Synopses & Reviews
Everyone in Madrid in the torrid fall of 1868 is discussing political plots and revolution except for Don Jaime. He is a fencing master and a man of honor, an anachronism. For years he has been working on a Treatise on the Art of Fencing, the heart of which is his perfection of the unstoppable thrust. He is approached one day by a beautiful and mysterious woman with a scar at the corner of her mouth that hints at dark violence. She asks the maestro to teach her the unstoppable thrust. Even though Do-a Adela de Otero's weapons of charm and elegance are formidable, Don Jaime declines. But he is entirely unprepared for the unhurried, sure, and inexplicable movements that follow. Soon he finds himself involved in a plot that includes seduction, politics, secret documents, and murder. Rich with the historical detail of a decaying world that agonizes-as does the art of fencing-over ideals of honor and chivalry, The Fencing Master is superb literature and an honest-to-goodness page-turner.
Review
"The master of the intellectual thriller is not an American or British writer, but Spaniard Arturo Perez-Reverte, one of the most creative and devilishly complex authors of the '90s."—San Francisco Examiner
Review
PRAISE FORTHE FENCING MASTER
“A taut, elegant mystery . . . Pérez-Reverte keeps us enthralled with his
duel through the very last move.”—ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Review
"Instead of the clever puzzle that lies at the heart of many a lesser crime novel, he substitutes a subtle meditation on the deeper mysteries of fate and choice. Yet Pérez-Reverte is also a writer who knows how to keep the pages turning....A splendid performance."—The New York Times Book Review
"A richly woven tale of intrigue...The reader will parry and lunge along with Don Jaime, feel a real part of the duel."—San Francisco Chronicle
"A delightful period whodunit."—USA Today
"The Fencing Master is Pérez-Reverte's best book to date....For a smart, literate novel with suspense and a great puzzle, this is hard to beat." —The Toronto Globe & Mail
"Meticulously researched, his works are polished, erudite and cosmopolitan....A triumph."—The Dallas Morning News
Synopsis
The unstoppable thrust is the arcane fencing technique known only by Don Jaime—and the deadly maneuver that a beautiful young woman wants him to teach her.What begins as a rather bold request leads Don Jaime into the shadowy politics and violence of mid-nineteenth-century Madrid.
Synopsis
In Madrid, in 1868, Don Jaime, fencing master and anachronistic man of honor, is working on his Treatise on the Art of Fencing. One day he is approached by a mysterious woman who seeks to learn the secret of "the unstoppable thrust," a supreme moment at the very heart of the art of fencing. All too soon he finds himself in the vortex of a plot that includes seduction, secret political documents, and more than one murder. Rich in historical detail of a decaying world that agonizes-as does fencing itself-over the ideals of honor and chivalry, The Fencing Master is superb literature and a true page-turner.
About the Author
ARTURO PEREZ-REVERTE is the author of many critically acclaimed novels, including The Club Dumas, The Flanders Panel, and the Captain Alatriste series. A retired war journalist, he lives in Madrid and is a member of the Royal Spanish Academy.