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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
This writer read The Hunger Games, saw the movies, got inspired and made it his own in a totally different, yet the same way. I get it tho, this book is very similar to the hunger games but the hunger games are by every means a greatly developed and appreciated story that is on the edge of becoming a classic, reading this book in the meantime that we still melt the glory of the hunger games is not fair to this book as it may would've been better if it was written before the hunger games. It is a good book, actually, but not today. Maybe later. It's not the time for this book yet.
This review is about a book that I read recently, this summer, a book I wanted to read for a very long time, firstly because one of my very good friends (and reading companion) was reading it some time ago and she made me all curious about it when we were chatting and secondly because I have heard about the puzzle/treasure-hunt hidden in the pages of this book and the fact that there is a cash prize once the first person manages to solve it. I found this concept very appealing, and somehow I felt that hiding clues in a book and urging your readers to find them is like you’re giving them an opportunity to become more involved in the book and somehow live a little bit of what the main characters of this book are living (which totally applies to this book). Thus, I decided to embark on this adventure called Endgame.
The story itself is actually quite simple. There are 12 players belonging to 12 different lines (each line has its own name, sign and history, which makes it even more interesting) of humankind (some sort of ancient tribes) in a game that takes place just before the end of the world, and the player who manages to win the game is the one whose line survives the apocalypse. The game is managed and supervised by those who created us, the Anunnaki; they are the ones who helped us build all our civilization, those who decided when to push the button and bring humanity back to square one and also those who determine when the game takes place and what the rules are. The 12 players are between 13 and 20 years old, and they have been trained all their life (short life in some cases) for the purpose of winning Endgame and for the survival of their line.
A little bit about the personal opinions now… It is very interesting to see the psychology behind each of the 12 characters. Unfortunately, in this first volume not all the characters were equally well-developed, this leading to the reader liking someone more just because maybe someone else wasn’t given enough space and time to grow in this book and will do so in the next one maybe. This was a disadvantage from my point of view, but I can also understand that it is hard to develop equally 12 characters and give them all subtle nuances. The plot is also also exciting because when you come to think about it our characters are basically children or teenagers that have been trained their whole life to survive a pretty murderous game and saving their line (a lot of responsibility on their shoulders, if you ask me); and there will always be a moment in the book when their childish/teenager nature will surface and despite their maturity they will make reckless choices.
I really enjoyed this book, even if it is quite an easy read (you can finish it in a couple of hours) and maybe the idea is not the most original ever but I still decided to give it 4 stars : because the action is nicely built, there are some notably awesome characters, it’s definitely a page turner and even if some parts are predictable there is still a lot of unknown stuff going on there. I would recommend it if you’re into young-adult literature and also if you’re a fan of dystopia, but I believe that anyone can actually read this book and enjoy it and it is a nice break from really complicated literature.
For a full review: http://chapter26.net/2016/08/30/the-calling/
The story itself is actually quite simple. There are 12 players belonging to 12 different lines (each line has its own name, sign and history, which makes it even more interesting) of humankind (some sort of ancient tribes) in a game that takes place just before the end of the world, and the player who manages to win the game is the one whose line survives the apocalypse. The game is managed and supervised by those who created us, the Anunnaki; they are the ones who helped us build all our civilization, those who decided when to push the button and bring humanity back to square one and also those who determine when the game takes place and what the rules are. The 12 players are between 13 and 20 years old, and they have been trained all their life (short life in some cases) for the purpose of winning Endgame and for the survival of their line.
A little bit about the personal opinions now… It is very interesting to see the psychology behind each of the 12 characters. Unfortunately, in this first volume not all the characters were equally well-developed, this leading to the reader liking someone more just because maybe someone else wasn’t given enough space and time to grow in this book and will do so in the next one maybe. This was a disadvantage from my point of view, but I can also understand that it is hard to develop equally 12 characters and give them all subtle nuances. The plot is also also exciting because when you come to think about it our characters are basically children or teenagers that have been trained their whole life to survive a pretty murderous game and saving their line (a lot of responsibility on their shoulders, if you ask me); and there will always be a moment in the book when their childish/teenager nature will surface and despite their maturity they will make reckless choices.
I really enjoyed this book, even if it is quite an easy read (you can finish it in a couple of hours) and maybe the idea is not the most original ever but I still decided to give it 4 stars : because the action is nicely built, there are some notably awesome characters, it’s definitely a page turner and even if some parts are predictable there is still a lot of unknown stuff going on there. I would recommend it if you’re into young-adult literature and also if you’re a fan of dystopia, but I believe that anyone can actually read this book and enjoy it and it is a nice break from really complicated literature.
