Reviews

The Gameshouse by Claire North

joelthemole's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

barf_mobile's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

crimsoncor's review against another edition

4.0

Enjoyed it a lot. I thought the third part was the weakest, though still good. But it lacked the novelty of the first part, where we learn about the world, and the real humanity of the second one, where we get to follow the most interesting character. The ending is still quite incredible.

kimblefairy1989's review against another edition

5.0

I really enjoyed this book, made up of 3 novella's: The Serpant, The Thief and The Master.

The plot here was completely unlike anything I've every read before, and although I enjoyed the first two stories more than the third, it was overall a fantastic read.

dayle_dale's review against another edition

lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

badwolffan's review against another edition

4.0

That 2d story was a pain, but overall, this was a great read.

bluestarfish's review against another edition

4.0

Sure you can play games with, and gamble away, gold and riches and other physical objects, but what about a language learned? Years of your life? Your memories? As per usual there is a fascinating concept at the heart of the novel (or this case three novellas) that is then explored and prodded and examined. So what if the world is a big game and we are part of the pawns being played... The Serpent is the first novella and a fascinating setup for the idea. The next two novellas explore the consequences and intertwine with the world that was setup in the first one. Here we explore the cool logic vs the wild abandon/chaos views of humanity and the human consequences of treating everything as a game only to be won.

dhughes10's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

theaurochs's review against another edition

5.0

More excellent work from Claire North. And these stories were written back in 2015 when she still (mostly) used full sentences as well.
There's decent variety here in the three novellas we have presented to us; the first is a tale of intrigue and backstabbing in 1600s Venice, and probably is the strongest of the three. The second is an intense, drawn out game of cat-and-mouse across the countryside of Thailand, which is relentless in it's action but still has a great host of memorable characters. The third is the least focused, despite or perhaps because of it's larger scope.
All three focus around the mystical Gameshouse of the title, an institution somewhere slightly beyond the laws of nature which allows wagers for things like year of your life, or your skill at music, your beautiful eyes etc. It uses the somewhat unsubtle metaphor of chess and games in general to get across themes of structured life against chaos; what sacrifices we might be willing to make to be happy or to be safe; and humanity in the face of obscenity.
These stories are not perfect, but the sign of a great book to me is when I just don't care that not every aspect adds up perfectly, because it was such good fun to read. This is book is a lot of fun, and it has a fantastic pace to it. Makes me want to see North write a James Bond film somehow, that would be incredible.
But the prose continues to be lovely, mystical and ortherworldly whilst still being grounded. The characters, even the bit parts, could all walk right out of the pages. And the locations really manage to take me there, beautiful scenery.

emmadash2's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Addictive series of books with a new, exciting, angle under each cover. Mind blowing.