The Tournament
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4.1 • 23 Ratings
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
A tale of murder, passion and intrigue set in the majestic city of Constantinople.
From global superstar Matthew Reilly comes this gripping historical thriller . . .
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A PRINCESS IN DANGER
England, 1546. A young Princess Elizabeth is in a dangerous position as her older siblings jostle for the throne.
A TOURNAMENT UNLIKE ANY OTHER
Roger Ascham, Elizabeth's teacher and mentor, is determined to keep her safe. So when he receives an unusual invitation from the Sultan in Constantinople, asking him to take part in the greatest chess tournament the world has ever seen, he resolves to take the princess with him.
A DEVASTATING SECRET
But death stalks the streets of the glittering Ottoman capital - a cardinal has been found mutilated. Ascham is asked to investigate, but as he and Elizabeth delve deeper, they uncover a secret that marks the young Princess for life. And a darkness that defines the queen she will become.
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READERS LOVE THE TOURNAMENT
'So full of intrigue, it kept me reading late into the night'
'An amazing book. Thrills, spills, twists and turns'
'Action, adventure, history . . . A read that you cannot put down'
'Totally unputdownable . . . Magic stuff!'
'Another blinding read'
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The 13-year-old Princess Elizabeth Tudor, the narrator of this delightful, well-crafted thriller set in 1546 from Reilly (The Great Zoo of China), accompanies her tutor, Roger Ascham, to Constantinople, where the sultan Suleiman is hosting a tournament to determine the world's chess champion. As part of her political education, Elizabeth has a memorable encounter with arrogant young Ivan, "grand prince of the Duchy of Muscovy" and future Ivan the Terrible, but her life lessons turn to the deductive when Suleiman puts brilliant Ascham in charge of investigating the murder and mutilation of an anti-Islamic cardinal just before the tournament's start. She also gains a better understanding of man's carnal nature from hearing about the Ottoman crown prince's after-hours parties and spying on drunken priests cavorting with teenage boys in the priests' chambers. Reilly remains true to the realities of his historical characters and effectively communicates Elizabeth's feeling of being an inquisitive stranger without falling into undue exoticism.
Customer Reviews
Nice but
I have all Matthew's books and whilst I have enjoyed the chess side of it I have found it a bit CSI. Again, Matt's books are enjoyable and will not stop reading them