I was glad to read Chess Notes 11654 "Fischer’s final years" by Edward Winter on chesshistory.com about this book. 

"Sverrisson’s exceptionally informative and gripping work stands out, and for as long as interest in Fischer endures, it will be avidly read and quoted", writes the famous historian.

Haven't there been other books that cover Bobby Fischer's last years in Iceland, all claiming to give the inside scoop? I find this a little suspicious, like a bunch of people all trying to cash in on having been around Fischer during that time.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the extra information, but the head has to spin a little - I mean, is there a definitive book on this subject, or should we be waiting for another 'final word' to come out in a year or two? 

RoleyPoley wrote on 12/16/19 at 20:45:37:


It's a true labour of love. You'll see a different Fischer than the paranoid, egotistical, crazy chess genius portrayed by the media. Sure Bobby was reclusive in Iceland, too, because he was a very private person, and his views in the book are - more or less - the same we already know, but there'll be a few surprises. 

Laramonet wrote on 12/16/19 at 14:57:14:

+1. I dont read enough books about the great chess players this sounds like one that should be on my list.

Bobby Fischer - The Final Years. G. Sverrisson, translated by M. H.
Gudmundsdottir, 2019.

I just finished reading this touching memory of Fischer's final years in Iceland by his closest friend in those years. A really insightful book on his personality and views, in some ways very different from how he was and still is portrayed by the media. I'd recommend it to any true Fischer fan and to any chess lover.