For a full review: http://chapter26.net/2016/08/30/the-calling/
this was a great book, never read anything like this before. i know that some people say that is very similar to
the hunger games, but i disagree, i think that his book has so much more details and richer story.
i love how this book follow each character and their story line.
i cant wait till next book comes out. if you won't have this book just go and buy it you wont regret it.
the hunger games, but i disagree, i think that his book has so much more details and richer story.
i love how this book follow each character and their story line.
i cant wait till next book comes out. if you won't have this book just go and buy it you wont regret it.
Pretty cool. Different. I like puzzles but couldn't really follow along with what the clues were. However, it's nothing like what others are saying, that it somehow is like Hunger Games. Hunger Games is dystopian, almost post-apocalyptic while this is pre apocalypse
I don't usually mind dystopias, but I felt this one was violent just for the sake of it, and that didn't go down well. There are many characters, each of which tell one part of the story which added confusion to the whole thing. Overall, I felt this book was more of commercial move rather than a story meant to be complex and enjoyable.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
L'appel trainais depuis des mois dans ma PAL, des années même, sans que je ne daigne le prendre et commencer à le lire. Et que dire ...
Même si je n'ai pas énormément apprécié ma lecture, je ne l'ai pas pour autant totalement détesté. Il y a de bons éléments, comme des mauvais, et je pense qu'au vu de mon âge, il est peut-être un poil trop tard pour moi pour savourer correctement ce roman, qui je n'en doute pas, aurais plus plus à la moi de 22-23 ans que celle de 28.
Malgré tout, le roman est assez bien rythmé, même si le changement très (voir trop fréquent) de narrateur ou POV est assez frustrant et casse le rythme. Tout va vite, trop vite même, mais c'est l'Endgame !
Certaines particularité aussi m'ont faire rire dans ma barbe un peu trop fort : ce sont des ados, voir de très jeune ados, qui ne peuvent plus concourir une fois qu'ils ont 18-19 ans ? Un peu risible non, quand on sait qu'ils sont surentrainés et voyage un peu partout dans le monde. Certains ressemblance (de près comme de loin) avec Hunger Games m'ont aussi fait souffler très fort mais passons. Le rythme et l'enchainement d'évènement rends tout de même la lecture addictive et on passe malgré tout une lecture correct. Cela aurait pu être mieux, tout comme bien plus pire. Je lirais peut-être les autres tomes si je les trouve, mais je ne rechercherais pas ardemment à savoir la suite de cette trilogie.
Même si je n'ai pas énormément apprécié ma lecture, je ne l'ai pas pour autant totalement détesté. Il y a de bons éléments, comme des mauvais, et je pense qu'au vu de mon âge, il est peut-être un poil trop tard pour moi pour savourer correctement ce roman, qui je n'en doute pas, aurais plus plus à la moi de 22-23 ans que celle de 28.
Malgré tout, le roman est assez bien rythmé, même si le changement très (voir trop fréquent) de narrateur ou POV est assez frustrant et casse le rythme. Tout va vite, trop vite même, mais c'est l'Endgame !
Certaines particularité aussi m'ont faire rire dans ma barbe un peu trop fort : ce sont des ados, voir de très jeune ados, qui ne peuvent plus concourir une fois qu'ils ont 18-19 ans ? Un peu risible non, quand on sait qu'ils sont surentrainés et voyage un peu partout dans le monde. Certains ressemblance (de près comme de loin) avec Hunger Games m'ont aussi fait souffler très fort mais passons. Le rythme et l'enchainement d'évènement rends tout de même la lecture addictive et on passe malgré tout une lecture correct. Cela aurait pu être mieux, tout comme bien plus pire. Je lirais peut-être les autres tomes si je les trouve, mais je ne rechercherais pas ardemment à savoir la suite de cette trilogie.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love the way James describe each Character of the Book and how they find together and are in the same scene.
The Character are so different and I like much of them.
Of course it is a competition and dead's are include but this make it better.
If you like dystopien books connect with love and action i think you will like it.
I'm very excited for the next Part and how the Story grown.
Maybe we can see opinion changes and more dead? I don't know but I'm excited and buy the next part of the triologie. :)
The Character are so different and I like much of them.
Of course it is a competition and dead's are include but this make it better.
If you like dystopien books connect with love and action i think you will like it.
I'm very excited for the next Part and how the Story grown.
Maybe we can see opinion changes and more dead? I don't know but I'm excited and buy the next part of the triologie. :)
(I honestly didn't think of The Hunger Games when reading this book, shame on me.)
But anyway.
This book was difficult to read. People have talked about how wonderful it is that there's no one to root for, but... there is someone we're supposed to root for.
Sarah Alopay and Jago Tlaloc. Possibly one of the most generic girls in the world, and some odd sociopath that somehow happens to fall for her.
I didn't like either of these protagonists. Sarah seemed shallow, Jago inspired little intrigue and most romantic tension they had could probably be observed by shutting two teenagers in a room together for a few hours. Any two teenagers. Regardless of chemistry. Do you know why?
