its name after it was given by Charlemagne to a loyal friend who controlled the Montglane region of France, and who later willed it to be protected by the nuns of Montglane. Neville based her concept of the chess set on similar sets described in medieval romances, such as the "Legend of Charlemagne", and the Charlemagne chessmen. Reception The Eight received positive reviews from the San Francisco Chronicle and the Los Angeles Times Book Review. The Washington Post Book World called it "a feminist answer to Raiders of the Lost Ark". Florence King of The New York Times reviewed the book negatively, criticizing the plot and Neville's writing. Publishers Weekly said, "this spellbinder soars above the level of first-rate escapist entertainment.” Detroit News called the novel “A gutsy, multi-genre leap through history, full of puzzles and mysteries… The Eight‘s plotting and execution are masterfully handled.” “Intriguing, fast-moving… Crammed with skullduggery and a chess-based plot that hops between the eighteenth and [twentieth] centuries," said the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Booklist praised the novel, stating, “The taut, suspenseful narrative is interwoven with a seemingly infinite number of mathematical puzzles, crosswords, and cryptograms… History, mystery, and adventure galore.” Release details See also The Fire (2008 sequel) References 1988 American novels American historical novels Fiction set in 1972 Fiction set in 1790 Novels set in Algeria Novels about chess Ballantine Books books Works about Maximilien Robespierre Cultural depictions of Napoleon Cultural depictions of Maximilien Robespierre Cultural depictions of Catherine the Great Cultural depictions of George Washington Cultural depictions of Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord 1988 debut novels