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"My stories run up and bite me on the leg -- I respond by writing down everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off."
The Eight
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The Eight
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This Book is Currently in the Wild!
5 journalers for this copy...
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Journal Entry 4 by 
Just got the book through the mail today! Thanks a lot nyassa-ici!!!I finished the book in greek some weeks ago, unfortunately. Unfortunately for me, because I spent much time in reading a book so frustrating. Sometimes you say: “What the heck, maybe it was translated badly”. So, I took a glimpse of the book in English; and it proved frustrating as well!!!! Here’s my opinion: Katherine Neville’s unlucky safari and a Merciless marathon on Indiana Jones’s trail We have seen it before. Echoing “Da Vinci Code”, dozens of books with riddles and ancient mysteries, for years buried in the cellars of the publishing industry, are now back on the bookstores’ showcases. Somehow like that, the editors remembered “The Eight”. Almost 20 years after it’s first edition, Katherine Neville and her magic chess, are now getting familiar with publicity. And they are gaining a cult fan club. Here’s the story: On the south of France, just before the French Revolution, young nuns discover that their monastery is the hiding place for a magic chess service that used to belong to Charlemagne. Whoever puts it’s pieces together can play the “Game”, which gives the winner tremendous power. Their mission? Scatter the pieces in the whole world, so that they won’t fall in the hands of the “villains”. Almost 200 years later, in New York of 1972, a 23-year-old computer specialist prepares for a business trip in Algeria. Before she leaves, a mysterious witch warns her for danger ahead an a friend of hers, a curio dealer, makes a preposition: one of his clients is trying to collect all the missing pieces of a chess service that are long lost in Algeria, and he offers a generous reward to whoever discovers them. Ambitious plot, isn’t it? The author, Katherine Neville, does not spare the words at all in this epic safari within 2 centuries and 3 continents… In almost 600 pages she tells a story un-uniformed and broken in pieces, interesting in some parts, but unfortunately *too* boring and melodramatic in others. The descriptions of the French revolution are quite impressive, as the protagonists watch streetfights, politicians’ meetings, and decapitations. Neville’s version for Jean Paul Marat’s death is imaginative. Rich historical detail and many guest stars, such as Catherine the Great of Russia, Napoleon, Casanova, Robespierre, Talleyrand, Voltaire. BUT, in other cases, historical reference is blurry and imprecise. So is the action. While some parts are really compelling, others (like the Sahara desert chapture) are soooo dead and insipid… And, of course, Neville added much of the all American Harlequin Stories: Innocent women charmed by half naked blue-eyed men etc etc. In a final analysis, even if Dan Brown’s and Umberto Eco’s fans see the book with sympathy, “The Eight” lacks “Da Vinci Code”’s suspence and “Foucault's Pendulum”’s spirituality and historical accuracy. Cult labyrinths of… boredom. Katherine Neville’s non-stop rave was wrote in 1988 and resembles much of the b-movie adventures of Indiana Jones, with two super hero women, running around the world looking for the legendary chess set. That is why many Americans consider this book cult. Hmmm… The author began quite well. But, somehow she did not put the places together correctly. Interesting at some part, “The Eight” does not manage to keep the readers attention. It’s not worth the concentration needed to follow the “Game”’s rules, for which we discover that it has little to do with chess matches. Over 200 pages could have been ripped off, without the main affecting the main plot. Smart idea, great field for action. Bad performance and plot labyrinths for absolutely no reason are tiring the reader, who cares more in finishing this… marathon, instead of solving a stupid chess riddle! |
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