The Master by Claire North

The Master by Claire North
Narrator: Peter Kenny
Series: The Gameshouse #3
Published by Hachette Audio on November 3, 2015
Genres: Fantasy
Length: 3 hrs 52 mins
Format: Audiobook
Purchase at Bookshop.org or Purchase at Amazon
Add on Goodreads

The Gameshouse is an unusual institution.

Many know it as the place where fortunes can be made and lost though games of chess, backgammon - every game under the sun.

But a select few, who are picked to compete in the higher league, know that some games are played for higher stakes - those of politics and empires, of economics and kings . . .

And now, the ultimate player is about to step forward.

Ah – the last of the trilogy. I’m sad to see it end. Honestly – read it. If you enjoy fantasy or games or just thrillers for that matter, this is a great set of novellas. In this last one, we even have a love story of sorts.

This time around the game is chess and our narrator has become one of the players, a player in the Great Game – the game for control of the Gameshouse. His name is Silver and he’s been working toward this moment for ages. He’s a King in the game, of course, and has gathered forces that he can deploy. His opponent has her own resources, possibly more powerful than his.

This one had even more action than the last two. Chess is a dangerous game, but it also has more meaning – for the world as a whole and for Silver personally.

My one complaint had to do with a part near the end. Silver became a little too melodramatic for me.

I don’t what else I can really say that I haven’t said in my reviews for The Serpent and The Thief. I love the use of language, of descriptions. Some of the characters are fully-developed, some are left a bit mysterious, which fits the mood of the novellas.

I am definitely glad I discovered Claire North. I’ve already started her newest novel.