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154th out of 155 books
—
42 voters
Grimpow: The Invisible Road (Grimpow #1)
Grimpow had no idea who the dead man was, but hidden in his leather bag was a treasure that would change his life forever. Ruby- and emerald-encrusted daggers, silver coins, jewels, and a letter with a golden seal depicting a snake swallowing its own tail. And clutched in the man’s firm grip—a stone. A stone that will shape Grimpow’s destiny. For when he holds it, strange...more
Hardcover, 493 pages
Published
October 9th 2007
by Delacorte Press
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Nov 27, 2007
Christina
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Da Vinci Code fans, medieval nuts
Shelves:
historical,
fantasy
Very interesting story set in 1313 France, about a teen boy, Grimpow, raised by a thief, who finds a magical stone and sets out on a journey of a lifetime to uncover long hidden secrets of the Knights of the Templars. He meets an Italian knight and becomes his squire, helping him in a tournament, and travels all over France solving puzzles and finding clues to this "secret of the wise." I thought that the clues and puzzles were a little overexplained sometimes, just to make sure you really got i...more
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Grimpow has an incredible plot. A young boy stumbles on the body of a dead knight lying in the snow. From the knight's hand, he removes a stone, a stone that opens his mind and expands him knowledge. The stone, the legendary philosopher's stone, is the key to the world's greatest treasure: incredible knowledge. In order to reach this treasue, Grimpow and his companions must outrun the King of France and the Pope's inquisitor. Their quest leads them all over Europe, including and epic last stand...more
I've left Grimpow and his companion-in-peril, Lianelle, locked inside a legendary secret chamber inside a Templar's fortress. This chamber is functioning as an hour glass, with a small trickle of sand entering in from an adjacent chamber not only marking the time that Grimpow and Lianelle have to solve the next riddle, but also marking the time until they are engulfed in sand and suffocate should they not succeed.
I've torn myself away from such life altering adventure in order to convey a freshn...more
I've torn myself away from such life altering adventure in order to convey a freshn...more
Grimpow is a thief. He and his friend are walking in the forests near the abbey on their way home. Suddenly, there in the snow, Grimpow sees something. It is a body. The dead man is obviosly of royalty, and he is also dead, frozen solid. The man was carrying two jewel encrusted daggers, one mysterious scroll which neither of them can read, and a small sightly glowing stone about the size of a ping-pong ball. Grimpow picks up the stone and a rush washes over him. He can read the sroll! Grimpow t...more
I visited the library before a long trip and grabbed this book for my eleven year old son. He didn't read it, and it was laying around the house. So when I got sick, I picked it up and read it. The story had a really good premise, but poor execution. Instead of driving us forward into the plot, the story meandered and left us feeling listless. When things finally started happening, there didn't seem to be a meaning for most of it, and when we got clues to solve, they were solved way too quickly,...more
This is the first time I have ever read a book where the hero wasn't really the main character. Neither was he strong or brave, he was only smart. Strange to read a book and have the hero more of a side character who speaks every now and then and has an idea only every now and then. It took a long time to actually get to the story and there really was no action. Such a strange way to write a story. I can't say I really liked the way the author wrote. I probably wouldn't read a book by this autho...more
Wow, the first book I've finished this year. Disappointing that it's taken me this long, but at least I'm back on the reading horse.
I liked this book. The characters were plucky without being annoying, even though most of the side characters were somewhat flat. The story was interesting: the quest of a boy looking for the "secret of the wise." Knights Templar - also interesting. My biggest issue with this book is how the riddles were solved. Especially the (view spoiler)...more
I liked this book. The characters were plucky without being annoying, even though most of the side characters were somewhat flat. The story was interesting: the quest of a boy looking for the "secret of the wise." Knights Templar - also interesting. My biggest issue with this book is how the riddles were solved. Especially the (view spoiler)...more
I'm a huge fan of historical fiction. I often like the books written for young adults a lot better than the ones written for adults because there usually isn't so much trash. Grimpow is part of the 1001 childrens books list and I was really looking forward to it.
