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Endgame #1
The Calling
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.
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.
461 pages, Hardcover
First published October 7, 2014
About the author
James Frey
161 books2,983 followersJames Christopher Frey is an American writer and businessman. His first two books, A Million Little Pieces (2003) and My Friend Leonard (2005), were bestsellers marketed as memoirs. Large parts of the stories were later found to be exaggerated or fabricated, sparking a media controversy. His 2008 novel Bright Shiny Morning was also a bestseller.
Frey is the founder and CEO of Full Fathom Five. A transmedia production company, FFF is responsible for the young adult adventure/science fiction series The Lorien Legacies of seven books written by Frey and others, under the collective pen name Pittacus Lore. Frey's first book of the series, I Am Number Four (2010), was made into a feature film by DreamWorks Pictures. He is also the CEO of NYXL, an esports organization based in New York.
Frey is the founder and CEO of Full Fathom Five. A transmedia production company, FFF is responsible for the young adult adventure/science fiction series The Lorien Legacies of seven books written by Frey and others, under the collective pen name Pittacus Lore. Frey's first book of the series, I Am Number Four (2010), was made into a feature film by DreamWorks Pictures. He is also the CEO of NYXL, an esports organization based in New York.
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December 22, 2014"In a world similar to Earth,"
(In a world similar to Panem)
"there are 12 bloodlines"
(There are 12 districts)
"Each bloodline has a champion between the ages of 13 and 17"
(Each district has a tribute between the ages of 13 and 18)
"And then one day they're called to fight, and all the bloodlines but the winners will be exterminated. They're fighting to be the last race."
(And then one day they're called to fight, and all the tributes but the winners will be exterminated. They're fighting to be the last tribute.)
Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victor of the 75th Huge Fucking Rip-off Games!
Edit 12/21/2014:
OKAY. VERY TIRED OF DEALING WITH TROLLS ON THIS REVIEW. I've gone through the comments and deleted QUITE a fair few on both sides of the fence. Some of them attack me, and some of them attack the people who defend the book, and I'm getting mighty sick of seeing notifications for it.
So, please stop posting incendiary comments on this review. If you heartily dislike my review, I'm sorry, but please don't comment. I have the right to my objective literary opinion.
If you heartily dislike the comment someone left on this review, I'm sorry, but please don't attack them. If it's truly nasty, I'll flag or delete.
Final notes:
1) I recognize the summary I'm critiquing above is possibly no longer accurate to the book. I was responding to the very first blurb that appeared on Goodreads, which reviewers are permitted to do. That blurb sounded like a rip off of The Hunger Games to me.
2) I won't be reading Endgame. Ever. Therefore, I will not update this review, meaning I cannot attest to whether or not this book is actually a ripoff of The Hunger Games. And I won't delete this review.
HAVE A LOVELY NON-TROLLY DAY.
Shelved as 'i-have-my-reasons'
January 16, 2014You know, I think I've read this one before. It was about this girl from one of 12 districts who was sent to represent her people in a battle to see which was the best. I think it was called... I can't remember it. Is this that book? I think her name was Katnip. Or Cutlass.
Nevermind. Probably making it up. But I swear, it just sounds so familiar!
Oh, by the way James Frey, purveyor of a "fiction factory" which underpaid authors for their hardwork, a man who lied to my queen Oprah, a man who has made a career on being a liar and a bully?
I'm not supporting this book, and not just because someone ripped off the Hunger Games and threw millions of dollars at him for it.
Nevermind. Probably making it up. But I swear, it just sounds so familiar!
Oh, by the way James Frey, purveyor of a "fiction factory" which underpaid authors for their hardwork, a man who lied to my queen Oprah, a man who has made a career on being a liar and a bully?
I'm not supporting this book, and not just because someone ripped off the Hunger Games and threw millions of dollars at him for it.
August 15, 2014
I received this book for free from Bookworld in exchange for an honest review.
For those of you concerned about Endgame being constantly compared to The Hunger Games (which has been done primarily from the synopsis alone), after reading it I can see that these two are quite different. This book sets itself apart with the genre, the setting, the format - we follow all of the Players and their journeys, and the plot is a lot more complex than it seems. This book sets up a lot of mystery and intrigue, which this first instalment starts to explore, but the next books will evidently unravel these and divulge even more secrets as they go.
The novel starts with a bang - the insanity and destruction begins from the get go. However, at the same time it took me a little while to really get involved with the story as we jump from character to character a lot. It took me a little longer to differentiate and really know some characters more than others, but this story does a great job of fleshing out each of them in turn. While the reader is positioned to root for specific Players, you can’t help but sympathise with others. Of course, there are those I really detested, but even some of those you developed a bit of empathy.
There is plenty of gore and bloodshed, and the story progresses to an intense finale with plenty of surprises. It left me shocked and horrified at some points, but also really intrigued to see how things unfold! Once things pick up, this story is very gripping and I couldn’t put it down.
Disclaimer: I do have a bit of an issue with James Frey and Full Fathom Five, so under normal circumstances I might not have picked this up. I decided to seperate the Art from the Artist in this case - and I am quite glad I did, because this was a good book that seems like it’s going to make an impact!
For those of you concerned about Endgame being constantly compared to The Hunger Games (which has been done primarily from the synopsis alone), after reading it I can see that these two are quite different. This book sets itself apart with the genre, the setting, the format - we follow all of the Players and their journeys, and the plot is a lot more complex than it seems. This book sets up a lot of mystery and intrigue, which this first instalment starts to explore, but the next books will evidently unravel these and divulge even more secrets as they go.
The novel starts with a bang - the insanity and destruction begins from the get go. However, at the same time it took me a little while to really get involved with the story as we jump from character to character a lot. It took me a little longer to differentiate and really know some characters more than others, but this story does a great job of fleshing out each of them in turn. While the reader is positioned to root for specific Players, you can’t help but sympathise with others. Of course, there are those I really detested, but even some of those you developed a bit of empathy.
There is plenty of gore and bloodshed, and the story progresses to an intense finale with plenty of surprises. It left me shocked and horrified at some points, but also really intrigued to see how things unfold! Once things pick up, this story is very gripping and I couldn’t put it down.
Disclaimer: I do have a bit of an issue with James Frey and Full Fathom Five, so under normal circumstances I might not have picked this up. I decided to seperate the Art from the Artist in this case - and I am quite glad I did, because this was a good book that seems like it’s going to make an impact!
December 17, 2017
This books was AWESOME.
July 7, 2014
Most people in the comments/reviews has even bothered to look into this book past a few sentences, and they will be proven wrong. They're mostly teenagers who don't even realize the dystopian genre was around long before Suzanne Collins and "The Hunger Games" - many (better) authors paved the way before her...Greats like Koushun Takami (Battle Royale), Stephen King (Running Man)... There have been many before and will be many after - there are over 100 dystopian fiction novels set to debut in the next year or so, and holding each of these books to the judgment of "ripping off the Hunger Games" is ridiculous, when The Hunger Games itself has been called nothing but a cheap imitation. Did that stop me from loving it? No. Personally, I am really into this kind of story, I have read so much dystopian fiction I feel like it's coming out my ears, and yet I somehow crave more. So while nerdy teenagers whine and "review" something they know nothing about and can't be bothered to understand the origins of - you know that the good will far outweigh the bad and silence the cry of the poor, misunderstood tween generation with their cat .gifs.
