meets the mark in fearlessly touching on the cultural themes of the moment and taking the opportunity to criticize present-day Spain.

The narrative of the battles is fantastic and allows you to recreate them perfectly in your mind.

It contains fragments of works from the time, such as verses by Quevedo, Góngora, Manrique, etc., which gives the reader a very good atmosphere.

Overall, it is a captivating read that combines historical authenticity with engaging storytelling, making it a must-read for fans of historical fiction.

Purity of Blood is yet another captivating episode in the adventures of “Captain” Alatriste. Arturo Pérez Reverte has done an excellent job in his well-researched and fascinating portrayal of early seventeenth-century Madrid. This serves as a vivid backdrop for the thrilling adventures of Diego Alatriste and his young protégé, Iñigo Balboa. The plot takes several unexpected twists from its starting point, ultimately centering on the Spanish Inquisition and the “purity of blood” statutes that were in effect at that time. This showcases the author's intention to offer the reader not only exciting swashbuckling entertainment but also a significant dose of history.

Although this is a work of fiction, I found Pérez Reverte's depiction of the Inquisition and its connection to court politics to be both credible and informative. His skill with dialogue and masterful phrasing is once again on full display. For instance, when he counsels the reader about religious fanatics, he says, “always be wary of those who read only one book.”

However, the recurrence of some of the same villains seemed a bit improbable to me. But I suppose this is to be anticipated in an adventure series like this. Overall, it is an entertaining and engaging read that keeps the reader hooked from start to finish.

Although I really like the plot, I find it very heavy to read the descriptions of the places where it takes place. I don't want to know what the street looks like and every tiny detail about it. I just want to know what happens on that street.

There are moments when it seems that the story doesn't progress, and for this reason, I left the book abandoned in March and didn't pick it up again until July.

I don't know if I will continue reading the saga or not. Maybe I will give it another chance, but I'm still a bit hesitant. The excessive descriptions have really affected my reading experience. I hope that in the future installments, the author can focus more on the action and the development of the story rather than getting bogged down in the details of the setting.

On the other hand, I do appreciate the overall concept and the characters that the author has created. They are interesting and have the potential to carry the story forward in an engaging way. So, it's a bit of a dilemma for me at the moment.

I have been an ardent fan of Arturo Perez-Reverte for a considerable time, and there are several reasons for this. However, before I begin to express my admiration, I must note my slight disappointment with him regarding the Captain Alatriste series. I find that writing series, similar to television series, is significantly more challenging to do "correctly." It often leads to a focus on quantity rather than quality, and the adage "less is more" frequently comes to mind. In contrast, short stories or short films, following the analogy, require the art of condensing. Or in Perez-Reverte's forte, the novel, where it feels as if every word is essential, every scene is carefully considered, and every chapter is necessary.

This series, in my opinion, was far too long. I am confident in this assessment as I already feel this way after reading two out of the seven books. I found it validating that the 2006 film, "Alatriste," starring Viggo Mortenson from "The Road," was less than three hours long. This is no "Game of Thrones," where one series season corresponds to one book.

What we have here is a good story with an ebb and flow that is lengthened at unnecessary points, making other details seem rushed and other necessary narrative structure aspects seem disproportionately lengthy. Worst of all, the abrupt ending of "Captain Alatriste" makes it blatantly clear that there will be a sequel. And not because it is a cliff-hanger. "Captain Alatriste" actually ties up some necessary loose ends and could stand alone as a novel. Except for the pacing and the anticlimactic conclusion, which follows a pattern similar to The Hero's Journey [http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero... ordinary world, call to adventure, refusal, (barely any meeting the mentor or crossing the threshold), tests, ordeal (extremely short), the reward, the road back. And then the ending trails off after that. There is no resurrection or return of the elixir, the necessary stages eleven and twelve.

"Purity of Blood" is significantly better in terms of pacing, with the illustration of most of the stages. However, it still leaves the story open-ended for the continuation of the series.

In conclusion, I would have had far more respect for these novels if they had not been forced into a series. But, they were, and I rated them accordingly. Luckily for readers, Perez-Reverte is a talented enough author that his storytelling proficiency and handling of language make up for most of these shortcomings.

Prince Alatriste is a character that I greatly admire. He is well-written and, importantly, consistent.

The facts are as follows: Captain Diego Alatriste y Tenorio (1582–1643) was a Leonese soldier who became one at the age of 13. He was never an official captain but earned the nickname when he had to briefly take command of his unit after their real captain was killed. He survives in peacetime as a sword for hire in Madrid.

The more important facts can be best described by a sonnet written by his friend, the poet Don Francisco de Quevedo:

"You, Diego, whose sword so nobly defends
The name and honor of your family,
As long as you are blessed with life to live,
You will battle every enemy.

You wear the tunic of an old brigade,
And with God's help, you wear it without stain.
Your scruples are so uncompromising
That you will never let it be profaned.

Courageous on the bloody battlefield,
In days of peace, still more honor you acquire.
And in your heart and mind there breathes such fire
That to empty boasting you will never yield."

No words from me are needed to add to this beautiful description.

Speaking of the poems, they were a pleasure to read. Although I am not a regular reader of poetry, I had a hard time understanding several of them. However, there were many others, scattered throughout the text and then at the end of the story, that described characters, mocked situations, described the culture, emphasized pride for Spain, and even participated in a "poet-off," responding to another poet's less than flattering poetry.

