Much more than plain words written in and between the lines, the world of fiction is replete with numerous examples when a novel says it all, despite its apparent fabrication and fictitious precision. To be very honest, a piece of fiction sometimes tends to have more universally validity and inconvertible truth than the real history tampered with to accommodate a totally incorrect narrative in the guise of historical facts.
The same is the case with the book titled ‘Gambit on the Devil’s Chessboard’ by Imran Khan. Currently based in the United States, the writer is a medicine professor by his profession, but the inner writer lurking in him does not keep him stay quiet or holds back his desire to unmask the hidden realities of institutionalised injustice and savage statecraft that rule the roost.
In place of depicting a world of fancy, the novel ventures into the geopolitics manipulated by the global powers that be and divulges the hic et nunc of the prevailing power politics among the most influential, yet invisible hands that characterise the present-day world with all its virtues and shortcomings.
The authors seems to have done justice with currently the most popular genre of fiction, as a thriller, from the word go, must be able to grab the reader’s attention without plowing the sands in narrating the background story for long or weaving different characters together without aiming for the end result.
Other than keeping the reader’s interest alive and kicking till its very last line, the novel does a pretty good job by taking readers straightaway to the world of the unknown where seemingly the passive pawns of the chessboard are brought to life and moved by invisible hands in a certain direction to wreak havoc and cause devastating damage to the most vulnerable side on the chessboard.
The novel does not lead to a wild-goose chase with no end in sight as it deliberately delves deep into the realpolitik that prevails and lays bare those heavy hitters who revel in upsetting the apple cart to settle their political scores and achieve their vested interests.
With a hands-on international exposure, the writer carries the fast-paced storyline with such an alacrity and lightning speed that makes it quite challenging for readers to keep pace with the on-going action-packed drama that is intertwined with the ensuing sensations and has something interesting and revealing in its every next paragraph. A genuine page-turner to the core, the book alludes to the way things take place in the world’s power politics tainted with gunboat diplomacy and brings out the real and continued saga that spans the history with all its truths, lies and deceits.
Bringing to the fore the ugly truth behind many a pretty face, the novel ‘Gambit on the Devil’s Chessboard’ by Imran Khan rightly serves the purpose of penning down a riveting thriller, which is fictitious, yet relevant as well as applicable to the world we live in. Over and above a gripping novel for those who love fiction-based literature, the book, tinged with catholic truth, may also serve as a ubiquitous reference guide for the students of Political Science and International Politics. 
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