: The novel explores the tension between reason and religion, and the struggle to bring intellectual progress to a conservative Spain.

The story follows librarian and admiral Pedro Zárate , members of the Spanish Royal Academy. They embark on a perilous carriage journey from the enlightened Madrid of King Charles III to the politically volatile Paris on the eve of the French Revolution. Along the way, they face bandit-infested roads and intrigues from colleagues within their own academy who wish to thwart their mission. Key Themes and Reception

: Reviewers at La Vanguardia note that it makes past events more understandable than academic tracts. Voices from the Community