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Free HomepageThe Eight (1988). This fascinating adventure-fantasy tells the
story of the search for the Montglane Chess Service, a legendary chess set
once owned by Charlemagne, which contains the key to a dangerous secret of
world power. The quest is carried out by two brave, intelligent heroines
in two different time periods: Mireille de Remy, a novice nun at the time
of the French Revolution, and Catherine Velis, a computer expert for a
"Big 8" accounting firm in the 1970s. Neville moves back and forth
between the two stories, so that the novel itself is structured like a
spiral or an 8. The search for the Montglane Service is played out as a
chess game between Black and White teams; interestingly, Black represents
the forces of good and White represents the forces of evil. Mireille and
Catherine are both the Black Queen in their own time. The plot takes
place in Algeria, New York, Paris during the Terror, Corsica, Russia, and
London, among other places. The amazing list of characters includes, in
Mireille's time, such famous historical figures as Talleyrand (who falls
in love with Mireille), Catherine the Great, Napoleon, Marat (the evil
White King in the Game), Charlotte Corday, Robespierre, and the painter
Jacques-Louis David, as well as fictional characters such as the Abbess of
Montglane, Mireille's young cousin Valentine, and Shahin, a mysterious man
of the desert, who is Mireille's guide. In Catherine's time they include
the handsome and mysterious Russian chess master Solarin; Catherine's
reclusive mentor Nim, who is an expert on codes and encrypted messages and
who lives in a fascinating house on Long Island; her friend Lily, who (at
first) thinks of nothing but chess and her noisy little dog Carioca; and
Kamel, an Algerian OPEC minister; on the evil side there are, among
others, Sharrif, the head of the Algerian secret police, and an evil
carpet dealer who lives in the mountains. The complex plot includes
intellectual puzzles, ancient curses, mysticism, Masonry, alchemy, magic
numbers, the relationship between mathematics and music, and the periodic
table of the elements. It all builds up to a wonderful surprise ending,
which has got to be one of the best I have ever read.
But this brief summary can not begin to describe the fascination of
The Eight. It is in a class by itself; with elements of fantasy,
mystery, and adventure, it does not really belong to any genre. And,
believe me, every time you read it you get more out of this wonderful
novel. It is, quite possibly, my favorite book.
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Copyright 1997 Vicki Kondelik.
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