If you take one thing from this review - let it be that any serious "review" should not be explained and justified in .gifs.
If you take one thing from this review - let it be that any serious "review" should not be explained and justified in .gifs.
September 20, 2017
رواية غريبة تفوح بعبق أسرار كوكب اﻷرض من قديم اﻷزل
من معابد الصين العتيقة، أهرامات الجيزة، أعمدة ستونهنج بإنجلترا
النقوش العجيبة بجدران كهوف الجبال بمناطق مختلفة بالعالم
وتمزجها بأسلوب حديث وإطار تشويقي كارثي كأفلام رونالد إيميرش
رواية سينمائية تليق بشعار فوكس القرن العشرين الذي بالغلاف
أعترف أني لم أنتهي من قراءة الرواية بنسبة 100% فعليا
ﻷنها ليست رواية طبيعية ، هي رواية تفاعلية بجد..بأكثر من 74 موقع إلكتروني علي الإنترنت تشمل خرائط، فيديوهات علمية، معلومات عجيبة، صور أماكن أثرية، فيديوهات سخيفة مقبضة، حسابات تويتر للأبطال ومعلومات عن نشأه القبائل الإثني عشر التي ينتمون إليها والتي لن تجدها بالتفصيل سوي في تلك المواقع وليس بالرواية ..حيث ما بالرواية المطبوعة فقط مايخدم اﻷحداث لا أكثر ولا أقل
اﻷبطال عددهم 12 تتراوح أعمارهم بين 13ل20 عاما عليهم فك اللغز ، والبقاء علي قيد الحياة في الصراع الدموي بينهم لمن يجلب المفاتيح الثلاثة أولا بعد حل الألغاز
صراع دموي للفوز والوصول لنهاية لعبة النهاية.ليتبقي لاعب واحد فقط وقبيلته في النهاية..نهاية العالم
يمكن فكرتها شك البعض ومنهم أنا أنها زي
Hunger Games
لكنها مختلفة تماما...ودعونا نبدأ ب
*** اﻷحداث ***
~~~~~~~~~
هي عن أن سكان اﻷرض كانوا منقسمين لجماعات منذ قديم اﻷزل، من قبل التاريخ
لكل جماعة أصل، بمختلف أنحاء الكرة اﻷرضية، ولهم الحضارات العجيبة التي مازالت آثارها موجودة حتي اﻷن
آثار علمها لهم سكان السماء وهي كيانات عجيبة ذات قدرات فائقة..والذين تظهر صورهم في أثار تلك الجماعات
حسب الرواية المفترض ان التاريخ محا أصل تلك القبائل، ولم يعد يعرف أحد شيئا عن سكان السماء سوي عائلة واحدة من كل قبيلة
ومن تلك العائلة يتم ترشيح 'اللاعبين' للعبة النهاية التي ستقررها كيانات السماء في حينها.. وتنقل كل عائلة ذلك السر من جيل إلي جيل منذ الالاف السنين
أجيال مرت تم فيها تدريب طفلا من كل جيل جديد كأن "لعبة النهاية" غدا ، ليصل سن الثالثة عشر وهو مستعدا لبدء لعبة نهاية العالم بأي وقت، فقط حتي يصل لسن العشرين ويسلم راية 'لاعب تحت الطلب' لمن أصغر منه عمرا في تلك العائلة العريقة
وتبدأ أحداث الرواية ب12 نيزكا تضرب اﻷرض في 12 موقع مختلف بجميع أنحاء العالم ، ليكون رسالة للقبائل ليجتمع اللاعبون ﻷن "لعبة النهاية" قد حانت
هي المرادف الخيالي ل"يوم القيامة" بتلك الرواية ، فمن المفترض أن من يقوم ببدء تلك اللعبة هم تلك الكيانات العظمي والتي قامت بتعليم تلك القبائل والعائلات العريقة بكل أنحاء العالم الحضارات المتقدمة التي حاليا تعد من الظواهر العجيبة ، كتلك الرسوم العجيبة بالكهوف التي تعود لما قبل التاريخ والتي تظهر ككائنات فضائية تهبط علي اﻷرض أو معدات الغوص قبل إختراعها بالآلاف السنين بايطاليا وحتي كهوف شمال غرب افريقيا
كذلك كالأهرامات المنتشرة بمصر، المكسيك، الصين وغيرها والتي تعد من العجائب التي تحمل الكثير من اﻷسرار الغامضة
واﻷن بعد أن تلقت كل عائلة الرسالة بذلك النيزك الذي سقط بالقرب من منطقة وجودهم, يجتمع اللاعبين من كل أنحاء العالم إلي معبد بالصين ليقابلوا ﻷول مرة منذ الآلاف السنين تلك الكيانات الغريبة 'القوي العظمي-سكان السماء" والتي تخبرهم بقواعد اللعبة
علي كل لاعب حل الرموز والشفرة التي تمنح لهم بطريق التخاطر ، والوصول للمفاتيح الثلاثة قبل باقي اللاعبين 'مفتاح اﻷرض، مفتاح السماء، مفتاح الشمس' ، مع العلم بأن اللاعب الذي سيموت سيفني كل سلالة قبيلته بلا إستثناء ، سيتم فناء شعوب كاملة ...فقط يبقي علي وجه اﻷرض السلالة التي منها اللاعب الرابح الوحيد لتعمر اﻷرض مرة أخري
من تركيا ، اﻷردن، أمريكا الشمالية، أمريكا الجنوبية، الصين، بولندا، أثيوبيا ، من 12 دولة ، 12 شعب ينتظر مصيره في تلك اللعبة
لعبة النهاية
أعترف أنني في مراجعاتي أستفيض كثيرا في وصف أحداث الروايات، وكنت أتمني أن أفعل ذلك اﻷن ولكن هذا صعب
فكل ماسبق هو مجرد البداية ...وبعد ذلك تبدأ سلسلة طويلة من اﻷحداث المثيرة المتسارعة ، الالغاز والارقام وإحداثيات طول وعرض وعجائ�� الدنيا المختلفة
هل تذكر رواية مراد الفيل الاحمق ودرجات الحرارة التي بلا معني في اﻷحداث...هنا العكس، ستجد أحداثيات وأرقام كلها عبارة عن بازل "لعبة أحجية" عملاق عليك حله لتفوز...وهو سيكون أمرا مرهقا إذا ما انتويت حل البازل بحق
*****************************
*** الشخصيات ***
~~~~~~~~~~
الرواية متعددة الشخصيات كل فصل من وجهة نظر شخصية أو أكثر
مع 12 شخصية من جنسيات مختلفة، أعمار مختلفة ، طباع وأساليب مختلفة
ورمز مختلف يمثل قبيلتهم -يظهر في بداية كل فصل يضم أحدهم
أغلب الفصول من منظور اكثر من شخصيتين..وستجد نفسك متحمسا للفصول التي يجتمع بها أكثر من شخصية في تجمعات غير متوقعة أحيانا
كل شخصية لها مساحة محترمة من اﻷحداث، ولكن يبرز منها -بهذا الجزء فقط علي الأقل- 4 لاعبين علي اﻷخص قد تعتبرهم هم الشخصيات الرئيسية
"سارة ، جيكو ، تشيوكو وآان لو"
بالاضافة إلي "كريستوفر" الصديق الحميم لأحدي اللاعبات "سارة" والذي يحاول أن يتعقبها ويظن أنه يمكنه مساعدتها بتلك اللعبة بالرغم من أن اﻷمر أخطر بكثير منه، وبالفعل يقع في الكثير من المشاكل ويعقد الأمور أكثر وأكثر
ولكنك فعلا ستلاحظ أنك متابع ومنتظر ما سيحدث لكل شخصية من ال12 لاعبا، من تسارع اﻷحداث ، وأهمية كل الشخصيات ، أعتقد أنك ستفاجأ مثلي مع كل حادث ينتج عنه مقتل أحد الشخصيات
لا أعتقد أنك ستتوقع من يموت أولا ومن سيستمر للجزء التالي -ربما عدا فقط الشخصيات الأربعة فقط ذوي المساحة اﻷطول، ولكن حتي إذا وثقت في فرص نجاتهم...فإن تلك الثقة ستقل قبل نهاية الجزء اﻷول
بمشهد الذروة
Climax
************************
*** أسلوب الرواية ***
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
لا أنكر أنني كنت أشعر بشئ من الإستثقال في البدء حتي في الرواية، حيث أن الخيال العلمي واﻷكشن سويا ليسا لوني المفضل من القراءات ولكن تلك الرواية جذبتني فعلا منذ بدايتها وظل أعجابي بأحداثها يتزايد مع زيادة اﻷثارة واﻷدرينالين لدي
ولن أخفي عليك أنني لم أستوعب حتي كيف يمكنني حل الأحجية"البازل" حتي اﻷن ولكن هذا لا يمنع علي الأطلاق إستمتاعك بأحداث الرواية حتي إن لم تدخل علي المواقع المشار لها باﻷحداث
ربط الرواية بمعلومات عن الظواهر الغريبة بالعالم كان ممتعا وإن كان يعيبها الإكتفاء بكتابة أسماء المدن أو اللغات أو حتي اسماء غريبة ومختلفة لحضارات حقيقية دون الإشارة ﻷسماء الدول الخاصة بها، وهذا كان مرهقا في القراءة بالنسبة لي حيث يجب أن أبحث عن كل أسم مدينة أو حضارة أو لغة ﻷعرف موقعها في العالم
فبعكس دان براون مثلا حيث يشرح لك المعالم واللغات بشكل يفيد اﻷحداث ، وقد يجعلك تبحث عن المزيد بعد ذلك، فإن في حالة جيمس فراي فأنه يكتفي في أغلب الأحيان بذكر اﻷسم وكأنك ستعلم كل شئ بنفسك بعد ذلك ، وهذا قد يتطلب أحيانا وقف القراءة للبحث... حسنا، كما قلت الرواية تفاعلية...ربما كان ذلك مقصودا
فقد أحتجت البحث مثلا عن تلك الكنيسة العجيبة بأثيوبيا "كنيسة الصخرة" وجنود تيراكوتا بالصين .. أو حتي المزيد عن صخور ستونهنج بإنجلترا
ولكن ربط تلك العجائب الحقيقية بالعالم .. مع غرائب أغلبها أساطير حضرية كأسطورة الهرم الأبيض بالصين -والذي وجدته في أحد المواقع الألكترونية المشار إليها بالرواية- كان فعلا ممتازا
يظل فقط الأمور العجيبة كمثلا ديانة "هلال بن عيسي" الأثيوبي -أحد الشخصيات الهامة- هي خليط مبهم بين المسيحية والأسلام..بالطبع غير بعض الحضارات التي لم ابحث عنها بعد
عدا ذلك فاللغة سهلة وسلسة ، اﻷحداث والمشاهد مرسومة بشكل سينمائي كأنك تشاهد فعلا فيلما سينمائيا مثيرا، لا إستفاضه في مشاهد معارك أو أكشن فارغة هدفها حشو السطور كما يحدث في أغلب أنواع تلك الروايات
أتذكر اني وقت إنهائي للرواية شعرت إنها تستحق 4 نجوم ، فقط للأثارة والتشويق...ولكن لم يعجبني الكثير من فكرة التفاعل بالبحث في مواقع وحل بازل صعب.. ولكن ايضا أذا ما قررت تقييم الرواية فقط كرواية مثيرة بغض النظر عن المواقع واللغز ستكون اكثر قليلا من 4 نجوم نظرا للأحداث المثيرة التي عايشتها ومازلت أتذكرها رغم إني أكتب تلك السطور اﻷخيرة من الريفيو في منتصف أكتوبر، بعد شهر ونصف من قراءة الرواية
ولكنها تظل ليست برواية سهلة، وقد تعجبك أكثر إذا كنت هاويا لذلك النوع من اﻷلغاز والرسومات وايضا بالبحث عن المزيد حول الرواية -حيث ستجد لها الكثير من المواقع التي قام بها القرّاء عن اللغز مما زاد من أعجابي بالرواية- ..فربما ستجد في "لعبة النهاية" كنزا تبحث وراءه ﻷيام وشهور، في حل اللغز والبازل والذي تم إعلان جائزة 500 ألف دولار من الذهب لمن يحل بازل الكتاب اﻷول
مارأيك؟ من سيشارك بلعبة النهاية؟
محمد العربي
من 29 أغسطس 2015
إلي 3 سبتمبر 2015
-الريفيو في 15 أكتوبر 2015..وعذرا , فقد فاز أحدهم بالفعل بالذهب..فلنبحث عن حل أحجية الجزء الثاني إذن :)-
من معابد الصين العتيقة، أهرامات الجيزة، أعمدة ستونهنج بإنجلترا
النقوش العجيبة بجدران كهوف الجبال بمناطق مختلفة بالعالم
وتمزجها بأسلوب حديث وإطار تشويقي كارثي كأفلام رونالد إيميرش
رواية سينمائية تليق بشعار فوكس القرن العشرين الذي بالغلاف
أعترف أني لم أنتهي من قراءة الرواية بنسبة 100% فعليا
ﻷنها ليست رواية طبيعية ، هي رواية تفاعلية بجد..بأكثر من 74 موقع إلكتروني علي الإنترنت تشمل خرائط، فيديوهات علمية، معلومات عجيبة، صور أماكن أثرية، فيديوهات سخيفة مقبضة، حسابات تويتر للأبطال ومعلومات عن نشأه القبائل الإثني عشر التي ينتمون إليها والتي لن تجدها بالتفصيل سوي في تلك المواقع وليس بالرواية ..حيث ما بالرواية المطبوعة فقط مايخدم اﻷحداث لا أكثر ولا أقل
اﻷبطال عددهم 12 تتراوح أعمارهم بين 13ل20 عاما عليهم فك اللغز ، والبقاء علي قيد الحياة في الصراع الدموي بينهم لمن يجلب المفاتيح الثلاثة أولا بعد حل الألغاز
صراع دموي للفوز والوصول لنهاية لعبة النهاية.ليتبقي لاعب واحد فقط وقبيلته في النهاية..نهاية العالم
يمكن فكرتها شك البعض ومنهم أنا أنها زي
Hunger Games
لكنها مختلفة تماما...ودعونا نبدأ ب
*** اﻷحداث ***
~~~~~~~~~
هي عن أن سكان اﻷرض كانوا منقسمين لجماعات منذ قديم اﻷزل، من قبل التاريخ
لكل جماعة أصل، بمختلف أنحاء الكرة اﻷرضية، ولهم الحضارات العجيبة التي مازالت آثارها موجودة حتي اﻷن
آثار علمها لهم سكان السماء وهي كيانات عجيبة ذات قدرات فائقة..والذين تظهر صورهم في أثار تلك الجماعات
