The Eight by Katherine Neville – Book Review

Before Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, There Was The Eight.

Jun 15, 2009

Katherine Neville's debut novel is still intriguing more than 20 years after it was first published.

Katherine Neville published her debut novel The Eight in 1988 and gained a cult following almost instantly. This complex thriller still resonates with the audience after more than 20 years since it was first published. Interweaving two complex storylines that are set centuries apart, The Eight seemingly effortlessly draws the reader in its word of intrigue, danger and mystery, at the same time borrowing elements from mathematics, philosophy, logic, the occult and, of course, the art of chess.

What is It All About?

Both stories deal with the mystery of a chess set called The Monglane Service, which hides the secret of ultimate power. The first story is set in 1790s, when a French nun Mireille, along with her cousin Valentine, is implicated in the political happenings of the time, including the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, while being on a mission to scatter the many pieces of the chess set to prevent them from being found and assembled. It is not soon before tragedy strikes and a number of prominent historical figures, including Robespierre, Napoleon and Katherine the Great make an appearance.

The second story is set in the 1970s, when a computer expert Catherine Velis is sent to Algeria on what appears to be a job assignment. Soon enough, Catherine is approached by a number of mysterious characters and is unwillingly caught up in another deadly adventure.

The quality of Katherine Neville's writing is impeccable. This author is well-known for travelling a lot, researching her stories to the tiniest detail, which is evident in the final product - it took her two amazing decades to publish the sequel, entitled The Fire, in 2008. Conspiracy theories have always been interesting, but never more popular than in the 21st century, thanks in great extent to popular authors like Dan Brown. Books like The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, and the like owe a lot to Neville and The Eight, which is still superior to most of these novels.

The most impressive thing about The Eight is the complexity of the plot and the impeccable characterization. If the writing was any worse, it would be easy to quickly dismiss the book at its very beginning, thus failing to experience the sheer genius of the final resolution. As for the characters, especially Catherine and Mireille, they are strong, independent women made of flesh and blood. The many real-life characters who appear in the novel are not simply thrown in for good measure. Instead, they all play an integral part in the story.

Chess

At the very core of The Eight, however, is chess. Anyone who plays chess will soon realize that the entire story can be tracked on a chess board, as the characters are all pawns, playing under different colours. There are not a lot of people who will not have fun figuring out on whose sides Catherine and Mireille are - and who wins in the end.

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