The Rose of Fire

El cementerio de los libros olvidados #2.5

by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Lucia Graves (Translator)

Set at the time of the Spanish Inquisition in the fifteenth century, "Rose of Fire" tells the story of the origins of the mysterious labyrinthine library, the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, which lies at the heart of Carlos Ruiz Zafon's novels The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel's Game, and now The Prisoner of Heaven.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Mystery, Books About Books, Magical Realism

36 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Carlos Ruiz Zafón was a Spanish novelist known for his 2001 novel La sombra del viento (The Shadow of the Wind). The novel sold 15 million copies and was winner of numerous awards; it was included in the list of the one hundred best books in Spanish in the last twenty-five years, made in 2007 by eighty-one Latin American and Spanish writers and critics.

Reviews

[Nayra.Hassan · Rating 3 out of 5]

الكتب و المكتبات موجودة لكن في مكان مرتفع لا يصل اليه قصار الهمة و محدودي العقول

اوليست كل الكتب تدخلنا لمتاهات عقول مؤلفين؛ سمحوا لنا بجولة محدودة في عقول ابدعت؟

وردة النار :كقصة أصول تاريخية لا تتعشم فيها كثيرا

اي نعم يظهر فيها الجد الاكبر لآل سيمبري و كيف تورطوا في معرفة سر المتاهات بسبب :ثقافته و معارفه الجمة التي لا تليق برجل مؤمن!؟

و اي نعم  تعرفنا من خلالها علي الوقت الذي بدأ فيه بناء تلك المكتبات المتاهية تحت الارض؛ او مقابر الكتب المنسيه

و اي نعم؛ تعطينا تفسيرا فانتازياً عن روح الشر الكامنة في حكام برشلونة

كما تعطي ربط تفسيري لعيد الكتب/الورود الاسباني الابريلي الشهير

و 🌹هي مترجمة ضمن مجموعة مدينة من بخار*و مكتوبة في ٢٠١٢

  لكنها لا تعطي سبب واضح لجعل المتاهات سرية؛و لا تهتم للكتب من الأساس؛ فهي مجرد مرحلة تحدي في حياة معماري بارع جريء ثري؛ سأم كل ما هو عادي؛ و قرر ان يبني متاهات يكشفها فقط من: يستحق

تبدا القصة بوصول سفينة جثث لبرشلونة في القرن الخامس عشر؛ و فيها رجل محتضر معه يوميات بلغة فارسية و قارورة صغيرة

قارورة تحمل جحيما مستطيرا؟
ام تحمل معرفة ممنوعه؟
ام تحمل خلوداً ملعوناً؟

[Mohammed Arabey · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I had to go and visit The e-Cemetery of Forgotten e-Books for this 12 pages only?



Short review to come -very limited slow Internet connection for me for days

[Metodi Markov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Днес ни напусна ненавременно един велик майстор на словото...

Едва на 55, дон Карлос загуби коварната битката с рака и ние сме вече книжни сираци. Но той ни остави своя Лабиринт на загубените книги, където ще се срещаме отново и отново, през годините които идват.

Почивай в мир, признателните читатели няма да те забравят!!!

Новелата "Огнената роза" може да се прочете безплатно на сайта на издателство "Изток-Запад". Чудесна е!

[Ana Olga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nada que... Carlos Ruiz Zafón, es mucho Carlos Ruiz Zafón, así sean 18 páginas. ❤

[Tony Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dieciocho páginas ¿enserio? Solo 18 páginas, si la historia es bonita, si, Zafón sigue teniendo una prosa maravillosa, e incluso hay un elemento sorprendente en este relato, que no me esperaba para nada, dado el tono de los libros anteriores, pero, un gran pero, yo no quiero una precuela de 18 páginas, yo quiero “El cementerio de los libros olvidados Los Orígenes” que sea por lo menos una trilogía de entre 500 y 700 páginas por libro ¡entiendes Zafón! y ya que estamos ¿para cuándo la continuación de “El prisionero del cielo”? Ya pasaron tres años y ni título tienes, ponte a trabajar

Para los que no conocen la obra Carlos Ruiz Zafón debo decir que es un autor cautivante, con libros sensacionales, si quieren comenzar a leer alguno de sus libros, recomiendo “La sombra del viento” su obra magnánima o si quieren algo más juvenil el libro “Marina”, estoy seguro que no se defraudaran.

P.D.¿Enserio Solo dieciocho?

[Laura (booksnob) · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of all time is The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. In it, there is the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a labyrinthine library that winds underground. Rose of Fire is a short story that defines the origins of this labyrinth and how it came into existence.

The story begins in 1454 when a ship was sighted aground on the coast of Spain with a soul survivor tied to the helm of the ship. On the dying man's person was a journal written in a foreign tongue. This journal holds the key to the labyrinth as well as the key to immortality and a vial containing one of Jesus Christ's tears.

