18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
fun read; polished writing, December 25, 1999
August Riordan's smart mouth and take-no-prisoners attitude make this page-turner really fun to read. Coggins deft, tight prose and dialog keep things moving and complement the fast-paced action and plot twists. The '90s update of the hard-boiled private eye makes for many memorable encounters. For me, the backdrops of Silicon Valley high tech and San Francisco subculture offer many familiar and not-so-familiar references, all nonetheless authentic and vivid. Each chapter starts with a provocative photograph (the author is an accomplished photographer as well as writer) tied directly to some aspect of the story in that chapter. In addition to being a great read, the book's high production values, particularly in book design, make it a rare find.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Compulsively Readable, June 14, 2000
"The Immortal Game" - chess afficionados willrecognize it as the famous battle between Anderssen and Kieseritzkywith the ingenious endgame, while mystery fans will instantly draw parallels with other crime novels that carried chess themes. This is a more than competent debut by Mark Coggins and he successfully recreates a Chandler-esque flavor throughout the novel. In fact, many fans will no doubt enjoy spotting various little references to Chandler and other hard-boiled greats.
The premise itself is relatively simple: millionaire game developer, Edwin Bishop, has had the latest - and only - copy of his Grand Master-level, computer chess game stolen. He comes across an almost identical game at a trade convention and hires PI August Riordan to track down the stolen program and Tracy McCulloch, his former live-in female companion whom he suspects for the crime. What ensues is a page-turning tour through the Bay Area's more "interesting" locales. Riordan encounters thugs, killers, computer geeks, transvestite entertainers, socialites and a fair share of dominatrices. Highly entertaining and compulsively readable, I zipped through this one in no time at all. Will I pick up Mr. Coggins' next novel (tentatively titled "Vulture Capital")? Most definitely - he's a very good writer with a solid grasp of pacing and dialogue. The characters are well drawn too, especially that of Chris Duckworth, Riordan's sidekick wannabe. There is a lot of material here that can be solidly followed up on in subsequent novels - there is at least one other August Riordan novel in the works.
Now for the quibbles. As an homage to Chandler, Hammett, etc., "The Immortal Game" fulfills every expectation I had of it. However, Mr. Coggins mentioned in his amazon.com interview that the novel carries a major chess theme, and I have no choice but to take issue with that. Sure, the plot of the novel surrounds a stolen piece of chess software and the solution to the mystery does have something to do with The Immortal Game, but that's about as far as it goes. Riordan himself does not know much about chess, although he does learn quite a bit about it by the end of the case. The other major quibble is that Mr. Coggins' description of the stolen piece of software just doesn't seem all that compelling. There is a virtual reality game interface and an artificial intelligence or human emulation engine built into it that allows the computer to perform like a real player, i.e. declining gambits, accepting tactical sacrifices for positional/strategic gains, etc. Well, there are quite a few examples of chess games out there that already do this and have for some time. In fact, the stolen chess game could have been substituted for just about anything else - some other kind of software, jewellery, confidential documents - and the novel would still have been as good.
As things stand, I think I'd say that chess appears more as a device rather than a theme or motif. If you're an avid chess fan, you'll be disappointed by the intermittent role that the game plays in the story - look for Paolo Maurensig's "The Luneberg Variation" or Arturo Perez-Reverte's "The Flanders Panel" instead. I'm sure that most mystery fans will enjoy "The Immortal Game" and those who don't already know much about Anderssen Vs. Kieseritzky might feel inspired enough to do some of their own research afterwards. If the sign of a good book is its ability to open the doors to new worlds and interests, then I'm sure that Mark Coggins has done an admirable job with this fine debut effort.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THIS IS A GREAT BOOK!, February 8, 2000
I live in Texas and did not have access to this book, but was lucky enough to get it from a friend in California. I'm very glad I got it because this is one of the most entertaining mysteries I've ever read. The lead character, August Riordan, is possibly the most enjoyable character that I've had the good fortune to 'meet'. I finished this book way too quickly and hope that the author, Mark Coggins, writes fast. I look forward to more August Riordan mysteries and hope you get a copy of this book and read it. You will not be disappointed (my personal guarantee). The Immortal Game is a book that deserves a WIDE audience and I hope this review helps just a little.
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