The Labyrinth of the Spirits (Cemetery of Forgotten Books 4)

The Labyrinth of the Spirits is the conclusion to the four-volume cycle entitled The Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Each of the four novels serves as both an independent narrative and a point of entry into the lives of a gallery of characters, chief among them the Sempere family, booksellers eking out a living in the ravaged, war-torn city of Barcelona. Taken together, these four volumes form a secret history of Barcelona, one dominated and symbolized by the eponymous Cemetery. That history is set against the larger history of a city—and country—torn by civil war and the regime of Francisco Franco. The Labyrinth of the Spirits generates its own central narrative while echoing and amplifying themes and storylines from the earlier books. The narrative begins with a single event: the disappearance of Minister of Culture Mauricio Valls. When Alicia Gris begins to investigate, she uncovers a series of plots involving retribution, mass murder, and the serial kidnapping of newly orphaned children. On another level, these four books offer a defense of the power of the imagination. Horrors abound in this fictional universe, but so do their counterparts: love, friendship, family, ideas and, most centrally, stories. The Labyrinth of the Spirits is the culmination of a celebration of books, writers, and the life of the mind.

Dust jacket and interior illustrations by Vincent Chong. About the Book: In 2001, Carlo Ruiz Zafon published The Shadow of the Wind, the opening movement in a four-volume cycle collectively entitledThe Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Now, Zafon brings that cycle to a resonant, deeply satisfying conclusion with The Labyrinth of the Spirits, his largest, richest, most absorbing accomplishment to date. Each of the four novels serves as both as both an independent narrative and a point of entry into the lives of a gallery of unforgettable characters, chief among them the Sempere family, booksellers eking out a living in the ravaged, war-torn city of Barcelona. Taken together, these four volumes form a kind of secret history of Barcelona, one dominated and symbolized by the eponymous Cemetery. Zafon then sets that imaginary history against the larger history of a city—and country—torn by civil war and forced to endure nearly forty years of state sponsored terror under the Fascist regime of Francisco Franco. The resulting fusion of literature and politics, history and art, is one of the significant accomplishments of modern popular fiction. Like its predecessors, The Labyrinth of the Spirits generates its own central narrative while echoing and amplifying themes and storylines from the earlier books. The vast, complex narrative begins with a single event: the disappearance of Minister of Culture Mauricio Valls. When Alicia Gris, Zafon’s heroine and a magnificent fictional creation, begins to investigate, she uncovers a series of sordid plots involving retribution, mass murder, and the serial kidnapping of newly orphaned children. It is a grim, often harrowing story, and Zafon brings it to life in riveting, unflinching fashion. On another, more personal level, these four books offer a profound and moving defense of the power of the imagination. Horrors abound in Zafon’s fictional universe, but so do their benign counterparts: love, friendship, family, ideas and, most centrally, stories. The Labyrinth of the Spirits is, among other things, the culmination of a massive celebration of books, writers, and the life of the mind. It is also an indisputable masterpiece that is likely to endure—and speak to readers—for a very long time to come. The Labyrinth of the Sprits, like The Prisoner of Heaven, The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel’s Game before it, has become an international phenomenon, a best-seller in dozens of countries. Subterranean Press is proud to announce this deluxe limited edition, which will feature a fine paper (80# Finch), deluxe cloth, a sewn binding, and be printed in two colors throughout. Limited: 500 numbered copies, bound in premium cloth, printed in two colors throughout, with both two-color and full-color illustrations, signed by the author Lettered: 26 copies, handbound in the finest material, signed by the author, housed in a custom traycase From Publishers Weekly (Starred Review): "Zafón follows 2012's The Prisoner of Heaven with the conclusion to his Cemetery of Forgotten Books quartet, a gripping and moving thriller set in Franco's Spain that's fully accessible to newcomers. In 1959, 29-year-old Alicia Gris, a capable, insightful operative working for the Spanish secret police in Madrid who will remind readers of Lisbeth Salander, is tapped by her superior, Leandro Montalvo, for a sensitive inquiry... Fans of complex and literate mysteries featuring detectives with integrity working under oppressive and corrupt regimes will be well satisfied. " From Kirkus (Starred Review): "Zafón brings his sprawling Cemetery of Forgotten Books tetralogy to a close... A satisfying conclusion to a grand epic that, of course, will only leave its fans wanting more. "

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 Fermn 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 Zafn 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.