The setting sounded really good: a monastry in the middle ages, a library and lots of riddles. Of course I immediately thought of The Name of the Rose which I adore.
But Grimpow turned out not to be my cup of tea: it turned out to be abo...more
The setting sounded really good: a monastry in the middle ages, a library and lots of riddles. Of course I immediately thought of The Name of the Rose which I adore.
But Grimpow turned out not to be my cup of tea: it turned out to be abo...more
Oct 25, 2011
El Templo de las Mil Puertas
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
10-eltemplo,
reseñas
"Hace tres años aparecía Grimpow, novela que dio a conocer a Rafael Ábalos, y personaje sobre el que vuelve en esta segunda parte: Grimpow y la bruja de la estirpe. En ella nos encontramos con el joven Grimpow, acompañado de sus amigos, el caballero Salietti y Weinell, la mujer que se disfraza de hombre, y a su archienemiego el inquisidor Búlvar de Góztell que sigue yendo tras ellos, con la intención de hacerse con la piedra filosofal. Pero también hay nuevos e interesantes personajes que entran...more
The book Grimpow, while having an interesting and fantastical story line. Some of the details and riddles didnt exactly make sense or add up. Theres some major historical plaots that dont add up in terms of ideas, way of thinking and technology.Maybe thats not the point of the book. Anyways i was originally expecting some action and adventure, however the few moments there actually was some event for action they ended quickly without much excitement.
Overall the idea of the search for wisdom was...more
Overall the idea of the search for wisdom was...more
It was a good book, I have to say that, because if i said it was bad i would be lying. There was lots of adventure, lots of mystery, and a tiny bit of romance, but honestly, I was expecting a lot more. The ending left me hanging, and not in a good way. sure, it was an okay way to end the book, but I was expecting so much more, and the author could have given so much more. It was a nice story, and I encourage people to read it, though i warn them to keep their expectations low.
This book is about...more
This book is about...more
I was really looking forward to liking this book. It has all the right plot elements and interesting character sketches... but it didn't really do much for me.
Two things that sunk it for me were: First, the conflict between thinly veiled skeptic theory and black magic. One or the other would have been pretty cool - I'm all about smart books for kids that introduce thought-provoking ideas about philosophy and science. I'm also all about books that pull out the stops with magic and spells and dra...more
Two things that sunk it for me were: First, the conflict between thinly veiled skeptic theory and black magic. One or the other would have been pretty cool - I'm all about smart books for kids that introduce thought-provoking ideas about philosophy and science. I'm also all about books that pull out the stops with magic and spells and dra...more
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
Grimpow: The Invisible Road was written for young adults by Spanish lawyer Rafael Abalos and translated to English after its success in Europe. The story is a medieval mystery/historical fantasy set in early 14th century Europe.
Grimpow is an illiterate orphan who stumbles upon the dead body of one of the last of the Knights Templar who was on a quest to secure the philosopher's stone from the grasp of King Philip IV and Pope Clement V. The king and pope, i...more
Grimpow: The Invisible Road was written for young adults by Spanish lawyer Rafael Abalos and translated to English after its success in Europe. The story is a medieval mystery/historical fantasy set in early 14th century Europe.
Grimpow is an illiterate orphan who stumbles upon the dead body of one of the last of the Knights Templar who was on a quest to secure the philosopher's stone from the grasp of King Philip IV and Pope Clement V. The king and pope, i...more
Aug 12, 2008
Shippseattle
marked it as to-read
October 9th 2007 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
binding Hardcover
isbn 0385733747 (isbn13: 9780385733748)
pages 512
description Grimpow had no idea who the dead man was, but hidden in his leather bag was a treasure that would change his life forever. Ruby and emerald encrusted ...more [close] Grimpow had no idea who the dead man was, but hidden in his leather bag was a treasure that would change his life forever. Ruby and emerald encrusted daggers, silver coins, jewels, and a letter with a...more
binding Hardcover
isbn 0385733747 (isbn13: 9780385733748)
pages 512
description Grimpow had no idea who the dead man was, but hidden in his leather bag was a treasure that would change his life forever. Ruby and emerald encrusted ...more [close] Grimpow had no idea who the dead man was, but hidden in his leather bag was a treasure that would change his life forever. Ruby and emerald encrusted daggers, silver coins, jewels, and a letter with a...more
Reviewed by Natalie Tsang for TeensReadToo.com
Rafael Ábalos' GRIMPOW: THE INVISIBLE ROAD starts out with the discovery of a dead body on a cold winter's day. In other words, it's a sure sign of a dangerous and exciting story, and the novel does not disappoint.