Zafon weaves in the legend of St. George's day, that occurs every year on April 23rd. April 23rd is often celebrated by book lovers as World Book Day and in Spain it is celebrated with a gift to your true love of roses and books. A practice we have included in my family since my daughter's patron saint is St. George.

I heartily recommend Rose of Fire as a prequel to the Shadow of the Wind trilogy. Read alone, it is 16 pages and will get you excited to enter the exhilirating world that Zafon creates. Rose of Fire is only available as an ebook but the good news is, that it is free!

[Katerina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so happy that I could find one last text written by Carlos Ruiz Zafon to read! He will be greatly missed in the world of literature.He was such an amazing author! His stories are written in a way that they pull you in the world he describes and not many have this ability.
In only 10 pages he manged to write about the maker of labyrinths, Constantinople and her king before she fell, about pirates. a phial with dragon's blood, a pendant with grains with a tear from Christ, Shehrazade and 1001 nights.
I can't believe that I won't read anything new from him and I'm sad those 10 pages are over. My advice is that if you haven't read The cemetery of forgotten books series you should do sooner rather than later!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute short story of how the Cemetery of Forgotten Books came to be and it features dragons, need I say more?

At just 36 pages this is a quick read and while it probably won't add all that much to the series it does give the CoFB a real beginning. 

[Maxwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know how to rate this. It was extremely short, and the blurb is misleading. It barely tells you at all about the construction of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. It only tells you about the man who drew up the plans for it. And then it ends. Basically, not necessary to the series unless Zafon had expanded the story and made it a novella or even a novel with cool Medieval elements.

[Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story by Carlos Ruiz Zafón tells the story about the origin of The Cemetery of Forgotten Books. It's a great story. So why only 3 stars? Because It's a bloody short story and not 300-500 pages thick book instead. It feels like reading a summary of a book.



Mental note to self: When you are writing a review on your mother's computer in the future. Save a draft for unexpected "Blue Screen of Death" incidents...

[Maria Yankulova · Rating 5 out of 5]

R.I.P. Сафон! Чрез написаното от теб, завинаги ще останеш в сърцата ни.

[Diana Stoyanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

В памет на Карлос Руис Сафон, който остави светла следа в художествената литература. За един от най- чувствените и талантливи съвременни писатели, светлина по пътя. Ще пребъдваш винаги чрез книгите си! RIP ( 19.06.2020)

[María · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rosa de fuego cuenta la historia de como surgió el cementerio de los libros abandonados. La verdad es que a pesar de ser una historia bastante corta, me ha gustado bastante. Me ha parecido muy interesante saber los orígenes de esa "biblioteca" y como siempre, Carlos Ruiz Zafón me sigue enamorando con su manera de escribir.
Estoy deseando continuar con esta historia.
Le doy 4 estrellas.

[Isa Cantos (Crónicas de una Merodeadora) · Rating 5 out of 5]

No puedo creer que este relato saliera hace años y yo no me hubiera enterado. Lo encontré ayer por casualidad mientras revisaba por millonésima vez la página de Goodreads de Zafón y wow... ¡es genial! O sea, es ridículamente corto, pero me encantó +.+

A pesar de que lo leí en inglés porque no lo encontré en español, se nota por la traducción el estilo elegante y único de Zafón. ¡Y qué historia, señores, qué historia! Esto bien podría convertirse en una precuela en toda regla, en un libro de unas 300 páginas (?).

Este pequeño relato es para ti si quieres saber de dónde surge la historia y la idea del Cementerio de los Libros Olvidados que hay en Barcelona. Hacedores de laberintos, dragones, lágrimas milenarias, muerte, traición y enfermedad... esta historia lo tiene todo.

[Maricarmen Estrada M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relectura: Me volvió a encantar este hermoso cuento relacionado con el cementerio de los libros olvidados. No recordaba que quien lo relata es el propio David Martín.
—————————————-

Reseña original:

Este cuento cortísimo se remonta al tiempo en que se hicieron los planos para el laberinto de los libros prohibidos.
Aparte de haberme encantado la historia, qué bueno que la leí poco después de leer La Catedral del Mar, de Ildefonso Falcones, que habla también de la Barcelona medieval porque me hizo disfrutarla aún más.

[Wendy Darling]

Download the free short story for Kindle, Nook, etc. here: http://files.harpercollins.com/Assets...

[Sue K H · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to start on a re-read of the Cemetery of Forgotten books trilogy when it suddenly became a tetralogy. I'm not a series book reader type yet, but I loved the first two in this series and thought the 3rd (The Prisoner of Heaven) felt too rushed. Finding out there was a new book that was as substantial as the 1st two was thrilling. I told myself that 4 books is still not a series. Then I find out that there are two more that I never knew about! I was so irritated especially to find out one wasn't even available in English and the other couldn't be found in my library or Amazon or B&N.

The other was this book. I'm reading chronologically to the story and this one comes first. I decided to poke around more and found it. When I got it, I found out it's only a short story. I was glad since I was already substantially into The Angel's Game.

