O Manuscrito Nos Confins do Mundo (Il Labirinto ai Confini del Mondo)

I bought this book on an impulse, mostly due to the array of compliments on its cover. I tend to enjoy historical novels and this one seemed to be full of mystery and suspense, but… well it kind of had some of what it had promised, but… it just wasn’t enough to suck me in and hold me. Actually I found the book a little disappointing as I think I was expecting something a bit more engaging.

At the beginning I found it too stationary as it lacked almost any action and then, suddenly, Marcello Simoni introduces us to an endless sequence of plots and machinations, confusing stories, almost too elaborate or complex to be credible or believable. My feeling towards the story and general opinion was that I had been promised one thing and had received something else entirely.

However, Simoni does have a bright side, and his brilliant work on the research for the book and his knowledge about the facts he wants to tell us are very noticeable, sometimes remarkable. This detailed research shows a great effort on the part of the author to bring us a Middle Age scenery that seems credible, replete with mysticism, cults, religious fanaticism and obsession, translated by a summary judgment, played by a ridiculous religious court, where the defendant is already condemned to begin with and can’t defend himself.

The author tries to present us with a lot of enigmas, playing with the wisdom of a few men and the superstition of others, exploring the ignorance and the power of catholic church in the Middle Ages.

Like I said before, I felt a little disappointed as I was probably expecting something slightly different, but I do recognize and acknowledge that a book like this demands a lot of work and effort from the writer and he definitely came through.

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