Finished
Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis a few days ago. First read Tevis because I'd liked The Hustler, and found he wrote the book it was based on. Surprised to find that despite it being one of my favourite films, the book was better. Proceeded to read The Man Who Fell To Earth (basis of a bizarre Nicolas Roeg film), didn't enjoy it nearly as much, and concluded he was good, but perhaps a bit of a one-hit-wonder. [censored] was I wrong.
Queen Gambit is probably one of the ten best books I've ever read. It blows The Hustler away. It blows me away.
The central character, a female chess prodigy with issues, is a work of art. The tone used suits the character and the story perfectly. The tension created, purely because you care so much whether she wins or loses (and not just at chess) is incredible. Far greater than most thrillers that rely purely on tension. At one point I put it down, because I thought I knew what was coming and wasn't in the mood for that sort of scene - turns out I guessed wrong, and I just couldn't see that the way he wrote it was inevitable given the characters. The reversals and outcomes are credible, no deus ex machina. The ending is spot on.
It shares certain similarities with The Hustler, but whereas The Hustler was a really good book, Queen's Gambit is a great book. In another 25 years it will be on its 40th reprinting, someone will pick it up, and they'll be just as blown away by it as I was.