The Eight

I first read The Eight when I was in high school - one of my best friends gave it to me. The second time I read it was about 8 or so years ago - I found it at a bookstore and it was cheap so I bought it. The third time I read it was over the past three days - and it's just as entertaining as it has always been. Katherine Neville wrote the story over twenty years ago and has recently decided to publish a sequel, titled The Fire, which will be out in October. Because of the sequel, The Eight is getting some much deserved publicity.

The premise takes two events, in two time periods, the 1970's and 1790's, and weaves the stories together. Both are quests for the mystical Montglane chess set, once a gift to Charlemagne, which was reputedly buried at Montglane Abbey. These two women, in two very different worlds, must match wits against unknown enemies in a deadly game of chess - where the people are the game pieces. The chess set has unknown mystical powers and must be kept safe from those who would use its power for evil.

The main characters are Catherine "Cat" Velis, a 20th century, twenty-something New York City computer whiz; the other Mireille de Remy, a young novice of an 18th century French abbey. But the rest of the characters are where the fun really begins; Neville manages to incorporate some of history's greatest figures - from Catherine the Great of Russia to Napoleon Bonaparte; Muhammar Khaddafi to Voltaire and Wordsworth and Blake and Robespierre. They all come alive in this novel and all play critical roles in what is only referred to as "the game."

Even if you are not a chess fan, you can't help but be drawn into the story; I don't even know how to play chess but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the story at all. Neville is a masterful storyteller and I would not be surprised if Dan Brown had read this book before writing The Da Vinci Code since the underlying premise is similar - the quest for the holy grail.

I will definitely review The Fire when it comes out - but until then, you have some time to sit down and enjoy The Eight.