The Fencing Master is a magical historical fantasy about a romantic who entered into combat with the whole world. This is a fight that cannot be won, yet Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s rapier strikes true. What is the price of honor? How can one stay alive in an age torn apart by revolutions and political squabbles? A world where only human baseness and betrayal remain is not the best place for an old-school caballero. But how can one remain faithful to principles and preserve one’s very soul? Don Jaime Astarloa, a legendary duelist and the best swordsman in Europe, finds by the end of his life the only possible answer — like a thrust of the sword from which there is no escape.