The Queens Gambit is a masterclass of storytelling technique and execution.
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It's not that simple when you're trying to escape a dark underworld of crime, psychopaths and deadly leverage. One doesn't simply give two weeks notice, ask for a favourable reference, and update the old CV. The exit is clumsy, bloody, and intense.
Oh, and funny. Stupidly funny.
Read MoreI was reminded of something important, when it comes to the tradition of storytelling. Some stories deserve retelling, even those seemingly told to death. Some stories are so uniquely powerful, they enter the realm of what we might call myth. And myth, in the way that I have come to define it, is a story that profoundly succeeds at capturing the spirit of its time and place, so that we might later be possessed by it.
Read MoreWhat do you think would happen in our world if a class of people rose who were literally invulnerable and almost all powerful?
It wouldn't be Marvel. It would be super hero privilege. It would be narcissism, indomitable sociopaths, and even outright psychopathy run amok!
Read MoreThe deliberate inclusion of morals in storytelling is a tricky task to tackle (try saying that three times). It’s a delicate balance to explore morality in a story without bias or agenda. Come on too strong and things can start to feel preachy real fast.
And no one enjoys a long, humourless sermon about how bad they are - well, I can't speak for everyone. Demons probably deliver such speeches to their children at 21st birthday parties. (I'm going to write that story!).
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