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Title details for The Eight by Katherine Neville - Available

The Eight

A Novel

#1 in series

by Katherine Neville
Susan Denaker
Audiobook
1 of 3 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 3 copies available
New York City, 1972–A dabbler in mathematics and chess, Catherine Velis is also a computer expert for a Big Eight accounting firm. Before heading off to a new assignment in Algeria, Cat has her palm read by a fortune-teller. The woman warns Cat of danger. Then an antiques dealer approaches Cat with a mysterious offer: He has an anonymous client who is trying to collect the pieces of an ancient chess service, purported to be in Algeria. If Cat can bring the pieces back, there will be a generous reward.
The south of France, 1790–Mireille de Rémy and her cousin Valentine are young novices at the fortresslike Montglane Abbey. With France aflame in revolution, the two girls burn to rebel against constricted convent life–and their means of escape is at hand. Buried deep within the abbey are pieces of the Montglane Chess Service, once owned by Charlemagne. Whoever reassembles the pieces can play a game of unlimited power. But to keep the Game a secret from those who would abuse it, the two young women must scatter the pieces throughout the world....

  • Creators

  • Series

    The Eight

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    October 23, 2007

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781415942741
      • File size: 744563 KB
      • Duration: 25:51:10

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      December 24, 2007
      Nearly 20 years after it was first published, Neville's debut novel finally arrives on audio. Its combination of historical references, conspiracy theory and action/thriller format have earned it cult status over the years and may have paved the way for books like The Da Vinci Code
      . Imposing a new format on a “classic” can be a tall order and a daunting task for a performer; fortunately, Susan Denaker's talents are level to the material. The book offers a full variety of challenges to a reader: over 60 characters, young and old, male and female, with accents from around the world. None of these pose any obstacle to Denaker, who deftly sculpts a voice for every one, including several famous historical characters. The Monteglane Service, a bejeweled chess set that holds great power, has been buried in an obscure abbey in the French countryside and later scattered throughout Europe to keep it out of the wrong hands. The tale takes place both in the 1790s and the 1970s, when it may finally fall into evil hands. Denaker is able to emphasize the appropriate speech nuances of each century with subtlety and deftness by adding the cadence of the aural to the mix. Perhaps the audio book, too, will reach cult status. A Ballantine paperback (Reviews, Nov. 4, 1988).

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Characters in settings that are decades apart hunt for rare, hidden chess pieces that once belonged to Charlemagne. Two people--a young French woman in the 1790s and an American computer whiz in the early 1970s--find themselves in desperate chases across several countries for the pieces, which hold an ancient secret. Both evolve into brave, unassuming heroines, but the real star is narrator Susan Denaker. She has so many characters to keep track of--from young and old French women to assorted New Yorkers and Algerian men. She expertly differentiates them with changes in tone. The story is well done, though characters could have been pared more carefully for the abridgment. Overall, Denaker's performance and the story's twist at the end make it worthwhile. M.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 17, 1990
      In this ``astonishing fantasy-adventure,'' Catherine Velis, a computer expert banished to Algeria by her accounting firm, gets caught up in a search for a legendary chess set once owned by Charlemagne. ``A thoroughly accomplished first novel,'' praised PW , ``daring, original and moving, it seems destined to become a cult classic.''

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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