Reviews

The Fire
by Katherine Neville
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Twenty years ago, Katherine Neville’s novel The Eight was published, becoming one of the first Ballantine books to literally defy categorization. It was a swashbuckling adventure, a historical mystery, a puzzle, a romance, and an epic, with elements of fantasy and a style that was almost (but not quite) literary fiction. Today, we’d probably classify it as “magical realism,” or maybe we wouldn’t.

Later this month, fans of The Eight are getting a long awaited treat in The Fire: the sequel we’ve all been waiting for.

While many of our old friends from the original - chess star Lily Rad, cryptographer and computer genius Ladislaus Nim, and Maurice Talleyrand (the Bishop of Autun) are back in this novel, which, like the first, features plotlines in two separate time periods, most of the action takes place within the next generation in each timeline - in the past, we get to follow the children of Shahin, as well as Mireille & Maurice’s son Charlot; in the future we are introduced to Xie (Alexandra) Solarin, daughter of Cat Velis and Alexander Solarin, who is also the point of view character.

Of course the Game has begun again, and of course it is more than just chess, but a metaphor for real world events in both the past and the present. And of course, Ms. Neville has woven a compelling tale that manages to plausibly intermingle chess, math, alchemy, poetry, music and cooking, as well as a touch of romance and just enough action.

People have compared Neville’s work to that of Umberto Eco, and called her a literary forebear of Dan Brown, and both are true (though she’s more accessible than the former, and a better storyteller than the latter). I like to think of her books as more intellectual companions of films like National Treasure.

Either way, The Fire is an excellent read, and while a working knowledge of The Eight is an advantage, it isn’t necessary to your enjoyment of the tale.

For that matter, neither is a great knowledge about chess.

The Fire will be released on October 14th in the United States, and you can learn more about it at Ms. Neville’s website, Katherine Neville.com. Also, be sure to check our pages in November for an interview with the author.

Melissa A. Bartell earns her living by writing articles for an SEO marketing firm, and dabbles in essays and fiction on the side. She lives near Dallas, TX with her husband, two dogs, and more computers than anyone really needs. She is the Senior Editor here at All Things Girl. Find out more about her on our About Page. You can also find her at her website and various other places around the ‘net.

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