The Secrets of the Chess Machine
1st Edition
Published on 7. February 2008
352 pages
978-0-14-191955-3 (ISBN)
Description
In Vienna in 1770 Baron Wolfgang von Kempelen unveils his astonishing invention: the Mechanical Turk, an unbeatable chess-playing machine. But von Kempelen is no mechanical genius. Rather, he's a conman, as Tibor, the dwarf locked inside the device, will attest.
As the pair tour Europe and become involved in a host of picaresque adventures, barely keeping the secret as they beat all comers, they at last come unstuck when a beautiful countess dies in the presence of the Turk.
Suddenly von Kempelen, Tibor and his Turk are the objects of suspicion and the targets of persecution and espionage. And that is before more unexplained deaths further complicate matters ...
As the pair tour Europe and become involved in a host of picaresque adventures, barely keeping the secret as they beat all comers, they at last come unstuck when a beautiful countess dies in the presence of the Turk.
Suddenly von Kempelen, Tibor and his Turk are the objects of suspicion and the targets of persecution and espionage. And that is before more unexplained deaths further complicate matters ...
Reviews / Votes
If you liked Perfume by Patrick Sueskind, then you'll love The Secrets of the Chess Machine. Loehr's magical novel of murder and intrigue in the age of enlightenment will grip you from the very first page * Harper's Bazaar * Solid, briskly paced historical fiction * The Observer * A wonderful romp...full of intrigue, betrayal, violence, chases, sexual tensions and unexpected encounters * The Independent *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
no pictures
File size
1,86 MB
ISBN-13
978-0-14-191955-3 (9780141919553)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Robert Lohr
The Secrets of the Chess Machine
Book
02/2008
Penguin Books Ltd
€29.91
Article exhausted; check different version
Persons
Robert Loehr was born in Berlin, and grew up there and in Bremen and Santa Barbara, California. He trained as a journalist at the Berlin School of Journalism, then worked for Sat. 1 news and for the Berlin daily papers Der Tagesspiegel, Berliner Zeitung and Taz. He then trained as a screenwriter at the German Film and Television Academy and after many years writing screenplays and plays, Robert Loehr decided to try his hand at a novel. The Secrets of the Chess Machine is his first.
