Carlos Ruiz Zafón

El prisionero del cielo

THE PRISONER OF HEAVEN returns to the world of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and the Sempere & Sons bookshop. It begins just before Christmas in Barcelona in 1957, one year after Daniel and Bea from THE SHADOW OF THE WIND have married. They now have a son, Julian, and are living with Daniel's father at Sempere & Sons. Fermin still works with them and is busy preparing for his wedding to Bernarda in the New Year. However something appears to be bothering him. Daniel is alone in the shop one morning when a mysterious figure with a pronounced limp enters. He spots one of their most precious volumes that is kept locked in a glass cabinet, a beautiful and unique illustrated edition of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. Despite the fact that the stranger seems to care little for books, he wants to buy this expensive edition. Then, to Daniel's surprise, the man inscribes the book with the words 'To Fermin Romero de Torres, who came back from the dead and who holds the key to the future'. This visit leads back to a story of imprisonment, betrayal and the return of a deadly rival ...

The Cemetery of Forgotten Books 3

The Prisoner of Heaven

The third book from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books collection. Story is beautiful and exciting  and mystery, but I still think that the first book, Shadow of the Wind, is unique and unforgettable. The mysterious and gothic style of these  books is my favorite style.

Shidehdeishidi

Mary Garza

Necesito procesar tantas cosas pero ha sido increíble volver a leer a Daniel y Fermín.

Nimish

I'll reiterate. 

The Shadow of the Wind (TSOTW) is the best book I've read this year. And is definitely one of the best books I've read in decades. 

I finished The Angel's Game (TAG), the second book in the series, couple of months ago and found it quite stimulating as well. Though not in the same league as TSOTW, for the simple reason that it was in its own league.

Both these books took quite a while to read. And I'm not complaining as I was savouring every page at a slow pace. Zafon's 'book within a book' element in the first two installments made things a bit complicated. The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, I thought was a trilogy. So I was under the assumption that The Prisoner of Heaven (TPOH) was the last book in the series. But it's small size, at around 286 pages (TAG and TSOTW are both over 500 pages each) was a bit confusing. Shouldn't finales be in epic page length proportions? 

The Plot
TPOH starts off a year after the TSOTW. We are reacquainted with Senòr Sempere, Daniel Sempere, Beatriz and of course, the crowd favourite - Don Fermin Romero de Torres. Fermin is on the verge of getting married to his beloved Bernarda, but has been affected deeply by something. 

The whole story revolves around digging into Fermin's past, after an unknown customer at the bookstore leaves a cryptic message for Fermin. Who the prisoner of heaven is, becomes obvious quite soon. To give a hint: it's a character from the second book. That's all I'll say. I could tell the name, as that's not really a big reveal, but I won't.

Fermin's past takes us back to the dark days of the Spanish Civil war and the dungeons the prisoners were put in. Fumero, that slimy sellout of a cop, makes a passing appearance as well. The past also reveals a lot more about Isabella, Daniel's mother. 

Takeaways
This is not another TSOTW or TAG. But is more of a backstory of Fermin Romero de Torres. Unlike the previous two books, there is no 'book within a book' element at play here. No lingering stories of intriguing characters. No multiple subplots so to speak. And sadly, not much highlight-worthy prose which will stay on with you long after you've finished the book. Even the descriptions of Barcelona (as a character) are kept to the bare minimum 

It is a straight forward story with a climax that feels rushed. Yes, Fermin's one-liners are on point. But, the things that made you fall in love with the first two books are definitely missing here. But I wouldn't go so far as to say that this is a bad story. Far from it. The history of Fermin isn't random, but neatly threads the first two books. In fact TAG seemed like a standalone book and more like a prequel. But as you are reading TPOH, you realise why it is the third in the series, rather than being second - considering it starts off where TSOTW left off.

Unlike the previous two books, this one is a quick read thanks to the short chapters. The book is also divided into five parts, which seemed odd for a book of 286 pages. Zafon keeps you engaged and the mystery element, although subdued, is still there. As I was approaching the end, I knew that there was definitely more to the story. The epilogue though, was lovely and has definitely opened the door to a follow up book. 

Surprised, since I thought this was the last book, I hit up Google. And sure enough, the last book in the series - The Labyrinth of Spirits - has just released. Three days ago. 

I know I'll be scanning Amazon regularly till the Lucia Graves' English translation hits the shelves. Take a bow again, Ms Graves.

