Captain Alatriste

Arturo Perez-Reverte

A fair warning to the impatient among us. A few pages into this swashbuckling tale, I checked the back of the book and found there will be four more books released in this series – one book each from 2006 to 2009. How I do this to myself I'll never know.

Captain Alatriste was never truly a Captain in the Spanish Army, but a Sergeant in the ranks, sometimes moving up, sometimes down, as he was not one to suffer foolish leaders gladly. The “Captain” was used after he retired, having lived and survived by the sword and the dagger.

Having had only one profession since his youth, like many other former soldiers he becomes a mercenary of sorts, a sword for hire – guns not being common, or very accurate, during the period.

One night, shortly after being bailed out of debtor's prison, he is visited by a messenger saying that for an evening's work he can make a nice sum of money, and no killing need be involved – only putting fear into someone. The messenger is successful in his pitch, and meeting is arranged.

Arriving a few nights later at the meeting, Alatriste finds three well born men who are masked, shadowy figures. They want to hire Alatriste to ambush two “foreign gentlemen”. When two of them leave, he the third man makes it clear that the two men are not to survive the ambush. He also reveals himself to be Fray Emilio Bocanegra, president of the Holy Tribunal of the Inquisition, the most feared man in Spain.

Thus begins a tale that pits the church against two realms, the Spanish and another, swords flashing, court intrigue, plots, counterplots and schemes, coming at you at a brisk, almost breathless, pace. Which other realm, you might ask. Ah, but you must go there yourself. 4