Bobby Fischer
goes to
war: this
time it's for blood. Nothing about Bobby has ever been without drama, and this book serves well to denote the climax of that theme. This is a rich, gifted, unforgettably absorbing read so well-illuminated with depth and intrigue, it's easy to feel as though you are experiencing the events as they are unfolding.
What makes this book so unique is its' diverse content. What do you like? History, politics, humor or
psychology-this book has something for everyone. I love how themes blend so naturally together in this book. There are no real areas of lull, even when drab subjects or colorless technical information is being explained. It's not easy making U.S.S.R., regulation committees come to life, but this book somehow does that, too.
However, the intimate exploration into the political psychology of the time is truly the best theatre, here. The intense paranoia of cold war madness is nakedly exposed throughout the chapters. This is perfectly illustrated, at one point, when the Soviets ask for the autopsy of two dead flies in a light fixture, hoping to find secret American exploit devices. The media circus extends itself, insanely,
page by page, as two lone superpowers struggle to make sense of what is going on.
Neither Spassky (Fischer's chess championship opponent at the heart of the story) nor Fischer seem to be ideal actors for the movie they were thrust into, but that's how it had to be. Two countries clinging to a couple of brilliant chessplayers, who are forced to become awkward ambassadors for the sake of ideology.
I thought I
knew a
lot about Bobby Fischer's standoff with the Soviet Union, but I knew a lot more when I finished reading this title.
Bobby Fischer, goes to war, before he even gets there.
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