There are some preposterous elements of plots in this novel, such as the 'peaceful inhabitant of Val Castera', Testalunga. The first thing he does is stab a nobleman to death for hitting on his wife. Then Testalunga flees and meets some bandits, and straight away 'the group acknowledged him as their leader'. Nonsense. There's no way, just no way, that a complete stranger meeting a bunch of hardened criminals that know one another well would simply be proclaimed leader of their band. Yet it is a novel, and this (and one or two other things like this) are merely the fly in the ointment in an otherwise outstanding work.
I'm about a quarter of the way through so far and this book is really very curious indeed (I normally can't stand novels, at all, except for ancient novels, and Michael Dobbs' House of Cards, of course). The Ninth Day is the most interesting section so far (for it contains a certain amount of knowledge to do with... esoteric matters). Being part of the Firm means am only too aware that there is probably more truth than fiction in this work, even if that truth is dressed up as fable. It is not necessarily the characters, or the plot, or even the story which are true (because they are probably not), but more that these things actually happened, and still do happen, to certain sections of society, at least. What are "these things?" I am not at liberty to say, but it's kind of like Keanu Reeves and Lawrence Fishburne in The Matrix, taking the red pill, staying in Wonderland and seeing just how far the rabbit hole goes...
All in all, Jan Potocki's magnum opus is a really rather excellent book.
Back out of the rabbit hole, and into mundane reality, this evening at that... place was more easy going (Sundays are not as phrenetic as Fridays or Saturdays). I have even been invited to the 'work do' (a few guys playing cards together).
Max.
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