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The Labyrinth of the Spirits

From the bestselling author of The Shadow of the Wind

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About this listen

 As a child, Daniel Sempere discovered among the passageways of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books an extraordinary novel that would change the course of his life. Now a young man in the Barcelona of the late 1950s, Daniel runs the Sempere & Sons bookshop and enjoys a seemingly fulfilling life with his loving wife and son. Yet the mystery surrounding the death of his mother continues to plague his soul despite the moving efforts of his wife Bea and his faithful friend Fermín to save him.
Just when Daniel believes he is close to solving this enigma, a conspiracy more sinister than he could have imagined spreads its tentacles from the hellish regime. That is when Alicia Gris appears, a soul born out of the nightmare of the war. She is the one who will lead Daniel to the edge of the abyss and reveal the secret history of his family, although at a terrifying price.
The Labyrinth of the Spirits is an electrifying tale of passion, intrigue and adventure. Within its haunting pages Carlos Ruiz Zafón masterfully weaves together plots and subplots in an intricate and intensely imagined homage to books, the art of storytelling and that magical bridge between literature and our lives.
Read by Daniel Weyman
(p) Orion Publishing Group 2018©2018 Carlos Ruiz Zafon Action & Adventure Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction World Literature Heartfelt

Critic reviews

Moving and engaging. 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
Zafón is a master storyteller, combining the postmodern and the traditional in an enchanting hymn to literature... Magnificent: a dizzying tale of drama, intrigue and passion
A colossal, genre-crossing achievement
Rich, ambitious storytelling
Sprawling, seductive and hugely atmospheric
Neither too geeky nor too highbrow, Zafon's genre-mashing novels provide a high-definition, alternative account of Spain's turbulent 20th-century history, with added Hollywood blockbuster thrills. I was hooked
This is a suspenseful story of loss, betrayal and redemption
By the author of the brilliant Shadow of the Wind, this is a good long read to relish on chilly winter evenings.
All stars
Most relevant
Like many others, I enjoyed this volume of The Cemetery of Forgotten Books most of all. I was worried, from the synopsis, that it was a repeat of the previous volume but that is in no way the case. Some of what has gone before is repeated but embellished, filling in some of the gaps, in a web of storytelling that is a labyrinth in itself.
I loved this book and all the characters; the language (why doesn't the poor translator get a mention) and the narration. I thought Dan Stevens was the supreme but Daniel Weyman was wonderful too and at least a match for Dan. I am so sad that it's all over and wish that there was more.
And so, so sad, that such a brilliant, talented writer who writes so magnificently, conjures vivid pictures with his words, creates tremendous memorable characters and injects humour in the telling, will write no more. RIP Carlos Ruiz Zafon and "thank you".

Masterful!

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What an emotional, enthralling series. The books need to be read in order to follow the various characters. Their stories are pulled together in the last book. May Carlos Ruiz Zafron, RIP June 2020. Adiós

Fantastic last book of the series

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Another fine book in the series. Beautifully drawn and absolutely engrossing. The whole series has drawn me into another world.

Wonderful

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I loved this book so much. I was expecting something different after reading the online adverts prior to release. It took me a while to accept the direction it takes but it is SO WORTH THE WAIT.
Beautifully written and left me in tears of joy and sadness!
A fitting farewell to what feels like old friends.

Utterly beautiful and a little bit life changing

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I love this series. Shadow of the Wind was captivating; I lost my way a bit with Angels, but was back intrigued by Prisoner.

Labyrinth doesn’t disappoint as a series end. It takes forward several plot lines from previous books, adds more for good measure, including the complex Alicia Gris - a welcome female lead in the series - and ties together loose ends in a largely satisfying conclusion.

There are a few things I remain confused about, and I had to take notes and reread the previous books to remember who everyone was and what had happened, but it’s such a clever, engrossing world.

The narration was decent, but I found there wasn’t enough variation in the voices. Many sounded alike. Having said that, nothing jarred and the tone was good.

I can’t imagine reading this book before the others. Maybe it would work as a stand-alone, but half of the joy is the recognition of the characters and places from previous plot lines. Even the buildings have characters!

I shall definitely reread.

Gripping - a great finale

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