حسب الرواية المفترض ان التاريخ محا أصل تلك القبائل، ولم يعد يعرف أحد شيئا عن سكان السماء سوي عائلة واحدة من كل قبيلة
ومن تلك العائلة يتم ترشيح 'اللاعبين' للعبة النهاية التي ستقررها كيانات السماء في حينها.. وتنقل كل عائلة ذلك السر من جيل إلي جيل منذ الالاف السنين
أجيال مرت تم فيها تدريب طفلا من كل جيل جديد كأن "لعبة النهاية" غدا ، ليصل سن الثالثة عشر وهو مستعدا لبدء لعبة نهاية العالم بأي وقت، فقط حتي يصل لسن العشرين ويسلم راية 'لاعب تحت الطلب' لمن أصغر منه عمرا في تلك العائلة العريقة
وتبدأ أحداث الرواية ب12 نيزكا تضرب اﻷرض في 12 موقع مختلف بجميع أنحاء العالم ، ليكون رسالة للقبائل ليجتمع اللاعبون ﻷن "لعبة النهاية" قد حانت
هي المرادف الخيالي ل"يوم القيامة" بتلك الرواية ، فمن المفترض أن من يقوم ببدء تلك اللعبة هم تلك الكيانات العظمي والتي قامت بتعليم تلك القبائل والعائلات العريقة بكل أنحاء العالم الحضارات المتقدمة التي حاليا تعد من الظواهر العجيبة ، كتلك الرسوم العجيبة بالكهوف التي تعود لما قبل التاريخ والتي تظهر ككائنات فضائية تهبط علي اﻷرض أو معدات الغوص قبل إختراعها بالآلاف السنين بايطاليا وحتي كهوف شمال غرب افريقيا
كذلك كالأهرامات المنتشرة بمصر، المكسيك، الصين وغيرها والتي تعد من العجائب التي تحمل الكثير من اﻷسرار الغامضة
واﻷن بعد أن تلقت كل عائلة الرسالة بذلك النيزك الذي سقط بالقرب من منطقة وجودهم, يجتمع اللاعبين من كل أنحاء العالم إلي معبد بالصين ليقابلوا ﻷول مرة منذ الآلاف السنين تلك الكيانات الغريبة 'القوي العظمي-سكان السماء" والتي تخبرهم بقواعد اللعبة
علي كل لاعب حل الرموز والشفرة التي تمنح لهم بطريق التخاطر ، والوصول للمفاتيح الثلاثة قبل باقي اللاعبين 'مفتاح اﻷرض، مفتاح السماء، مفتاح الشمس' ، مع العلم بأن اللاعب الذي سيموت سيفني كل سلالة قبيلته بلا إستثناء ، سيتم فناء شعوب كاملة ...فقط يبقي علي وجه اﻷرض السلالة التي منها اللاعب الرابح الوحيد لتعمر اﻷرض مرة أخري
من تركيا ، اﻷردن، أمريكا الشمالية، أمريكا الجنوبية، الصين، بولندا، أثيوبيا ، من 12 دولة ، 12 شعب ينتظر مصيره في تلك اللعبة
لعبة النهاية
أعترف أنني في مراجعاتي أستفيض كثيرا في وصف أحداث الروايات، وكنت أتمني أن أفعل ذلك اﻷن ولكن هذا صعب
فكل ماسبق هو مجرد البداية ...وبعد ذلك تبدأ سلسلة طويلة من اﻷحداث المثيرة المتسارعة ، الالغاز والارقام وإحداثيات طول وعرض وعجائ�� الدنيا المختلفة
هل تذكر رواية مراد الفيل الاحمق ودرجات الحرارة التي بلا معني في اﻷحداث...هنا العكس، ستجد أحداثيات وأرقام كلها عبارة عن بازل "لعبة أحجية" عملاق عليك حله لتفوز...وهو سيكون أمرا مرهقا إذا ما انتويت حل البازل بحق
*****************************
*** الشخصيات ***
~~~~~~~~~~
الرواية متعددة الشخصيات كل فصل من وجهة نظر شخصية أو أكثر
مع 12 شخصية من جنسيات مختلفة، أعمار مختلفة ، طباع وأساليب مختلفة
ورمز مختلف يمثل قبيلتهم -يظهر في بداية كل فصل يضم أحدهم
أغلب الفصول من منظور اكثر من شخصيتين..وستجد نفسك متحمسا للفصول التي يجتمع بها أكثر من شخصية في تجمعات غير متوقعة أحيانا
كل شخصية لها مساحة محترمة من اﻷحداث، ولكن يبرز منها -بهذا الجزء فقط علي الأقل- 4 لاعبين علي اﻷخص قد تعتبرهم هم الشخصيات الرئيسية
"سارة ، جيكو ، تشيوكو وآان لو"
بالاضافة إلي "كريستوفر" الصديق الحميم لأحدي اللاعبات "سارة" والذي يحاول أن يتعقبها ويظن أنه يمكنه مساعدتها بتلك اللعبة بالرغم من أن اﻷمر أخطر بكثير منه، وبالفعل يقع في الكثير من المشاكل ويعقد الأمور أكثر وأكثر
ولكنك فعلا ستلاحظ أنك متابع ومنتظر ما سيحدث لكل شخصية من ال12 لاعبا، من تسارع اﻷحداث ، وأهمية كل الشخصيات ، أعتقد أنك ستفاجأ مثلي مع كل حادث ينتج عنه مقتل أحد الشخصيات
لا أعتقد أنك ستتوقع من يموت أولا ومن سيستمر للجزء التالي -ربما عدا فقط الشخصيات الأربعة فقط ذوي المساحة اﻷطول، ولكن حتي إذا وثقت في فرص نجاتهم...فإن تلك الثقة ستقل قبل نهاية الجزء اﻷول
بمشهد الذروة
Climax
************************
*** أسلوب الرواية ***
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
لا أنكر أنني كنت أشعر بشئ من الإستثقال في البدء حتي في الرواية، حيث أن الخيال العلمي واﻷكشن سويا ليسا لوني المفضل من القراءات ولكن تلك الرواية جذبتني فعلا منذ بدايتها وظل أعجابي بأحداثها يتزايد مع زيادة اﻷثارة واﻷدرينالين لدي
ولن أخفي عليك أنني لم أستوعب حتي كيف يمكنني حل الأحجية"البازل" حتي اﻷن ولكن هذا لا يمنع علي الأطلاق إستمتاعك بأحداث الرواية حتي إن لم تدخل علي المواقع المشار لها باﻷحداث
ربط الرواية بمعلومات عن الظواهر الغريبة بالعالم كان ممتعا وإن كان يعيبها الإكتفاء بكتابة أسماء المدن أو اللغات أو حتي اسماء غريبة ومختلفة لحضارات حقيقية دون الإشارة ﻷسماء الدول الخاصة بها، وهذا كان مرهقا في القراءة بالنسبة لي حيث يجب أن أبحث عن كل أسم مدينة أو حضارة أو لغة ﻷعرف موقعها في العالم
فبعكس دان براون مثلا حيث يشرح لك المعالم واللغات بشكل يفيد اﻷحداث ، وقد يجعلك تبحث عن المزيد بعد ذلك، فإن في حالة جيمس فراي فأنه يكتفي في أغلب الأحيان بذكر اﻷسم وكأنك ستعلم كل شئ بنفسك بعد ذلك ، وهذا قد يتطلب أحيانا وقف القراءة للبحث... حسنا، كما قلت الرواية تفاعلية...ربما كان ذلك مقصودا
فقد أحتجت البحث مثلا عن تلك الكنيسة العجيبة بأثيوبيا "كنيسة الصخرة" وجنود تيراكوتا بالصين .. أو حتي المزيد عن صخور ستونهنج بإنجلترا
ولكن ربط تلك العجائب الحقيقية بالعالم .. مع غرائب أغلبها أساطير حضرية كأسطورة الهرم الأبيض بالصين -والذي وجدته في أحد المواقع الألكترونية المشار إليها بالرواية- كان فعلا ممتازا
يظل فقط الأمور العجيبة كمثلا ديانة "هلال بن عيسي" الأثيوبي -أحد الشخصيات الهامة- هي خليط مبهم بين المسيحية والأسلام..بالطبع غير بعض الحضارات التي لم ابحث عنها بعد
عدا ذلك فاللغة سهلة وسلسة ، اﻷحداث والمشاهد مرسومة بشكل سينمائي كأنك تشاهد فعلا فيلما سينمائيا مثيرا، لا إستفاضه في مشاهد معارك أو أكشن فارغة هدفها حشو السطور كما يحدث في أغلب أنواع تلك الروايات
أتذكر اني وقت إنهائي للرواية شعرت إنها تستحق 4 نجوم ، فقط للأثارة والتشويق...ولكن لم يعجبني الكثير من فكرة التفاعل بالبحث في مواقع وحل بازل صعب.. ولكن ايضا أذا ما قررت تقييم الرواية فقط كرواية مثيرة بغض النظر عن المواقع واللغز ستكون اكثر قليلا من 4 نجوم نظرا للأحداث المثيرة التي عايشتها ومازلت أتذكرها رغم إني أكتب تلك السطور اﻷخيرة من الريفيو في منتصف أكتوبر، بعد شهر ونصف من قراءة الرواية
ولكنها تظل ليست برواية سهلة، وقد تعجبك أكثر إذا كنت هاويا لذلك النوع من اﻷلغاز والرسومات وايضا بالبحث عن المزيد حول الرواية -حيث ستجد لها الكثير من المواقع التي قام بها القرّاء عن اللغز مما زاد من أعجابي بالرواية- ..فربما ستجد في "لعبة النهاية" كنزا تبحث وراءه ﻷيام وشهور، في حل اللغز والبازل والذي تم إعلان جائزة 500 ألف دولار من الذهب لمن يحل بازل الكتاب اﻷول
مارأيك؟ من سيشارك بلعبة النهاية؟
محمد العربي
من 29 أغسطس 2015
إلي 3 سبتمبر 2015
-الريفيو في 15 أكتوبر 2015..وعذرا , فقد فاز أحدهم بالفعل بالذهب..فلنبحث عن حل أحجية الجزء الثاني إذن :)-
September 23, 2014
Honestly one of the BEST books I've ever read.
I know many of you will say, "hold on...no. It's a Hunger Games copy!" And I thought the same thing when I first saw the description. And then I realized that this is WAY more like a super dangerous, super deadly Amazing Race type of story, heavily rooted in aliens and science fiction. The story is told from several different characters POVS, all of which are from all over the world---and all of which are killers, trained so well in not only physicality, but puzzles, technology, languages, etc. They makes James Bond look like a little girl.
When a massive asteroid attack happens on planet earth, in several parts of the world, 12 Players (teens who have trained their entire lives for "Endgame", they know that it's their time. They must Play.
Playing means traveling to one location, where an alien being gives them each their own unique clues. The first step to winning Endgame? Find Earth Key. Which can literally be ANYWHERE on the planet. This book is incredibly dark, incredibly twisted, and incredibly UNLIKE anything I've ever read. I went into it thinking I'd hate it, and I actually was floored by how well done it was.
I'm not a big fan of James Frey and the controversies surrounding him, but I must say I was incredibly impressed by the work he and Nils-Johnson Shelton did together. ENDGAME reads like a movie script, present-tense, and incredibly different. Much like UNWIND, you are in the reader's head, but from a 3rd person perspective. It's very very cool--- trust me, you'll be hooked.
I found myself unable to put this book down, and I'm dying for the second one. I also have no idea how to solve the puzzle that goes along with the book, because I'm not a genius. And I think only a genius could solve it! The book is filled with strange clues and phrases and numbers and symbols, which is intriguing in itself. I think it's going to kick butt on the YA market.
I know many of you will say, "hold on...no. It's a Hunger Games copy!" And I thought the same thing when I first saw the description. And then I realized that this is WAY more like a super dangerous, super deadly Amazing Race type of story, heavily rooted in aliens and science fiction. The story is told from several different characters POVS, all of which are from all over the world---and all of which are killers, trained so well in not only physicality, but puzzles, technology, languages, etc. They makes James Bond look like a little girl.
When a massive asteroid attack happens on planet earth, in several parts of the world, 12 Players (teens who have trained their entire lives for "Endgame", they know that it's their time. They must Play.
Playing means traveling to one location, where an alien being gives them each their own unique clues. The first step to winning Endgame? Find Earth Key. Which can literally be ANYWHERE on the planet. This book is incredibly dark, incredibly twisted, and incredibly UNLIKE anything I've ever read. I went into it thinking I'd hate it, and I actually was floored by how well done it was.
