Reviews

The Tournament by Matthew Reilly

dementomstie's review against another edition

4.0

This was a pretty great book. It's strange to get a really good mystery from an author who I don't usually think of when I think of really good mysteries. Usually when I'm reading a book by Matthew Reilly I'm expecting at least one exploding helicopter. That would be very difficult to pull off in this book.

It's 1546 and a grand Chess Tournament is being held in Constantinople(it's not yet Istanbul). The nations of the world are sending their best Chess players to the grand city to take part in the tournament and King Henry also sends his daughter Elizabeth and her teacher Roger Ascham.

While at the titular tournament one of the ambassadors from the Papal States is killed, and it's up to Roger to investigate the crime.

What follows is a thrilling mystery filled with some pretty great twists and a little too much well described sex.

SERIOUSLY: There is a character that her entire purpose of the book is to show what it's like to be promiscuous in the middle ages. It's... annoying. I'm in the middle of an otherwise standard thriller, and out of nowhere: SEX SCENE all capital letters. If it hadn't been an audiobook I would have just skipped those parts because they didn't seem to move the mystery forward at all.

Overall I thought the book was pretty great, and it's a well written historical mystery with plenty of interesting characters and plenty of people to dislike so you don't mind them being stalked by a serial killer.

melchiorm's review against another edition

4.0

Not as much action as a normal Matthew Reilly book, I enjoyed it.

marryd's review against another edition

3.0

Chess, mediaeval history and sexual politics seen through the eyes of the 13 year Princess Elizabeth and a modern author. A good read if unlikely.

niru3991's review against another edition

5.0

This is a clear departure from what Reilly has written in the past (do read all of his books - they are all action packed and have great stories), and Reilly shows us what a great storyteller he is. The book had me hooked with its central theme - chess, and Reilly's likening of the chess to the story, essentially a murder mystery intertwined with history, drew me in. Some context - the book is set in the 1500s, and involves Elizabeth I, her father Henry VIII, her renowned teacher Roger Ascham, and several other delightful and not so delightful characters of the time (do not be surprised by the people Reilly connects in the story - he is often excellent at that). A must-read for all fans of Reilly's earlier work, as it combines the action from the previous books with the wit required to successfully sell a murder mystery.

1838485938's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

harlooo's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

shhhhh_reading's review against another edition

3.0

Matthew Reilly is probably the only author that could turn a chess tournament into an action thriller. The Tournament is an easy read and is a nice escape from being mentally challenged.

vicki_v_sanders's review against another edition

5.0

The best book I've read by him.

bellahenry's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

2.75

caribouffant's review against another edition

1.0

Mildly interesting, and unputdownable.