Endgame #1 The Calling

Presenting Endgame #1 The Calling by James Frey, Nils Johnson-Shelton.

Here is the summary of the book:

Twelve thousand years ago, they came. They descended from the sky amid smoke and fire, and created humanity and gave us rules to live by. They needed gold and they built our earliest civilizations to mine it for them. When they had what they needed, they left. But before they left, they told us someday they would come back, and when they did, a game would be played. A game that would determine our future.

This is Endgame.

For ten thousand years the lines have existed in secret. The 12 original lines of humanity. Each had to have a Player prepared at all times. They have trained generation after generation after generation. In weapons, languages, history, tactics, disguise assassination. Together the players are everything: strong, kind, ruthless, loyal, smart, stupid, ugly, lustful, mean, fickle, beautiful, calculating, lazy, exuberant, weak. They are good and evil. Like you. Like all.

This is Endgame.

When the game starts, the players will have to find three keys. The keys are somewhere on earth. The only rule of their Endgame is that there are no rules. Whoever finds the keys first wins the game. Endgame: The Calling is about the hunt for the first key. And just as it tells the story of the hunt for a hidden key, written into the book is a puzzle. It invites readers to play their own Endgame and to try to solve the puzzle. Whoever does will open a case filled with gold. Alongside the puzzle will be a revolutionary mobile game built by Google’s Niantic Labs that will allow you to play a real-world version of Endgame where you can join one of the lines and do battle with people around you.

Will exuberance beat strength? Stupidity top kindness? Laziness thwart beauty? Will the winner be good or evil? There is only one way to find out.

Play.
Survive.
Solve.
People of Earth.
Endgame has begun.

Ancient Aliens. The coming Apocalypse. Amazing race. Endgame: The Calling is pretty much a collision of all that and if you prefer it then this is for you, for sure. And this is in no way a rip-off of Hunger Games, aside from a few similarities. James Frey maybe concerned in bad rep. (God knows he is definitely not my favorite person) but you can't dispute the fact that he and Nils Johnson-Shelton have got a well though-out plot here.

A much hyped, I still found a lot I didn't like but i've got to say it grabs your attention. The story follows that ancient aliens established the population, established the first lines of humanity and left after getting what they wanted. According to their edicts, whenever the populations become to weigh on mother nature, they come back and hold the Endgame, where the chosen players must journey across the world to find the three keys. The winning Players are awarded the safety of their Line in the face of the inevitable destruction.

Of course the murder, mystery, thrill and intrigue are a de-facto part of the game but it is not a rule and it is definitely not necessary. It is graphic too, so I don't suppose kids should read it. And apparently readers can take part in this interactive game too and win loads but i'm not really got with all that so I skipped those parts and only focused on the story.

As far as the players are concerned, i'm not sure I have a favorite. Although it is clear enough who the focused characters of this book are but can't say I liked any of them. And all 12 of them get their own chapters each so on that note it is doubly difficult to root for any of them. The pacing was well set, it did drag at placed and i'm pretty certain I skipped some lines along the way, it was definitely paced well. The way it is written though .... now that is something that takes some getting used to with short clipped sentences like that. But I do want to see what happened and who wins it. At the end i'll only say this, give this a try, Frey maybe bad business but you can't disagree that he has a great book here.

"Amazing Race meets gruesome Sci-fi, Endgame is real and it has lots of potential"

Genre :     Young Adult, Sci-fi, Dystopia, Apocalyptic, Adventure, Thriller

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: 7th October, 2014

My Copy: bought (paperback)

Rate:             3/5 (Liked It)

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