The body turns out to be a nobleman with a saddlebag full of coins, jeweled daggers, and a letter with a strange wax seal of a snake swallowing its own tail. Grimpow, a young thief, finds a stone clenched in the man's hand. He soon realize...more
Rafael Ábalos' GRIMPOW: THE INVISIBLE ROAD starts out with the discovery of a dead body on a cold winter's day. In other words, it's a sure sign of a dangerous and exciting story, and the novel does not disappoint.
The body turns out to be a nobleman with a saddlebag full of coins, jeweled daggers, and a letter with a strange wax seal of a snake swallowing its own tail. Grimpow, a young thief, finds a stone clenched in the man's hand. He soon realize...more
An enjoyable story of adventure and coming of age for a child who inherits the wisdom of the ages via, well, magic? Knights, Templars, Inquisitors, Alchemists, and secret societies are all woven together into a tale that, although lacking in any remarkable inventiveness, covers all the bases of a good adventure admirably.
Although Grimpow inherits wisdom via the strange stone he finds, I think the subtext is really more about the importance of knowledge--science, history, and the arts.
Although Grimpow inherits wisdom via the strange stone he finds, I think the subtext is really more about the importance of knowledge--science, history, and the arts.
I didn't get very far in this book. I usually try to make myself get a third of the way through a book before I decide to hang it up but I couldn't with this one. What's sad is that this storyline seemed like it had real potential but Abalos was going nowhere with it. Absolutely nothing was happening in this book at the point where I quit listening to it. Grimpow was just chillin' in the monastery, missing his friend, and reading some really old books. Woo hoo.
The book was a kind of book I have never read before.
I have enjoyed reading the book, but I really had to take time reading it.
To me it wasn't a book I could rush through, because not every part was as exciting as the other.
Throuh the pages it really got me very curious to the denouement of the filosopher stone, and that was I think very reasonable. It was not as thrilling as I thought it would have been.
But all together it was a good read.
I have enjoyed reading the book, but I really had to take time reading it.
To me it wasn't a book I could rush through, because not every part was as exciting as the other.
Throuh the pages it really got me very curious to the denouement of the filosopher stone, and that was I think very reasonable. It was not as thrilling as I thought it would have been.
But all together it was a good read.
This is the story of Grimpow. While walking in the woods he finds a dead body with a stone and a bad of treasures and a letter. Grimpow gets his friend and in front of their eyes the man disappears. Grimpow decides that he should make sure that the man the letter is addressed to receives it. He spends some time living in a monastary and he finds out that the stone he has is the philosophers stone. What follows is an adventure that is dangerous, but intriguing.
I think if I could I'd give this book 3.5 stars. The entire book was fantastic, sometimes, it could get dry if you weren't in the mood for the scientific discussions they had, which reminded me a lot of the Divinci Code. The end though, even though it was a logical end to Grimpow's journey and was tied nicely, but it wasn't the pow I was hoping for in the book.
Overall, I did love the places, emotions, revelations and their final destination together as a family.
Overall, I did love the places, emotions, revelations and their final destination together as a family.
Lento con plagio o quasi
Libro davvero brutto. Sono arrivato a leggere forzatamente più della metà e poi ho lasciato perdere. Lento, con una struttura molto pesante che riprende un po' troppo Il Nome della Rosa con personaggi simili, ambientazioni simili. Un libro ambientato nel medioevo deve essere avvincente da subito altrimenti il rischio è che sia troppo pesante da leggere e poco accattivante per il lettore anche quello più accanito come me.
