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El Castillo De Las Estrellas (2007)

by Enrique Joven(Favorite Author)

3.08 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Roca

review 1: "Anything that can be explored should certainly be interpreted." This quote from Max Planck, the German physicist certainly encapsulates the theme of this novel. After this epigraph, we're introduced to the protagonist, a young Spanish Jesuit, Father Hector. He teaches math and physics in a Spanish high school. He also has a deep interest in astronomy. He and other of his colleagues [on the outside, as he puts it] are attempting to decipher a mysterious manuscript from the late Renaissance, the so-called Voynich manuscript. It has copious illustrations. It is written in an unidentified alphabet and language. It's possibly in code and no one can decipher it. What does it say? Or is it a hoax designed to fool Rudolf II, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor? The ... moremanuscript actually exists and is at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University--MS408. Father Hector and his friends, John and Juana, try to solve this mystery. Their quest leads them to Rome then back to Spain. The novel was a real page-turner; I could not put the book down. There are clues galore, red herrings, some blind alleys and some breakthroughs. Father Hector teaches us along with his class some elementary physics, geometry, astronomy, about the astronomers Tycho Brahe, Johann Kepler and Nikolaus Copernicus, among others, and their importance. When he and his friends visit a Spanish castle, we learn a little Spanish history. It was a little comical to me, as an American, where the author spoke about American popular culture, he had to footnote each reference for his Spanish readers. A bright student of Father Hector's helps him in finding information, and we learn from him, too. Father Hector is a likeable, intelligent person. I thought the choice of title for the U.S. edition was unfortunate. I hope people won't judge the book by the U.S. title or by the cover, which was pretty insipid, and they won't turn away. The Spanish cover showed a hand holding an astrolabe. The Spanish title: "El castillo de las estrellas" [The castle of the stars] conveys much more the atmosphere and theme of the book. The castle could refer to the one Brahe built at his science research center, Uraniborg, on the Isle of Hven. His castle was named Stjerneborg [Castle of stars]. Or it could mean the Spanish castle.This was an intelligent mystery and certainly worth reading. The author stated only Father Hector and his friends were fictitious. I'd add to that his high school class and his community of Jesuits. All else was factual. The ending may not have answered all my questions, but considering the circumstances, I think the author tied up loose ends as well as he could. Highly recommended for those interested in literary puzzles and astronomical mysteries!
review 2: This book was different. Part history, part thiller and written mostly like a textbook. This book was very technical at times-so much so that the fictional story frequently got lost. Overall it is not a bad book but I think it had some writing issues. Also, just a warning -the end of the book is not a resolution to the mystery of the Voynich Manuscript so perhaps the author is leaving it open for another book or again he needs to hone his story-telling skills. less

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