Next on the list of things I loved in the first two books is Perez's already established impressive expertise on the fascinating history of fencing. It should be noted that this is the real study of ancient fencing, not today's changed "sport" with all its safety precautions. In Captain Alatriste's universe, fencing was not a "sport." It was a necessary way of life, a matter of survival. One misstep could mean a bloody death. I actually liked the author's "The Fencing Master" where he delves into far greater detail about this art. But you will have to read my review for that one to learn more!

The settings of his stories are always intriguing. His descriptions make them even more magnificent, thrilling, unbelievable, and fascinating. Even better, it turns out that these are real places in history. The Captain Alatriste series takes place in the 1620s, specifically from 1623 to 1626 so far. It is a time of balls and courtesans, kings and queens, gold and silver, and of course, swordsmanship.

As of 2011, there are seven novels written in the series, with two more in the works.

The series is narrated by Íñigo Balboa y Aguirre, the young Basque squire of Alatriste. He is the son of Lope Balboa, who was an old friend and comrade of Alatriste. Alatriste's pledge to the dying Lope is to take care of his son. Young Iñigo follows Alatriste like a shadow, idolizing him, although he rarely expresses any love, affection, or even vocal appreciation when Iñigo saves his life. Alatriste tries to steer him away from his dangerous lifestyle, but Iñigo's tenacity eventually wins. Once this is understood, Alatriste shows him a thing or two.

Alongside all this, historic Spanish events are mentioned, and cultural information is given. It is like a short guide to ancient Spain. As far as I can tell, Perez-Reverte includes these details with accuracy. As illustrated by his previous novel "The Dumas Club," Perez-Reverte has a great appreciation for Spanish literature. References to Cervantes are also frequent, which I fully admired.

In the first novel, set in 1623, Diego Alatriste and the Italian sword-for-hire Gualterio Malatesta are paid by two mysterious masked characters to kill a pair of unknown English visitors in Madrid. They are hired by cloaked characters who are as mysterious as they are dangerous. To be exact, after they are given their directions to merely rob the travelers with "no blood" by a man who leaves the room, a hidden character reveals himself from behind a wall. This man offers more than double for them to kill the travelers. Alatriste and Malatesta accept. It is quickly discovered that the motivation behind this is religious.

In "Purity of Blood," also set in 1623 in Madrid, the author focuses even more on religious aspects. The title refers to the belief that Portuguese and Jewish blood is impure, which is grounds for immediate death by most, including the Royal Court. The novel opens with the murder of a woman, left in front of the church. Quevedo seeks help from Alatriste to rescue a girl forced to enter a convent. Meanwhile, Alatriste's young squire Íñigo Balboa deepens his infatuation with the adolescent maidservant of the Queen, Angélica de Alquézar. The Italian Malatesta returns, continuing the rivalry.

**** Spoilers ***

Captain Alatriste:

On the night of their deed, the Italian (who is recognizable by his "ti-ri-tu, ta-ta" incantation - something that gives him away in future duels) and Alatriste are about to finish off the men when Alatriste has a change of heart and spares them, forcing Malatesta to do the same. (This is despite the Italian's dishonorable and vindictively cunning tricks, such as miming a surrender.) Malatesta leaves the scene with the promise of revenge.

Alas, the intended victims turn out to be the Duke of Buckingham and the Prince of Wales, on a mission to seduce the Infanta. This is a high-profile, high-danger, high-complexity assignment, everything that Alatriste tries hard to avoid. Unfortunately, having been deceived, Alatriste now has little choice in the matter. The Prince, for his part, is most grateful and swears to be in Alatriste's debt.

The second villain here turns out to be the hidden man in that room long ago. He is a Dominican friar named Bocanegra, an official of the Inquisition. Cloaked by his followers in the church as well as lies, bureaucracy, politics, and red tape, he is almost untouchable. His known but unseen presence seems to evoke a feeling of doom throughout.

"Purity of Blood":

During their rescue of the girl, young Iñigo is captured by the Inquisition. It is discovered by Alatriste and Quevedo that they were set up by the rival from Book One, Malatesta.

Iñigo is tortured, but no matter how intolerable it becomes, he refuses to mention any names.

Calling on favors from those who are indebted to him (unsurprisingly, there are many), Captain Alatriste achieves the impossible. He finds information that prevents Iñigo's death by gauntlet, a public spectacle. The information? That the King's favorite, with the power to grant clemency and pardon, is also of "impure" blood.

Bueno, el Arturito es de esos escritores que, como redactan tan bien, te cuesta darte cuenta de las cagadas narrativas.

Osea el libro me ha gustado casi tanto como el primero. Pero colega, es que en verdad el plot no tiene ni medio sentido AJAJAJAJAJAJAJA.

Osea el argumento, así sin spoilers, consiste en que la Inquisición captura al muchacho que va con Alatatriste y hay que rescatarlo. Pero es que no tiene sentido ni el por qué le capturan ni el plan que montan.

Y lo de los flashbacks es que cruza líneas. Osea son larguísimos (y oye, están bien), pero es que cuando vuelves al plot principal parece que te has levantado de una siesta de tres horas y estás ahí como que "dónde estoy, qué está pasando".

Arturo Pérez-Reverte's writing is so good that it's hard to notice the narrative flaws at first. The book was almost as enjoyable as the first one, but the plot really makes no sense at all. The story involves the Inquisition capturing a boy who is with Alatriste and the need to rescue him, but there is no logical explanation for why he was captured or the plan to rescue him. The flashbacks also disrupt the flow of the story. They are very long and while they are interesting, when you return to the main plot, it feels like you've just woken up from a three-hour nap and have no idea where you are or what's going on.