La crítica anglosajona ensalza las aventuras de Alatriste

«Arturo Pérez-Reverte confirma de nuevo su lugar como gran maestro del thriller histórico en esta magistral novela que conjuga secretos sepultados bajos las cenizas de un pasado funesto que no quiere pasar, reflexiones filosóficas y una endiablada intriga. ¡Apasionante!»

La crítica anglosajona ha recibido con numerosos elogios las ediciones en inglés de las tres primeras entregas de la saga de Arturo Pérez-Reverte, El capitán Alatriste, Limpieza de sangre y El sol de Breda. En el siguiente artículo reproducimos fragmentos de las principales críticas aparecidas.

‘Arturo Pérez-Reverte['s] Alatriste books have sold more than five million copies worldwide'. Sunday Telegraph

‘A thinking man's adventure novel, where sword fights and tales of derring-do are interwoven with wonderful passages of poetry and gems of historical and cultural information'. The Times

‘Pérez-Reverte is very good at evoking the atmosphere of a teeming, corrupt and jaded Madrid, unhappily enduring the reign of Philip the Fourth in the last decades of Spain's imperial glory. He is superb at the precisely choreographed sword fights'. Daily Telegraph

‘Equipped with a quick-witted, charismatic hero and much to provoke and goad him, Mr Pérez-Reverte has the makings of a flamboyantly entertaining series. Captain Alatriste ends with a wicked flourish, an evil laugh and a strong likelihood that the best is yet to come'. New York Times

‘From the 19th century on, readers searching for adventure have always loved tales of flashing steel, of duels to the death on moonlit parapets, of swashbucklers with ironic smiles and perfect manners . . . Arturo Pérez-Reverte now adds Captain Alatriste'. Washington Post

‘Splendidly paced and filled with a breathtaking but not overwhelming sense of the history and spirit of the age, this is popular entertainment at its best: the characters have weight and depth, the dialogue illuminates the action as it furthers the story and the film-worthy plot is believable throughout'. Publishers Weekly

‘Pérez-Reverte's moody, wounded semi-hero . . . is a whole-cloth invention out of 17th-century Madrid that has led to a 21st-century literary phenomenon . . . introduces a charismatic, complicated leading man . . . the clash and dash are thrilling; the swordplay is a bonus'. Entertainment Weekly

‘Purity of Blood is the latest in a line of utterly unputdownable novels by Arturo Pérez-Reverte in which he has finessed a storytelling tradition stretching back to his great literary predecessors
. . . This latest book is brimming with all the panache of previous novels by the writer and with even more confidence . . . this is glorious stuff, the kind of book to remind us how exhilarating old-fashioned adventure writing can be'. Daily Express

‘Captivating . . . This is fiction that can be enjoyed on several levels: as a poignant evocation of doomed imperial splendour; as a clever literary game in which historical and invented figures rub shoulders; as a parable about racism past and present; or as a simple tale of swashbuckling derring-do'. Sunday Times

‘Intelligent, exciting historical swashbucklers . . . With writing rich in the minutiae of 17th-century Madrid life and interspersed with poetry, the author is clearly having a ball and the reader can join with him'. Waterstone's Books Quarterly

‘Rich in historical detail and sardonic observations'. Publishers Weekly

‘The plot moves quickly . . . Pérez-Reverte is . . . engaged with the theme of religious fanaticism, providing vivid depictions of the Inquisition and its public theatre of auto-de-fe'. Times Literary Supplement

‘The book is full of vivid scenes bringing to life 17th-century Spain'. Sunday Telegraph

‘A worthy successor to Zorro and Scaramouche . . . he is knowledgeable and convincing in his evocation of those earlier, darker times . . . His novels are fine examples of historical writing for a mass audience, and that is his most important achievement' Herald