The Gameshouse

Book excerpt: Everyone has heard of the Gameshouse. But few know all its secrets . . . It is the place where fortunes can be made and lost though chess, backgammon - every game under the sun. But those whom fortune favours may be invited to compete in the higher league . . . where the games played are of politics and nations, of economics and kings. It is a contest where Capture the Castle involves real castles and where hide and seek takes place on the scale of a continent. Among those worthy of competing in the higher league, three unusually talented contestants play for the highest stakes of all . . . From Claire North, author of word-of-mouth bestseller The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and one of the most original new voices in modern fiction, comes the mesmerising tale of the Gameshouse, where games of chance and skill control the fate of empires. *Originally published as three digital-only instalments: The Serpent, The Thief and The Master.* Praise for Claire North: 'One of the fiction highlights of the decade' Judy Finnigan, Richard and Judy Book Club 'North's talent shines out' Sunday Times 'Little short of a masterpiece' Independent 'Poignant and intensely gripping' Guardian 'Terrific, smart and entertaining' Patrick Ness