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Leonardo’s Shadow
by Christopher Grey

Leonardo’s Shadow is told from the point of view of Giacomo a servant of the great Leonardo da Vinci. To say that Giacomo came to be Leonardo’s servant under rather unique circumstances would be an understatement. The story opens up with how Giacomo came to be with Leonardo. Giacomo, a young boy now fourteen or fifteen, was suffering from the fever and carrying in his possesion a cloth bag containing a medallion, a ring, and a cross, all of which no doubt are of great value. And herein lay Giacomo’s problem, due to the fever he could not remember how or why they came into his possession, only that he could let go of them.

Dressed as he was and carrying the objects that he did it was inevitable that he would be accused of thievery, and he was. Giacomo was chased through the streets of Milan until at last he came to make a last stand at the top of the cathedral, the very same one where Leonardo da Vinci was working on his painting. For reasons unknown to Giacomo, Leonardo chased off Giacomo’s pursuers and took him into his care, eventually making him his servant upon Giacomo’s recovery.

With such an exciting introduction I was feeling pumped and enthusiastically awaiting the start of the story, however I soon found myself a bit disappointed. Where as the introduction was exhilarating to say the least, the story itself was slow, there just isn’t anyway around that fact. The reader doesn’t get an idea as to the real significance of the items that Giacomo was carrying until chapter four, but the pace itself doesn’t really begin to pick up until near the end of chapter eleven. I feel that at this point most readers might have passed up on the story in favor of something that would draw them in a bit faster.

If the reader does stick it out past the slow beginning I believe they will be richly rewarded however. Normally I don’t mind giving out a few tidbits of the story to elaborate my points but for this particular tale I am loathe to do so. It has been my experiance that fictional tales which feature a well-known historical figure tend to either fall far from the mark or become so absurd as to make the reader wonder what the editor and publishers were thinking when they allowed the tale to be printed. It’s rare that I find one that is not only exceptionally plausible, well thought out, and situationally accurate, but also intriguing and captivating as well.

Over all, despite the initial lag, I found Leonardo’s Shadow to be an engaging read. There was plenty of mystery to keep the reader playing guessing games and the unlikely protagonists of Leonardo and Giacomo gave this tale a unique flavor that will have the reader salivating at the mouth. Indeed the tale takes a rather unexpected twist, I would elaborate right here on some of the surprising and shocking (though considering what I remember from my history courses and many accomplishments of Leonardo da Vinci I guess it shouldn’t be) events but I honestly can’t think of how to do so without giving the entire thing away.

My one and only true complaint is Giacomo’s initially endearing, and later annoying, habit of speaking before thinking. There are times where this flaw has been his saving grace and a positive trait, but there were also numerous times I couldn’t help but to groan at the stupidity of the character and marvel at how many benevolent saints must have been watching out for this boy! There were plenty of instances where he could have handled things so much better if not for this habit of opening his mouth and inserting his foot. Although I suppose he wouldn’t have been Giacomo if not for this trait. I did marvel though at how at the end of this tale, despite everything that happens Giacomo still has a severe tendency to open his mouth without thinking it through.

Now despite this book being listed as a children’s book on Amazon.com I believe it is more along the lines of a Young Adult novel. There is a reasonable amount of violence in this story that most parents won’t feel comfortable reading to their children ten or under, which is typically the set of the Children’s Literature genre. I would propose it safe for preteens and up. Due to the implied possible relationship between Leonardo and Giacomo by Leonardo’s father in chapter twenty I believe this tale will best be appreciated by a more mature reader. I just can’t, or rather don’t want to see, a six year old asking their mommy to explain what the father meant. Talk about uncomfortable!

This might sound seemingly random, but I have to add this. When you purchase this book do yourself a favor and purchase the hardback version. Why? If you remove the jacket you are greeted with Leonardo’s Last Supper on the cover of the book itself. It looks beautiful and I was thrilled to see the book manufactured like this. To me it adds to the atmosphere to hold the completed creation while reading about it while it was in-progress.

Joana’s rating: