Endgame: The Calling
James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton
3.5 starts

Twelve teenagers representing twelve lines must fight to survive. Only one will win. Sound familiar? Anyone who has read The Hunger Games will immediately see the similarities. However, this is where the likeness end.

Twelve ancient blood lines, chosen by the Gods and from which all other lines derive, train endlessly and pass their knowledge and skills down the generations as they wait for Endgame: the high stakes competition which will determine the fate of the Earth. Only the winning Player and members of their line will survive. All others will perish in an Event which will destroy much of Earth.

The Calling, announcing the start of Endgame, comes as twelve meteors crash to the Earth and a teenager of each line must submit to the competition. The Players are called from around the world to Xi'an, China. Here they are greeted by an ancient, God-like being named kepler 22b who explains the game and gives each Player a vital clue. The winner must acquire three keys, which must be found in order: Earth key, Sky key, Sun key. There are no rules.

It took me a while to get into Endgame. Short, jerky, often one-word sentences with little dialogue fill much of the opening pages. While this was likely intended to create emphasis and a sense of urgency, I found it difficult to engage with.

Similarly, at the beginning of Endgame, it was difficult to relate to the characters. Trained from infancy in martial arts, weaponry, tactics and code breaking, many of the Players look forward to Endgame and the death and destruction that will follow. With the exception of a few, they are killing machines that lack feeling and humanity. Thankfully, Frey and Johnson-Shelton focus more on the empathetic characters: Sarah Alopay, who never wanted to be a Player; Jago Tlaloc, who, despite the game forms a bond with Sarah, and Sarah's ex-boyfriend and non-Player, Christopher, who is unwittingly caught up in the deadly action.

While both the characters and writing issues improved as the novel unfolded and the characters started to interact and form alliances, it wasn't until I was about a third of the way through the book that I started to enjoy Endgame. The disappointing opening will likely prevent others from reading on and enjoying the good aspects of the book. Endgame is a fast-paced, action packed and entertaining read once it gets going. It gives a new perspective on some of the mysteries of our world and challenges us to question our history. While some of the ideas may not be original, they are applied in a new and modern way to create an interesting novel.

Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of Endgame are the codes and puzzles the authors have hidden throughout the book. These puzzles are part of a real life competition, which if deciphered lead to a key, hidden in a real world location. The key opens a case full of gold said to be worth $500, 000! While the codes were too complex for me, I look forward to watching the competition unfold.