The Fire
by Katherine Neville

List Price: $15.00
Pages: 464
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780345500687
Publisher: Ballantine Books

The spectacular chess game in The Eight --- the quest for the bejeweled chess set that once belonged to Charlemagne --- has captivated readers around the world with its exotic locales, fascinating historic figures, and labyrinthine plot. Long a book club favorite for the richness of its international themes, The Eight may also have "paved the way" for the reemergence of a timeless genre: the Quest novel.
--Publishers Weekly

Today, that same "Game" resumes, in force, in the dazzling sequel: The Fire. When the most critical piece of Charlemagne's chess set, the Black Queen, suddenly emerges, the quest leads us from 8th century Baghdad to the wilds of Colorado, to Albania, Russia, Rome, Morocco, and into a secret wilderness no one knows about --- hidden at the very heart of Washington, DC.

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1. Mother-Daughter relations:
Alexandra "Xie" Solarin, the protagonist of The Fire, was a child chess prodigy who was encouraged to play chess by everyone except her mother, Cat Velis. We know what dangers Cat was afraid of for her daughter --- but Alexandra does not realize this, and she severs relations with her mother early on. Alexandra's father, likewise, had lost contact with his mother at an early age. And Sage Livingston, Xie's arch-nemesis, has her own maternal hang-ups with her mother Rosemary.

What deep interconnections between mothers and their offspring are explored within The Fire? And how do these convey the message of the book's underlying theme?

2. Chess --- the Cosmic Game:
Why use chess as a structure for the novel? The chess board itself and the pieces all play roles as characters and plot elements in The Fire. To Alexandra, who thinks like a chess player, they mean something quite different than to the rest of us. How many different situations do we find which relate to everything from our ordinary "chess-like" tactics and strategies in life, up to the "cosmic" theme of chess: from moves that are made by the characters, to the layout and design of cities? How are these connected within the story?

3. Cuisine --- the root of all Good and Evil:
Neville's books all deal with food --- but in The Fire, the heroine, Xie, is actually an apprentice to a master chef in Washington DC. In most novels, food is rarely mentioned. But in this book, cuisine and its exquisite preparation appear in almost every scene. Why did Alexandra transition from being child chess prodigy to being a chef? How are the preparation and ingestion of food and liquor so critical to the story?

4. Byron and Freedom:
Lord Byron the poet died in Greece and will always be associated with the War of Greek Independence against Turkey, as depicted in The Fire. But as the book describes too, he also supported the Italians against their Austrian overlords, and many others. What critical role, in that respect, does Byron play in the underlying theme of the book? What is the importance of the message Shelley sends to him from his watery grave?

5. Catherine the Great and Power:
Catherine the Great, "Empress of all the Russias," is one of the few transitional characters to play an important role in both The Eight and The Fire. What is her key role --- and how does it affect the change from one idea of power to another?

6. New York City and Washington DC:
The important early scenes in The Eight are set in New York where Cat Velis is a young computer expert --- public places like the United Nations, the Diamond District, the Plaza, Central Park South. In The Fire, Cat's daughter Xie is more familiar with hidden places in Colorado and Washington DC. What parallels can be drawn from the contrasts between these two images?

7. Christianity and Islam:
The chess set of Charlemagne --- the first Holy Roman Emperor --- was not created (as we learn in The Fire) for Charlemagne. It was created in 775 AD in the then-brand-new city of Baghdad. What is the significance of the connection between the importance of this chess set for Islam --- which created it --- and Christianity --- which possessed it since the time of the first Emperor of the West?

8. "To Laugh or not to Laugh":
Why does Neville constantly use humor throughout these books --- even in situations which might seem to be dire? What is the importance of laughter in the midst of tragedy? What role do comedy, satire, and irony play in the telling of serious stories from our past?

Click here to read a series of essays written by a variety of authors (including Katherine herself) which explore in-depth aspects of each of her novels and --- in the case of The Eight and The Fire --- the interconnections between these diverse elements.

If you have especially interesting discussion questions for The Fire, Katherine would love to hear about them. Click here to submit your ideas.

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"Fans of Neville’s debut, The Eight (1988), which long before there was a Da Vinci Code featured a complex historical setting, ciphers, conspiracies, puzzles and a hunt for an object that could change the course of the world, will welcome this stellar sequel. Alexandra Solarin, child chess prodigy now grown, finds herself immersed in “the Game,” searching for a legendary chess set, the Montglane Service, which when assembled spells out the formula for the secret of immortality. The quest for the set ranges from the harem of Ali Pasha in 19th-century Albania to present-day Baghdad and Washington, D.C., and involves such historic figures as Charlemagne, Isaac Newton, Lord Byron and Napoleon. Despite the staggering amount and quality of the research, nothing feels shoehorned or extraneous. The story’s relentless pace is matched by characters both sympathetic and real. In the end, readers will be heartened to find signs pointing to the continuation of the Game in future novels. "

— Publishers Weekly

"Twenty years after The Eight, Neville finally unveils the next chapter in Cat Velis’ story. Alexandra Solarin, Cat’s daughter, receives an invitation from her mom to visit her in Colorado. When Alexandra arrives, she finds that her mother has vanished and that the clues left behind reveal a sinister mystery. To find her mom, Alexandra will have to pursue the same “game” that Cat did years earlier, searching for the pieces of an ancient chess set with mystical properties. Unfortunately, the people accompanying her on her journey might not be trustworthy. Alexandra’s quest is intertwined with the story of a young girl in 1822 named Haidee, faced with a parallel challenge involving the great English poet Lord Byron. Fans of The Eight who have long awaited the rest of the story will be delighted with this entrancing blend of history, chess, and high adventure."

— Booklist

"Dan Brown stands on the shoulders of a giant. Twenty years have passed since Neville (A Calculated Risk; The Magic Circle) transfixed readers with her debut novel, The Eight. No one knew how to categorize it; part historical novel, part contemporary thriller, the book became a cult favorite. Patience is a virtue, and Neville’s fans are a virtuous lot. Here is their reward. Set 30 years after the events of The Eight, the game that we thought ended has resumed with new players (although familiar characters figure into the plot in some way), and it returns as dangerous as ever. For those who haven’t read The Eight, there are some innovative plot recap devices, but fans may want to treat themselves to a delectable reread first. Neville deftly employs time-shifting storytelling and casts historical figures in her story with such dexterity that you are sure all these people must really have known one other. Ingenious puzzles, enthralling historical ambience, and masterful plot twists abound. More please! Highly recommended for all popular fiction collections."

— Library Journal, Starred Review

"Four stars. Intrigue and mystery fill the sequel to The Eight. In this detailed, engrossing follow-up, Neville's globe-spanning descriptions of Russia, the Middle East and the United States are vivid, her characters unusual and the plot intricately woven."

— Romantic Times