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Loading... The Eight (original 1988; edition 1997)by Katherine Neville
Work InformationThe Eight by Katherine Neville (1988)
  
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 harishwriter | Oct 12, 2023 |    ) dhaxton | Jan 21, 2023 | The book opens with two young nuns at Montglane Abbey, Valentine and Mireille, who are called upon to be a conduit for the pieces as the Abbey is broken up and the pieces are scattered in 1792. These two young women are sent to live with the painter David as his wards and are later to get caught up in the September Massacres. Notable figures who have an interest in this chess set include the Bishop d'Autun (Charles-Maurice Talleyrand), Maras, Charlotte Corday, and Catherine the Great of Russia. Fast forward to early 1970's New York, where a young computer programmer is given the task of creating a program to chart the oil output of the Middle Eastern countries that are becoming OPEC. Catherine (the narrator) is brought into events, all unwittingly, through the chess prowess of the Russian chess master Solarin, her cousin Lily and Lily's wealthy family, a mysterious friend named Nim who seems to have an understanding of the forces at work, and her contacts in Algeria, Dr. Kamel and Sharrif. Both time periods have action that takes them from their native countries to Algeria with trusted guides, and both Mireille and Catherine grow to realize the burden of the tasks they are called upon: to find and guard the chessboard, its embroidered cover, and the fantastically wrought chess pieces. Because hidden within the formula carved on the pieces, the board, and embroidered in the cloth is the secret to their use and their power. The burden lies in discovering what piece they themselves represent on the board and how to keep the pieces from falling into the wrong hands. It's been compared to "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and I tend to agree: once the reader suspends belief and becomes involved in the story, it becomes a rousing adventure. But the denseness of the narrative and the meandering nature of the events cause the readability to be difficult and its non-linear writing at times distracting. ( ) threadnsong | Oct 23, 2022 | Firstly, it relies on too many coincidences. I never got to find why the narrator has been chosen to go and search for the magic chess set, but isn't it useful that she just happens to be friends with both a chess champion and a chess -obsessed cryptologist who can fill in all the details for her. That sort of thing. Secondly, it relies on so many ethnic caricatures that it is utterly tiresome. Jewish people are grasping and over-dramatic, Arabs are either mystical sons of the desert or hook-nosed grand vizier types, the Soviets are all either authoritarian grey clones or secret capitalists running rings around the dull commies. As for the various peoples depicted in the 1790s plot, well, the French and the Corsicans should have cause to be offended too. In the end it was too much for me and I tossed the book aside, utterly frustrated. (  ) elahrairah | May 14, 2022 | Favorite Quote: "Music has power to create a universe or to destroy a civilization." (  ) crabbyabbe | Feb 24, 2022 |
 **** Pawns and Kings. I love reading and reviewing books. Yet if you read a lot of my reviews, (and I hope, Dear Reader, that you do), you will notice how frequently I write about the difficulty I find in reviewing certain books. More often than not I then precede to rave about that book. It’s because as a reviewer I feel that I am beheld to an oath similar to the Hippocratic one taken by doctors; first, do no harm. Good books deserve to be experienced by their readers with as little interference as possible, so I try to give you a feel for the book without dropping spoilers and ruining the reader’s chance to revel in an exceptional work. All of which brings me to The Eight by Katherine Neville. It’s a novel that is tailor-made to fit my little manifesto. It’s very good, very original, and it deserves to be appreciated first-hand. Both the story and the plot are intricate, bordering on the Byzantine, but to break it down, it is about The Montglane Service, an antique Chess set, made in India, and gifted to Charlemagne, which holds mystical and mythic powers, and must be protected by the innocent from falling into the hands of the evil. There are two main story-lines, one featuring Cat Velis, a computer expert and accountant, who works for Con Ed, in the 1970’s. After refusing to do something illegal for her boss she is sent from New York to a dead-end assignment to Algeria, to work with a then-unknown organization called OPEC. Before she leaves a fortune-teller at a party tells her that her life is in danger, and quick as a wink two people are dead and Cat is afraid that she might be next. The other story is about two young nuns, Valentine and Mirielle, and is set in France during the Revolution. These two are sent to Paris with a mission that involves the mythical Service. Before long everyone is either trying to hide or find this powerful artifact. If that was all there was to the story, I would be done with my review. The Eight, however, is over 500 pages long, and Ms. Neville has plenty of stories up her sleeve. Historical figures, from the Freemasons to Catherine the Great, from Muammar Gaddafi to Cardinal Richelieu and Charles Maurice de Talleyrand all play significant roles, and Ms. Neville spins plenty of myths and history into her tale as well. Both backgrounds are solid and believable without being burdened by too much minutiae. The prose is solid, and all of the main characters ring true. What makes The Eight really special is the way that Ms. Neville makes the two storylines twist and turn, each enforcing and informing the other until they are, in the end, one. It’s something that is rarely accomplished, and deserves a tip of the cap. The mythology of Chess also plays an integral part in this novel, and as a lifelong fan of Nabokov, I can say that she does the old master proud, both in her knowledge, and in her execution. Also worth noting is that the complexity of both the story and the plot are closely tied into the underlying motif of the game of Chess. In case you might find this intimidating, let me tell you that I am terrible at Chess, and my knowledge of it’s history is weak, and it never interfered my my enjoyment of this novel. What makes this book so good, in the end, is that all of this is subsumed by the narrative flow. You can read this big, smart novel as a thriller, and enjoy all of the tangents as just gravy. Smart, intricate and sophisticated gravy. Now how is that for an ending sentence? Review by: Mark Palm Full Reviews Available at: http://www.thebookendfamily.weebly.co... Notable Lists
Fiction.
Suspense.
HTML:"Readers thrilled by The Da Vinci Code will relish the multi-layered secrets of The Eight.".
HTML:"A BIG, RICH, TWO-TIERED CONFECTION OF A NOVEL . . . A ROUSING, AMUSING GAME.". "A fascinating piece of entertainment that manages to be both vibrant and cerebral . . . Few will find it resistible.". "With alchemical skill, Neville blends modern romance, historical fiction, and medieval mystery . . . and comes up with gold.". HTML: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: He has an anonymous client who is trying to collect the pieces of an ancient chess service, purported to be in Algeria. If Cat can bring the pieces back, there will be a generous reward. The south of France, 1790??Mireille de Rémy and her cousin Valentine are young novices at the fortresslike Montglane Abbey. With France aflame in 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 the pieces can play a game of unlimited power. But to keep the Game a secret from those who would abuse it, the two young women must scatter the pieces throughout the world.... From the Compact Disc ed No library descriptions found. 
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.73)
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Has anyone ever read [Katherine Neville] The Eight?
Wikipedia in English (1)
5
The plot is intricate, or should I say labyrinthine? It has plot within a plot. Story within a story. Flashback with in a flashback. This novel though enchanting (like the Arabian Nights), it is by no means an easy read - it demands ample time and concentration.
What makes the novel interesting as well as complicated is the timelines. The novel has two timelines 1) late 1700s during the time of the French revolution 2) 1970s. This timeline is narrated in the first person.
I love history, especially the medieval history. The plot revolves around a horde of historical personalities - Napolean, Catherine of Russia, Volatire, Rosseau, William Blake, Wordsworth, Marat, Czar Peter, Alexander, Isaac Newton, Fourier, etc.,Every character has a story to tell!
The plot centers on alchemy, elixir and Philosopher's stone. Cryptograms and symbology kept me really hooked. In these aspects, the book scores better than Da Vinci Code.
However, a few portions of the novel are painfully stretched, repetitive and confusing. But this novel was published way back in 1988. I assume people had a lot more time back then. (