The Eight cover art

The Eight

A Novel

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The Eight

By: Katherine Neville
Narrated by: Susan Denaker
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £27.19

Buy Now for £27.19

LIMITED TIME OFFER

£0.99/mo for 3 months - terms apply. Offer ends 24 August 2026.
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.... Historical Suspense Technothrillers Thriller & Suspense
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

“Readers thrilled by The Da Vinci Code will relish the multi-layered secrets of The Eight.”
—MATTHEW PEARL, author of The Dante Club

“A BIG, RICH, TWO-TIERED CONFECTION OF A NOVEL . . .
A ROUSING, AMUSING GAME.”
—San Francisco Chronicle

“A fascinating piece of entertainment that manages to be both vibrant and cerebral . . . Few will find it resistible.”
—Los Angeles Times Book Review

“With alchemical skill, Neville blends modern romance, historical fiction, and medieval mystery . . . and comes up with gold.”
—People
All stars
Most relevant
A great read, the two storyline come together very well, I listened for hours at a time and was gripped by the story. The conclusion of the book isn't blatently obvious as you'd expect. If you're a chess lover you'll like this book, best listen I've had for ages!!!

The Eight is Brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I read this years ago when it was first out in paperback and then lent it to everyone I knew; in the end I had to buy another copy as it got passed around so much the fist one fell to bits.

Fantastic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A complex plot. Belief needs to be suspended at times throughout the book. It ticks along!

A bit unbelievable at times.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I realise that in reading fiction of this type one has to suspend one's sense of reality; this book stretches it to beyond breaking point. Disjointed writing and therefore hard to follow. I can't recommend it.

The Eight

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.