Tuesday 1 May 2018

Jacob's Ladder - Manuel Alfonseca

Jacob's Ladder
Manuel Alfonseca
ISBN 9781541030411
eISBN 123000026116


I have now read seven books by Manuel Alfonseca in the last year. From the five mysteries in his The Sleuths of the Spanish Transition series to the amazing classic science fiction tale ‘Beyond the Black Hole’. And now this one. Of all of them this was the hardest to review. I really enjoyed this story but have found it hard to it into words. The English edition of this book is translated by the author. 

This story is part alternative history. And part historical fiction. It has some interesting twists. Wrapped up in a bit of a mystery. There is a lot going on. In some ways it reminded me a lot of Andrew M. Greeley’s ‘God Game’. This is one of those books that as soon as I finished it, I thought about reading it again. But I have held off and will likely reread it again this summer. 

There are so many levels in this novel. And once it clicks you will wonder how you missed it. I have said of other books by Alfonseca that his writing reminds me of Jose Saramago and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but this book has a very different feel than that. In some ways it is reminiscent of early Alfred Bester. It is a book that will make you think. And you will find your mind coming back to the story again and again. This book kept coming to mind for about three weeks after finishing reading it. 

I do not know how to say more about the book without offering spoilers of some kind, so I will just say this was another great read by an excellent author. So weather you read it in the original Spanish or in translation you will be in for a great read.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2018 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books by Manuel Alfonseca in English:
Jacob's Ladder
The Ruby of the Ganges
The Last Dinosaur
Ennia in Faerie
The Heirloom of King Scorpion
Beyond the Black Hole
The Water of Life
Albatros


The Sleuths of the Spanish Transition Series:
Quetzalcoatl's Zahir

The Mystery of the Haunted House
The Mystery of the Sapphire Bracelet
The Mystery of the Honeymoon
The Mystery of the Egyptian Vulture Country House
...

Chronicles of the Magic Jigsaw Puzzle Series:
The Journey of Tivo the Dauntless
The Mystery of the Black Lake
The Silver Swan
The Secret of the Ice Field
The Lost Continent

The Chronicles of the Aeolian Family Series:

Non-Fiction:
Human Cultures & Evolution
World Population: Past, Present, & Future
The Fifth Level of Evolution
...






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