Rating: 
Summary: Characters with an inner life would help
Review: I picked up this book because the review on the cover called it the female counterpart to Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. So much for book covers. A better comparison would be to Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, since both involve vast conspiracy theories and arcane magic. Eco's book works because it's really about people, and about the human fallibilities that make us want to believe such unlikely tales; Neville's characters, on the other hand, are too lifeless to support the implausible plot. Much heavy-handed foreshadowing and historical namedropping. Read Eco instead.
Rating:
Summary: I'm FINALLY finished...
Review: It has taken me almost a year and a half to finally complete this frustrating and disappointing literary journey. Why did I even bother you ask? Because from the first moments of this story, the reader is dragged-in by the idea of this mysterious secret formula that is so over-hyped, you feel guilty for not finding out what it is. I should have taken some advice from Harry Burns in "When Harry Met Sally" and read the last page first. And by the way, Ms. Neville...we're all so very impressed with your historical name-dropping.
Rating: 
Summary: Certainly NOT the best book ever, but an enjoyable read.
Review: There were lots of opinions I wondered about after reading the book, the blurbs being part of them (female "Name of the Rose" ?? Why ?). It's a fun book, nothing to think too much about, and I think it's virtues are a bit exaggerated. There are obvious weaknesses like the historical figures who appear partly just that their names are included in the novel. The ending is not very tidy (why on earth... no, I won't spoil it, but you'll know) and there are some parts where you'll wonder if this isn't a Harlequin romance novel after all. But quite a nice read, after all.
Rating: 
Summary: A compelling book worth reading over and over.
Review: As a student of European history, I thoroughly enjoyed the historical aspects of this book. It uses factual evidence and events, as well as famous historical characters. The characters all seem to some alive, they behave as real people and are not just one-dimensional. The plot is intriguing, gliding back and forth from the 1970's to the 1790's (the French Revolution specifically). It follows a mythical chess set, which if put together wields enormous amounts of power. I read it in no time at all, and I would have read it in one setting if I had had the time. My only complaint is that as I read it all of the pages fell out, having come unglued from the binding. Other than that it was a fantastic read that anyone will enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Gets better with every re-read
Review: I first read this book over ten years ago, and enjoyed it. Since that time, I have earned both a B.A. and M.A. With the additional educational background, the re-read of the book was fabulous! Neville knows her stuff -- and manages to weave together an interdisciplinary approach of highly sophisticated ideas while still telling a good story. I am looking forward to re-reading The Magic Circle with new perspectives.
A highly provocative book.
Rating: 
Summary: I love this book!!!
Review: I've read this book twice now, and have made my wife and best friend read it.
Ms. Neville created magic with this story - I loved how she put a twist on the lives of all these famous historical figures and wrote a female based "Indiana Jones". I loved how none of the characters were who you thought they were, and I'm a fan of the supernatural, so without giving anything away, I very much enjoyed the chess set and the power it holds. I also like the character of "Kat" and could easily see her on the big screeen searching through the desert and city streets looking for pieces of the chess service.
An extremely entertaining and thrilling read!!!
Rating:
Summary: Superior Flashbacks Runied by Modern Harlequin Romance
Review: The Eight This book was recommended to me by a co-worker and when I heard the build up about it, I thought I was really in for a treat. Don’t get me wrong, it is a passably good book. However the major strength of this book is it’s flashbacks to the French Revolution/The Terror, the incorporation of Robespierre, Marat, Catherine Corday, Catherine the Great, Charlemagne and so on. The parts that take place in the 1970’s are rather pedantic and the surprise ending as all of the pieces of the Montglane Service are gathered (or as many as possible) is interesting but again only because it harks back to the two hundred year old past.