I'm not a big fan of James Frey and the controversies surrounding him, but I must say I was incredibly impressed by the work he and Nils-Johnson Shelton did together. ENDGAME reads like a movie script, present-tense, and incredibly different. Much like UNWIND, you are in the reader's head, but from a 3rd person perspective. It's very very cool--- trust me, you'll be hooked.
I found myself unable to put this book down, and I'm dying for the second one. I also have no idea how to solve the puzzle that goes along with the book, because I'm not a genius. And I think only a genius could solve it! The book is filled with strange clues and phrases and numbers and symbols, which is intriguing in itself. I think it's going to kick butt on the YA market.
July 7, 2014
My issues with James Frey aside (hey, we've all made huge, colossal mistakes, but just avoided being called out by Oprah), I gave this book a chance. Maybe because it was in shiny gold packaging and I was blinded by the pretty.
IT HAPPENS, OK? Shiny things distract me!
But after reading - OK, not exactly. A friend of mine stood in the middle of our hotel room and read aloud the preface. I had an open mind here, people. I DID.
And then I realized I had heard this story before.
No, not Hunger Games. I'm taking it way old school. This book was straight up Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. You know, the book Dickens was paid to write by word so it has endless comparisons and metaphors and ... Yeah. So, in the honor of that form of story-telling, here is my review:
It was the worst of books. It was the best of - No, wait. I'm lying.
Let's try this again:
It was confusing, silly, infantile, juvenile (and not in the fun YA-way), wordy, pompous, perplexing, arrogant, bewildering, hopeless, hopeful, brave, weak, and uninspiring.
It is the book that makes me want to forget the English language.
Or any language.
This is a story - one you may have heard before - that has been told better.
But that is all right. Because you will persevere. You will embrace this book and all it holds because you are strong, fearless, timid, scared, blessed, cursed, loved, hated, and-
Seriously. Is anyone still reading this review?
*crickets*
I do urge you to read the prologue/preface/whatever. It will be 3 of the funniest pages you've ever read.
But then run - do not walk - away.
IT HAPPENS, OK? Shiny things distract me!
But after reading - OK, not exactly. A friend of mine stood in the middle of our hotel room and read aloud the preface. I had an open mind here, people. I DID.
And then I realized I had heard this story before.
No, not Hunger Games. I'm taking it way old school. This book was straight up Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. You know, the book Dickens was paid to write by word so it has endless comparisons and metaphors and ... Yeah. So, in the honor of that form of story-telling, here is my review:
It was the worst of books. It was the best of - No, wait. I'm lying.
Let's try this again:
It was confusing, silly, infantile, juvenile (and not in the fun YA-way), wordy, pompous, perplexing, arrogant, bewildering, hopeless, hopeful, brave, weak, and uninspiring.
It is the book that makes me want to forget the English language.
Or any language.
This is a story - one you may have heard before - that has been told better.
But that is all right. Because you will persevere. You will embrace this book and all it holds because you are strong, fearless, timid, scared, blessed, cursed, loved, hated, and-
Seriously. Is anyone still reading this review?
*crickets*
I do urge you to read the prologue/preface/whatever. It will be 3 of the funniest pages you've ever read.
But then run - do not walk - away.
February 1, 2015
Finally, I was able to finish this huge book! It wasn't because it wasn't good, but it was because of the lack of time I have reading this January. Which sucked so bad. I am upset that I couldn't even sit on a book for an hour, or even 30 minutes.
Anyways.
In a lot of ways, this book was good. Great even. But why only 3 stars?
1. I hate stupid love triangles. The end of the world is coming and you get to think about boys? Or girls? I just don't get why it has to be there.
2. It dragged too long on some parts while cutting off on some.
3. Too many damn characters.
Inspite of a the annoying stuff in this book, I still felt it was good for the most part, most especially the interactivity that the readers experience while reading the book. It was phenomenal. I wish more books were like this.
A lot of people compare it to the hunger games, let me assure you that this book is nothing like the hunger games. There would be similarities, but not as much as people fear it would be. It's not even a big big similarity, just numbers. To be honest, this is not even a dystopian book. It is what is going on before, the world becomes a dystopian book. And this book thoroughly explains how and what is happening. It doesn't let the readers guess what the fuck happened with the world. It lets you in on the secret bit by bit. The world building was just great. I loved it. It was brutal. Lots of the encounters the players had with each other were freakin' brutal. This book is more for older readers I think.
This book is definitely not for everyone. Especially how this book is told, would piss off a lot of the readers. There are a lot of POVs on the third person which could cause confusion at times, but I was good with it. I felt it was necessary.
Soooo. That's all for now. I wish I get my laptop back soon so I could write a more detailed review.
Anyways.
In a lot of ways, this book was good. Great even. But why only 3 stars?
1. I hate stupid love triangles. The end of the world is coming and you get to think about boys? Or girls? I just don't get why it has to be there.
2. It dragged too long on some parts while cutting off on some.
3. Too many damn characters.
Inspite of a the annoying stuff in this book, I still felt it was good for the most part, most especially the interactivity that the readers experience while reading the book. It was phenomenal. I wish more books were like this.
A lot of people compare it to the hunger games, let me assure you that this book is nothing like the hunger games. There would be similarities, but not as much as people fear it would be. It's not even a big big similarity, just numbers. To be honest, this is not even a dystopian book. It is what is going on before, the world becomes a dystopian book. And this book thoroughly explains how and what is happening. It doesn't let the readers guess what the fuck happened with the world. It lets you in on the secret bit by bit. The world building was just great. I loved it. It was brutal. Lots of the encounters the players had with each other were freakin' brutal. This book is more for older readers I think.
This book is definitely not for everyone. Especially how this book is told, would piss off a lot of the readers. There are a lot of POVs on the third person which could cause confusion at times, but I was good with it. I felt it was necessary.
Soooo. That's all for now. I wish I get my laptop back soon so I could write a more detailed review.
February 15, 2023
I want to add a disclaimer here that I didn't realise the controversy surrounding the author before purchasing the book and, had I done so, I probably would not have ever read this. My review is based on my enjoyable experience of this book alone, regardless of who penned it. I am not supporting or overlooking his questionable actions but am simply not allowing them to influence my enjoyment. That being said, I certainly won't be purchasing another book by James Frey and am glad that I have the rest of this series already bought second-hand.
This book has been compared to The Hunger Games as though it is a forgery of the legendary dystopian tale. I don't see it. There are factors that link the two, with the main one being the sacrificing of teenagers for the good of the world, but enough about the books are dissimilar to lead this to being a drastically different read.
Twelve players from twelve ancient family lines compete in one puzzle to save themselves from the impending destruction of the world. Alliances are made and bonds are formed but the twelve know that, ultimately, there can only be one winner. Clues and keys to deciphering the cryptic puzzle that will save them are strewn across the globe and the reader is invited into the intrigue and excitement as well-known geography and historical fact is incorporated in amongst the fiction of the tale.
And this is just once facet of the book that actively employs the reader in the tale. A real-world puzzle is also set out with a $500,000 prize for the winner, a mobile game has been made, and a stream of webpages created to involve the reader further into Endgame. The interactive elements of this book are what makes it such an exciting and innovative read.
The actual story is just as intoxicating! It is a whirlwind of insanity, action and riddles. Misleading clues and misguided attempts at conquering the puzzle make the plot's trajectory constantly unguessable and the cryptograms and conundrums were, at least for me, unsolvable.
My only negative was the sensational form of writing that tended to get a little irritating after long periods of reading. However, my enjoyment of every other element of this far outweighed my one small gripe and makes me eager and excited to read the next instalment.
This book has been compared to The Hunger Games as though it is a forgery of the legendary dystopian tale. I don't see it. There are factors that link the two, with the main one being the sacrificing of teenagers for the good of the world, but enough about the books are dissimilar to lead this to being a drastically different read.
Twelve players from twelve ancient family lines compete in one puzzle to save themselves from the impending destruction of the world. Alliances are made and bonds are formed but the twelve know that, ultimately, there can only be one winner. Clues and keys to deciphering the cryptic puzzle that will save them are strewn across the globe and the reader is invited into the intrigue and excitement as well-known geography and historical fact is incorporated in amongst the fiction of the tale.
And this is just once facet of the book that actively employs the reader in the tale. A real-world puzzle is also set out with a $500,000 prize for the winner, a mobile game has been made, and a stream of webpages created to involve the reader further into Endgame. The interactive elements of this book are what makes it such an exciting and innovative read.
The actual story is just as intoxicating! It is a whirlwind of insanity, action and riddles. Misleading clues and misguided attempts at conquering the puzzle make the plot's trajectory constantly unguessable and the cryptograms and conundrums were, at least for me, unsolvable.
My only negative was the sensational form of writing that tended to get a little irritating after long periods of reading. However, my enjoyment of every other element of this far outweighed my one small gripe and makes me eager and excited to read the next instalment.
May 14, 2016
Τα κατάφερα. Δεν το άφησα. Παρόλο που πέρασε πάνω από μήνας, μου πήρε 10,23 πραγματικές μέρες για να το τελειώσω. Δηλαδή 245,52 ώρες, δηλαδή 14731,20 λεπτά. Διαβάζοντας 50,42 σελίδες την ώρα οι πραγματικές ώρες ανάγνωσης είναι 11,74, ήτοι 704,48 λεπτά. Τα χρόνια εξάσκησης στην ανάγνωση μου έδιναν δύναμη να συνεχίσω μία σελίδα κάθε φορά. Οι μύες των βολβών των ματιών μου κινούνταν αθόρυβα και μετέφεραν το μήνυμα στον εγκέφαλο, που αυτός το μετέτρεπε σε νοηματικό περιεχόμενο. Αυτό είναι το Endgame. Έπρεπε να το τελειώσω....
Και για να σοβαρευτούμε...
Το βασικό θέμα του βιβλίου το έχουμε ξαναδεί: ο κόσμος κινδυνεύει με καταστροφή και 12 εκπρόσωποι των παλιότερων πολιτισμών αναλαμβάνουν να τον σώσουν, παίζοντας ένα ιδιότυπο παιχνίδι μεταξύ τους, όπου αναζητούν στοιχεία, κλειδιά, κλπ και πρέπει να ξεπαστρέψουν ο ένας τον άλλο ώσπου να μείνει μόνο ένας. Το εκπληκτικό με αυτό το βιβλίο είναι ότι παραθέτει αναφορές στο ίντερνετ (βίντεο, βιβλία, google maps τοποθεσιών, και πολλές άλλες πληροφορίες) προκειμένου ο αναγνώστης να λύσει ένα γρίφο και να κερδίσει το έπαθλο των 50.000 $. Ταυτόχρονα, παρατίθενται και άλλες ατάκες, εικόνες, γενικά το βιβλίο είναι διαδραστικό και αυτό μου άρεσε πολύ. Επίσης μου άρεσε πολύ ότι γίνεται αναλυτική αναφορά σε αυτούς τους 12 παλιούς πολιτισμούς και οι αναγνώστες που τους ενδιαφέρουν αυτά τα θέματα (εμένα δηλαδή) τους δίνει έτοιμες πολλές πληροφορίες για περαιτέρω έρευνα.
Το background του βιβλίου λοιπόν μου άρεσε πάρα πολύ, το βρήκα εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρον και αυτή η διαδραστικότητα ελπίζω να συνεχιστεί και σε άλλα βιβλία
Και για το λόγο αυτό του έδωσα ένα αστεράκι παραπάνω από ό,τι αξίζει η υπόθεση: Η οποία είναι χάλια....
