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Endgame Sampler
Endgame is real, and Endgame has started. Begin the hunt with six free chapters from The Calling.Twelve ancient cultures were chosen millennia ago to represent humanity in Endgame, a global game that will decide the fate of humankind. Endgame has always been a possibility, but never a reality . . . until now. Twelve meteorites have just struck Earth, each meteorite containing a message for a Player who has been trained for this moment. At stake for the saving their bloodline, as well as the fate of the world. And only one can win.Endgame is real. Endgame is now. Endgame has begun.Google Niantic is building a mobile location-based augmented reality video game inextricably tied to the books and mythology, a major prize will be tied to a puzzle in each book, and Twentieth Century Fox has bought the movie rights.Read the Books. Find the Clues. Solve the Puzzle. Who Will Win?
75 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2014
15 people are currently reading
176 people want to read
About the author
James Frey
72 books3,340 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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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 7, 2015
12 meteorites crash in 12 different locations on Earth. 12 kids from 12 ancient lineages are sent in to a tournament or something to save the world. Why kids? Why only one representative from each lineage? Who cares, it’s yet another shitty Hunger Games cast-off – it’s Endgame: The Calling!
Shit is essentially what you get from what I’ve read of James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton’s product. Granted this is a 70-ish page sampler, but the point of a sampler is surely to encourage you to buy/read the full book, and this does the opposite.
YA doesn’t always feature the best writing or the most original ideas but even by YA standards, Endgame is piss-poor on all counts. The kids are ridiculous archetypes – superkids with mad ninja skills who’re also whatever they need to be in a scene: expert hackers laden with Bond-like gadgets, super-geniuses, whatever. Sometimes it’s fun to read over-the-top stories with kerazy characters, and sometimes it’s clear the authors simply didn’t give a shit and chose the laziest route of what they think YA readers want – this is the latter.
What makes Endgame worse is that this is the work of James Frey, a writer whose work I’ve actually liked in the past. Bright Shiny Morning is a brilliant satire on Hollywood and even the deliberately provocative The Final Testament of the Holy Bible had its moments. Sure, he co-wrote Endgame, but it’s the product of his Full Fathom Five label, a despicable place where Frey “hires” MFA students for a paltry fee to churn out YA fiction for next to nothing that he can then sell the rights to movie studios for a profit (remember that classic, I Am Number Four?).
Frey’s brazenly and cynically chasing the Twilight train and that really shows in his unashamedly shallow and derivative latest product, Endgame: The Calling. Even without that Full Fathom Five nonsense, I wouldn’t recommend this book as the vague premise is executed flatly with the most soulless writing. There’s even some desperate gimmickry about the successful reader who figures out the random strings of number and letter puzzles splattered throughout receiving a large cash prize or something, like this is some cheap newspaper raffle.
He may have been a talented writer once upon a time but he’s chosen commercial crapness over quality and become irrelevant in the process. Through his “Fiction Factory” he’s also revealed himself to be quite an unpleasant person as well. Here ends any further involvement I have with James Frey!
Shit is essentially what you get from what I’ve read of James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton’s product. Granted this is a 70-ish page sampler, but the point of a sampler is surely to encourage you to buy/read the full book, and this does the opposite.
YA doesn’t always feature the best writing or the most original ideas but even by YA standards, Endgame is piss-poor on all counts. The kids are ridiculous archetypes – superkids with mad ninja skills who’re also whatever they need to be in a scene: expert hackers laden with Bond-like gadgets, super-geniuses, whatever. Sometimes it’s fun to read over-the-top stories with kerazy characters, and sometimes it’s clear the authors simply didn’t give a shit and chose the laziest route of what they think YA readers want – this is the latter.
What makes Endgame worse is that this is the work of James Frey, a writer whose work I’ve actually liked in the past. Bright Shiny Morning is a brilliant satire on Hollywood and even the deliberately provocative The Final Testament of the Holy Bible had its moments. Sure, he co-wrote Endgame, but it’s the product of his Full Fathom Five label, a despicable place where Frey “hires” MFA students for a paltry fee to churn out YA fiction for next to nothing that he can then sell the rights to movie studios for a profit (remember that classic, I Am Number Four?).
Frey’s brazenly and cynically chasing the Twilight train and that really shows in his unashamedly shallow and derivative latest product, Endgame: The Calling. Even without that Full Fathom Five nonsense, I wouldn’t recommend this book as the vague premise is executed flatly with the most soulless writing. There’s even some desperate gimmickry about the successful reader who figures out the random strings of number and letter puzzles splattered throughout receiving a large cash prize or something, like this is some cheap newspaper raffle.
He may have been a talented writer once upon a time but he’s chosen commercial crapness over quality and become irrelevant in the process. Through his “Fiction Factory” he’s also revealed himself to be quite an unpleasant person as well. Here ends any further involvement I have with James Frey!
October 15, 2014
I was invited to read this sampler by HarperCollins via Netgalley.
After centuries of waiting in secret, twelve unbroken bloodlines - armed with hidden knowledge and lethal training - are called to take humanity's fate in their hands..