Immortality, psychic children, the fall of Napoleon and so on (so much of European history is incorporated) does make the past itself come alive, dashing, full of life and danger. But it falls off in the present. The heroine simply isn’t compelling as her 200 past counterpart. This sharp contrast between two women, centuries apart, until the end, with a common goal and common enemies, weakens one and strengthens the other. In a nutshell, The Montglane Service (an ornate chess board and pieces) owned by Charlemagne is reputed to possess supernatural powers. In order to protect the world, the board and pieces are hidden in a convent and then the pieces are scattered throughout the world by nuns. Everyone is after the Service and it soon becomes apparent that the Service re-creates people into the positions of chess and pieces. This is fascinating as we literally read a chess game with characters being created. However when transported to the present day, it falls apart and becomes hokey. The weight of history and such compelling people supposedly involved with the Service adds a depth to the past that the froth of the present can’t match. I thought it would make an interesting film but I wasn’t sure if the book would have to be made in a linear fashion without constant flashing back or if it were too complex of a tale with too many characters to work visually. So, in sum, my review, like the book itself is split. It did create an interest in me about The Terror and Catherine the Great and Potemkin and so on. Which for a piece of fiction was pretty impressive. The book itself becomes a Potemkin and you’ll have to know your Catherine the Great history to get that reference. Three stars.
Rating:
Summary: A Grand Escape
Review: First, let me say that I have read this book several times and have enjoyed it each time more than the last. And, like another reviewer, I have lent copies out - more than once - never to see (and never EXPECTING to see) their return. That said, I was shocked at the intensity with which some reviewers reviled this novel. I am first assuming that these individuals have read numerous Harlequin romances (and apparently destroyed them quickly thereafter in fits of rage and disgust) as they seem to be familiar enough with the genre to draw comparisons. Never having read such literature myself and not really wishing to denigrate those who do, I have only to say that using such an obvious pop reference to elicit a gut reaction from those reading these reviews is fairly cheap; hardly evidence of the intelligence that these ersatz writers clearly believe they possess. The stories that are interwoven so cleverly in The Eight (those of a pair of young nuns attempting to keep safe the secret of their Abbey during the French Revolution AND that of an intelligent young woman in the 1970's being unwillingly pulled into a plot of international intrigue) are so complex and so deftly drawn that even if one should have quarrel with some plot points or the inclusion of certain scenes, I think that the overall intelligence of the writer can't be called into question. While its obvious that a novelist such as Eco, for instance, could have made this story into the intellectual and philological bonanza that some would apparently expect to be enjoyed by those of us that aren't pittering 12-year old girls or similar, LET'S BE HONEST! Most of us don't want to read with a dictionary and encyclopedia standing by. (And stop that smarmy smirking all ye college professors out there who probably have trouble keeping track of your own pants...) In fact, most of us enjoy the escape of stepping into the shoes of a heroine who is maybe a little more accomplished than us, yet still likes a roll in the hay with a mysterious Adonis. Most of us like to imagine (okay, believe) that the historical events and figures that we learned about in our most boring classes are but shadows cast on the wall of reality. Most of us have passion and imagination and longing inside that is strong enough to let us suspend our disbelief just long enough to enjoy a grand escape on the order of The Eight. Those of you that think otherwise - Hollywood-types, literary types, and the rest - you are entitled to your opinion, but you might consider letting some other people in on it. Somebody like J.K. Rowling, for instance. (She's been wasting her time!) But to the dreamers of dreams large and small, The Eight is for you. -P.S. I ain't no romance writer, ma, I'm just flowering it up enough to rile those Harlequin haters - yeeeee-ha!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book!
Review: After reading this book an admitted 4+ times in the last 10 years, I can say without a doubt that this is my favorite book! I've recommended it to a number of people who have become enchanted with it also. I think the story is a wonderful blend of history, adventure, fantasy and a tiny bit of romance. Perfectly balanced for a can't-put-down read. If only all books were as wonderful as this one!
Rating:
Summary: Just another book
Review: The really good thing about this book is the end, the rest of the book it really doesn't have any sense, but to understand the end you have to read the book, don't waist your time with this one.
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