Παρακολουθούμε τις προσπάθειες των 12 παικτών να λύσουν το γρίφο τους και να προχωρήσουν παρακάτω και, έχοντας να διαλέξω από 12 πρωταγωνιστές, για πρώτη φορά νομίζω σε βιβλίο ότι τους αντιπάθησα όλους! Νομίζω ότι με χαρά στο τέλος θα δεχόμουν μια χειροβομβίδα που κάποιος πέταξε να τους σκότωσε όλους και .. the end. Θα ήταν μάλιστα happy end (δεν κάνω σπόιλερ, επιβιώνουν αρκετοί γιατί έχει και συνέχεια η σειρά!!) Ποιο ήταν λοιπόν το πρόβλημα; Καταρχήν οι 12 παίκτες είναι βλαμμένοι. Έχουν εκπαιδευτεί να είναι φονικές μηχανές, ξέρουν 152 πολεμικές τέχνες ο καθένας, ξέρουν να πιλοτάρουν τρένα, αεροπλάνα, ελικόπτερα, αυτοκίνητα, μηχανές, πατίνια, υποβρύχια, ξέρουν να χακάρουν e-mail, να εντοπίζουν τους εχθρούς τους, έχουν από 10 πλαστά διαβατήρια, σκαρφαλώνουν βουνά, πηδάνε λίμνες, αλλά όσοι δεν είναι Αμερικάνοι ΔΕΝ ΞΕΡΟΥΝ ΑΓΓΛΙΚΑ και μιλάνε σαν καθυστερημένοι μετανάστες: "Εγκό σκοτώσει εσένα αν δεν πει πού είναι το ντίσκο. Κατάλαβες; Πες ναι;" Ο ηλίθιος τρόπος με τον οποίο ξεκίνησα την κριτική μου είναι περίπου ο τρόπος με τον οποίο είναι γραμμένο το βιβλίο. Μικρές προτάσεις, εκνευριστικά μικρές μάλιστα. 12 ούγκανοι λοιπόν προσπαθούν να σώσουν τον κόσμο, σκοτώνοντας ο ένας τον άλλο. Δυστυχώς κάποιοι επιβιώνουν και εξακολουθούν να ζουν ανάμεσά μας.
Κρίμα γιατί η αρχική ιδέα ήταν πολύ καλή, η υλοποίηση μάπα. Σχολικό πρότζεκτ ΕΠΑΛ νομίζω ότι θα μπορούσε να γράψει καλύτερους διαλόγους....
Και για να σοβαρευτούμε...
Το βασικό θέμα του βιβλίου το έχουμε ξαναδεί: ο κόσμος κινδυνεύει με καταστροφή και 12 εκπρόσωποι των παλιότερων πολιτισμών αναλαμβάνουν να τον σώσουν, παίζοντας ένα ιδιότυπο παιχνίδι μεταξύ τους, όπου αναζητούν στοιχεία, κλειδιά, κλπ και πρέπει να ξεπαστρέψουν ο ένας τον άλλο ώσπου να μείνει μόνο ένας. Το εκπληκτικό με αυτό το βιβλίο είναι ότι παραθέτει αναφορές στο ίντερνετ (βίντεο, βιβλία, google maps τοποθεσιών, και πολλές άλλες πληροφορίες) προκειμένου ο αναγνώστης να λύσει ένα γρίφο και να κερδίσει το έπαθλο των 50.000 $. Ταυτόχρονα, παρατίθενται και άλλες ατάκες, εικόνες, γενικά το βιβλίο είναι διαδραστικό και αυτό μου άρεσε πολύ. Επίσης μου άρεσε πολύ ότι γίνεται αναλυτική αναφορά σε αυτούς τους 12 παλιούς πολιτισμούς και οι αναγνώστες που τους ενδιαφέρουν αυτά τα θέματα (εμένα δηλαδή) τους δίνει έτοιμες πολλές πληροφορίες για περαιτέρω έρευνα.
Το background του βιβλίου λοιπόν μου άρεσε πάρα πολύ, το βρήκα εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρον και αυτή η διαδραστικότητα ελπίζω να συνεχιστεί και σε άλλα βιβλία
Και για το λόγο αυτό του έδωσα ένα αστεράκι παραπάνω από ό,τι αξίζει η υπόθεση: Η οποία είναι χάλια....
Παρακολουθούμε τις προσπάθειες των 12 παικτών να λύσουν το γρίφο τους και να προχωρήσουν παρακάτω και, έχοντας να διαλέξω από 12 πρωταγωνιστές, για πρώτη φορά νομίζω σε βιβλίο ότι τους αντιπάθησα όλους! Νομίζω ότι με χαρά στο τέλος θα δεχόμουν μια χειροβομβίδα που κάποιος πέταξε να τους σκότωσε όλους και .. the end. Θα ήταν μάλιστα happy end (δεν κάνω σπόιλερ, επιβιώνουν αρκετοί γιατί έχει και συνέχεια η σειρά!!) Ποιο ήταν λοιπόν το πρόβλημα; Καταρχήν οι 12 παίκτες είναι βλαμμένοι. Έχουν εκπαιδευτεί να είναι φονικές μηχανές, ξέρουν 152 πολεμικές τέχνες ο καθένας, ξέρουν να πιλοτάρουν τρένα, αεροπλάνα, ελικόπτερα, αυτοκίνητα, μηχανές, πατίνια, υποβρύχια, ξέρουν να χακάρουν e-mail, να εντοπίζουν τους εχθρούς τους, έχουν από 10 πλαστά διαβατήρια, σκαρφαλώνουν βουνά, πηδάνε λίμνες, αλλά όσοι δεν είναι Αμερικάνοι ΔΕΝ ΞΕΡΟΥΝ ΑΓΓΛΙΚΑ και μιλάνε σαν καθυστερημένοι μετανάστες: "Εγκό σκοτώσει εσένα αν δεν πει πού είναι το ντίσκο. Κατάλαβες; Πες ναι;" Ο ηλίθιος τρόπος με τον οποίο ξεκίνησα την κριτική μου είναι περίπου ο τρόπος με τον οποίο είναι γραμμένο το βιβλίο. Μικρές προτάσεις, εκνευριστικά μικρές μάλιστα. 12 ούγκανοι λοιπόν προσπαθούν να σώσουν τον κόσμο, σκοτώνοντας ο ένας τον άλλο. Δυστυχώς κάποιοι επιβιώνουν και εξακολουθούν να ζουν ανάμεσά μας.
Κρίμα γιατί η αρχική ιδέα ήταν πολύ καλή, η υλοποίηση μάπα. Σχολικό πρότζεκτ ΕΠΑΛ νομίζω ότι θα μπορούσε να γράψει καλύτερους διαλόγους....
December 4, 2018
Endgame es una historia muy ambiciosa, con múltiples personajes, una trama un tanto confusa y escenas con sitios cambiantes que narran un mundo creado por una fuerza extraterrestre.
Sin embargo todo está en la dosis exacta: los personajes tan diferentes y variados te aportan una perspectiva bastante inusual en la que verás todos los lados de la historia, aquí el malo, el bueno, el rudo, el débil, la fuerte, te pondrán a pensar en cual es el que mejor se libra de las adversidades y cual es el que podrá afrontar toda la responsabilidad que cargan y con las consecuencias de sus actos.
Adictiva, veloz, y vertiginosa es la forma en que esta historia te lleva a descubrir cada secreto que guarda, y las historias que a través de ellos te revela.
Sin embargo todo está en la dosis exacta: los personajes tan diferentes y variados te aportan una perspectiva bastante inusual en la que verás todos los lados de la historia, aquí el malo, el bueno, el rudo, el débil, la fuerte, te pondrán a pensar en cual es el que mejor se libra de las adversidades y cual es el que podrá afrontar toda la responsabilidad que cargan y con las consecuencias de sus actos.
Adictiva, veloz, y vertiginosa es la forma en que esta historia te lleva a descubrir cada secreto que guarda, y las historias que a través de ellos te revela.
September 27, 2015
Σε αυτό το βιβλίο γίνεται ένας μεγάλος χαμός. Από πού να ξεκινήσω. Καταρχήν έχει 12 ήρωες και ο συγγραφέας αποφάσισε να κάνει την αφήγηση πολυπρόσωπη και με τους 12! Για να πετύχει ένα τέτοιο εγχείρημα πρέπει ο συγγραφέας να έχει μεγάλες ικανότητες κάτι που ο συγκεκριμένος δεν έχει σε καμία περίπτωση. Πρώτον, το πρόσωπο που μιλάει αλλάζει κάθε 2-3 σελίδες, γεγονός που σε μπερδεύει κ δεν θυμάσαι τι και ποιος, ειδικά μέχρι να μάθεις κ να συγκρατείς στη μνήμη σου και τους 12 (κάτι που παίζει να μη συμβεί και καθόλου καθ'όλη τη διάρκεια της ανάγνωσης). Επίσης δεν συνδέεσαι συναισθηματικά με κανέναν ηρώα, αυτό συμβαίνει για 2 λόγους: επειδή είναι πολλοί, όπως ήδη είπαμε, αλλά κ επειδή η αφήγηση είναι άτσαλή βιαστική, κοφτή και μου θυμίζει πάρα πάρα πολύ κακογραμμένο αστυνομικό βιβλίο τσέπης, ας βάλω ένα παράδειγμα:
«Εξίσου γλυκό, αλλά πιο θανάσιμο.
Αυτό είναι το δικό του Endgame.
Και δεν είναι δύσκολο.
Είναι εύκολο.
Διασκεδαστικό.
(…)
ΠΑΡΕ ΣΚΟΤΩΣΕ ΚΕΡΔΙΣΕ.
(…)
Ναι.
Αυτό σημαίνει.
Ο Μπαιτσακάν ξέρει.»
Υπόψη, δεν μιλάει κάποιο αυτιστικό, ούτε κανένας σαραντάρης πληρωμένος δολοφόνος αλλά ένα 13χρονο παιδί.
Επίσης γιατί επαναλαμβάνει συνέχεια τα ονόματα τους όταν κάνουν ή σκέπτονται κάτι; Π.χ.
«Ο Χιλάλ βλέπει, χαμογελάει, σηκώνεται.
Ο Χιλαλ ξέρει.
Ο Χιλάλ καταλαβαίνει.»
Πωωωωωωωω... πραγματικά αυτή η αφήγηση, αυτή η γραφή, πάει την βλακεία σε άλλο επίπεδο.
Α, κ κάτι άλλο, οι χαρακτήρες ήταν τόσο μονοδιάστατοι, επιφανειακοί, γεμάτοι κλισέ, του τύπου φονικές μηχανές, δίψα για αίμα, επαγγελματίες, ψυχροί κ.λ.π. πφφ….
Πάμε στα καλά, -ναι έχει και από αυτά- πλοκή γρήγορη, εκπληκτική δράση, δεν σου επιτρέπει να βαρεθείς, η υπόθεση είναι πολύ καλή, έχει αγωνία, και πολύ σασπένς. Κ ενώ δεν παίζει να λύσει άνθρωπος το γρίφο, (πραγματικά δεν σου δίνει αυτή τη δυνατότητα,βασικά δεν σου δίνει καν όλα τα στοιχειά αφού οι περισσότεροι ήρωες τα κρατούν για τον εαυτό τους, οπότε μας δουλεύει ψιλό γαζί όταν διαφημίζει ότι λύνεται) είναι πολύ διασκεδαστικό να ακολουθείς τους ήρωες στην αναζήτηση τους.
Τελευταίο και κλείνω, πραγματικά παίρνει από εμένα ένα επιπλέον αστεράκι μόνο κ μόνο για τα δυο τελευταία κεφάλαια, που μου άρεσαν πάρα πολύ.
«Εξίσου γλυκό, αλλά πιο θανάσιμο.
Αυτό είναι το δικό του Endgame.
