The Oracle of the Moon

Presentation

1533, Calabria. Giovanni Tratore's life is turned upside down by his encounter with Elena, a Venetian noblewoman whose ship has run aground near his village. Once the Venetians have left, Giovanni is haunted by the desire to find the young woman again. Driven by this insane passion, the peasant leaves his native region and travels up Italy to Venice. The quest for love then becomes an initiatory journey, punctuated by encounters with strange and erudite characters, but also a theological thriller when Giovanni is entrusted by an astrologer with a letter bearing an explosive message intended for the Pope...

A historical fresco whose plot takes place in the heart of a 16th century haunted by religious and philosophical quarrels, a novel of love and adventure, a meditation on the theme of destiny and free will, L'Oracle della Luna is a captivating tale that takes us from the palaces to the prisons of Venice, from the monasteries of Mount Athos to the corsairs' penal colony of Algiers, from Jerusalem to the ghetto of Cyprus.

• Albin Michel, October 4, 2006 – 624 pages – EAN: 978-2226173515
• LGF Paperback, May 2008 – 736 pages – EAN: 978-2253123040

Translations

Germany : C. BERTELSMANN VERLAG
Latin America : EDICIONES GRIJALBO
English: EBOOK – The Oracle of the Moon (English Edition)
Arabic: DAR AL KHAYAL
Brazil: Suma / Objetiva
Korea: CHANGHAE PUBLISHING
Spain (Castilian): EDICIONES GRIJALBO
Greece: DIAMANDIS AND CO.
Netherlands: LUITINGH-SIJTHOFF Uitgeverij
Poland: ALATROS WYDAWNICTWO
Portugal: SUMA DE LETRAS
Romania: RAO INTERNATIONAL
Russia: EKSMO EDITIONS

What the press says about it

A historical and religious thriller in the prestigious tradition of Umberto Eco. The plot is very well crafted and the love story keeps the reader in suspense until the last of the 617 pages.
Paris Match

A stormy wind sweeps through this humanist and mystical novel. We are stunned by the wisdom, intelligence, science, and strength that permeate it.
Le Figaro Littéraire

“A beautiful adventure, full of sound and fury, emotion and tenderness, a novel inhabited by grace. We come away from it overwhelmed.”
La Vie

Lenoir's 600 pages are read with disconcerting speed.
More than a great historical thriller, it is a philosophical tale written by a scholar who, unlike Dan Brown, draws on solid knowledge.
Journal du Dimanche

“A magnificent plot”
Europe 1

"Look no further, I have your book for the weekend: "The Oracle of the Moon." Love, adventure, and conspiracy in the midst of a renaissance, it's fascinating... A history of religions for dummies remixed by Alexandre Dumas.
RTL

“A thrilling thriller that finds its accuracy and originality”
Le Pèlerin

“Romantic twists, picaresque, real suspense… a generous, ambitious and entertaining book”
Read

“A rare talent”
Psychologies

“A coming-of-age, picaresque and sentimental novel… written by someone intelligent and humanist, passionate about the question of destiny and free will.”
Elle