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The Supremacy Games
Forget The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner and Divergent. This. Could. Happen.
Talk is cheap but wars are unfathomably costly. Diplomacy enters a new era where the nations of the world agree to a tournament that allows them to compete for superiority without the need for conflict.
Or so they thought.
To reverse their sliding ratings the organizers of the Supremacy Games allow a drastic change to the competition. A struggle for survival where death or serious injury is the likely outcome for its participants, audiences across the globe become gripped by sanctioned brutality not seen since gladiatorial Rome.
But why would anyone choose to be selected? A strong performance is a source of national pride and the incentives to apply are great. The numbers that do so only encourages more, searching for personal gain in the face of overwhelming odds against them eventually representing their country.
Despite producing some of the best athletes and being home to the finest minds in the world, the USA has never won the Games; a statistic almost as embarrassing as the fact that none of their representatives have ever been African-American.
Martin doesn’t set out to change that because, like many fit and agile 12th Graders, he enters the selection process purely in the knowledge that a good score in the preliminary physical will see him secure a better college next year.
But egged on by a publicity crazed school principal, and in defiance of his mother’s wishes, Martin seeks to go further into the qualification process. It isn’t long before he finds that the benefits of doing so, including the blossoming relationship he develops with one of the other competitors, is more than matched by the exacted cost.
Yet there are those who want Martin to succeed, not least his father who sets up a sponsorship opportunity with a group who seek to redress the apparent imbalance in the selection process and, in doing so, tackle the broader issues of racial inequality. But becoming the figurehead for a modern day civil rights movement doesn’t sit well on Martin’s shoulders, especially as to do so would require certain expectations of his own conduct.
Would the fame and fortune of getting through to the live televised stages make the sacrifices Martin endures along the way worthwhile?
Find out in this exciting first instalment of The Supremacy Games from celebrated author Denver a real-world setting of personal and social struggle that flips this phenomenally popular genre on its head.
Talk is cheap but wars are unfathomably costly. Diplomacy enters a new era where the nations of the world agree to a tournament that allows them to compete for superiority without the need for conflict.
Or so they thought.
To reverse their sliding ratings the organizers of the Supremacy Games allow a drastic change to the competition. A struggle for survival where death or serious injury is the likely outcome for its participants, audiences across the globe become gripped by sanctioned brutality not seen since gladiatorial Rome.
But why would anyone choose to be selected? A strong performance is a source of national pride and the incentives to apply are great. The numbers that do so only encourages more, searching for personal gain in the face of overwhelming odds against them eventually representing their country.
Despite producing some of the best athletes and being home to the finest minds in the world, the USA has never won the Games; a statistic almost as embarrassing as the fact that none of their representatives have ever been African-American.
Martin doesn’t set out to change that because, like many fit and agile 12th Graders, he enters the selection process purely in the knowledge that a good score in the preliminary physical will see him secure a better college next year.
But egged on by a publicity crazed school principal, and in defiance of his mother’s wishes, Martin seeks to go further into the qualification process. It isn’t long before he finds that the benefits of doing so, including the blossoming relationship he develops with one of the other competitors, is more than matched by the exacted cost.
Yet there are those who want Martin to succeed, not least his father who sets up a sponsorship opportunity with a group who seek to redress the apparent imbalance in the selection process and, in doing so, tackle the broader issues of racial inequality. But becoming the figurehead for a modern day civil rights movement doesn’t sit well on Martin’s shoulders, especially as to do so would require certain expectations of his own conduct.
Would the fame and fortune of getting through to the live televised stages make the sacrifices Martin endures along the way worthwhile?
Find out in this exciting first instalment of The Supremacy Games from celebrated author Denver a real-world setting of personal and social struggle that flips this phenomenally popular genre on its head.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 25, 2018
2 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Denver Murphy
16 books34 followersI’m a British author covering a variety of genres but one thing links them all: concerns with the humanity. Whether it’s the greed of individuals, happy to risk what they have in the pursuit of more, or people’s indifference to the ills that blight society, so long as they are not directly affected themselves, each of my books has a dark undertone.
