''The Labyrinth of the Spirits'' (original title: ''El laberinto de los espíritus'') is a fiction novel by Spanish author

Carlos Ruiz Zafón Carlos Ruiz Zafón (; 25 September 1964 – 19 June 2020) was a Spanish novelist known for his 2001 novel ''La sombra del viento'' ('' The Shadow of the Wind''). Biography Ruiz Zafón was born in Barcelona. His grandparents had worked in a fa ...

. This is the fourth and final book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. The novel was initially released on 17 November 2016 in Spain and Latin America by

Planeta Group Planeta Corporación, S.R.L., doing business as Grupo Planeta (), is a Spanish mass media conglomerate operating in Spain, Portugal, France and Latin America. It is the world's leading Spanish-language book publisher. Editorial Planeta, founded in ...

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...

published the English translation by

Lucia Graves Lucia Graves (born 21 July 1943) is a writer and translator. Born in Devon, England, she is the daughter of writer Robert Graves, and his second wife, Beryl Pritchard (1915–2003). Biography Lucia is a translator working in English and Spanish/ ...

on September 18, 2018. The book was translated into more than 36 languages.

Plot

Daniel Sempere and Fermín Romero de Torres again appear in the novel set in the Barcelona of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Daniel, overwhelmed by rage and need to avenge the death of his mother, Isabella, will discover a network of crimes and violations of

Francoist Spain Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spai ...

, and a new protagonist, Alicia Gris, will help him solve the mysteries. The main plot centers on the mysterious disappearance of the minister of culture, Mauricio Valls (introduced in the previous novel, The Prisoner of Heaven), in November 1959. Alicia, a detective for the Spanish secret police, investigates this case together with her partner Juan Manuel Vargas. Their detective work leads them from Madrid to Barcelona, where they discover long-forgotten secrets with the help of the Semperes and Fermin. The novel is arranged into alternate chronologies labeled after liturgical prayers and the Catholic requiem mass: Dies Irae, Kyrie, Agnus Dei, Libera Me, and In Paradisum.

Reception

The novel received positive reviews from critics, with many calling it a satisfying conclusion to the Cemetery of Forgotten books series.

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

's reviewer wrote that "the final part of Zafón’s historical Spanish quartet The Cemetery of Forgotten Books is a giant, genre-crossing delight."

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

called it a" gripping and moving thriller," adding that "fans of complex and literate mysteries featuring detectives with integrity working under oppressive and corrupt regimes will be well satisfied."

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

opined that "this is a novel to lose oneself in, and it promotes the sort of reading experience we remember from childhood – of complete absorption into a fantasy world – but rarely attain in later life."

References

2016 novels 21st-century Spanish novels Spanish-language novels Novels by Carlos Ruiz Zafón Novels set in Barcelona Fiction set in the 1920s Fiction set in the 1930s Planeta books {{2010s-specf-novel-stub