Review: Queen takes Knight
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 23, 2011
"One town's very like anotherWhen your head's down over your pieces, brother"("One Night in Bangkok" - Chess Soundtrack)Set in the 1960's, this enthralling story evolves around the game of chess, but requires no knowledge of the game to become completely drawn into the dark and mysterious world created by the author.  The young protagonists are as fiercely independent as they are skilled at the strategy of chess.  The young man is a descendant of Romani "royalty", and barely escaped from the tragic incident that claimed the lives of his parents when he was nine years old.  Unofficially adopted by the female engineer of a freight train, he lives on the rails and by his wits, always carrying his legacy - an ancient chess set with one piece missing.Five years later, he enters a chess tournament, and makes the acquaintance of a girl his own age, who turns out to be the other main character in the story.  She also carries with her a strange legacy, a gift from her father, who along with her mother is in prison for sedition.When Durriken, the young man, finds a letter written by his mother prior to her death, he realizes that he needs to find his grandfather, and accompanied (at her insistence) by the girl, Dilia, a quest begins.Here's where the book gets even more interesting as they follow clues, get into lots of trouble, and are menaced by an evil man with blood on his hands and a chess set on his mind.  Their journey is also one of self-discovery, and of growing up.Fast paced and thoroughly riveting, this is definitely recommended for anyone older than ten (due to some relatively graphic violence) and hopefully there's more to come.Amanda Richards, June 22, 2011