Sarah is at at her graduation ceremony in Omaha, Nebraska - perfect SATs, star athlete, her life ahead of her. Then a meteor wipes out half her school. But Sarah is not hurt and not surprised. Because Sarah is the 233rd Player of the Cahokian line, and she knows what this means: Endgame is here.
Jago walks the streets of Juliaca, Peru after the meteor hits. There's looting and violence but he's not scared. He is the 21st Player of the Olmec line and he's ready: Endgame is here.
Turkey... Mongolia...China...
Twelve meteors fall. Cities and people burn. The news is full of the end of the world. But Sarah, Jago and ten others are already plotting and planning for the fight. They are the Players and Endgame is here. All but one of them will fail. But that one will save the world. We hope.
Once I'd read the brief synopsis in the email inviting me to read this sampler, I was really excited to find out more. Undoubtedly, comparisons will be made with The Hunger Games, such as the age of the competitors and the ultimate fight to the death until a single victor remains. But is there enough of a difference that Endgame can stand apart? The sampler is just long enough to briefly meet a couple of the contestants, to whet the reader's appetite for more. Action, drama, young love and adventure combine to ensure this will appeal to teens and young adults. That this will be at least a trilogy, I'm sure. If the book lives up to my expectations, I fully expect to see it brought to life on the big screen. For now though, adding it to my 'highly anticipated' list will suffice. Roll on October 7th..
After centuries of waiting in secret, twelve unbroken bloodlines - armed with hidden knowledge and lethal training - are called to take humanity's fate in their hands..
Sarah is at at her graduation ceremony in Omaha, Nebraska - perfect SATs, star athlete, her life ahead of her. Then a meteor wipes out half her school. But Sarah is not hurt and not surprised. Because Sarah is the 233rd Player of the Cahokian line, and she knows what this means: Endgame is here.
Jago walks the streets of Juliaca, Peru after the meteor hits. There's looting and violence but he's not scared. He is the 21st Player of the Olmec line and he's ready: Endgame is here.
Turkey... Mongolia...China...
Twelve meteors fall. Cities and people burn. The news is full of the end of the world. But Sarah, Jago and ten others are already plotting and planning for the fight. They are the Players and Endgame is here. All but one of them will fail. But that one will save the world. We hope.
Once I'd read the brief synopsis in the email inviting me to read this sampler, I was really excited to find out more. Undoubtedly, comparisons will be made with The Hunger Games, such as the age of the competitors and the ultimate fight to the death until a single victor remains. But is there enough of a difference that Endgame can stand apart? The sampler is just long enough to briefly meet a couple of the contestants, to whet the reader's appetite for more. Action, drama, young love and adventure combine to ensure this will appeal to teens and young adults. That this will be at least a trilogy, I'm sure. If the book lives up to my expectations, I fully expect to see it brought to life on the big screen. For now though, adding it to my 'highly anticipated' list will suffice. Roll on October 7th..
September 26, 2017
“Our future is unwritten. Our future is your future. What will be will be.” This quote shows up many times in the book and pretty much is the theme of it all. Twelve players from ancient blood lines are on a journey attempting to save the fate of humanity from the end of the world. Endgame the calling is one of two other novels Sky Key and Rules of the Game.
Twelve players from twelve different blood lines are all trained different ways to compete with other players to compete and win End Game. Earth key is one of three different keys a player need to achieve to win End Game. Endgame The Calling is about the different players searching and battling for earth key so their line and humanity may survive the end of the world.
In the book author James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton did a very good job building their characters. The book takes you to each character describing how Endgame begun for them ,what they had to sacrifice ,and how they had to change their lifestyle due to the games. During the book it showed the progress of each character and occasionally link other characters together if they are in a fight or in an alliance which was really interesting but in a good way. Another adequate thing was that the authors put a little puzzle in the book so it was more interactive with the reader. The puzzle in the book had a reward whoever figured it out won five hundred thousand dollars in gold and the second book trailer. Something i also liked was he would give you mini cliffhangers. Right when something intense happens with that character he immediately switches to another character and eventually come back to the other character. This way it has a good flow and keeps the reader devoted.
Endgame The Calling is one of the greatest books in our time. It is compelling, romantic, and precise. It’s really easy to get “lost” in the book due to its fast pace and precision of details. Overall it is a must read especially if you love fiction or post apocalyptic novels. I would most definitely give this book five pleased readers out of five.
Twelve players from twelve different blood lines are all trained different ways to compete with other players to compete and win End Game. Earth key is one of three different keys a player need to achieve to win End Game. Endgame The Calling is about the different players searching and battling for earth key so their line and humanity may survive the end of the world.
In the book author James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton did a very good job building their characters. The book takes you to each character describing how Endgame begun for them ,what they had to sacrifice ,and how they had to change their lifestyle due to the games. During the book it showed the progress of each character and occasionally link other characters together if they are in a fight or in an alliance which was really interesting but in a good way. Another adequate thing was that the authors put a little puzzle in the book so it was more interactive with the reader. The puzzle in the book had a reward whoever figured it out won five hundred thousand dollars in gold and the second book trailer. Something i also liked was he would give you mini cliffhangers. Right when something intense happens with that character he immediately switches to another character and eventually come back to the other character. This way it has a good flow and keeps the reader devoted.