Barcelona, 1957. It is Christmas, and Daniel Sempere and his wife Bea have much to celebrate. They have a beautiful new baby son named Julian, and their close friend Fermín Romero de Torres is about to be wed. But their joy is eclipsed when a mysterious stranger visits the Sempere bookshop and threatens to divulge a terrible secret that has been buried for two decades in the city's dark past. His appearance plunges Fermín and Daniel into a dangerous adventure that will take them back to the 1940's and the dark early days of Franco's dictatorship. The terrifying events of that time launch them on a journey fraught with jealousy, suspicion, vengeance, and lies, a search for the truth that will put into peril everything they love and ultimately transform their lives.

Full of intrigue and emotion, The Prisoner of Heaven is a majestic novel in which the threads of The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game converge under the spell of literature and bring us toward the enigma of the mystery hidden at the heart of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a collection of lost treasures known only to its few initiates and the very core of Carlos Ruiz Zafón's enchanting fictional world.
(front flap)

Danny Engström

Celeste Richardson

I loved getting getting some answers regarding the first two books in this series. While it’s been said that these novels can be read out of order, you’d be doing yourself and the story being told an incredible disservice by choosing to go that route. Please read these in order. 

I loved getting more of Fermín’s story, as well. He’s a delightful character, and learning more about his background was very enlightening. I thought the pacing in this book was great, and it made me incredibly excited to finish out the series. Zafón was truly a magnificent author, and I’m looking forward to reading every (translated) word he penned over the course of his too-short life.

Natalia Hernandez

4.5 sólo porque me dejó con gusto a poco!! Voy por el cuarto libro hoy mismo.

Barcelona, 1957. Daniel Sempere y su amigo Fermín, los héroes de La Sombra del Viento, regresan de nuevo a la aventura para afrontar el mayor desafío de sus vidas. Justo cuando todo empezaba a sonreírles, un inquietante personaje visita la librería de Sempere y amenaza con desvelar un terrible secreto que lleva enterrado dos décadas en la oscura memoria de la ciudad. Al conocer la verdad, Daniel comprenderá que su destino le arrastra inexorablemente a enfrentarse con la mayor de las sombras: la que está creciendo en su interior. Rebosante de intriga y emoción, El Prisionero del Cielo es una novela magistral donde los hilos de La Sombra del Viento y El Juego del Ángel convergen a través del embrujo de la literatura y nos conduce hacia el enigma que se oculta en el corazón del Cementerio de los Libros Olvidados.

El Prisionero del Cielo

Omar Fernandez

The series has been good so far, but this particular book feels incomplete. It is still intriguing and beautifully written, but I'll need to read the fourth book and hope that it concludes the story in a way that makes up for this one. 

Update: after reading the fourth and last book in the installment, it more than made up for the shortcomings on this one. I'd say just treat this book as an appetizer and transition story before reading the last one, "The Labyrinth of Spirits". The fourth book completes the story and makes it all worth it. As a standalone book this, to me, remains as a 2.5 stars read, but just read it and move on to the ~900 pages of goodness in the fourth installment.

Barcelona, 1957. It is Christmas, and Daniel Sempere and his wife, Bea, have much to celebrate. They have a beautiful new baby son named Julián, and their close friend Fermín Romero de Torres is about to be wed. But their joy is eclipsed when a mysterious stranger visits the Sempere bookshop and threatens to divulge a terrible secret that has been buried for two decades in the city’s dark past.

His appearance plunges Fermín and Daniel into a dangerous adventure that will take them back to the 1940s and the early days of Franco’s dictatorship. The terrifying events of that time launch them on a search for the truth that will put into peril everything they love, and will ultimately transform their lives.
--back cover

Zoë Schaefer

Not entirely necessary to the series, though there are some interesting moments that would be worth the read if one is a fan of the lovely Fermin.

Barcelona, 1957. Daniel Sempere y su amigo Fermín, los héroes de La Sombra del Viento, regresan de nuevo a la aventura para afrontar el mayor desafío de sus vidas. Justo cuando todo empezaba a sonreírles, un inquietante personaje visita la librería de Sempere y amenaza con desvelar un terrible secreto que lleva enterrado más de dos décadas en la oscura memoria de la ciudad. Al conocer la verdad, Daniel comprenderá que su destino le arrastra irremediablemente a enfrentarse con la mayor de las sombras: la que crece en su interior. Rebosante de intriga y emoción, El Prisionero del Cielo es una novela magistral donde los hilos de La Sombra del Viento y El Juego del ángel convergen a través del embrujo de la literatura y el enigma que se oculta en el corazón del Cementerio de los Libros Olvidados.
--back cover

Maribel González

Cuatro días me ha durado. Me ha encantado leerlo. Aunque me ha sabido a poco, entiendo este libro como un apartado necesario para el capítulo final. Ahora sí, relecturas acabadas y a por El laberinto de los espíritus.

