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A review by raven88
The Tournament by Matthew Reilly
4.0
Sometimes all you need is an entertaining easy read, that amuses and compels you by turn, and I think that is what The Tournament achieves in spades! This is a romp in the truest sense of the word, with its easy style, interesting manipulations of historical figures, and more than a touch of sauce about it. Reilly creates an imaginary world filled with richness, colour and vitality, centring on a chess tournament held in the realm of Constantinople, and believe me, I saw the word ‘chess’ in the blurb and thought instant snooze-fest: how wrong I was…
Centring on the young Elizabeth I, when she was a mere stripling of a teenager and way down the pecking order for the throne, she is taken on an adventure to foreign climes by her personal tutor, the enigmatic and charming Roger Ascham. The two enter into the distinctly alien world of Constantinople, accompanying a Mr Giles who is to take part in a champion of champions chess tournament hosted by the Sultan himself with the tournament peopled by a series of very recognisable figures from history, imaginatively gathered by Reilly in this one locale. Yes, there is a little manipulation of historical fact to achieve this- so any history purists look away now- but with the natural wit and brilliant set-ups that Reilly injects into these strange meetings it proves enormous fun. And soon there is a murder. And then more murders, and Elizabeth and Ascham, displaying his innate ability at psychological profiling and crime solving, find themselves in peril- it’s a hoot and at times a very sexy hoot at that. I would say that this book comes with a high ‘raunch-warning’ as Elizabeth’s travelling companion, the comely Elsie, embraces all aspects of this rich and sensual world with alarming regularity and in some detail- so be warned!
But joking aside, this is, beyond the very fun nature of it, a well-crafted book and kept those pages-a-turning. I loved the characterisation of Elizabeth in particular, and the way Reilly manipulates certain situations, so that with the knowledge we have of her, we can see how these experiences could have influenced her monarchy and personal character- in particular to her being unmarried, a skilful political and military tactician, and her general demeanour as queen. Likewise, I felt Reilly really captured the loyalty and intelligence of Roger Ascham, so pivotal throughout Elizabeth’s life, and loved the easy relationship between them. The characterisation generally was top-notch and really brought the more well-known participants in the story to life. As much as I thought the ‘chess’ element would bore me to tears, it was actually quite interesting, with Reilly inserting, at well paced junctures, little vignettes of chess history, that worked really rather well, in tandem with quotes from some of the protagonists themselves. The atmosphere and portrayal of location was colourful and rich, completely capturing for me, the grandeur and moneyed opulence of the Sultan’s palace, but not shying away from the less savoury goings-on, particularly in relation to the Roman Catholic embassy set within the palace grounds. Some things never change it would seem…
So to sum up, what fun The Tournament is! I fair raced through this enjoyable historical romp, with all its quirks, bloody murder and a bit of sauce. There’s enough recognisable historical detail to please most readers, and what Reilly manipulates plays well along the way, heightening the reader’s enjoyment of the book. An engaging and racy read to offset those dark winter nights…
Centring on the young Elizabeth I, when she was a mere stripling of a teenager and way down the pecking order for the throne, she is taken on an adventure to foreign climes by her personal tutor, the enigmatic and charming Roger Ascham. The two enter into the distinctly alien world of Constantinople, accompanying a Mr Giles who is to take part in a champion of champions chess tournament hosted by the Sultan himself with the tournament peopled by a series of very recognisable figures from history, imaginatively gathered by Reilly in this one locale. Yes, there is a little manipulation of historical fact to achieve this- so any history purists look away now- but with the natural wit and brilliant set-ups that Reilly injects into these strange meetings it proves enormous fun. And soon there is a murder. And then more murders, and Elizabeth and Ascham, displaying his innate ability at psychological profiling and crime solving, find themselves in peril- it’s a hoot and at times a very sexy hoot at that. I would say that this book comes with a high ‘raunch-warning’ as Elizabeth’s travelling companion, the comely Elsie, embraces all aspects of this rich and sensual world with alarming regularity and in some detail- so be warned!
But joking aside, this is, beyond the very fun nature of it, a well-crafted book and kept those pages-a-turning. I loved the characterisation of Elizabeth in particular, and the way Reilly manipulates certain situations, so that with the knowledge we have of her, we can see how these experiences could have influenced her monarchy and personal character- in particular to her being unmarried, a skilful political and military tactician, and her general demeanour as queen. Likewise, I felt Reilly really captured the loyalty and intelligence of Roger Ascham, so pivotal throughout Elizabeth’s life, and loved the easy relationship between them. The characterisation generally was top-notch and really brought the more well-known participants in the story to life. As much as I thought the ‘chess’ element would bore me to tears, it was actually quite interesting, with Reilly inserting, at well paced junctures, little vignettes of chess history, that worked really rather well, in tandem with quotes from some of the protagonists themselves. The atmosphere and portrayal of location was colourful and rich, completely capturing for me, the grandeur and moneyed opulence of the Sultan’s palace, but not shying away from the less savoury goings-on, particularly in relation to the Roman Catholic embassy set within the palace grounds. Some things never change it would seem…
So to sum up, what fun The Tournament is! I fair raced through this enjoyable historical romp, with all its quirks, bloody murder and a bit of sauce. There’s enough recognisable historical detail to please most readers, and what Reilly manipulates plays well along the way, heightening the reader’s enjoyment of the book. An engaging and racy read to offset those dark winter nights…