Και δεν είναι δύσκολο.
Είναι εύκολο.
Διασκεδαστικό.
(…)
ΠΑΡΕ ΣΚΟΤΩΣΕ ΚΕΡΔΙΣΕ.
(…)
Ναι.
Αυτό σημαίνει.
Ο Μπαιτσακάν ξέρει.»
Υπόψη, δεν μιλάει κάποιο αυτιστικό, ούτε κανένας σαραντάρης πληρωμένος δολοφόνος αλλά ένα 13χρονο παιδί.
Επίσης γιατί επαναλαμβάνει συνέχεια τα ονόματα τους όταν κάνουν ή σκέπτονται κάτι; Π.χ.
«Ο Χιλάλ βλέπει, χαμογελάει, σηκώνεται.
Ο Χιλαλ ξέρει.
Ο Χιλάλ καταλαβαίνει.»
Πωωωωωωωω... πραγματικά αυτή η αφήγηση, αυτή η γραφή, πάει την βλακεία σε άλλο επίπεδο.
Α, κ κάτι άλλο, οι χαρακτήρες ήταν τόσο μονοδιάστατοι, επιφανειακοί, γεμάτοι κλισέ, του τύπου φονικές μηχανές, δίψα για αίμα, επαγγελματίες, ψυχροί κ.λ.π. πφφ….
Πάμε στα καλά, -ναι έχει και από αυτά- πλοκή γρήγορη, εκπληκτική δράση, δεν σου επιτρέπει να βαρεθείς, η υπόθεση είναι πολύ καλή, έχει αγωνία, και πολύ σασπένς. Κ ενώ δεν παίζει να λύσει άνθρωπος το γρίφο, (πραγματικά δεν σου δίνει αυτή τη δυνατότητα,βασικά δεν σου δίνει καν όλα τα στοιχειά αφού οι περισσότεροι ήρωες τα κρατούν για τον εαυτό τους, οπότε μας δουλεύει ψιλό γαζί όταν διαφημίζει ότι λύνεται) είναι πολύ διασκεδαστικό να ακολουθείς τους ήρωες στην αναζήτηση τους.
Τελευταίο και κλείνω, πραγματικά παίρνει από εμένα ένα επιπλέον αστεράκι μόνο κ μόνο για τα δυο τελευταία κεφάλαια, που μου άρεσαν πάρα πολύ.
February 25, 2017
Παρότι οι ικανότητες των παικτών ήταν λίγο έως πολύ (εντάξει, βασικά πάρα πολύ) υπερβολικές (μέχρι και σφαίρες στον αέρα θα ήταν ικανοί να πιάσ��υν), η ιστορία δεν με έκανε λεπτό να βαρεθώ. Ξεκίνησε δυναμικά και συνέχισε έτσι μέχρι και το τέλος.
Επίσης λάτρεψα τον Ολμέκο! <3
Επίσης λάτρεψα τον Ολμέκο! <3
April 25, 2016
Before you all go yelling about it in comments, yes, I know about the FFF/James Frey thing. I thought I'd still give this book a go, because I like to separate the author from the book. I did the same thing with Ender's Game.
Well, in this case, really there was no need to separate the author from the book because this book was just the worst. Congratulations, Endgame: The Calling. You get the award for being my first DNF book of 2014.
I think the main problem I had with Endgame is that there are way too many points of view. Twelve is just ridiculous, and the author is really just unable to handle them all adequately. Frey switches too quickly between the povs for the reader to really be able to connect with any of them, especially because the characters are so poorly developed.
The entire premise didn’t really make sense to me. I feel like things should have been explained in a bit more detail or something, because the whole “twelve lines of humanity” and each having one member to “fight” for the survival of the line? Um, whut. Please explain how, when, why.
The writing itself is pretty poor quality as well. It has a feeling of almost being more of a script than a novel- it’s very overt in stating everything, with complete disregard of the classic “show don’t tell”. The dialogue seems pretty cliched and cheesy at times, and the plot is very chaotic.
Minor point that annoyed me nonetheless: there’s an Australian character, and that character would say "mate" at the end of every phrase. STAHP IT.
Well, shaky premise, terrible world building and poor handling of multiple points of view- I’m certainly not continuing on with this series.
DNF at page 211, i.e. 45%
Well, in this case, really there was no need to separate the author from the book because this book was just the worst. Congratulations, Endgame: The Calling. You get the award for being my first DNF book of 2014.
I think the main problem I had with Endgame is that there are way too many points of view. Twelve is just ridiculous, and the author is really just unable to handle them all adequately. Frey switches too quickly between the povs for the reader to really be able to connect with any of them, especially because the characters are so poorly developed.
The entire premise didn’t really make sense to me. I feel like things should have been explained in a bit more detail or something, because the whole “twelve lines of humanity” and each having one member to “fight” for the survival of the line? Um, whut. Please explain how, when, why.
The writing itself is pretty poor quality as well. It has a feeling of almost being more of a script than a novel- it’s very overt in stating everything, with complete disregard of the classic “show don’t tell”. The dialogue seems pretty cliched and cheesy at times, and the plot is very chaotic.
Minor point that annoyed me nonetheless: there’s an Australian character, and that character would say "mate" at the end of every phrase. STAHP IT.
Well, shaky premise, terrible world building and poor handling of multiple points of view- I’m certainly not continuing on with this series.
DNF at page 211, i.e. 45%
Shelved as 'lol-how-about-no'
August 13, 2016I had know idea this is the author behind I Am Number Four!
I'm fucking shocked; a few years ago I read A Million Little Pieces and absolutely hated it. Wasn't surprised when I found out that "memoir" was all a lie. Now this book is in the process of being released when it's a rip off of the Hunger Games when that's a rip off of Battle Royale... My head hurts.
I'm fucking shocked; a few years ago I read A Million Little Pieces and absolutely hated it. Wasn't surprised when I found out that "memoir" was all a lie. Now this book is in the process of being released when it's a rip off of the Hunger Games when that's a rip off of Battle Royale... My head hurts.
Shelved as 'will-not-read'
April 2, 2015I knew you were *insert a familiar book here* when you walked in.
February 26, 2015
Yo ya conocía el estilo de este autor y es de todo mi gusto, un libro enigmático y sangriento. Una historia con mucha acción que plantea mil preguntas y da pocas respuestas.
Siempre he creído en los extraterrestres y en las teorías conspirativas y este es un libro que desarrolla muy bien esta temática.
Reseña Completa: http://bastvilard.blogspot.com/2015/0...
Siempre he creído en los extraterrestres y en las teorías conspirativas y este es un libro que desarrolla muy bien esta temática.
Reseña Completa: http://bastvilard.blogspot.com/2015/0...
January 12, 2015
This review can also be found on A Thousand Lives Lived, check it out for more reviews!
Don’t fucking call this a rip-off or a knockoff-read of The Hunger Games or else I’ll seriously punch you. Okay, I’m not making a threat here, haha, I’m just kidding. But really, the haters need to back off. Just because the summary makes it sound like there’s a game and in order for there to be one winner, everyone has to die, THAT DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING, OKAY? This book was honestly fucking amazing—and here is a long list of reasons why this isn't like THG in any way:
1. This doesn’t have ONE protagonist—there’s many protagonists, basically one per every Player.
Basically, we don’t have a Katniss Everdeen here. There are so many characters here who we get a least a few chapters of thoughts of to really get to know them. It was actually really easy to remember who they were because Frey and Johnson-Shelton created such memorable characters.
2. This wasn’t your average dystopian world where everyone’s poor and there’s Factions or Districts or whatever.
In a way, this is like a present-based atmosphere with the Endgame there to balance the population. In fact for Sarah, she was at her graduating ceremony when the meteor hit, so like, yes this was very believable. Piano lessons and soccer and high school were a thing in this book.
3. It wasn’t all about killing everyone and being the last one left.
Here, you have to find the Earth Key and the Sky Key and the keys in order to achieve your winning. And if you die, it’s not only your soul that dies—it’s every single person in your bloodline. Imagine if you were part of the biggest bloodline in the world and something happens…
And yes, those are just some of the ways how it differs. But it’s a completely different novel and I just want to throw my head against the nearest wall when I see people hating on it. Endgame was such a racing and captivating novel that I devoured in one sitting, remembering that it’s such a long book.
You see, you’d think that the key idea of this would be really difficult to understand as there’s many POVs and locations and everything—but this was my kind of novel. There’re puzzles and mysteries and after finishing it, I feel so dumb, especially since there’s some repetition pattern and puzzle that the authors want the public to solve for a grand prize of $500,000. Like really, how amazing is that?
So every once in a while when the population is too high for the world to hold or when there’s too much war, the Endgame begins. You don’t know when, and you never expect it to happen, but there’s always people training and getting ready. You’re eligible when you’re ages 13 to in your twenties, and after that, you can go on with your life living normally. All 12 Players never saw it coming, but they were chosen randomly. There are 12 different bloodlines in the world, and each Player comes from one of them. Die or lose the Endgame, your entire bloodline dies as well. It’s as simple as that. And all you need to do is search the world, looking for the keys and solve the puzzle.
It’s been a little over a week since I finished this (as I’m writing this review) and I still can’t get my thoughts together. As I’m seeing my friends in school, I feel like all I’m talking about is this book and how they should read it. I even heard that a MOVIE may be coming out for this one? It’s already got so much fame in such little time, and I’m clapping my hands rapidly as I feel so proud for that matter hehe.
Okay—so this is such a kick-ass story.You have 12 teenagers who basically get to travel the world to win a game, wherever they’d like to. They all come from different races, countries, cultures, and they meet in China where everything begins. I guess you can say that they all have their own special talents—there’s even a bomb maker. Now you can really realize and accept the fact that your talent can help you. ;)
It was so amazing because as you’re in the middle half of the book, you sincerely realize that someone will get the Earth Key and you’re wondering who it’ll be… And the theories begin sprouting up in your mind. I KIND OF SAW IT COMING BUT THEN IT WAS LIKE THEY STOLE IT. They basically ran and grabbed it from someone who sincerely needed it and then they killed that person. AND I LOVED THAT PERSON!
After I finished reading, I originally thought of this to be a 4.5 star rating for me as there were some dull moments in the middle, but then I thought about how the ending made up for it and how much I really adored and became obsessed with the book. This is probably going to be one of the best books of the year coming from me.
My favourite character was Chiyoko. She was so kick-ass and worked so well on her own, not needing Sarah or some other guy with her. (BUT HER LOVE WITH AN-LIU, THOUGH!) Really, Frey and Johnson-Shelton both created amazing character-development and even KILLED OFF SUCH AMAZING CHARACTERS LIKE IT WAS NO BIG DEAL. But that’s a little better, because we never saw it coming, unlike THG.
AHH OMG SARAH AND JAGO WERE SO CUTE. And remember that checking scene and Sarah blushing and wanting to see more? I began fanning myself. Too bad she had an obsessive addicted psychopath guy at her shoulders stalking her because she left him for good and he loves her too much. Some people have to let go, no?
So this book was perfect and gorgeous and fast-paced and I was left shocked at the end of every chapter. Frey and Johnson-Shelton are such amazing writers, and I'd pay a million dollars to get a peek at the sequel, because I just can't wait. 2015 is going to be an amazing year for great books, I can already tell. I'LL BE AT THE MOVIE PREMIERE ON THE RED CARPET, PEOPLE.