Mariana Malvaiz

Laura

I think this was my favorite book of the series. Its legnth was great, I was clamoring for more rather then feeling stuck with so much legnth. This tied up a lot of loose ends of the other books and I started to understand who everyone was. I felt like with this book a puzzle was put together. Brilliant and engaging like the rest of the series

Nel dicembre del 1957 un lungo inverno di cenere e ombra avvolge Barcellona e i suoi vicoli oscuri. La città sta ancora cercando di uscire dalla miseria del dopoguerra, e solo per i bambini, e per coloro che hanno imparato a dimenticare, il Natale conserva intatta la sua atmosfera magica, carica di speranza. Daniel Sempere - il memorabile protagonista di "L'ombra del vento" è ormai un uomo sposato e dirige la libreria di famiglia assieme al padre e al fedele Fermín con cui ha stretto una solida amicizia. Una mattina, entra in libreria uno sconosciuto, un uomo torvo, zoppo e privo di una mano, che compra un'edizione di pregio di "Il conte di Montecristo" pagandola il triplo del suo valore, ma restituendola immediatamente a Daniel perché la consegni, con una dedica inquietante, a Fermín. Si aprono così le porte del passato e antichi fantasmi tornano a sconvolgere il presente attraverso i ricordi di Fermín. Per conoscere una dolorosa verità che finora gli è stata tenuta nascosta, Daniel deve addentrarsi in un'epoca maledetta, nelle viscere delle prigioni del Montjuic, e scoprire quale patto subdolo legava David Martín - il narratore di "Il gioco dell'angelo" - al suo carceriere, Mauricio Valls, un uomo infido che incarna il peggio del regime franchista...

Il prigioniero del cielo

Giada Arenare 

Alyssia

Pretty good, beautiful writing and interesting plot, but I wasn't blown away or anything.

Sonia Flores

Me gustó mucho la historia. Todo el pasado de Fermín fue fascinante y un tanto perturbador pero con la dosis justa de intriga y con la finalidad de atar algunos (solo algunos) cabos. Sin embargo, el autor divagó demasiado en todo el libro y no parecía tener un rumbo fijo, solo soltaba datos que al final no terminé de comprender si se miraban como un todo. No pude amarrarlos, y quedaron muchísimas incógnitas que debieron haberse resuelto.
A pesar de que parece un libro puente hacia el final de esta tetralogía, lo disfruté un montón y me mantuvo sumergida todo el tiempo. No obstante el carácter de relleno que se le ha conferido, no se puede negar que el misterio no menguó en esta entrega, y estoy deseando leer el siguiente. Hay aquí revelaciones impactantes sobre los personajes y sus pasados, y eso le dio el toque de suspenso que me encanta.

Claire 

Mai Sami

Des secrets de sinistre mémoire viennent hanter Daniel Sempere et son ami Fermín, les héros de L'Ombre du vent.

Barcelone, Noël 1957. À la librairie Sempere, un inquiétant personnage achète un exemplaire du Comte de Monte Cristo. Puis il l'offre à Fermín, accompagné d'une menaçante dédicace. La vie de Fermín vole alors en éclats. Qui est cet inconnu ? De quels abîmes du passé surgit-il ? Interrogé par Daniel, Fermín révèle ce qu'il a toujours caché.
La terrible prison de Montjuïc en 1939. Une poignée d'hommes condamnés à mourir lentement dans cette antichambre de l'enfer. Parmi eux Fermín et David Martín, l'auteur de La Ville des maudits. Une évasion prodigieuse et un objet volé...
Dix-huit ans plus tard, quelqu'un crie vengeance. Des mensonges enfouis refont surface, des ombres oubliées se mettent en mouvement, la peur et la haine rôdent.

Foisonnant de suspense et d'émotion, Le Prisonnier du ciel nous rapproche pas à pas de l'énigme cachée au cœur du Cimetière des Livres oubliés.
--back cover

El prisionero del cielo

Reviews