Katherine Neville's debut novel is a postmodern thriller set in 1972 ... and 1790. In the 20th century, Catherine Velis is a computer expert with a flair for music, painting, and chess who, on her way to Algeria at the behest of the accounting firm where she is employed, is invited to take a mysterious moonlighting assignment: recover the pieces of an old chess set missing for centuries.
In the midst of the French Revolution, a young novice discovers that her abbey is the hiding place of a chess set, once owned by the great Charlemagne, which allows those who play it to tap into incredible powers
beyond the imagination. She eventually comes into contact with the major historical figures of the day, from Robespierre to Napoleon, each of whom has an agenda.
The Eight is a non-stop ride that recalls the swashbuckling adventures of Indiana Jones as well as the historical puzzles of Umberto Eco which, since its first publication in 1988, has gone on to acquire a substantial cult following. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
From Publishers Weekly
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."
Following the tremendous success of her first novel, Innocent Traitor, whichrecounted the riveting tale of the doomed Lady Jane Grey, acclaimed historian and New York Times bestselling author Alison Weir turns hermasterly storytelling skills to the early life of young Elizabeth Tudor, who would grow up to become England’s most intriguing and powerful queen.
Even at age two, Elizabeth is keenly aware that people in the court of herfather, King Henry VIII, have stopped referring to her as “Lady Princessâ€and now call her “the Lady Elizabeth.†Before she is three, she learns of the tragic fate that has befallen her mother, the enigmatic and seductive Anne Boleyn, and that she herself has been declared illegitimate, an injustice that will haunt her.
An Inspector Wexford mystery. Kingsmarkham doesn't have too many complaints
about its first annual rock festival, but then in a nearby quarry two lovers
find a body that makes even Reg Wexford's stomach lurch. All he can discover
is that there is a strange connection with the star of the festival.
An Inspector Wexford mystery. Kingsmarkham doesn't have too many complaints
about its first annual rock festival, but then in a nearby quarry two lovers
find a body that makes even Reg Wexford's stomach lurch. All he can discover
is that there is a strange connection with the star of the festival.
Feehan's followers will be well sated by the latest addition to her Dark series (after Dark Guardian), set in modern-day Italy. This time around the focus is on Carpathian vampire hunter Byron Justicano, a "good" vampire who feeds only to sustain himself. He is drawn to the haunting music created by Italian concert pianist, Antonietta Scarletti, the woman he has chosen to be his "lifemate." Blinded and orphaned as a child by an explosion on the family yacht, Antonietta, a strong psychic, is heir to the Scarletti family fortune and the massive Scarletti palazzo, which accommodates all her relatives. When Byron learns that someone within the family is siphoning off the family treasures and slowly poisoning Antonietta, her grandfather and her cousin, he draws upon his supernatural powers to catch the villain. Feehan's prose is smoothly laced with romance and erotica, and the subject matter is titillating. But new readers may be daunted by the complexity of the Carpathian world, which has its own set of rules (e.g., Carpathian males can mate for life only with mortals who are psychic, and if they don't mate, they lose their emotions). Once readers gain a foothold in Feehan's fictional realm, however, they'll be roped in by this unconventional and intriguing installment.
Feehan's followers will be well sated by the latest addition to her Dark series (after Dark Guardian), set in modern-day Italy. This time around the focus is on Carpathian vampire hunter Byron Justicano, a "good" vampire who feeds only to sustain himself. He is drawn to the haunting music created by Italian concert pianist, Antonietta Scarletti, the woman he has chosen to be his "lifemate." Blinded and orphaned as a child by an explosion on the family yacht, Antonietta, a strong psychic, is heir to the Scarletti family fortune and the massive Scarletti palazzo, which accommodates all her relatives. When Byron learns that someone within the family is siphoning off the family treasures and slowly poisoning Antonietta, her grandfather and her cousin, he draws upon his supernatural powers to catch the villain. Feehan's prose is smoothly laced with romance and erotica, and the subject matter is titillating. But new readers may be daunted by the complexity of the Carpathian world, which has its own set of rules (e.g., Carpathian males can mate for life only with mortals who are psychic, and if they don't mate, they lose their emotions). Once readers gain a foothold in Feehan's fictional realm, however, they'll be roped in by this unconventional and intriguing installment.
