---Book Review---
Title: The Eight
Author: Katherine Neville
Reviewed by: Jessica Jia
-February 26, 2008-
Heroes and villains alike are scouring the earth looking for the long scattered pieces of the Montglane Chess Service. It is rumored that who ever assembles the pieces and solves the formula will hold the power to rule the world.
"The Eight" is witty and original. Neville has cleverly entwined some of histories most famous characters in a secret plot that the world once never knew. All of a sudden, history is rewritten, and the characters' motives are darker than what we once thought. Thanks to this book, I think I have the next chapter of my social studies class covered.
Katherine Neville's novel jumps back and forth between different characters, each following their own adventures. Her two main characters are Catherine Velis and Mereille De Remy; two young women on a whirlwind voyage. Though their lives are separated by thousands of miles and hundreds of years in between, the heroines are both involved with the mysterious chess set called The Montglane Service.
This novel was fantastic in the sense that it helped me remember history's most famous figures. Though that was not my original intention when I picked up the book; that is what I would most recommend it for. Overall the writing was average. I could really tell that Katherine Neville was personifying herself in the character Catherine Velis. It's a little obvious. What I really hated was that I did not want to hear the character Catherine constantly saying things such as (and I quote), “Little did I know that thirty blocks away, a move was about to take place that would soon alter the course of my life….” Well, obviously you wouldn't have a clue because you are the first-person narrator; but why turn omniscient and tell me that “…little would you know”? Of course you wouldn't know! This set my teeth on edge and led me to deduce Katherine Neville to be an amateur writer. That, and the book needed some editing—it was a huge pain for me to cart around the giant monstrosity.
So in the end, “The Eight” was good enough to take me through all 550 pages (aha! I meant it when I said that I wanted some editing), and it wasn’t all that bad. I have heard various reports that some people really love it; so my best advice is to read it yourself to decide.
Title: The Eight
Author: Katherine Neville
Reviewed by: Jessica Jia
-February 26, 2008-
Heroes and villains alike are scouring the earth looking for the long scattered pieces of the Montglane Chess Service. It is rumored that who ever assembles the pieces and solves the formula will hold the power to rule the world.
"The Eight" is witty and original. Neville has cleverly entwined some of histories most famous characters in a secret plot that the world once never knew. All of a sudden, history is rewritten, and the characters' motives are darker than what we once thought. Thanks to this book, I think I have the next chapter of my social studies class covered.
Katherine Neville's novel jumps back and forth between different characters, each following their own adventures. Her two main characters are Catherine Velis and Mereille De Remy; two young women on a whirlwind voyage. Though their lives are separated by thousands of miles and hundreds of years in between, the heroines are both involved with the mysterious chess set called The Montglane Service.
This novel was fantastic in the sense that it helped me remember history's most famous figures. Though that was not my original intention when I picked up the book; that is what I would most recommend it for. Overall the writing was average. I could really tell that Katherine Neville was personifying herself in the character Catherine Velis. It's a little obvious. What I really hated was that I did not want to hear the character Catherine constantly saying things such as (and I quote), “Little did I know that thirty blocks away, a move was about to take place that would soon alter the course of my life….” Well, obviously you wouldn't have a clue because you are the first-person narrator; but why turn omniscient and tell me that “…little would you know”? Of course you wouldn't know! This set my teeth on edge and led me to deduce Katherine Neville to be an amateur writer. That, and the book needed some editing—it was a huge pain for me to cart around the giant monstrosity.
So in the end, “The Eight” was good enough to take me through all 550 pages (aha! I meant it when I said that I wanted some editing), and it wasn’t all that bad. I have heard various reports that some people really love it; so my best advice is to read it yourself to decide.
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