Endgame The Calling is one of the greatest books in our time. It is compelling, romantic, and precise. It’s really easy to get “lost” in the book due to its fast pace and precision of details. Overall it is a must read especially if you love fiction or post apocalyptic novels. I would most definitely give this book five pleased readers out of five.
January 4, 2020
konusu açlık oyunları'na benziyor diye merak etmiştim ama maalesef beklentimi karşılayamadı ve beğenmedim. karakterler arası geçişler çok çabuk olmuş ve hepsi farklı ülkelere, farklı şehirlere giderken takip etmekte zorlandım. ayrıca karakterleri de sevemedim. sarah'nın iki erkek arasında kalmasını da açlık oyunlarına benzetmeye çalışmışlar ama hiç olmamış.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2014
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This is a review of a sampler of the Endgame.
The blurb for this story reminded me of a fantasy computer game with its twelve players and the quests and battles they must undertake to win and save their genetic line. The characters are vivid and surreal given their young ages. The implication is that they are young faces hiding a wealth of ancient knowledge and skill, which makes them suitable contenders in the game.
An omnipotent force threatens humanity.The inference is that the winner of the Endgame will save their people presumably because they can be trusted to respect the earth. The rest will perish.
From the blurb it is the authors' intention that this story be enacted in a real life, presumably without the violence, to enable people not to the save the world but find the treasure.
I am intrigued to read more of this apocalyptic fantasy adventure.
I received a copy of this sampler from Harper Collins UK Children via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
James Frey
August 14, 2014
I was invited to read this free sampler by HarperCollins via NetGalley.
This book seemed very similar to another dystopian book which I've recently read - The Hunger Games. It had an intriguing concept with some good characters but the sampler didn't immediately make me want to go and buy the book and read it. The writing was good and it flowed well, the meteors crashing before each player's selection added risk, danger and tension to the story. Going through each character was a little monotonous, each character's location, site of meteor crash etc. was detailed before the book really started going.
Though there's meant to be some kind of code to work out through the book, the intermittent numbers and random letters at times made it a bit annoying and challenging to read. Thankfully the author cleverly put the code at the end of each chapter so after a while I knew when I could avoid the code - mainly as I was pretty sure I couldn't work it out from just a sample of the book!
The final part of the sampler finally became a bit more interesting, with an explosion on a train which two players are faced with. I'm not going to spoil anything, so that's all you're getting. It was gripping and it made the read worthwhile, an interesting concept but lies very close to bordering another version of many dystopian novels I've previously read.
This book seemed very similar to another dystopian book which I've recently read - The Hunger Games. It had an intriguing concept with some good characters but the sampler didn't immediately make me want to go and buy the book and read it. The writing was good and it flowed well, the meteors crashing before each player's selection added risk, danger and tension to the story. Going through each character was a little monotonous, each character's location, site of meteor crash etc. was detailed before the book really started going.
Though there's meant to be some kind of code to work out through the book, the intermittent numbers and random letters at times made it a bit annoying and challenging to read. Thankfully the author cleverly put the code at the end of each chapter so after a while I knew when I could avoid the code - mainly as I was pretty sure I couldn't work it out from just a sample of the book!
The final part of the sampler finally became a bit more interesting, with an explosion on a train which two players are faced with. I'm not going to spoil anything, so that's all you're getting. It was gripping and it made the read worthwhile, an interesting concept but lies very close to bordering another version of many dystopian novels I've previously read.
June 3, 2016
This book was overall a great book. The writing is very descriptive of the location and describes everything else in great detail. It jumps around from person to person explaining their background and what their personality is like. It also has many mini cliff hangers making you always wanting to find out what's going to happen next. It also explains what's going on in every characters head at certain times. The characters have a wide variety of personalities making the book very interesting. A strength in this book is that there is always something going with a least one of the characters making the book very fun to read. A weakness is that sometimes you can get confused at whats going in the book. This book is the first in a series and I'm definitely going to read the next book. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy action packed books and also books that make you think a lot.
February 10, 2016
A group of 12 - the players - all coming from families choosen several thousands of years in the past - have to compete in finding three keys and determine who in the world will live a cataclismic event that the aliens have started. A game of life and death where only one can "must" survive.
I actually don't like the idea that the human life is just an alien experiment that is repeating every 10.000 - 15.000 years. This is just tje first book where the Earth Key must be found.
I actually don't like the idea that the human life is just an alien experiment that is repeating every 10.000 - 15.000 years. This is just tje first book where the Earth Key must be found.
October 7, 2014
Ok I need the full book like NOW!!!
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April 3, 2015Wow! I read a Million Little Pieces and loved it. Even if it wasn't 100% true. I read his second book a liked it. This is so BORING!!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews