The Prisoner of Heaven is the third book in Carlos Ruiz Zafón's Barcelona quartet, which began with The Shadow of the Wind and continued with its prequel, The Angel's Game. This story draws strands of the two previous books together, revisiting Daniel Sempere, the protagonist of The Shadow of the Wind, and his friend and colleague Fermín Romero de Torres. Fermín, previously more of an amusing sidekick, takes centre stage here as his complex and dramatic backstory is revealed (although Daniel still acts as the primary narrator). As Daniel listens to this tale, the reader is slowly made aware of the connections between the characters of all three books.

Although it's been a while since I read the previous books, I did at least remember fragments of the stories and a general idea of what had happened, and I can't imagine how this book would read to those unfamiliar with the other two. Because of this, I wouldn't really recommend it unless you've read The Shadow of the Wind and/or The Angel's Game first. Those who have enjoyed either of the other books will find many of their best attributes recreated here - a mysterious, gothic version of Barcelona populated with eccentric and larger-than-life characters, an instantly compelling beginning in which a sinister figure does something disconcerting, sparking a chain of events which includes flashbacks to the past, the dredging up of dark secrets, love and death, etc. The Prisoner of Heaven is quite short, and although this means some scope for more detailed description has been skipped (and there's much less discussion of literary and philosophical concepts than in the previous books), it does help the plot to move quickly, in brief, snappy chapters.

However, for those who have read The Angel's Game... I'm a little bit confused. (view spoiler)[The version of what happens to David Martín in this book appears to contradict the conclusion of his story in The Angel's Game. What about the 'happy ending' he was supposedly granted by Andreas Corelli? What on earth happened to Cristina? She was the love of David's life in the previous book, but isn't even mentioned in this one, and suddenly he's madly in love with Isabella, who was previously portrayed as his best friend/confidante?! I have no idea whether this was meant to be deliberate, whether it perhaps indicates that David's own testament was unreliable (totally plausible given the nature of that ending, but still confusing), or whether the truth will be revealed in the final book of the series. Either way, it left me wondering exactly what I was supposed to think, and as other reviewers have remarked, it means it's going to be seriously difficult for the author to resolve all of these different threads in the concluding part. (hide spoiler)]

There are still things I don't like about these books, namely the humour and the way the female characters are portrayed/described, both of which have always seemed out of place to me amongst the themes and style of the stories. The other problem with The Prisoner of Heaven is its brevity: it's more like half a book, or a novella designed to act as filler before the next 'proper' installment is published. However, I can't deny that it was hugely readable and I didn't want to put it down - in fact, I barely did from the moment I started reading, and it must have only taken me a couple of sittings, within less than 24 hours, to get it finished.

I've only ever rated one Carlos Ruiz Zafón book with more than three stars - yet I've read all five of his books published in English so far, which I suppose makes me a 'fan' of his work in some sense. I didn't think this was brilliant but it was certainly enjoyable and engrossing. And I absolutely HAVE to find out how the stories of these characters all end now, although I'm sure I'll be waiting a good few years for that!