I'm incredibly grateful that I was given the chance to read this book as part of an interview I got the chance to have with James Frey, and I struggled (in a good way) to think of things to say about this book. Endgame definitely quashed a lot of books for me.
Endgame theorises that, in the event of the end of the world, the 12 original lines of humanity must fight against each other to find the earth key. All 12 line members are alerted to the start by 12 meteors that land on Earth. Endgame is a puzzle though. Weaved into this book is not only a puzzle for the characters, but also for the reader.
I really can't say anything more about the plot, but this book is fantastic. On every level. From reading this book, you find out that the effort that James Frey and Nils Johnson Shelton have put into this book is enormous. You can tell that from the facts that are presented to you, and the research must have taken hours that are beyond comprehension by my mind. That is something to be commended in itself.
The next thing that I want to point about this book is something that is a positive for me, but could be a negative for you. Endgame has elements of so many different genres that it cannot be easily defined by one genre, without creating a genre of it's very own!
But why slap a label on such a masterpiece?! I was asked by Guardian Children's Books before reading this whether I happened to be a massive James Frey fan. At the time, I didn't know the man existed. But today, I am pleased to say that I have never been more excited for the next book in a trilogy ever. Endgame is a powerful novel and I genuinely think you'll struggle to dislike it, because it strays across so many genres and because it's also known as paper well spent.
Please just go read it and try and disagree with me. I dare you.
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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