''The Fire'', published in 2008, is a novel by American author Katherine Neville. It is an

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

quest A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. The word serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore of ever ...

novel which is a sequel to her

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

'' The Eight''. The main character, Alexandra Solarin (daughter of Catherine Velis), must enter into a cryptic world of danger and conspiracy in order to recover the pieces of the Montglane Service, a legendary chess set once owned by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

. The novel contains several repeated elements from ''The Eight'' and was a

New York Times Bestseller ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

for six months.The Fire « Katherine Neville
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Plot summary

''The Fire'' is launched thirty years after the events of '' The Eight'', when a chess piece from the Montglane Service mysteriously resurfaces in Russia. The children of the previous characters know nothing of the quest of their parents, but are drawn into it nonetheless — and “The Game” is afoot again. The plot moves between modern day and the early 1800s, 30 years after the French Revolution. In 2008, Alexandra arrives to find that her mother is missing and that a series of strategically placed clues, followed swiftly by the unexpected arrival of a mysterious assortment of house guests, indicates that something sinister is afoot. Alexandra is swept into a journey that takes her from Colorado to the Russian wilderness and at last into her own hometown: Washington D.C. In 1822, Haidée – the daughter of a powerful ruler in the Ottoman Empire – is sent on a dangerous mission to smuggle a crucial piece of the Montglane Service out of Albania to the hands of the one man who might be able to save it. Haidée’s journey from Albania to Morocco to Rome to Greece, and into the very heart of The Game, leads to revelations about the powerful chess set and its history.

Reception

''The Fire'' received rave reviews, spending more than 6 months on bestseller lists around the world, including France, Spain, Holland, New York, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, and DC. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' called the novel “ nexotic, labyrinthine conspiracy tale . . . the perfect escapist adventure.” The ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

'' stated, "Katherine Neville’s follow up to ''The Eight'', a cult classic that impressed many readers as a more intelligent and literary precursor to Dan Brown’s ''The DaVinci Code.'' . . ''The Fire'' impresses as much for its literary aspects as it does for its action, puzzles and suspense . . . This is a book to be savored as it’s read, and admired for the beauty of its accomplishment.” In 2009 Neville was awarded the prestigious ''Silver

Nautilus Book Award The nautilus (, ) is a pelagic marine mollusc of the cephalopod family Nautilidae. The nautilus is the sole extant family of the superfamily Nautilaceae and of its smaller but near equal suborder, Nautilina. It comprises six living species in t ...

for Visionary Fiction'' for her novel, ''The Fire.''

References

2008 American novels American thriller novels {{2000s-thriller-novel-stub