I don’t write to change the world but perhaps my work serves to shine a spotlight on those aspects which trouble me the most. What I really seek to do is to entertain and engross. Literature finds itself with ever more competition with the different ways people can fill their leisure time, and yet no other media can spark the imagination in quite the same way.
A good plot can only become compelling if the characters are rich and varied. My books are always written from their perspective and whether you find yourself rooting for them or not, you will care what happens. They are, similarly, single greatest thing that keeps me writing. I may have created these people but they take on a life of their own and often surprise me with the directions they choose.
If you are a voracious reader who can’t get through the day without picking up a book, or just someone seeking a dose of fiction to accompany them beside the pool on holiday, there is much to find and enjoy in my work.
I don’t write to change the world but perhaps my work serves to shine a spotlight on those aspects which trouble me the most. What I really seek to do is to entertain and engross. Literature finds itself with ever more competition with the different ways people can fill their leisure time, and yet no other media can spark the imagination in quite the same way.
A good plot can only become compelling if the characters are rich and varied. My books are always written from their perspective and whether you find yourself rooting for them or not, you will care what happens. They are, similarly, single greatest thing that keeps me writing. I may have created these people but they take on a life of their own and often surprise me with the directions they choose.
If you are a voracious reader who can’t get through the day without picking up a book, or just someone seeking a dose of fiction to accompany them beside the pool on holiday, there is much to find and enjoy in my work.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 18, 2019
Usually I avoid books that say 'If you liked this series or that series, you'll love this one'. Well that's exactly what this one said and I put off reading it for a while......wish I hadn't. It was compared to The Hunger Games and seriously, in my opinion, it topped The Hunger Games. There just seemed so much more to it. The whole process and the lengths everyone will go to. I really loved this book and wish there was more to it.
September 23, 2018
WOW, this was one very interesting story. I enjoyed it from beginning to end, although it did end abruptly! It kind of reminded me of two other stories which intrigued me so much I couldn't put this book down. I feel like this story has much more to offer and would like some day to read more if there was a possibility of another book to come.
Book was given free for an honest opinion/review and it didn't disappoint through voraciousreadersonly.
Book was given free for an honest opinion/review and it didn't disappoint through voraciousreadersonly.
November 26, 2018
* I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only*
I went into this book with certain expectations based on what I thought would happen, but this was not the case. In fact, I think I liked it more than what I was originally expecting. A refreshing, and new, plot to similar series such as Divergent or the Hunger Games. My only piece of criticism would be that at times it felt as though the transitions from one event (or chapter) to the next were a little choppy, occurring quickly and rushing through material that I would have been interested in. I won’t give anything away, but the ending was really good. You can bet that I’ll read the next one as I need to know what happens! I would give this book 3.5/5 stars overall and would recommend it to others.
I went into this book with certain expectations based on what I thought would happen, but this was not the case. In fact, I think I liked it more than what I was originally expecting. A refreshing, and new, plot to similar series such as Divergent or the Hunger Games. My only piece of criticism would be that at times it felt as though the transitions from one event (or chapter) to the next were a little choppy, occurring quickly and rushing through material that I would have been interested in. I won’t give anything away, but the ending was really good. You can bet that I’ll read the next one as I need to know what happens! I would give this book 3.5/5 stars overall and would recommend it to others.
August 27, 2018
I have to admit I was worried the premise of this story would borrow from other successful series in the same genre. How wrong was I? This was an original and fast paced dystopian adventure story that set its roots firmly within the subtext of American culture, race diaspora and poverty as it still exists today. I found myself cheering for Martin, and lamenting his misfortunes as the narrative unravelled his journey to compete in the Supremacy Games. My only feedback is minor, but I felt that the main two female characters deserved better exits considering their personas were built as strong willed, mature, loving and determined women. I feel privileged to have had the chance to read an ARC thanks to the author and Voracious Readers, and look forward to buying the next book!