I couldn't see any chemistry between the two at all.
In general, this book was almost unbearable, and the odd references to angles (ooh, look, my fingers are currently at 42 degrees, look at me) were anything but impressive.
There was, however, one single saving grace to this book that saved me from just rage-quitting and shutting it away forever.
Chiyoko Takeda.
Maybe, as an Asian, I was naturally biased towards Chiyoko, but just look at her relative complexity. She's mute and trained to be a killer, trained to save her line at all costs, but she bursts with honour, refusing to kill Jago when he was asleep. She knows something the other players don't about the rock thing, making her interesting. Her odd Asian-Asian possibly racist gross romance with an emotionless-ish An Liu involving ripping off fingernails and sniffing them to curb his twitch was upsetting, but I still really liked Chiyoko due to her personality, skills, and the aesthetic image of her changing from one wig to another, tracking the other players, each time as a different person. And honestly, the fact that she was chosen to represent her line despite her distinctive muteness speaks volumes of her skill and sheer, utter talent.
But guess what happens to her.
She's killed.
I don't mind it when characters I like are killed, but upon visiting the wiki, I discovered that her death fuels An Liu's later motivations as a character. I.e. the sole reason for her death was to give An Liu power, to make him more interesting, to give him motivation. So essentially, Chiyoko Takeda, the most interesting character in the novel, was used as fodder for the boring manspain of a racially insensitive caricature of a Chinese man.
...
In short: I won't be reading the sequel.
But anyway.
This book was difficult to read. People have talked about how wonderful it is that there's no one to root for, but... there is someone we're supposed to root for.
Sarah Alopay and Jago Tlaloc. Possibly one of the most generic girls in the world, and some odd sociopath that somehow happens to fall for her.
I didn't like either of these protagonists. Sarah seemed shallow, Jago inspired little intrigue and most romantic tension they had could probably be observed by shutting two teenagers in a room together for a few hours. Any two teenagers. Regardless of chemistry. Do you know why?
I couldn't see any chemistry between the two at all.
In general, this book was almost unbearable, and the odd references to angles (ooh, look, my fingers are currently at 42 degrees, look at me) were anything but impressive.
There was, however, one single saving grace to this book that saved me from just rage-quitting and shutting it away forever.
Chiyoko Takeda.
Spoiler
Maybe, as an Asian, I was naturally biased towards Chiyoko, but just look at her relative complexity. She's mute and trained to be a killer, trained to save her line at all costs, but she bursts with honour, refusing to kill Jago when he was asleep. She knows something the other players don't about the rock thing, making her interesting. Her odd Asian-Asian possibly racist gross romance with an emotionless-ish An Liu involving ripping off fingernails and sniffing them to curb his twitch was upsetting, but I still really liked Chiyoko due to her personality, skills, and the aesthetic image of her changing from one wig to another, tracking the other players, each time as a different person. And honestly, the fact that she was chosen to represent her line despite her distinctive muteness speaks volumes of her skill and sheer, utter talent.
But guess what happens to her.
She's killed.
I don't mind it when characters I like are killed, but upon visiting the wiki, I discovered that her death fuels An Liu's later motivations as a character. I.e. the sole reason for her death was to give An Liu power, to make him more interesting, to give him motivation. So essentially, Chiyoko Takeda, the most interesting character in the novel, was used as fodder for the boring manspain of a racially insensitive caricature of a Chinese man.
...
In short: I won't be reading the sequel.
I have not read the Hunger Game books but I have seen the movies. So, of course, there is going to be a lot of pressure and comparison to any author or book that comes out that has similarities to the Hunger Game books. Which it is hard not to compare this book to Hunger Games. Ok, so first off I would have liked a little more back story in regards to what the End Games were and how they were chosen. I don't know if the author did this on purpose or because he thought that readers were just automatically figure be fine with not knowing. Again this goes back to the Hunger Games. Also, there were so many people coming at me all at the same time that it was hard to keep them all straight. It was not until all of them assembled to the location to learn about the End Game and the goal of it that I was able to then start getting all of the characters straight in my head. Once I was able to figure out the goal of End Game and who was who, I was able to then start enjoying the story.
Although, it did feel a little on even like the story was focused mainly on Sarah and Jago. The chapters involving them were longer then most of the other characters. However there was a lot of action and traveling all over the world. Having the ability to travel all over without any rules leaves a lot of bodies in every one's wake. The ending does leave a good lead into the next book. Even at 477 pages, this book is a quick read.
Although, it did feel a little on even like the story was focused mainly on Sarah and Jago. The chapters involving them were longer then most of the other characters. However there was a lot of action and traveling all over the world. Having the ability to travel all over without any rules leaves a lot of bodies in every one's wake. The ending does leave a good lead into the next book. Even at 477 pages, this book is a quick read.