Don’t fucking call this a rip-off or a knockoff-read of The Hunger Games or else I’ll seriously punch you. Okay, I’m not making a threat here, haha, I’m just kidding. But really, the haters need to back off. Just because the summary makes it sound like there’s a game and in order for there to be one winner, everyone has to die, THAT DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING, OKAY? This book was honestly fucking amazing—and here is a long list of reasons why this isn't like THG in any way:
1. This doesn’t have ONE protagonist—there’s many protagonists, basically one per every Player.
Basically, we don’t have a Katniss Everdeen here. There are so many characters here who we get a least a few chapters of thoughts of to really get to know them. It was actually really easy to remember who they were because Frey and Johnson-Shelton created such memorable characters.
2. This wasn’t your average dystopian world where everyone’s poor and there’s Factions or Districts or whatever.
In a way, this is like a present-based atmosphere with the Endgame there to balance the population. In fact for Sarah, she was at her graduating ceremony when the meteor hit, so like, yes this was very believable. Piano lessons and soccer and high school were a thing in this book.
3. It wasn’t all about killing everyone and being the last one left.
Here, you have to find the Earth Key and the Sky Key and the keys in order to achieve your winning. And if you die, it’s not only your soul that dies—it’s every single person in your bloodline. Imagine if you were part of the biggest bloodline in the world and something happens…
And yes, those are just some of the ways how it differs. But it’s a completely different novel and I just want to throw my head against the nearest wall when I see people hating on it. Endgame was such a racing and captivating novel that I devoured in one sitting, remembering that it’s such a long book.
You see, you’d think that the key idea of this would be really difficult to understand as there’s many POVs and locations and everything—but this was my kind of novel. There’re puzzles and mysteries and after finishing it, I feel so dumb, especially since there’s some repetition pattern and puzzle that the authors want the public to solve for a grand prize of $500,000. Like really, how amazing is that?
So every once in a while when the population is too high for the world to hold or when there’s too much war, the Endgame begins. You don’t know when, and you never expect it to happen, but there’s always people training and getting ready. You’re eligible when you’re ages 13 to in your twenties, and after that, you can go on with your life living normally. All 12 Players never saw it coming, but they were chosen randomly. There are 12 different bloodlines in the world, and each Player comes from one of them. Die or lose the Endgame, your entire bloodline dies as well. It’s as simple as that. And all you need to do is search the world, looking for the keys and solve the puzzle.
"He has a new friend. The beautiful Player of the 233rd. A new friend. Maybe more."
It’s been a little over a week since I finished this (as I’m writing this review) and I still can’t get my thoughts together. As I’m seeing my friends in school, I feel like all I’m talking about is this book and how they should read it. I even heard that a MOVIE may be coming out for this one? It’s already got so much fame in such little time, and I’m clapping my hands rapidly as I feel so proud for that matter hehe.
Okay—so this is such a kick-ass story.You have 12 teenagers who basically get to travel the world to win a game, wherever they’d like to. They all come from different races, countries, cultures, and they meet in China where everything begins. I guess you can say that they all have their own special talents—there’s even a bomb maker. Now you can really realize and accept the fact that your talent can help you. ;)
It was so amazing because as you’re in the middle half of the book, you sincerely realize that someone will get the Earth Key and you’re wondering who it’ll be… And the theories begin sprouting up in your mind. I KIND OF SAW IT COMING BUT THEN IT WAS LIKE THEY STOLE IT. They basically ran and grabbed it from someone who sincerely needed it and then they killed that person. AND I LOVED THAT PERSON!
After I finished reading, I originally thought of this to be a 4.5 star rating for me as there were some dull moments in the middle, but then I thought about how the ending made up for it and how much I really adored and became obsessed with the book. This is probably going to be one of the best books of the year coming from me.
My favourite character was Chiyoko. She was so kick-ass and worked so well on her own, not needing Sarah or some other guy with her. (BUT HER LOVE WITH AN-LIU, THOUGH!) Really, Frey and Johnson-Shelton both created amazing character-development and even KILLED OFF SUCH AMAZING CHARACTERS LIKE IT WAS NO BIG DEAL. But that’s a little better, because we never saw it coming, unlike THG.
"As she says that, a part of Sarah hopes it isn't true. She hopes this is just a wild teenage whim and that she's no actually falling for Jago. Falling in love with a rival would be about the worst thing that could happen. But then they kiss. And kiss. And kiss. And Sarah forgets."
AHH OMG SARAH AND JAGO WERE SO CUTE. And remember that checking scene and Sarah blushing and wanting to see more? I began fanning myself. Too bad she had an obsessive addicted psychopath guy at her shoulders stalking her because she left him for good and he loves her too much. Some people have to let go, no?
So this book was perfect and gorgeous and fast-paced and I was left shocked at the end of every chapter. Frey and Johnson-Shelton are such amazing writers, and I'd pay a million dollars to get a peek at the sequel, because I just can't wait. 2015 is going to be an amazing year for great books, I can already tell. I'LL BE AT THE MOVIE PREMIERE ON THE RED CARPET, PEOPLE.
June 8, 2019
4.95/5
Dünyanın bütün insanları. Endgame başladı.
Kitaba bayıldım! Yorumu için: http://kronikokur.blogspot.com.tr/201...
Dünyanın bütün insanları. Endgame başladı.
Kitaba bayıldım! Yorumu için: http://kronikokur.blogspot.com.tr/201...
December 21, 2017
Τελικά μου άρεσε. Είχα διαβάσει αμφιλεγόμενες κριτικές αλλά εμένα μου άρεσε. Έχει κάποια σημεία που μπορούν να σου σπάσουν τα νεύρα (όπως ο τρόπος που περιγράφει τα τικ ενός από τους παίχτες), αλλά σε γενικές γραμμές είναι καλό.
Θετικά: είναι ωραίο σαν ιδέα. Δώδεκα αρχαίοι πολιτισμοί που επιβιώνουν στους αιώνες, ένα μέλος από τον κάθε πολιτισμό διδάσκεται και μεγαλώνει ώστε να αποτελεί μια πολεμική μηχανή (από μόνο του). Όταν "Αυτοί" αποφασίσουν, και τα δώδεκα αυτά άτομα θα κληθούν να πάρουν μέρος σε μια μάχη με έναν μόνο νικητή, με έπαθλο την επιβίωση της φυλής του. Όλοι οι υπόλοιποι άνθρωποι θα καταστραφούν.
Επίσης έχει ωραίο λόγο και στρωτή γραφή σε γενικές γραμμές. Και μου άρεσε που εκτυλίσσεται σε όλη τη γη και όχι σε ένα μόνο μέρος.
Αρνητικά: Διηγείται την ιστορία μέσω δώδεκα διαφορετικών ατόμων. Συγγνώμη, λάθος. Έχουμε και τους παρατρεχάμενους κάποιων εκ των πρωταγωνιστών, οπότε ο αριθμός ανεβαίνει. Και εγώ έχω πρόβλημα: δεν μπορώ να θυμηθώ πολλά ονόματα, χάνω τη μπάλα. Και έχω και χειρότερο: εκτός από το όνομα του κάθε παίχτη τον αναφέρει πολύ συχνά και με το όνομά της φυλής του, συνεπώς τα ονόματα που πρέπει να θυμάμαι ανεβαίνουν αυτόματα στα εικοσιτέσσερα (24 !!! ) χωρίς να μετρήσω τους παρατρεχάμενους. Οκ, παραδίνομαι, έγραψα σημειώσεις σε ένα χαρτί και το χρησιμοποίησα για σελιδοδείκτη.
Επίσης σε κάποια σημεία που περιέγραφε μάχες ήταν υπερβολικός, ειδικά ως προς τις ικανότητες των παιχτών. Και βρίσκω υπερβολική τη διαβάθμιση των ηλικιών των παιχτών. Αλλά τέλος πάντων.
Σε γενικές γραμμές ήταν καλό, αρκετά καλό ώστε να θελήσω να διαβάσω και τον δεύτερο τόμο ειδικά αν σκεφτείς ότι βρίσκω υπερβολικά τα δυστοπικά μυθιστορήματα.
Update: Το ξαναδιάβασα τώρα που έχω όλη την τριλογία στα χέρια μου επειδή δεν θυμόμουν τίποτα σχεδόν...
Στη δεύτερη ανάγνωση μου φάνηκε καλύτερο από την πρώτη.
Η άποψή μου για την τριλογία (συνολικά) είναι εδώ:
http://kiallovivlio.blogspot.gr/2017/...
Θετικά: είναι ωραίο σαν ιδέα. Δώδεκα αρχαίοι πολιτισμοί που επιβιώνουν στους αιώνες, ένα μέλος από τον κάθε πολιτισμό διδάσκεται και μεγαλώνει ώστε να αποτελεί μια πολεμική μηχανή (από μόνο του). Όταν "Αυτοί" αποφασίσουν, και τα δώδεκα αυτά άτομα θα κληθούν να πάρουν μέρος σε μια μάχη με έναν μόνο νικητή, με έπαθλο την επιβίωση της φυλής του. Όλοι οι υπόλοιποι άνθρωποι θα καταστραφούν.
Επίσης έχει ωραίο λόγο και στρωτή γραφή σε γενικές γραμμές. Και μου άρεσε που εκτυλίσσεται σε όλη τη γη και όχι σε ένα μόνο μέρος.
Αρνητικά: Διηγείται την ιστορία μέσω δώδεκα διαφορετικών ατόμων. Συγγνώμη, λάθος. Έχουμε και τους παρατρεχάμενους κάποιων εκ των πρωταγωνιστών, οπότε ο αριθμός ανεβαίνει. Και εγώ έχω πρόβλημα: δεν μπορώ να θυμηθώ πολλά ονόματα, χάνω τη μπάλα. Και έχω και χειρότερο: εκτός από το όνομα του κάθε παίχτη τον αναφέρει πολύ συχνά και με το όνομά της φυλής του, συνεπώς τα ονόματα που πρέπει να θυμάμαι ανεβαίνουν αυτόματα στα εικοσιτέσσερα (24 !!! ) χωρίς να μετρήσω τους παρατρεχάμενους. Οκ, παραδίνομαι, έγραψα σημειώσεις σε ένα χαρτί και το χρησιμοποίησα για σελιδοδείκτη.
Επίσης σε κάποια σημεία που περιέγραφε μάχες ήταν υπερβολικός, ειδικά ως προς τις ικανότητες των παιχτών. Και βρίσκω υπερβολική τη διαβάθμιση των ηλικιών των παιχτών. Αλλά τέλος πάντων.
Σε γενικές γραμμές ήταν καλό, αρκετά καλό ώστε να θελήσω να διαβάσω και τον δεύτερο τόμο ειδικά αν σκεφτείς ότι βρίσκω υπερβολικά τα δυστοπικά μυθιστορήματα.
Update: Το ξαναδιάβασα τώρα που έχω όλη την τριλογία στα χέρια μου επειδή δεν θυμόμουν τίποτα σχεδόν...
Στη δεύτερη ανάγνωση μου φάνηκε καλύτερο από την πρώτη.
Η άποψή μου για την τριλογία (συνολικά) είναι εδώ:
http://kiallovivlio.blogspot.gr/2017/...
August 14, 2018
"Endgame is the reason of life, the reason of death. Play on, what will be, will be."
Rating: 5/5 Stars.
Synopsis: for readers of Battle Royal type books (The Hunger Games) and lover of world stories with a diverse cast (sense8.) Endgame tells the story of children aged from 13 to 18, charged with the heavy purpose of choosing the fate of Humanity as we know it. All of them are legacies of the 'original' lines, raised in certain traditions and beliefs. Some hoped for the Endgame, others dreaded and denied its existence. But after a meteor shower, Endgame is announced and the children must unravel the Keys that will save one line of humanity, while all of the others, including the remaining players, will die.
"-Why do we believe in these figures -the Christ, Mohamed, Budha- when we have seen the true forces that shape life and knowledge?
