When someone I know writes a book it’s a problem. Yes, because it could be the masterpiece of the Century, but more likely I might not like it, but knowing the author, I face the dilemma: “should I be ruthless and tell him/her? Or should I play along with it?

Working as a freelance editor, I have to capture every flaw before every merit (and there are a lot in a book! Both: flaws and merits), so I get always a bit confused  when someone I know tells me that he has written a book.

 

 

And if this person is my brother, and if, besides making me read  a preview he also asks me to check it then the question becomes epic.

 

My brother has always been a great little genius, so I never had doubts that the book was well written and the plot was fluid.

But would I have liked it?
This was the dilemma that accompanied me for 423 pages!
423 pages of extraordinary characters.
Of duels, castles, wonderfully realistic settings, magic, love and hate, growth and sacrifice.

 

I read it all in one breath, and as soon as I finished it, I ran to Luca to shout at him to continue this Saga!!!
In short, he couldn’t leave the reader like this, he couldn’t leave ME like this!
Just to be clear: I liked I Cinque Re[1] really A LOT!!!! You can’t imagine what a relief!

So when he asked me to take care of the draft of the second book, I Cinque Re – L’Isola dei morti[2], I didn’t hesitate for a second and even though I had gone abroad that Autumn, and I had very little time at my disposal, I read it in one breath!!!

It was as if everything written in the novel came to life in vivid images.

 

Despite the length I found myself halfway through the novel without realising it, and I had to go back because I was technically correcting it by, but on each page I was tempted to go ahead and find out how that chaos would have ended: would the Keepers triumph or would the Erebons have been stronger, this time?

Will they be able to recompose the Numansirian in time and save the Darnak? Will that poor man of Gal finally understand why he acquired powers? What about Sabra? What about Gadias?

 

It is a pity that it will not be translated… for now.

Needless to say, at the end of the second I yelled at him to write the third, and I’m still waiting for it…. But I can tell it’s almost finished, so I cross my fingers.

 

A curiosity that struck me were the parallels that I found between the settings of I Cinque Re and the Italian “magical places”, which made me want to rediscover them, to explore them.

And in fact I recommend you read this saga (which I hope to be able to report as soon as possible, also edited and printed and not only in the ebook), sipping a pint of low-alloy beer (or alternatively the Calabrian Frambueza[3]) and eating a bowl of soup[4] in a small village perched on some mountains; the ideal would be Bagnoregio[5]: With the crispy air of October or November that lashes your cheeks while you observe the horizon preparing the battle.

 

 

 

 

[1] The five Kings.
[2] The five Kings: The island of deads.
[3] Better the nose of the mouth, would say with a certain arrogance those who have attended many courses. The fresh Sila raspberry feels great (one kilo per ten liters of finished beer): it refreshes and invites to drink. There is also Senatore Cappelli wheat, but this is not recognized, but it served to enhance the agricultural resources of the area by convincing Slow Food to assign the Slow Beer snail. At the end, an uncomprehensible bitterness, don’t be fooled by the grades, who has no body who knows. (Dissapore review, http://www.dissapore.com/)
[4] Ingredients for 4 people
-20 g of dried mushrooms
-250 g of cooked chickpeas
-1 clove of garlic
-extra virgin olive oil
-salt
-chili pepper
Procedure: we put the mushrooms in lukewarm water for about 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, brown a clove of garlic. We sauté the mushrooms a few minutes in the pan, after rinsing them. Add the chickpeas and let them flavor for a couple of minutes. Then we cover everything with boiling water and leave to cook for half an hour. When cooked, remove the garlic and add salt and chilli pepper. Add a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil and voila. Soup is ready!
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civita_di_Bagnoregio