August 8, 2020
I received this book from Voracious Readers for an honest review. I actually want to give this book a 2.5 rating. I found this book hard to get into. It was well written and it was a bit apropro for this time with the issues it dealt with. It starts with Martin being excited to go through the pre-preliminary trials for the Supremacy Games. The Supremacy Games is a brutal event, that due to the popularity of one event in the past, has become a free for all for all the countries. Each country sends a representative to the games. It is unclear what the prize of the games are but that isn't the point of this story. You follow Martin on his journey as he discovers just how far he'd go for his friends and to advance through the game selection process. I found this book to be fairly descriptive and destribes Martin's inner turmoil quite well. However, I found the book focused to highly on just one aspect of Martin and his journey. I found this book to be a bit one dimensional and that works but doesn't really work for me. It shades a bit like The Hunger Games but not quite there as far as the story goes.
September 18, 2018
[I was given a free copy of this book by the author through Voracious Readers Only]
I definitely liked this book! Moving away from the typical dystopian YA genre, the story instead takes place in a future resembling the present but featuring a deadly international obstacle course competition, which already gives the novel a unique spin. This let the plot focus directly on the real-life issue of racism-the main challenge that the protagonist Martin faces in addition to the titular Games-instead of doing anything abstract or symbolic with its theme, which was both refreshing and interesting. Aside from its originality and having the main character be from a person of colour, I definitely enjoyed the clever dramatic twists, one of which was definitely on a M. Night Shyamalan level. The level of detail in the descriptions of how the Games came about and the competition tiers Martin goes through makes the whole thing feel very real as well. Unfortunately, there were a few writing issues (ex: excessive narrative-driven exposition, characters' speech feels inauthentic at times) that detracted from its overall quality somewhat and there was a little less action than I expected. Despite this, it was still an engaging read and I'm eager to find out what happens to the characters in the sequel. I would also recommend it to fans of dystopian-lite (such as Suzanne Weyn's The Bar Code Tattooseries) and fully-dystopian YA novels.
I definitely liked this book! Moving away from the typical dystopian YA genre, the story instead takes place in a future resembling the present but featuring a deadly international obstacle course competition, which already gives the novel a unique spin. This let the plot focus directly on the real-life issue of racism-the main challenge that the protagonist Martin faces in addition to the titular Games-instead of doing anything abstract or symbolic with its theme, which was both refreshing and interesting. Aside from its originality and having the main character be from a person of colour, I definitely enjoyed the clever dramatic twists, one of which was definitely on a M. Night Shyamalan level. The level of detail in the descriptions of how the Games came about and the competition tiers Martin goes through makes the whole thing feel very real as well. Unfortunately, there were a few writing issues (ex: excessive narrative-driven exposition, characters' speech feels inauthentic at times) that detracted from its overall quality somewhat and there was a little less action than I expected. Despite this, it was still an engaging read and I'm eager to find out what happens to the characters in the sequel. I would also recommend it to fans of dystopian-lite (such as Suzanne Weyn's The Bar Code Tattooseries) and fully-dystopian YA novels.
December 23, 2018
I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for a true review.
This book took me a while to get into. It reminded me of The Hunger Games and Stephen King’s The Long Walk.
I felt there were parts of it that where a bit long and could be less or not in at all. Some of the parts where it went on about what Martin was thinking could of been left out or shortened.
I understood the moral of the story and can definitely see it happening around me today.
Over all it’s a good story and I will read the next book out of curiosity.
This book took me a while to get into. It reminded me of The Hunger Games and Stephen King’s The Long Walk.
I felt there were parts of it that where a bit long and could be less or not in at all. Some of the parts where it went on about what Martin was thinking could of been left out or shortened.
I understood the moral of the story and can definitely see it happening around me today.
Over all it’s a good story and I will read the next book out of curiosity.
February 11, 2019
Got a free copy from VRO in exchange for an honest review.
I struggled to read this book because it was so boring. I was hoping that it just started out slow and that I would be able to get into the story and enjoy it, but when I reached chapter 16 it was evident that that was never going to happen. On the plus side, someone had actually proof read it before it was published and I only found one or two errors.
I struggled to read this book because it was so boring. I was hoping that it just started out slow and that I would be able to get into the story and enjoy it, but when I reached chapter 16 it was evident that that was never going to happen. On the plus side, someone had actually proof read it before it was published and I only found one or two errors.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews