The Gamehouse by Claire North

 

The Gamehouse by Claire North

I've come to understand that Claire North's novels are high-concept. I first discovered her with Harry August which I really liked. I then read the Ithaca trilogy which, as greek myth retellings go is very high concept. And now The Gamehouse. Initially published as three linked novellas, the Gamehouse revolves around the title establishment, a kind of eternal casino that can pop up anywhere and in any time period. Aside from all the usual games, if you're good enough you get invited into a higher league where you can not just win and lose money, but years of life, memories, pledges of allegiance and much more. The first "book" follows the character of Thene, a smart woman in a bad marriage who gets invited in a challenge to see who can get a renaissance Venetian notable named to one of the highest offices in the city-state. The second "book" focuses on Remy, a player who enters a game drunk only to realise how the stakes go against him. Ensues a game of hide and seek where the board is 1930s Thailand. The final book focuses on Silver, a character we have encountered in the first two books, who initiates the biggest game of all, a game of existential proportions. All in all, it's a very successful novel on an unusual premise. I absolutely loved the second book, which I found thrilling on many levels, but the rest is great. I was a tad disappointed by the ending perhaps, but I had been suspecting for a while that it wouldn't be as satisfying as the rest of the book promised. Still, really cool discovery.