• The Gameshouse

  • The Serpent, The Thief and The Master
  • By: Claire North
  • Narrated by: Peter Kenny
  • Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (180 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Gameshouse  By  cover art

The Gameshouse

By: Claire North
Narrated by: Peter Kenny
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.00

Buy for $25.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

From the author of the word-of-mouth phenomenon The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August comes a mesmerising tale of a mystical gambling house whose deadly games of chance and skill control the fate of empires. 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 best-seller 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.

©2015 Claire North (P)2015 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Utterly readable, utterly believable and compelling...one of the fiction highlights of the decade." (Judy Finnigan on The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August)

"Beautiful and gripping." (Guardian on The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August)

"North's talent shines out." (Sunday Times)

What listeners say about The Gameshouse

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    100
  • 4 Stars
    53
  • 3 Stars
    20
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    127
  • 4 Stars
    23
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    80
  • 4 Stars
    46
  • 3 Stars
    22
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Slow at the beginning, almost annoying but then

it's really worth listening or reading, the final part is so rewarding. Very unique narrative. And the reader is great, specially for accents !

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

I found this book completely mesmerizing. Wonderfully performed and so well written. Clair North is a writer I will continue to follow, I have enjoyed all her books so far

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Uninspired

This should be a compelling story. Maybe it doesn’t work as an audiobook. Maybe it is too many insufficiently developed, too similar characters. But I just couldn’t get through it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent! North and Kenny are perfect.

My favorite author after Iain Banks and Paolo Bacigalupi. Engaging story, excellent narration, just a wonderful book to listen to. Now I'm out of Claire North novels... frustrating!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sterling narration

Even reading the book would not be as enjoyable since Peter Kenny’s narration is so outstanding. Absolute class and really adds to what is a very well crafted tale.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best Book Ever

Takes you on 3 amazing journeys! I think this book is highly underrated! Just read it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Simple Premise, Brilliant Execution

I could not have enjoyed this more :) listened to it in it's entirety on a single car trip, which turned the experience from a chore to a delight. The entire book is modeled around the players of the game of kings and empires. It has all the fun of the political machinations of the great fantasy series, with some absolutely stunning prose to boot. This narrator and writer both have quickly become some of my absolute favorites.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

what a great story

this book had me hooked the entire time. i would recomend this to anyone. read this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!