Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
Release Date: July 21, 2015
Publisher: Gallery Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Thrillers / Historical
The year is 1546, and Suleiman the Magnificent, the feared Sultan of the
Ottoman Empire, issues an invitation to every king in Europe: You are invited to send your finest player to compete in a chess tournament to determine the champion of the known world.
Thousands
converge on Constantinople, including the English court’s champion and
his guide, the esteemed scholar Roger Ascham. Seeing a chance to
enlighten the mind of a student, Ascham brings along Elizabeth Tudor, a
brilliant young woman not yet consumed by royal duties in Henry VIII’s
court.
Yet on the opening night of the tournament, a powerful
guest of the Sultan is murdered. Soon, barbaric deaths, diplomatic
corruption, and unimaginable depravity—sexual and otherwise—unfold
before Elizabeth’s and Ascham’s eyes. The pair soon realizes that the
real chess game is being played within the court itself…and its most
treacherous element is that a stranger in a strange land is only as safe
as her host is gracious.
Matthew Reilly's The Tournament is a historical thriller that takes place in 1546. The story features Queen Elizabeth I, who at the time was just Elizabeth Tudor (1533-1603), and not yet in the minds of anyone in the of succession let alone the people of England. Suleiman the Magnificent (1494-1566), the feared Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who has come close to conquering a large part of Europe, has issued invitations to the finest chess players in Europe and the known world:
You are invited to send your finest player to compete in a chess tournament to determine the champion of the known world.
Thousands
will eventually converge on Constantinople, including the English court’s champion, Gilbert Giles, and
his guide, the esteemed scholar Roger Ascham (1515-1568) who has been Elizabeth's tutor. Seeing a chance to
enlighten the mind of his student, Ascham brings along Elizabeth, a
brilliant young woman not yet consumed by royal duties in Henry VIII’s
court, or involved in any political machinations. After a long, and tedious voyage across Europe, and with assassin attempts waiting in the wings, Elizabeth, Roger, Giles and Bess's watcher, Elsie, finally arrive with some minor set backs.
The Sultan's chess tournament features guests like Michelangelo, as well as the boy who will later become Ivan the Terrible. Yet on the opening night of the tournament, a powerful guest of the Sultan's is murdered and Roger is asked by Suleiman to help identify the killer or killers. Soon, barbaric deaths, diplomatic corruption, and unimaginable depravity—sexual and otherwise—unfold before Elizabeth’s and Ascham’s eyes. The pair soon realizes that the real chess game is being played within the court itself…and its most treacherous element is that a stranger in a strange land is only as safe as her host is gracious.
Aside from the fact that Reilly spends way too much time with Elsie and her sexcapades, one of the biggest question is whether or not this Chess Tournament actually took place. In my mind, this was fictional yet entertaining. There is also a distinct hatred towards the Catholic Church, yet I am not going to spend a whole time defending the history of the Church. No one should. The story beings, and ends as the Queen, who has never married, nor had any children, is on the cusp of dying and she tells a tale to her best friend Gwinny Stubbes.
The Tournament uses a magnificent chess championship with bitter rivalries, to highlight issues prevalent at the time, such as politics, philosophy, intrigue, spies, religion and culture. One could legitimately say that Elizabeth's journey through in the novel, although fictional, played an important role in the long term, shaping many of the decisions she made whilst on the throne. It's curious that Elizabeth and Ivan remained cordial even when he was terrorizing his own country. I also think that Elizabeth took lessons from Suleiman in ensuring that she knew what was coming before it raised its ugly head.
Reilly is really good at writing thrillers, but this story let me down. Not because the mystery was done badly. Not that I found the characters to be over the top and unrealistic, but Elise's desire to catch a prince and thus become Queen was nauseating. I know this was supposed to make Bess, aka Elizabeth, understand what sexuality was, and why it shouldn't be looked down on, but cherished, and celebrated.
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