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steve_32 's review for:
The Betrayals
by Bridget Collins
The Betrayals is an intricately plotted book that confuses and amazes in equal quantities. It is extremely imaginative and could be described as a fantasy, mystery, political allegory with a touch of romance.
Leo Martin, a culture minister in an authoritarian government voices disapproval at fascist bills that are being proposed such as the Heritage Bill to tax books to the hilt and the Purity Bill to remove rights from undesirables such as Christians, communists and the homeless. For voicing decent loses his job as a minister and is sent to Montverre, where he was a former scholar, to feed back information to the government. Montverre a place where the ‘national game’ of Grand Jeu is studied; an elusive game that combines prayer, maths, music and ideas in an atmosphere of meditation, and is taught and overseen by a Magister. We first see Montverre through the eyes of ‘The Rat’ hiding in the shadows and possibly not a rat. Montverre is a male only establishment but by mistake they have appointed Claire Dryden as a Magister. Leo can’t help but notice that Claire looks like his old friend and rival when he was previously studying at Montverre. With the stage set we now settle in to two stories as we learn about Leo’s previous time spent at the college and the current events.
The novel keeps you guessing as what happened in the past and how they affect current events until near the end where there is a very satisfying final twist. Highly entertaining, highly recommended.
Leo Martin, a culture minister in an authoritarian government voices disapproval at fascist bills that are being proposed such as the Heritage Bill to tax books to the hilt and the Purity Bill to remove rights from undesirables such as Christians, communists and the homeless. For voicing decent loses his job as a minister and is sent to Montverre, where he was a former scholar, to feed back information to the government. Montverre a place where the ‘national game’ of Grand Jeu is studied; an elusive game that combines prayer, maths, music and ideas in an atmosphere of meditation, and is taught and overseen by a Magister. We first see Montverre through the eyes of ‘The Rat’ hiding in the shadows and possibly not a rat. Montverre is a male only establishment but by mistake they have appointed Claire Dryden as a Magister. Leo can’t help but notice that Claire looks like his old friend and rival when he was previously studying at Montverre. With the stage set we now settle in to two stories as we learn about Leo’s previous time spent at the college and the current events.
The novel keeps you guessing as what happened in the past and how they affect current events until near the end where there is a very satisfying final twist. Highly entertaining, highly recommended.