Balthasar's Odyssey

This is my very first Maalouf reading. I got interested through a bookstore website which had paragraphs in Spanish of his books. It is dense to read; but absolutely enjoyable. Baltassar is a very elegant distinguished and educated man in 1666. The English translation is very complete; I loved the words; even good to read aloud. It gives a very nice picture of the era and the places; very descriptive and full of adventures of course! Very nice; Looking forward reading more Maalouf's fiction.

The year 1666 approaches and the Christian world is concerned that the world is about to end. Enter Balthasar Embriacio, an Italian bookseller in the Levant, discovers a copy of a book that contains the 100th name of God: whoever learns this name, according to the Koran, would become immortal, thus survive the coming apocalypse. Unfortunately, Balthasar sells the book before he realizes what he has, and the ensuing quest about Europe in search of this treasure becomes the gist of this imaginative novel. Maalouf, a Lebanese author and winner of France's Prix Goncourt in 1993, succeeds in both his 17th century atmosphere and in the engaging, sympathetic character of Balthasar.

One of his best books.... and a joy to read. You feel as if you are part of his caravan or sitting next to him on a boat. Highly recommended.

Excellent! This is the third book I have read written by Mr. Maalouf and still he hasn't disappointed me. Being able to adapt a simple story to such an incredible novel is fascinating. The way he describes all the places Balthasar visits makes the book very interesting especially because it is never easy to imagine certain things a books says about a story that took place a long time ago. Doesn't interest me to write about what the book is about; I am only interested on saying that this book is excellent.

After having read nearly all of Maalouf's books, this is one of his best. (Samarkand remains my favorite.) Odyssey is an appropriate word in the title. The protaganist makes a journey and quest with real philosophical issues. This is a Candide story, with skepticism. It is hard to put the book down at night when reading. Balthasar faces many challenges both in his quest for the book, and in love, but also about life. The reader feels for his concerns. One of the nice details is that whenever he came to a town/city he looked for and visited the local booksellers, this was in 1666. His companions on his journey help him struggle with issues. This is a book about fate and life and well worth reading.