{4.5\/5} “Ask yourself this, my lady: you play now to crown a king in Venice, and this is, I think, your very first game. Imagine the stakes that more experienced players must work for. Imagine the scale of their ambition.”<\/p>\n
The Gameshouse<\/strong> by Claire North, originally published in 3 parts in 2015<\/p>\n In the 17th century in Venice there is a Gameshouse. Thene’s husband goes there to lose money, but when one of the watchers asks her to play she does. And she meets the Gamesmaster, who invites her to play a different level of game — one where her piece is a man who desires a spot on the Supreme Tribunal.<\/p>\n This novel is in 3 sections. The 2nd takes place 300 years later in Thailand. The 3rd takes place in present day all over the world.<\/p>\n It’s about people who view the world as a game board to be played on. It’s a thrilling premise, and the stories have stunning details.<\/p>\n This is a world that North could revisit, not that I expect her to. Another book with the same structure — 3 stories with the same 3 protagonists — would be glorious.<\/p>\n