Reddit Reddit: The Tournament

Reddit Reddit

The Tournament by Matthew Reilly

Available for $19.95 via Booktopia.

“Even a Pawn can become a Queen”

For fans of Matthew Reilly, I’ll say this quietly, The Tournament is the first of his novels I have read!

When I saw the publisher’s note I was attracted by the fact its cast of characters included one of my favourite historical people, the young Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII.

There is no historical proof Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, ever issued the following to the kings and nobles of Europe:

“You are invited to send your finest player to compete in a Chess Tournament to determine the Champion of the known World”.

Fact or fiction, setting the novel in 1546 and holding a chess tournament when Suleiman’s armies have recently conquered parts of Europe carving paths of death and destruction before them, is a great premise for a novel.

Queen Elizabeth 1 is an intriguing study; so much is speculated about her life because although a Princess she was declared “illegitimate” following the execution of her mother, Anne Boleyn and therefore removed from the line of succession.  Consequently her early life was not considered worth documenting, she was just one of numerous children not acknowledged by her father. For Matthew Reilly to make Elizabeth 1 and her real life tutor Roger Ascham leading players in the story was a huge attraction.

So I was somewhat surprised to find I was reading a detective novel, albeit a detective novel with a twist, where the chief detective is the venerable Sir Roger Ascham, ably assisted by young Miss Bess.  Regular readers of my reviews know I am not a big reader of the crime/detective genre, but so saying The Tournament is a very different book; an historical detective novel – why not?  The explanations of the various chess pieces are interesting and add to the book as a whole.  The descriptions of the games of chess played are sufficient for someone like myself (read total beginner) but may not satisfy a chess officiando, still I doubt chess players are the target demographic.

One of the reasons I shy away from the crime genre is my weak constitution when it comes to reading descriptions of the crimes committed and the amount of blood spilled.  The deaths in Reilly’s novel are barbaric, the amount of blood spilled is excessive, to say nothing of the political treachery and debauchery. But I kept reading which says more about”The Tournament” than you might expect.  I am notorious for not finishing books I don’t enjoy; you know the saying “Life is too short to waste on bad books”.

I was not comfortable reading some of The Tournament but that is about my reading preferences, not a comment on the novel itself.  Matthew Reilly writes a fast moving story and I can see why his books are so popular.  He develops his plot and characters very well, which is probably what kept me reading.

Incidentally I also read the prequel which Matthew made available free of charge as an eBook.  It is certainly not necessary to read the prequel and contrary to the term, it was written after The Tournament.  It was a short story, but again there was good character development, although more sinister crime.

For those of you familiar with his novels, I would love to hear your opinion; is this a departure from his usual style?  What is it about his work you love so much?  Please share your thoughts with us.

Available for $19.95 via Booktopia.

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About the Author

Born in Sydney in 1974, Matthew Reilly was not always a big fan of reading.

According to Matthew, ‘I actually disliked reading in my early high school years. I was given very dry old classics in Year 7 and it was only after I read To Kill A Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies in Year 10 that I realised reading could transport you to another world. Once I figured that out, I went out and found all the action novels I could!’

Following this revelation (and inspired by Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park) Matthew soon began creating stories of his own. And so he set about writing his first novel, Contest, at 19 while still at university studying law.

Available for $19.95 via Booktopia.