The eight : a novel

A woman who enjoys chess for a hobby is offered the chance to collect the pieces of a very old chess service, which when all of the pieces are reassembled, gives the players a game of unlimited power.

Before THE DA VINCI CODE...there was THE EIGHT'Katherine Neville's internationally acclaimed puzzle-thriller, is now on audio.New York City, 1972?A dabbler in mathematics and chess, Catherine Velis is also a computer expert for a Big Eight accounting firm. Before heading off to a new assignment in Algeria, Cat has her palm read by a fortune teller. The woman warns Cat of danger. Then an antiques dealer approaches Cat with a mysterious offer: his anonymous client is trying to collect the pieces of an ancient chess service, purported to be in Algeria. If Cat can bring them back, there will be generous reward.The South of France, 1790?Mireille de Remy and her cousin Valentine are young novices at the fortress-like Montglane Abbey. With France aflame with revolution, the two girls burn to rebel against constricted convent life'and their means of escape is at hand. Buried deep within the abbey are pieces of the Montglane Chess Service, once owned by Charlemagne. Whoever reassembles t...

Publishers Weekly

Nearly 20 years after it was first published, Neville's debut novel finally arrives on audio. Its combination of historical references, conspiracy theory and action/thriller format have earned it cult status over the years and may have paved the way for books like The Da Vinci Code. Imposing a new format on a "classic" can be a tall order and a daunting task for a performer; fortunately, Susan Denaker's talents are level to the material. The book offers a full variety of challenges to a reader: over 60 characters, young and old, male and female, with accents from around the world. None of these pose any obstacle to Denaker, who deftly sculpts a voice for every one, including several famous historical characters. The Monteglane Service, a bejeweled chess set that holds great power, has been buried in an obscure abbey in the French countryside and later scattered throughout Europe to keep it out of the wrong hands. The tale takes place both in the 1790s and the 1970s, when it may finally fall into evil hands. Denaker is able to emphasize the appropriate speech nuances of each century with subtlety and deftness by adding the cadence of the aural to the mix. Perhaps the audio book, too, will reach cult status. A Ballantine paperback (Reviews, Nov. 4, 1988). (Oct.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Cover 1 Other Books by this Author 6 Title Page 7 Copyright Page 8 First Page 11 Chapter 1 - The Defense 11 Chapter 2 - Pawn to Queen's Fourth 31 Chapter 3 - A Quiet Move 41 Chapter 4 - Fianchetto 59 Chapter 5 - A Game of Chess 83 Chapter 6 - An Exchange of Queens 119 Chapter 7 - The Knight's Wheel 139 Chapter 8 - The Knight's Tour 163 Chapter 9 - Sacrifices 179 Chapter 10 - The Fork 213 Chapter 11 - A Pawn Advances 223 Chapter 12 - The Center Board 241 Chapter 13 - The Middle Game 259 Chapter 14 - The Isle 293 Chapter 15 - Positional Analysis 333 Chapter 16 - The Sound of the Desert 351 Chapter 17 - The Magic Mountains 375 Chapter 18 - The Castle 393 Chapter 19 - The Death of Kings 411 Chapter 20 - The Black Queen 447 Chapter 21 - The Lost Continent 463 Chapter 22 - Zugzwang 499 Chapter 23 - The White Land 511 Chapter 24 - The Eighth Square 535 Chapter 25 - The Silence before the Storm 555 Chapter 26 - The Storm 569 Chapter 27 - The Secret 595 Chapter 28 - The End Game 615 Excerpt from the Sequel, The Fire 659 Last Page 674 Computer expert Cat Velis is heading for a job to Algeria. Before she goes, a mysterious fortune teller warns her of danger, and an antique dealer asks her to search for pieces to a valuable chess set that has been missing for years...In the South of France in 1790 two convent girls hide valuable pieces of a chess set all over the world, because the game that can be played with them is too powerful.... A young novice during the French Revolution risks her life to keep a jeweled chess set that Moors gave Charlemagne, and in the 20th century, a computer expert and a chess master try to solve its mystery. A flock of nuns crossed the road, their crisp wimples fluttering about their heads like the wings of large sea birds.