The Gameshouse

I had to waffle between 3 and 4 stars, so call this 3.5. But WHY? It's Claire North! You've never read anything of hers that you've disliked! Well, I didn't exactly dislike this one. The first of the three novellas was pretty raveworthy, like a Machiavellian back-stabby game of thrones for people in V......more

The Gameshouse has an excellent premise executed with some beautifully absorbing and quirky writing, telling a fascinating story of games played at a level that the most ardent of gamer’s would struggle to comprehend.. Imagine if you will that most of the turmoil in our world is caused not by chance,......more

Book 1 The Serpent was a 5 star novella. I love my intrigue books and this one drew me into its world and had me on the edge of my seat throughout. I loved the concept of the gameshouse, the setting and was actively cheering for our main character Thenie. I could not wait to read the other novellas......more

Say, four stars for the first novella and three plus for the remaining two. Claire North does well with big ideas, stories that span huge amounts of space and time, told with a curious sense of dettachment - even the third, which has a first person narrator. I liked the concept of the Gameshouse, wh......more

"Dice roll. Cards fall. Kingdoms topple. Emperors burn. The young are born and the old pass away. And always the Gameshouse, the Gameshouse, it lives, it turns, the Gamehouse waits. And my love too. The coin turns. The coin turns. And we are gone." Did I pick this book from my shelf randomly during a global p......more