The Club Dumas

Entertaining book upon which the movie the Ninth Gate is based. It's a different perspective from the movie and won't spoil it here. Worth reading, especially if you enjoyed the movie the 1999 Ninth Gate.

A few years ago, Roman Polanski made a film with Johnny Depp called "The Ninth Gate." It was stylish, intriguing, set in the unusual world of antique book collecting, with the same engaging elements of mystery that made "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" into bestsellers. But the ending was absolutely unintelligible.I was frustrated by the movie's end, and decided I'd read the novel from which the movie was made, with the goal of stitching the "real" ending to my memory of the movie. The Club Dumas is that novel, and it turns out the movie was quite faithful to the main story, while leaving out a subplot that makes The Club Dumas successful as a novel. Perez-Reverte's (translated) language is elegant, the "world" of the antique book brokers is fascinating, and the mysteries unfold in a page turning fashion, complete with glyphs and ancient wood carvings in which are buried nine secrets. There are wonderful, dark, dusty libraries interlaced with threads of threat, a thrum of sub-rosa but palpable sexuality (overt in places), and the promise of things supernatural. Many of the characters made me smile, as they were textured in the duality style (part sinner, part saint) reminiscent of the great characters from "Casablanca." While the characters aren't quite 3 dimensional, they are close...let's say they are 2.75 dimensional (perhaps Stephen Hawking can explain that.) The twists are, for the most part, exciting and surprising, although I suspect true mystery addicts will spot the big twist at the end when our hero...(no. I'm not going to spoil it.)And speaking of the end, it is important to note that the end of this novel is where it parts from the manner (and success) of The Da Vinci Code. The latter fed the standard American need for an END (all capitals) that is unequivocal (and generally upbeat). I confess I mostly like an exciting story with twists and turns to actually end with an END.The Club Dumas doesn't END, it just ends. I wasn't disappointed, exactly, but be advised the ending is on the soft side, perhaps reflecting a European sensibility. It was not a bad ending by any means. But, as a typical American, I would have slightly preferred an END.In sum: A stylish, intelligent mystery with supernatural elements, a look into a rarely seen, subterranean profession, tasty characters, mature writing, intertwined sub-plots, with a mostly satisfying end. Recommended.

Wonderful story with breadcrumbs to the resolution along the way. Characters and settings were all fantastic. A dark thriller for any mystery and occult fan.

Part of the reason that I am so ambivalent about this novel is that I can't decide whether its pros outwiegh its cons.On one hand, it has the makings of an intriguing mystery that appeals to avid readers. Its miles and miles of allusions to literary excellence across the centuries is certainly something that one can find appealing. It may be a bit overtaxing to thos who have never heard of the allusions mentioned, but even if one has not read all the works that are alluded to in Perez-Reverte's novel (as I, admittedly, have not), as long as one has some background knowledge about them, he or she can keep up and find it relatively engaging. The mystery of following Dumas' works and wondering whether Torchia's books are actually a map to the devil drives the plot forward, even past the rather lengthy sections of dialogue.On the other hand, all of the postive feedback I have about the book could also be negative. For instance, the allusions can become tiresome and the real mystery is not Dumas' involvement with the occult but what the Club Dumas has anything to do with Torchia's book. Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is how to extricate these two disparate threads of plot. I found it confusing at times, especially in the final chapter. Instead of following the mystery genre (which one could reasonably expect considering all of the metaliterary references by the narrator) and bringing clarity to the reader in the end, Perez-Reverte brings confusion.The reader follows Lucas Corso down the serpentine labyrinth of tracking down the three copies of Torchia's book, but the labyrinth is never-ending and the Minotaur is nowhere to be found. I'd be okay with an interminable labyrinth considering one of Torchia's engravings is a maze with no exit, but at least the Minotaur should make an appearance, whether it be in the form of Lucifer's return, the police arresting Corso, or some other beast. As a result, the novel felt rather anticlimactic and left the reader befuddled at what he just spent the last several hours reading. Enjoy the journey, as there seems to be no final destination.

The movie is the 9th gate. Good movie. Johnny Depp.The book is very well written and more in depth than the movie. I enjoyed it tremendously. Read first, movie after!

Ça fait plusieurs fois que je me procure une édition France Loisir d'un livre que j'aime bien. Notamment le Seigneur des anneaux que j'avais réussi à dénicher avec des illustrations d'Alan Lee (en plus en occasion donc pas très cher). Donc pour le club Dumas, pareil je voulais une édition pas mal avec couverture cartonnée. Et comme en plus il y a les planches dont le livre parle, c'est parfait.Sinon pour une critique globale, voir par ailleurs les autres commentaires ;).

Un giallo ironico e divertente che si legge tutto d'un fiato.

This was one of the best books I have read in a long time. Although I know and love the movie - the ninth gates, which is based on this book - I kept turning the pages hunger for more. The plot was complex, with a lot of threads, like a spider web, each going its own separate way just to join in together at the very middle into something unexpected.This book is a wonderful tribute to the books, to their writers, to history of books - they are our treasures.I have finished this book with a big reading list and not only by the same author. Some of the titles I read when I was still in school, some of the titles are new to me, and having read this story, I cannot wait to get my hands on them. Would highly recommend!

Leitura rápida e envolvente, é entretenimento garantido, banhado em erudição.O único senão é o comparativo com o filme, Ninth Gate. O filme de Polanski é superior pelo conjunto mais harmonioso (é difícil dar mais detalhes sem revelar o conteúdo do livro).De qualquer forma, a obra funciona por si só e vale a leitura.