Check, mate.

Governments fall and economies decline. Banks shatter, computers fail, militaries rebel, borders close, deals collapse, pipelines run dry, satellites burn, men die, the world turns and the game goes on.

I wouldn't say it was a perfect conclusion to this wonderful mini-trilogy -- of the three novellas, this is probably the weakest, maybe because North promised so much it's practically impossible to deliver -- but it's certainly a satisfying one.

The Great Game - a game for the gameshouse itself, finally unfolds, bringing together characters from the previous books in a game of chess that spans the entire world. As pawns are moved and lives are lost, we gain a peak into the history of the gameshouse, and its very nature. But only a peak. Many questions are left unanswered. Which is part of the wonder of this book series.

I can't help but compare this trilogy to The Mirror Thief, which I recently read. Both tell three stories spread across centuries, both are fascinated with the nature of gambling and games, both even use similar narrative tricks, like having a secret narrator that at times addresses the reader directly (the Mirror Thief resolves this bit disappointingly, while the Gameshouse series simply abandons it in the last book and never really explains it). But while the Mirror Thief was presumptuous and full of itself, while at the same time creates confusion instead of mystery, the Gameshouse series succeeds in being unassuming, and creates a magical setting that is nevertheless believable and comprehensible.

A wondrous creation. The entire series of novellas is highly recommended.