Voltaire's Calligrapher: A Novel

“Richly reminiscent of Umberto Eco, the headlong pace of this dark fantasy—combining elements of mystery, historical fiction, horror and the splinter genre clockpunk—will let readers swallow the entrancing story in a single gulp.” —Kirkus Reviews

Pablo DeSantis, the internationally acclaimed author of The Paris Enigma, is back with a wonderfully inventive, deliciously sinister thriller set in the chaos and opulence of 18th century Paris, where the malevolent remnants of the Dark Ages battle the progressive elements of the modern age. Anyone wondering where to turn after Neal Stephenson’s Anathem and The Baroque Cycle or Matthew Pearl’s The Dante Club will thrill for the exquisite language and deep intrigue of Pablo De Santis’ Voltaire’s Calligrapher.

Dalessius is twenty when he comes to work for one of the Enlightenment’s most famous minds, the author and philosopher Voltaire. As the great man’s calligrapher, Dalessius becomes witness to many wonders—and finds himself in the middle of a secret battle between the malevolent remnants of the all-but-dead Dark Ages and the progressive elements of the modernage. The calligrapher’s role in this shadowy conflict will carry him to many perilous places— through the gates of sinister castles and to the doors of a bizarre bordello; toward life-and death confrontations with inventive henchmen, ingenious mechanical execution devices, poisonous fish, and murderous automatons. As the conspiracy to halt the Enlightenment’s astonishing progress intensifies, young Dalessius’s courage—as well as Voltaire’s unique cunning and wit—are put to the ultimate test as they strive to ensure the survival of the future.

“[E]very sentence conveys a passion for manuscripts....Those who have read other books by this author will again find his precise rhythms, his skill to weigh each word before choosing it....This is a (mischievously) historical novel, a thriller and a philosophical novel too, but above all, it is a novel of adventures.” - Rolling Stone, Buenos Aires

“Voltaire’s Calligrapher introduces us to a somber and suffocating world, with refined touches of black humor and a suitably gothic atmosphere....A very precise use of language balances elegance and irony....Maybe the most outstanding feature of this novel is the combination of dynamic action with intellectual complexity...both are skillfully woven into a historical thriller.” - La Nación, Buenos Aires

“Those who believe that calligraphy is a sedentary art have not yet read Voltaire’s Calligrapher, Pablo De Santis’ wonderful novel. De Santis has written a historical thriller that isn’t the usual guided tour of the past...His narrative is deliciously and admirably sinister.” - La Nación Revista, Buenos Aires

“Voltaire’s Calligrapher reminds us of Alexander Dumas’ novels because it never underestimates the reader’s intelligence.” - La Voz del Interior, Córdoba

“I’ve been an admirer of the works of Argentine author Pablo De Santis for a while....With Voltaire’s Calligrapher, De Santis confirms his immense talent and gives us his most ambitious work to date....He uses his unceasing inventiveness to offer a sort of melodrama set in a past full of vicissitudes, conspiracies and jealously guarded secrets.....The author has an extraordinary imagination that has no match in contemporary Spanish-language literature....De Santis has been gifted with two talents: intelligence and imagination.” - Juan Manuel de Prada, ABC, Madrid

“While the prose is richly reminiscent of Umberto Eco, the headlong pace of this dark fantasy--combining elements of mystery, historical fiction, horror and the splinter genre clockpunk--will let readers swallow the entrancing story in a single gulp.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)