SICILIAN AVENGERS

An exiled noble seeks his revenge in the second volume of Riggio’s translation of Natoli’s classic Italian adventure novel.

Palermo, 1714: The united forces of church and state are attempting to root out the clandestine brotherhood of the Beati Paoli, whose democratic subversions threaten the status quo. The Church goes so far as to institute an inquisition against the secret society, marching suspected members through the streets and subjecting them to torture and death. The Duke of Motta, Don Raimondo Albamonte, only holds his title due to the treachery he committed against his infant nephew 16 years earlier. The Beati Paoli consider the duke as one of their enemies, going so far as to kidnap his daughter, Violante, from her bedroom one night. Luckily for Violante, the young and handsome cavaliere Blasco da Castiglione rescues her from her kidnappers. Though Blasco is aligned with the Beati, he still feels loyalty toward the duke and his family…that is, until Blasco discovers that he is the rightful heir to the title and its lands. But will he fight to regain his birthright if it means endangering those he feels compelled to protect? The future of Sicily may hang in the balance. Riggio’s translation preserves the novel’s ornate period style (the work began appearing in serialized installments in 1909) without sacrificing vitality or momentum, as evidenced here where Blasco speaks to his mentor, the cunning Coriolano della Floresta: “Dear friend, I am led to believe that fate is the great mastermind of human events and that the philosophers, who trouble themselves to teach us how to behave in this or that manner in order to achieve this or that result, are true charlatans. Life is about the unexpected.” Readers will be reminded of the novels of Alexandre Dumas, but Natoli offers a magic all his own, crafting a labyrinthine Palermo of scheming officials and masked rogues. This and the preceding volume are musts for any fan of Italian literature, or of early 20th century adventure novels.

An immersive historical novel adeptly translated from Italian.