E J says…
Earthlings have a base on Mars, have developed space travel, and appear ready to use weapons of mass destruction in space. The Council of Seven Worlds meets to determine their fate. The Nord have a special fondness for Earth. They initiated Earth’s preserve status, but now they are also favoring the Krieg proposal to bomb the Earth back to the slime age.
Earthlings have shown such disregard for their planet and are willing to kill each other in droves. They also don’t listen to the wise counsel of their dead.
What?
Yes, this is an unusual book. The author is a medium and a psychologist. He brings his experience into the story.
You no doubt have seen lots of stories about aliens invading Earth to kill the population or enslave it. This book takes another tack. What if an alien emissary came to three people it thought could argue Earth’s case in front of the Council that is equally divided between worlds that want to expunge complex life on Earth and those that want to enslave it?
What arguments could these people use?
Would they be able to find allies?
How would they travel to the alien world? (The means of travel is what I found to be the most intriguing element in the book. Can’t spill the beans because that would ruin the surprise, but I guarantee it’s unconventional.)
The descriptions are excellent. We are taken to another world and presented with unique alien species with only the bad guys, the Krieg, being predictable in appearance and behavior. (What else would you expect when you name a military alien race the German word for war?)
Food, alcohol, and the taste and smell of cigars are detailed by an obvious connoisseur.
If your interests lie in the area of talking with the dead, psychic communication, and pronouncements on the failures and limitations of humanity, you’ll love this book. This whole examination of humanity and finding it wanting by aliens reminds me of Octavia Butler’s books. For those of you who ponder these questions, you will find much resonates in this book.
Side note: I found the title to be strange. No witches were mentioned in the book. Just kind of, hmm, unusual. But the game of chess plays a role in the book, so I googled the term, and this has something to do with chess moves.
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Tags: medium, psychic, book review, book recommendation, aliens, alien invasion
The Science Fiction & Fantasy Bookstore 
Thank you, E.J. for this thoughtful review, and FYI, yes, “gambit” is a chess term for a risky series of moves that usually have more chance of losing than winning.
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