“Stellar. . . Despite the staggering amount and quality of the research, nothing feels shoehorned or extraneous. The story’s relentless pace is matched by characters both sympathetic and real. In the end, readers will be heartened to find signs pointing to the continuation of the Game in future novels.”

—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A blockbuster thriller. . . The Fire is refreshingly original. . . a danger-crammed, picaresque narrative involving the legendary chess set. All of this is dashed off by Neville with great verve.”

—The Independent, UK

 

“[An] exotic, labyrinthine conspiracy tale . . . the perfect escapist adventure.”

—The Washington Post

 

“Dan Brown stands on the shoulders of a giant.”

—Library Journal

 

“For fans of The Da Vinci Code and The Rule of Four, Neville’s historical detective story . . . packs an epic wallop.”

—People Magazine

 

“Katherine Neville’s follow up to The Eight, a cult classic that impressed many readers as a more intelligent and literary precursor to Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code. . . The Fire impresses as much for its literary aspects as it does for its action, puzzles and suspense . . . This is a book to be savored as it’s read, and admired for the beauty of its accomplishment.”

—Chicago Sun-Times

 

“There will inevitably be comparisons to The Da Vinci Code and the National Treasure movies with Neville’s latest, but it’s a poor comparison. This book lords it over most recent historical thrillers with its sharp research and a story that doesn’t hit its reader over the head with that research. It’s been nearly ten years since Neville put out a book. It was worth the wait.”

—Rocky Mountain News

 

“Four stars. Intrigue and mystery fill the sequel to Neville’s popular 1988 novel, The Eight. In this detailed, engrossing follow-up, Neville’s globe-spanning descriptions of Russia, the Middle East and the United States are vivid, her characters unusual and the plot intricately woven.”

—Romantic Times 

 

“Neville deftly employs time-shifting storytelling and casts historical figures in her story with such dexterity that you are sure all these people must really have known one another. Ingenious puzzles, enthralling historical ambiance, and masterful plot twists abound. More please!”

—Library Journal

 

“The thriller for people who don’t read thrillers . . . A great read.”

—The Bethel Beacon

 

“[A] racing-across the globe, one-step-ahead-of-the-bad-guys treasure hunt.”

—Detroit Free Press

 

“Just as ambitious as its predecessor, Neville’s latest re-creates her fresh approach to storytelling . . . A chess set has never been more exciting than this one.”

—The Hartford Courant

 

“Fans of The Eight will enjoy this long-awaited sequel, with its abundant ciphers, intrigues and a splash of romance.”

—The Free Lance-Star

 

“Fans of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code likely will find this book difficult to put down.”

—Wisconsin State Journal

 

“After reading Katherine Neville’s novel The Eight years ago I had high expectations for this sequel. The Fire delivered more than I could have hoped — history, intrigue, chess moves, fascinating characters, and an engrossing plot. A great read that I can’t wait to recommend”

—Susan Sinclair, Newton Bookshop

 

“Katherine Neville has a remarkable ability to weave strands of history into one vivid tale. Readers who love culture, travel, and, of course, the detective work of research, will delight in this work.”

—Elizabeth Kostova, NY Times bestselling author

 

“I’ve been waiting 20 years to find out what happened after The Eight. Katherine Neville answers that longing in a story that skillfully moves players around a global chessboard and expertly blends history, science, myth, and more. Katherine Neville is the undisputed queen of the international suspense genre—long may she live.”

—Steve Berry, NY Times bestselling author

 

“One of the few contemporary narrators who [knows] how to pepper her works with just the right doses of esotericism, secret history, and mystery, long before those ingredients had been mixed into other remarkable cocktails.”

—Javier Sierra, NY Times & Internationally Bestselling Author 

 

“I’ve been waiting for this book for twenty years . . . and it still blew me away. Katherine Neville’s long-anticipated book, The Fire, proves once again that she is the true grandmaster of international intrigue and historical mystery. From the palaces of a lost Arabia to the halls of Washington, D.C., here is a story that twines the past and future into a complex game, played across millennia yet resting on the shoulders of a young woman with a destiny like no other. Relentless, gripping, convoluted, and grand …this is a classic for the new millennium.”

—James Rollins, NY Times bestselling author

 

“The Fire by Katherine Neville has got to be one of the best novels I’ve read this year, a masterpiece of riveting suspense, evocative history, exotic international settings, and beautifully crafted characters. The Fire is a compulsively readable novel for Da Vinci Code fans who want to graduate to a real writer, as brilliantly complex as a grand-master chess match. A bravura performance from a major talent, who keeps the excitement at a high pitch from beginning to end. I could not put this book down.”

—Douglas Preston, NY Times bestselling author

 

“The Eight was groundbreaking, mind-bending fiction when it first appeared, and the passage of twenty years has only reinforced its status as one of the most memorable books ever written.”

—Tess Gerritsen, NY Times & Internationally Bestselling Author 

 

“I was so impressed by The Eight that over the years I’ve read it several times. It gets better with each rereading. Katherine Neville created one of the great thrillers. It’s a powerful experience that has had enormous influence on many later thrillers that combine history with contemporary events.”

—David Morrell, NY Times Bestselling Author 

 

“Readers thrilled by The Da Vinci Code will relish the multi-layered secrets of The Eight.”

—Matthew Pearl, NY Times Bestselling Author 

 

“A thrilling narrative, the driving force of politics and conspiracy theory, computer wizardry, a priceless and long missing artifact, the weight and inevitability of the past on the present – credit here not Dan Brown but Katherine Neville and The Eight. On its 20th anniversary, it remains the gold standard, the glories of chess and the famous, bejeweled Montglane Chess Service seven more dazzling in conception. A work of such imagination and skill is truly timeless.”

—Barbara Peters, The Poisoned Pen

 

“As I think back on The Eight, I still have Katherine Neville’s voice in my head, creating word pictures that have become woven into my soul. The Eight is an intelligent bestseller that is well researched. A ‘Persian tale’ that is many tales woven into one magnificent epic. It’s been in print for twenty years and still has a cult following. Does that not make it a classic? I believe so. You do want to start reading Katherine Neville’s books when there is plenty of daylight as you will not be able to put them down… lacking sleep and late to work you will be.”

—Scott Meyer, Merritt Bookstore