I have a love-hate relationship with Dan Brown novels. I find the novels formulaic, and the character of Robert Langdon patronising and preachy. I generally prefer the non-Langley novels, but I have read them all of Brown’s books and I did enjoy them. My favourite has been Angels and Demons; partly because I am Catholic, but primarily because I read the book during a Papal Conclave, making it topical and exciting.
I received The Eight novel by Katherine Neville free one purchase, and it is amazing. If you liked Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, you will love this one. Just as in Brown’s novels, I find the cryptic puzzle-within-a-puzzle and dramatic but vague pronouncements (‘you are the one’ ‘you know the answer already’) a bit much, but the story is magnificently written. This novel was first published in 1988, while the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown was published in 2003. Of the two, I much preferred this one because the writing was better and the story had more meat to it.
The book alternates between the 1700s French Revolution (more educational than what I learned in school) and Algeria just before the 1970s OPEC oil crisis. The masterful descriptions of events and landscapes brings them to life. There is meat on the bones of the premise, so even when it does become a little overplayed, you never want to put the book down. The basis of the book is chess, but you do not have to be a chess fan or a chess player to enjoy it. If love chess though, you are going to really enjoy this book.
I know some readers may find descriptions like these a bit over-the-top, but I loved them. For me, they created a vivid mental image of the desert landscape of Algeria.
As soon as I finished this one, I ordered The Fire.
