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The Gameshouse

Series: The Gameshouse
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( 2,240 ratings, 276 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Gameshouse by Claire North is set in a mysterious place where games are more than leisure; they involve people, power, and even the fate of nations. Players manoeuvre through high-stakes challenges that affect real-world outcomes, with risks and rewards beyond imagination. The story weaves between different times and settings, exploring how the ambition and cunning of its characters shape their destinies.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy immersive stories where the lines between reality and game blur, featuring a secretive house where skilled players engage in high-stakes competitions. If you appreciate tales with intriguing settings, clever twists, and a philosophical exploration of choice and consequence, this narrative might be perfect for you.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

From the author of the word-of-mouth phenomenon The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August comes a mesmerising tale of a mystical gambling house whose deadly games of chance and skill control the fate of empires

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Everyone has heard of the Gameshouse. But few know all its secrets . . .

It is the place where fortunes can be made and lost through chess, backgammon β€” every game under the sun.

But those whom fortune favours may be invited to compete in the higher league . . . where the games played are of politics and nations, of economics and kings. It is a contest where Capture the Castle involves real castles and where hide and seek takes place on the scale of a continent.

Among those worthy of competing in the higher league, three unusually talented contestants play for the highest stakes of all . . .

From Claire North, author of the word-of-mouth bestseller The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and one of the most original new voices in modern fiction, comes the mesmerising tale of the Gameshouse, where games of chance and skill control the fate of empires.

Originally published as three digital-only novellas The Serpent, The Thief, and The Master.

Praise for Claire North:

'One of the fiction highlights of the decade' β€” Judy Finnigan, Richard and Judy Book Club

'North's talent shines out' β€” Sunday Times

'Little short of a masterpiece' β€” Independent

'Poignant and intensely gripping' β€” Guardian

'Terrific, smart and entertaining' β€” Patrick Ness

Series: The Gameshouse

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  • The Gameshouse
    Everyone has heard of the Gameshouse. But few know all its secrets . . . It is the place where fortunes can be made and lost through chess, backgammon β€” every game under the sun. But those whom fortune favours may be invited to compete in the higher league . . . where the games played are of politics and...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Gameshouse by Claire North is praised for showcasing the author's exceptional talent, being described as both a literary highlight of the decade and a near-masterpiece. Reviewers commend it for being terrific, smart, and entertaining, solidifying its status as a standout work in general fiction.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780356513126

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 30 May 2019

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Orbit

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 124.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 340g

Pages: 432

About the Author

Claire North is a pseudonym for Catherine Webb, who wrote several novels in various genres before publishing their first major work as Claire North, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. It was a critically acclaimed success, receiving rave reviews and becoming a word-of-mouth bestseller. They have since published several hugely popular and critically acclaimed novels, won the World Fantasy Award and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, and been shortlisted for the Sunday Times/PFD Young Writer of the Year Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the Philip K. Dick Award. They live in London.

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