This was a letdown after all of that. It's a very short story. I'd give this 2 stars but there are so few reviews and I don't want to take it down since my frustration was from expectations. It's not necessary at all to read this. It just gives the beginning of how the Labrinth for the Cemetary of Forgotten Books came to be and how the curse came to Barcelona. That other book that isn't in English, I'm not worried about it now. It's a novella and I'm sure it's not essential either.

[Char · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick short story, (the Kindle version is free!) concerning The Cemetery of Forgotten Books and how it came to be. I enjoyed it, but was disappointed when it ended at 37%.

[Fefyy Antela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Against all odds I really liked this one...

I'm looking forward to resume this series.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

July 10 is marked on my calendar. Carlos Ruiz Zafon's latest installment in the series that began with the magical book "The Shadow of the Wind" comes out on that day. I can't wait to dive into it---and this book, in addition to the short story "The Rose of Fire," gives us a preview of what must be the first chapter.

The Rose of Fire begins even before the beginning. It tells a fairy tale of sorts, set in the heart and hypocrisy of the Spanish Inquisition and explores the nature of true goodness in the face of proclaimed virtue and in the process sets the stage for the creation of the Cemetery of Lost Books which is the heart of all of these novels.

Not a very long story---a preface to a story to come, really. But the language.... Zafon can write as few can. His wonderful characters are like those of Dickens or Dumas, as is the tremendous heart and biting commentary of his prose. Mix that with the dark Gothic sensibility of Poe and you have a sense of the flavor.

As these books are originally written in Spanish, the translator, Lucia Graves, should also be congratulated on her translation which (based on what friends of mine say who are fluent in both languages--I am merely conversational in Spanish) convey and retain the magic of the original Spanish editions.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pesar de ser muy corto, es bonito saber de dónde viene el Cementerio de los Libros Olvidados

[Thikrayat Al-aradi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story that reveals a little bit of the history of the Cemetery of forgotten books.

Easy read and I enjoyed the story

[Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Queria leer hace mucho la saga del cementerio de los libros perdidos y este relato es una forma de comenzar, aunque se lea despues del segundo

[Karen Merino Caballero · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐'s

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5: A nice short story about the origins of the 'Cemetery of Forgotten Books', an ancestor of a certain character is mentioned as well, made me smile :).
Only complaint, the page count says 34 but its only 16... 18 pages are a preview of 'the prisoner of heaven'
~~~~

Mister Zafon's wonderful writing and imagery are on fine display here and he makes the most of the short length :

"The chronicles tell us that when the maker of labyrinths reached Barcelona on board a vessel hailing from the East, he already carried with him the germ of a curse that was to stain the city's skies with fire and blood."

Clever of him to work in the myth of St. George as well.

As with all of Mister Zafon's works, I didn't want it to end *sighs* Short but beautiful <3 I loved how the ending was left open, hinting at something rich/wonderful happening in the future.
-----

Think of it as a prequel to 'Shadow of the Wind' but it also could fit snugly in 'Prisoner of Heaven' as well.. no spoilers if you haven't read the other books yet or if this is your first taste of this author.(Would not recommend reading the novel preview though if you haven't read 'shadow of the wind' or 'the angel's game' yet).

All in all, I really enjoyed hearing the origins of this beloved Character in the quartet (That's how I think of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, its presence is larger than life). I would LOVE to go there and wander through the place, taking down different books and running my hands along the walls... I would be happy to get lost in there. Hey Carlos, I'll take the job of Keeper, if it's available :-D

Would recommend!

[Lora Pavlova · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard about this novelist before, but yesterday when I went to the Book fair, that took place in The National Palace of Culture in Sofia, Bulgaria, I was given this story by a promoter of one of the publishing houses.
I have to say that I really loved it and I want to read the other novels of this author as well :) I have the feeling that they are gonna be really nice. I am very curious. :)

About this story in particular, I have to say that I really liked it. Really interesting for me was the way the magical and historical( I am referring to the descriptions of the things done by the Holy Inquisition)were fascinatingly overlapping each other. This was a really intriguing read, for me. Despite the fact that I am mostly a fan of books with realistic plots and I do not like some fantasy stuff, I have to admit that I really liked the way the inexplicable events were described. It was really interesting for me.

I recommend this story to those of you who would like to challenge their imagination, but not toooo much :D

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story which acts as a prequel to the author's Barcelona quartet, giving some background on the origins of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. I enjoyed the story but, as always with this kind of thing, it was very slight and I wish it could have been longer.

[Susana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um pequeno conto agradável de ler, mas que sabe a pouco...

Se alguém estiver interessado, fiz uma tradução deste conto para português. Quem quiser receber o ficheiro, indique o e-mail em comentário ou mande-me mensagem privada.

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, somewhat under-detailed story behind the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. I would have liked to know how it actually came to be built.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, interesting. Makes me keen to read on in the series.