Damiano is volume one in a fantasy trilogy set in an alternative medieval/early Renaissance Italy where witches have real powers but are not persecuted by the church although people are wary of them. Damiano Delstrego, a naive young man in his early 20s, lives alone since his father, also a witch, died after a spell went wrong. Damiano is a musician and plays the lute, and an alchemist who makes medicines for the local community.

When the story opens, he is being given a lute lesson by his teacher, the archangel Rafael. He eventually realises that soldiers have arrived who serve a rival power - not the Savoy masters he is accustomed to - and that all the townsfolk, apart from the town drunk, have fled. After being questioned by the leader of the soldiers, he uses his powers to escape, meaning to warn his fellow townsfolk that they have been betrayed by the drunk and the soldiers know where they are hiding.

So begins Damiano's wanderings in which he is accompanied by his talking dog, Macchiata (Spot) and acquires a stubborn but brave horse, Festelligambe. He encounters robbers, and dead or dying villagers slaughtered by the soldiers his townsfolk are fleeing, and events alter his goals to involve an ill-advised deal with the devil and a search for Saara, a Finnish witch whom he recalls his father saying was the greatest witch in the Italies. In the course of this, he meets a streetwise boy called Gaspare who later becomes an important character. Throughout the story, Damiano wrestles with the issue of whether, as a witch, he is already damned, despite the fact that he attends Mass like any good son of the church.

The writing is vivid and beautifully done, and is probably the best feature of the book, as the subject matter is often quite depressing. Strangely enough, given that this was written years before another fantasy trilogy, Chaos Walking, something very similar befalls his dog companion, who is one of the best characters in the book. The fantasy setting is original and has great potential, but Damiano is rather an irritating character with his dreaminess and stubborness and prevarication. Therefore, the balance of pros and cons means a 3-star rating. ( )

A good book. Different to alot of modern Fantasy Fiction, but compelling in its own right, and well written.

At times it did not hold my attention well, which was why it has taken me so long to complete, but is worth the read. An interesting lead character who is swept up by circumstance, and has to learn and make mistakes along his journey.

Was slightly worried at the direction the book started taking in its last third, but it was resolved well. The end I found refreshing and uplifting, and not at all what I was expecting. ( )

It had been years since I read the book, but I remembered they lyrical language. When it became affordable on Kindle, I got it. I finally sat down to re-read it, holding my breath, hoping it was as good as I remembered. I was not disappointed.

The writing is at least as good as I remembered. Now that I am older and have my own little dog, I find the Damiano and his little dog to be even more fascinating. I cried for Damiano as he encountered evil and rejoiced at the simple faith his dog had in him. I found Raphael to be a complexly drawn being. I stopped several times to think about what was written. My favorite quotations are below.

Besides, Damiano, the important questions involve not the intent of God toward us but the soul’s own duty, and you know that clearly, don’t you?

We live our lives bound by our little tasks and possessions and never know how free we could be unless God sees fit to pry us away from them.

To be damned is only not to love.

If you enjoy an alternate history fantasy that includes a heavy dose of Christian background (appropriate for Renaissance Italy), then I think you would enjoy it. Be aware that the Christianity presented is from an alternate history and may not align always with your beliefs. Still the story is quite good and I enjoy philosophical fiction. ( )

Another book I've had on my shelf for far too many years unread. I finally delved into it and couldn't put it down. The character of Damiano, his desire to save his town from history's forgetfulness, and the warmth of the character of Archangel Raphael are all well-woven and interesting characters. Plus, having a central character in the middle ages who is also near-sighted is an interesting way to show his all-too-humanness. The ending was surprising and got me to find the second two books in the trilogy, if only to find out how the battle with Lucifer turns out. ( )

Absolutely lovely fantasy novel, set in Renaissance Italy, featuring an endearingly good-hearted, sweet-natured hero who is by heritage a witch and by preference an alchemst, plays the lute - literally taught by an angel - and cooks up medicine for townsfolk who don't all appreciate or even like him. It's not a nice world, however. The town is invaded by mercenaries and the townsfolk flee, leaving him behind. He sets out after them, accompanied only by his talking dog, and determines to keep them and the town safe from war and conflict, little realising what a daunting task he sets himself: selling his soul to the devil being only one of his varied efforts. It all has the feel of some sly medieval tale, Dante by way of Eco, with an innocent everyman beset by worldly and otherworldly problems alike, with his willingness to make almost absurd personal and spiritual sacrifices for people who barely know him and generally don't appreciate him and a town that he only loves because it happens to be where he lives, propels him headlong to a kind of saintliness that would be ridiculous and even cruel if Damiano wasn't intelligent enough to be aware of it. Damiano is fun, clever, touching and unusual, about the cost of being nice for the sake of it in a world with lots of bad in it. ( )