Book cover of Lord of All the Dead

Book description

Lord of All the Dead is a courageous journey into Javier Cercas' family history and that of a country collapsing from a fratricidal war. The author revisits Ibahernando, his parents' village in southern Spain, to research the life of Manuel Mena. This ancestor, dearly loved by Cercas' mother, died in…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Lord of All the Dead as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

In this book, Javier Cercas, a Spanish journalist and novelist, sets off on a journey to discover the truth about his great-uncle, Manuel Mena, who was killed aged 19 at the Battle of the Ebro, during the Spanish Civil war. Cercas is a man of the center-left, but his relative was killed while fighting on the side of General Franco’s nationalist, anti-Communist and anti-democratic insurgency. This book is about the way that conflict and its memory remains present in families over subsequent generations, shaping subsequent lives in myriad ways, sometimes unseen. It is of particular value I think because of…

From Jonathan's list on the human impact of war.

If you love Lord of All the Dead...

Ad

Book cover of The Rosewood Penny

The Rosewood Penny by J.S. Fields,

2023 Queer Indie Award Nominee!

The dragons of Yuro have been hunted to extinction.

On a small, isolated island, in a reclusive forest, lives bandit leader Marani and her brother Jacks. With their outlaw band they rob from the rich to feed themselves, raiding carriages and dodging the occasional vindictive…

Want books like Lord of All the Dead?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Lord of All the Dead.

Browse books like Lord of All the Dead

Book cover of Assad or We Burn the Country: How One Family's Lust for Power Destroyed Syria
Book cover of Magic Seeds
Book cover of Das Reich: The March of the 2nd SS Panzer Division Through France, June 1944

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,282

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like Lord of All the Dead, you might also like...

Book cover of A Ritchie Boy

A Ritchie Boy by Linda Kass,

A poignant narrative about one young immigrant’s triumph in America, inspired by true events.

1938. Eli Stoff and his parents, Austrian Jews, escape to America just after the Nazis take over their homeland. Within five years, Eli joins the US Army and, thanks to his understanding of the German language…

Book cover of Adult Children

Adult Children by Laurence Klavan,

Award-winning writer Laurence Klavan's newest collection of stories features twenty darkly comic and largely speculative tales.

People deal with aging parents, a world out of kilter, and their own arrested development today and in the near future, as Klavan weaves together threads of humanity and strangeness to dizzying and heartfelt…

5 book lists we think you will like!