-Because we believe one person can make a difference."
Review: I was surprised when I added this book to my Goodreads account because it wasn't as popular as I thought it was. I've read it at first in my native language when I was 15, and it was very popular in France for some reason, quite as popular if I dare say, as Divergent.
The problem when you read a book as a child out of pure enjoyment, you dread the time when you'd come back to this book, desperately hoping that it feels you with the same emotions as it once did. Which is why it took me so long to get back into this book, but I've read it twice now, and I can assure you, that Endgame is pure genius.
The idea is fantastic, forcing a group of children raised from all over the world, so different from one another, to connect, to love, to loathe, to die, by each other's side... It reminded me of The Hunger Games, but less focused on the politics and more of the religion, and of what was at the core of our existence.
The characters are well-crafted, there's no real main character in this story, no character that feels more important than the next, anyone could die at any given point, which keeps the reader on the edge of their seats. The fear that we all have when we read a book with more than 10+ characters is that some will be neglected and won't have an interesting character arc because they're just here to 'fill some space' or because they're useful during 'one key plot point.' But Endgame #1 keeps its promises and offers not only a great and diverse cast of characters but also unbelievable character development. The first time I read it, I was shocked at some decision because they seemed out of character, but as I read it for the second time, I could see them evolving, growing up.
I feel like I need to mention the fact that you don't get the character who's overly dramatic and emotional about everything, who's like 'but I need to save this one person no matter the consequences.' Yes, that character who makes you roll your eyes until they get stuck on the ceiling, they're not here. In this book, every character thinks twice before doing anything, thinking about the pros and cons, is it really worth it? Is the end worth the meaning? We are gifted with a cast of trained assassins and scholars, and it feels like they truly are as smart and mature as they appear. So yesss please??? Give me more introspective characters???
The writing is minimalist, analytical borderline clinical which completely fits the story because I assume that this story follows the POV of the people behind Endgame as they watch it unfold.
In overall, if you're looking for a strong story, with strong character and incredible foreshadowing, Endgame is the story for you.
Rating: 5/5 Stars.
Synopsis: for readers of Battle Royal type books (The Hunger Games) and lover of world stories with a diverse cast (sense8.) Endgame tells the story of children aged from 13 to 18, charged with the heavy purpose of choosing the fate of Humanity as we know it. All of them are legacies of the 'original' lines, raised in certain traditions and beliefs. Some hoped for the Endgame, others dreaded and denied its existence. But after a meteor shower, Endgame is announced and the children must unravel the Keys that will save one line of humanity, while all of the others, including the remaining players, will die.
"-Why do we believe in these figures -the Christ, Mohamed, Budha- when we have seen the true forces that shape life and knowledge?
-Because we believe one person can make a difference."
Review: I was surprised when I added this book to my Goodreads account because it wasn't as popular as I thought it was. I've read it at first in my native language when I was 15, and it was very popular in France for some reason, quite as popular if I dare say, as Divergent.
The problem when you read a book as a child out of pure enjoyment, you dread the time when you'd come back to this book, desperately hoping that it feels you with the same emotions as it once did. Which is why it took me so long to get back into this book, but I've read it twice now, and I can assure you, that Endgame is pure genius.
The idea is fantastic, forcing a group of children raised from all over the world, so different from one another, to connect, to love, to loathe, to die, by each other's side... It reminded me of The Hunger Games, but less focused on the politics and more of the religion, and of what was at the core of our existence.
The characters are well-crafted, there's no real main character in this story, no character that feels more important than the next, anyone could die at any given point, which keeps the reader on the edge of their seats. The fear that we all have when we read a book with more than 10+ characters is that some will be neglected and won't have an interesting character arc because they're just here to 'fill some space' or because they're useful during 'one key plot point.' But Endgame #1 keeps its promises and offers not only a great and diverse cast of characters but also unbelievable character development. The first time I read it, I was shocked at some decision because they seemed out of character, but as I read it for the second time, I could see them evolving, growing up.
I feel like I need to mention the fact that you don't get the character who's overly dramatic and emotional about everything, who's like 'but I need to save this one person no matter the consequences.' Yes, that character who makes you roll your eyes until they get stuck on the ceiling, they're not here. In this book, every character thinks twice before doing anything, thinking about the pros and cons, is it really worth it? Is the end worth the meaning? We are gifted with a cast of trained assassins and scholars, and it feels like they truly are as smart and mature as they appear. So yesss please??? Give me more introspective characters???
The writing is minimalist, analytical borderline clinical which completely fits the story because I assume that this story follows the POV of the people behind Endgame as they watch it unfold.
In overall, if you're looking for a strong story, with strong character and incredible foreshadowing, Endgame is the story for you.
Want to read
September 11, 2016The Chinese translation is out there, to read or not to read?
Edited@10/02/2016:
I found out the questionable things James Frey and his infamous publish house had done in the past (including but not limited to publishing I Am Number. 4, which is a huge crime in my eyes), so no, I'm not going to read it. No need to read a Hunger Games clone.
Edited@10/02/2016:
I found out the questionable things James Frey and his infamous publish house had done in the past (including but not limited to publishing I Am Number. 4, which is a huge crime in my eyes), so no, I'm not going to read it. No need to read a Hunger Games clone.
September 26, 2018
I started off REALLY loving this book but it kind of went a bit downhill after the beginning. The whole Christopher/Sarah bit was incredibly annoying and cue a MAJOR eye roll at the love triangle. Why must authors spoil a good story by inserting the dreaded love triangle?! I was also a bit disappointed because I expected more killing but everyone ended teaming up. The idea was incredibly interesting and had so much potential but it was a bit long and drawn out. It really could have been a bit shorter and quicker to the punch. It also gave me serious Illuminae vibes but it was nowhere near as electric and captivating.
December 13, 2016
Tenho pena que as pessoas julguem um livro por uma descrição, sim , a sua descrição é semelhante ao jogos de fome, mas a sua história é COMPLETAMENTE DIFERENTE !
Este livro é muito substimado e é triste saber disso, quando se tem os ingredientes todos para fazer sucesso ! Aconselho vivamente a quem gosta de livros apocalipticos, acção , romance e fantasia, tem de tudo ! Opa, brutal, que venha o segundo, espero ;)
Este livro é muito substimado e é triste saber disso, quando se tem os ingredientes todos para fazer sucesso ! Aconselho vivamente a quem gosta de livros apocalipticos, acção , romance e fantasia, tem de tudo ! Opa, brutal, que venha o segundo, espero ;)
January 19, 2015
WHAT? What is this f**kery? I did not sign up for this mind blowing story with twists and turns that I can't even keep up with. I did not sign up to feel so many feels. I need the rest of this series. Now please. Read this book. And then tune into the BookHunters liveshow on January 31st so I can rant and answer questions and share the emotions.
July 13, 2017
First of all, a big thank you to my lovely boyfriend Matt for picking this book out and for being willing to read it with me. Being able to hear your thoughts as you read, seeing who you liked first hand as I formed my own opinions and finishing the book within ten minutes of you just proves all over again that I'm lucky to have found you. Thank you for being willing to put up with my craziness and doing a buddy read with me. (:
REVIEW TIME!
"This is Endgame, bitch. Best get used to it."
Oh, man. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Despite there being periods of time I didn't touch it at all, picking it back up I was always thoroughly immersed in the story and the characters and everything else that was going on. This one hooked me from the first page and kept me hooked until the very end.
Given the premise and everything, I definitely anticipated enjoying this book, but I didn't realize how much I would enjoy it.
One qualm I'd have, given the premise, is that there really wasn't enough death. Albeit, the deaths that did occur were quite brutal and I felt like that was true to the aim of the book, but I'm anticipating a lot more death in the future books or I'll be quite sad.... sounds weird, I know. But it's a book about the impending doom of the planet and I can count the number of deaths we witnessed on one hand- aside from one exception.
I don't want to give too much away because this book was like a puzzle at times and I loved being fed little bits of information at a time. It really did make me want to continue reading. I absolutely cannot wait to pick the next book in this series up!!
REVIEW TIME!
"This is Endgame, bitch. Best get used to it."
Oh, man. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Despite there being periods of time I didn't touch it at all, picking it back up I was always thoroughly immersed in the story and the characters and everything else that was going on. This one hooked me from the first page and kept me hooked until the very end.
Given the premise and everything, I definitely anticipated enjoying this book, but I didn't realize how much I would enjoy it.
One qualm I'd have, given the premise, is that there really wasn't enough death. Albeit, the deaths that did occur were quite brutal and I felt like that was true to the aim of the book, but I'm anticipating a lot more death in the future books or I'll be quite sad.... sounds weird, I know. But it's a book about the impending doom of the planet and I can count the number of deaths we witnessed on one hand- aside from one exception.
I don't want to give too much away because this book was like a puzzle at times and I loved being fed little bits of information at a time. It really did make me want to continue reading. I absolutely cannot wait to pick the next book in this series up!!
November 6, 2017
This book was different. I've never read a book like this one and it's been a blessing to read something so original.
I loved Christopher a lot! And it made me sad he had to go that way...
Chiyoko - the silent one - was my favorite female in this book. I would've never guessed she would fall in love...
Kala's death was like a knife in the back. I wanted her to continue the game. But those stupid boys (Baitsakhan and Maccabee Adlai) ruined everything.
I hope Sarah and Jago end up together. Just like Katniss and Peeta (which seems quite impossible).
I have a feeling Shari will be the most important character in the second book of this series. Which I can't wait to read!
Until then, "what will be, will be".
I loved Christopher a lot! And it made me sad he had to go that way...
Chiyoko - the silent one - was my favorite female in this book. I would've never guessed she would fall in love...
Kala's death was like a knife in the back. I wanted her to continue the game. But those stupid boys (Baitsakhan and Maccabee Adlai) ruined everything.
I hope Sarah and Jago end up together. Just like Katniss and Peeta (which seems quite impossible).
I have a feeling Shari will be the most important character in the second book of this series. Which I can't wait to read!
Until then, "what will be, will be".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2015
Reseña completa: http://sabiouswords.blogspot.com/2015...
Endgame es un libro entretenido pero algo hueco. No voy a negar que me gustó pero sentí que estaba viendo un reality gore. Amo el suspenso y la acción y este libro rebosa en ese aspecto, pero en trasfondo escasea terriblemente.
Sus personajes son los únicos que aportan historias interesantes y hacen de la lectura algo adictivo, pero por otro lado al ser 13 perspectivas diferentes confunde un poco y aburre tener que leer prosa "pretenciosa" de personajes que no aportan lo más mínimo.
Por otro lado Sarah y Jago se robaron mi corazón y atención completamente; en medio de la aventura, el desarrollo humano de estos dos es lo más memorable.
Angustiosamente admito que me gustó mucho el libro, pero siento que leí un wannabe hunger games, pero sin mensaje.
Endgame es un libro entretenido pero algo hueco. No voy a negar que me gustó pero sentí que estaba viendo un reality gore. Amo el suspenso y la acción y este libro rebosa en ese aspecto, pero en trasfondo escasea terriblemente.
Sus personajes son los únicos que aportan historias interesantes y hacen de la lectura algo adictivo, pero por otro lado al ser 13 perspectivas diferentes confunde un poco y aburre tener que leer prosa "pretenciosa" de personajes que no aportan lo más mínimo.
Por otro lado Sarah y Jago se robaron mi corazón y atención completamente; en medio de la aventura, el desarrollo humano de estos dos es lo más memorable.
Angustiosamente admito que me gustó mucho el libro, pero siento que leí un wannabe hunger games, pero sin mensaje.
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