The book, allegedly adapted from an earlier and more ancient tome, is said to contain a secret code for summoning the Devil.
The second book is much more sinister, and in fact is three copies of the same book: De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis (The Book of the Nine Doors of the Kingdom of Shadows), printed in 1666 by Aristide Torchia, who was burned at the stake for the act. Corso is tasked by his old friend, Flavio La Ponte, to verify the authenticity of the chapter. The first of these is a previously unknown early draft of a chapter of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel, The Three Musketeers, written in serial form in 1844. The novel follows the path of Lucas Corso, a cynical “mercenary” book-dealer, as he travels across Europe attempting to uncover the mysteries of two antique books that seem to have intertwined fates. The movie has its charms, but pales in comparison to the clever mystery-mixed-with-subtle-horror crafted by Pérez-Reverte. I first learned of this book by watching its 1999 film adaptation, The Ninth Gate, starring Johnny Depp and directed by Roman Polanski. Such is the case with The Club Dumas, the 1993 novel by Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte, that I finished reading the other day. Typically, when I come back to read them, I end up mentally kicking myself for avoiding them for so long. For reasons that I never quite understand, some books that I purchase end up sitting on my shelf, unread, for months or even years.
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