Loved every minute of this book!
THE END OF THE WORLD IS COMING.
PLAY NOW.
OR WE ALL LOSE.
After centuries waiting in secret, twelve unbroken bloodlines, armed with hidden knowledge and lethal training, are called to take humanity's fate into their hands...
Bryan High School, Omaha, Nebraska.
Sarah stands at her graduation ceremony - perfect SATs, a star athlete, her life ahead of her. Then a meteor wipes out half her school. But Sarah is not hurt and is not surprised. She is the Player of the 233rd line 0 the Cahokian. And she knows what this means.
Endgame is here.
Juliaca, Puno, Peru.
Jago walks the streets after the meteor hits. There's looting and violence but he's not scared. He is the Player of the 21st line - the Olmec. And he's ready.
Endgame is here.
China, Australia, Turkey....
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...
At the end of the blurb there's another message:
"Written into this book is a puzzle. Solve the puzzle and you will find the key to open a case of gold. Play. Solve. Endgame is here."
Throughout the book there are lots of little hints and clues with roman numerals after them and the last pages have links written with a roman numeral before them. I've checked a few of them out and they all lead to something... Something interesting! In the small print, it states that if you solve the puzzle first you win a case of gold coins worth $500,000 USD I think... So that... Is very cool haha, though I don't think I'm Indiana Jones enough to solve it.
If you go onto this site: http://endgameiscoming.com/ you can do this little interaction video thing... You connect with facebook (they don't post anything) and turn the webcam on (if you have one) and the end result is a personalized Endgame video... I done it and my results were: 56% of survival and my "line" is Cahokian :)
Anyway my review on the book....
We start out by learning a little about the characters and their experience and such that has to do with the meteors falling. They all get their own chapter and they all have their own symbol. At the beginning of the chapter it tells you in a heading, who and where the characters are of this chapter.... All 12 Players receive a message and attend a "calling"... The 12 Players and their lines:
- Marcus Loxias Megalos, Minoan
- Chiyoko Takeda, Mu
- Sarah Alopay, Cahokian
- Alice Ulapala, Koori
- Aisling Kopp, La Tene
- Baitsakhan, Donghu
- Jago Tlaloc, Olmec
- An Liu, Shang
- Shari Chopra, Harrapan
- Kala Mozami, Sumerian
- Maccabee Adlai, Nabataean
- Hilal ibn Isa al-Salt, Aksumite
They are all under the age of 20. The Endgame training started when they were very young, and they qualify for the game if they are aged between 13 - 20. If they turn 20 or obtain a serious injury (such as losing an eye) they no longer qualify and someone else from their line takes their place.
After they have gone to their meteor crash sites, they travel to a place where "the Calling" will be held. This is done in China though the actual "Calling" is held somewhere else but somehow they teleport to this place... Once they are all there, they are put into some kind of trans... Temporarily paralyzing them from the waist down. Then this being - known as Kepler 22b - comes and talks to them about the game and rules, they introduce themselves to each other and then the being is gone and *poof* they're back to normal, one of these people take this disk that was hovering in the center of the circle of 12. Most of them either run or try to start killing each other....
The rules are simple, find the keys in order and bring them to Kepler 22b. Other than that there are no rules.
That is what they must do, kill each other, because only one can win this Endgame. Even though it doesn't really say anything that all but one must die.... And I think that's what the whole book and possible series is revolved around. Much like the Hunger Games... You know? They try and change the rules so that there's a win-win situation.... But I guess they have been trained their whole lives to kill and fight and be smart ad all that and I'm guessing that they've always assumed that only one may live... And if you've read the book, then yes I know whoever wins is the one who chooses who lives.. I'm not sure!
Anyway...
After they find their way back to China and head off out of danger, they start thinking of the clue that Kepler 22b left etched into their brains. Each clue is different and is somehow unique to them, though some did have help from others. Some Players chose to team up for a while and some are just dead set on killing. Both players and normal people...
All the characters, I find, are entertaining and interesting in their own little way. I like how they each have their own perspective of the Endgame and all have different strategies to playing it. Some characters you get more attached to more than others, simply because they appear in the book more than others... And they're also good characters.
Lots of action and thinking parts. I was aware every minute of who the author was talking about and I think the way it was written was very well done and easy to read. Making it VERY enjoyable! I loved it. Every minute of reading it. I especially loved how it's so interactive! The effort put into both this book and the puzzle! Entertaining and so exciting.. For me anyway!
I recommend this book to anyway that enjoys a good read. Especially if you're kinda into the whole doomsday, post apocalyptic thing :)
By the way.... All the players have twitter accounts..... It's great!
If you read the book please let me know! I'd love to know what you guys think of it!
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