So che dare un voto e fare una recensione è sgradev...more
Libro davvero brutto. Sono arrivato a leggere forzatamente più della metà e poi ho lasciato perdere. Lento, con una struttura molto pesante che riprende un po' troppo Il Nome della Rosa con personaggi simili, ambientazioni simili. Un libro ambientato nel medioevo deve essere avvincente da subito altrimenti il rischio è che sia troppo pesante da leggere e poco accattivante per il lettore anche quello più accanito come me.
So che dare un voto e fare una recensione è sgradev...more
Maybe something got lost in the translation, but to me this was a slow moving book. It involved a quest to find the "treasure" that a society of sages had hidden for when the time was right. The Knight Templars helped them move it centuries ago. So a boy is the keeper of the stone and uses it to find clues to find the treasure. It takes forever and the ending is disappointing.
Reminded me of the Da Vinci code for children of the round table. There's plenty of sappy prose and twisty puzzle unwinding in this story to make your head spin. I just wish it would have given more definition on the scenes and such. All in all I think it won't hold a kids attention unless the kid likes astrology or puzzles and anagrams.
This book is the sequel to Ábalos' previous book, Grimpow: The Invisible Road. I remember that as a thrilling and exciting epic, that's kicked a lot of ass and was filled with wonderful details. Grimpow: The Invisible Road was the story of Grimpow, who finds and has to protect the philosopher's stone. Though I could personally live with the ending of that book, many people seemed to think a sequel was in order and that's where this book comes in, starting off exactly where The Invisible Road lef...more
I thought this was a very good book, with history, myths and legends, puzzles, and riddles in all sorts! It was really an interesting story, and not your average book, I guess you'd say, but I found it oddly intriguing and fascinating, especially with all of the strange riddles that would pop up here and there.
Típica fantasía épica en la que el protagonista sigue pistas para llegar al destino final. No es especialmente original, pero es agradable leer algo juvenil que no tenga romance ni fantasía de vez en cuando. Aun así, no creo que lea la segunda parte, porque me parece que ya esta todo solucionado.
I picked up this book because the cover looked interesting. what I disliked about the book was that it was very slow-pacing. What I like where the characters I found some of them ot be very fun to read about. What could have been better about the book is it could have been more fast-paced, other then that it was a good book. this book makes me want to look for more exciting and action books. I recommend this book if you like reading fiction.
The audiobook version of this claims that it's for audiences aged 13-17. This is completely true. Any younger than thirteen, and the book's violence and historical slant will be lost. Any older than seventeen, and the reader will be too experienced to buy what fallacies Rafael attempts to sell.
I enjoyed most of this book. I enjoyed the story, characters, scenery, etc. What I didn't enjoy was the repetition many parts of this book. You read what is going on in the book and then when the character reflects on what he went through, it goes through pages of them telling you what you just read. I found myself skipping through pages just to get to where it left off at. I feel it could of been 100 pages less than what it was. Also, when it came to solving the puzzles, it was a little drawn o...more
I didn't really know what to make of this book. It started out pretty well, but lost my interest halfway through. I didn't care WHAT the Secret of the Wise was by the time they finally got close to it. Interesting history about Templars, Paris, and Notre Dame, but the story was lacking something.
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As a teenager, Rafael Ábalos was an avid reader of adventure stories. A lawyer for many years, he discovered by accident that he loved to write these stories as well. His first book for young readers, Grimpow: The Invisible Road, will be published around the world in 27 countries. He lives and writes in southern Spain.
More about Rafael Ábalos...
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“we live in a disconcerting world. Trying to comprehend what we see around us, we ask ourselves: what is the universe made of? and what is our place in it? where odes the universe come from? and where do we come from?”
—
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“perhaps death is nothing but a calm and eternal dream”
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