For our family reunion this year my nieces and nephews picked the first two books in this series for our Myrtle Beach book club.
I have essentially the same things to say about this one as I did for the first one, so rather than repeat myself, I'll add that the haikus was a fun touch. Plus Peaches cubed! Rating: 2 stars.
85. The Serpent (The Gameshouse #1)
I listened to the audiobook which is wonderfully narrated by Peter Kenny.
Don't you just love when you stumble onto something unexpected that delights you? That's exactly how I felt when I found The Gameshouse novella trilogy at my library's Hoopla account. I'd never heard of the author, it turns out she's got several pen names, and this series seems to have some passionate followers, so decided to try it. And was immediately hooked.
This first volume is set in 17th century Venice, and we meet a young woman who is married off to a drunk who spends her dowry on drink and gambling. The young women enters the Gameshouse, where fortunes are won and lost over various games, and proves herself worthy an invitation to the exclusive higher league of the house ... "a league where the games played are of politics and empires, of economics and kings. It is a league where Capture the Castle involves real castles, where hide and seek takes place on a scale as big as the British Isles." The game she plays is a one that will determine Venetian politics, but there are others who want the win the game as much as she does, will she prevail?
The language is wonderful, the setting of Venice beautifully described (especially if you have visited it), the characters interesting, and watching the game unfold is thrilling. If you enjoy interesting narrative forms, and are okay with uncertainty as you wait for the yarn to fully unfold, give this one a try. It's a feminist tale with intrigue, mystery, murder, political maneuvering, philosophical musings, and a look at humanity in a wonderful setting. I gobbled it up and downloaded the next in the series immediately upon completion. Rating: 4 stars.
86. The Thief (The Gameshouse #2)
Book blurb: In 1930s Bangkok, one higher league player has just been challenged to a game of hide and seek. The board is all of Thailand - and the seeker may use any means possible to hunt down his quarry - be it police, government, strangers or even spies ....
I listened to the audiobook which is wonderfully narrated by Peter Kenny.
This is the second novella in the Gameshouse trilogy and I loved it even more than the first one. If you have ever visited Thailand you'll get even more of a thrill as you read this installment. We've all played hide and seek as children, but not with stakes or allies like these! We get introduced to some new characters, and run into some old pals too. The writing continues to be wonderful, the characters well developed, the setting beautifully described, and I loved the exploration of philosophy, humanity, greed, gambling, and emotions evoked by games. And that ending! So dang good. As with the previous one, I gobbled it up and downloaded the final one in the trilogy. Rating: 5 stars.
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