Master of the Game: The master of the unexpected

What an amazing story, totally captivatingSuch a clever story. Sidney Sheldon is a talented writer. Can't wait to read the next book

Oh my God. I just cannot believe that this is my first Sidney Sheldon book. Expanding on an absolutely amazing initial plot, the author has endless talent, you just do not want the book to end. From the great diamond rush of 1880's South Africa to the New York world wide conglomerate Kruger Brent empire in the 1980's, this is an amazing story spanning around a hundred years or so. From the beautiful but driven, manipulating and ruthless Kate Blackwell to her twin granddaughters Eve and Alexandra, you will encounter sensational storylines encompassing ambition, passion, hatred, jealousy, betrayal, murder and a whole lot more. I am absolutely converted, cannot wait to read the follow up Mistress of the game, where the story continues. Such a shame they don't write them like this anymore. Great read for all, especially for women.

Why don't they write books like this anymore? I suspect because editors wants perfect female characters or victims - and there isn't a woman in this book who is a victim. Terrific: the lot of them. Who cares if you like them?This is a saga over three generations. We sweep from the diamond mine hell of South Africa to New York. There are twists and turns and hatred and revenge and it is all easily written and hard to put down.There's money and poverty and power. And that's what the book is really about - powerful women and how far they'll go to protect a legacy. Hooked - yet? Of course some of it is predictable but who cares.It's all written in a way that now creative writing courses throw out - back story and tell - wonder why Sheldon's so rich, then? It works. Not a word wasted.Sheer joy.

Bought this because I had vague memories of watching the TV mini-series many years ago. It was certainly a compelling read spanning generations and continents. Not for the faint hearted, featuring child murder, child rape, more murder, a character being sodomized, multiple assaults etc.Also can't remember reading a book with such a large collection of unpleasant characters. Having said that, I couldn't put this book down. I particularly liked the vivid descriptions of South Africa at the start of the story, and loved reading Jamie and Banda's adventures.

I found this book really hit and miss. It starts with the story of how Jamie Macgregor a prospector from Scotland built the Kruger Brent empire. It then tells of how his daughter Kate takes over then searches for a replacement. Parts of it were gripping and absorbing such as when Jamie MacGregor is trying to get revenge on Van de Merwe and the tale of the twins but other parts of the story were so boring I didn't even bother to read them (Kate and Tony). As entertaining as Eve's tale was it was so obvious what Dr. Webster was going to do to her at the end that it all seemed a bit trite. There are patches of Sheldon's master storytelling in this novel but they're few and far between and in comparison to Bloodline which is consistently gripping and entertaining it's not worth a read. Perhaps my expectations were too high.

My first Sidney Sheldon and it was pretty good. Yes it's a typical saga and of course it was written quite a long time ago but it is a page turner. Very much a tell a story rather than show what happens so not the best of writing but you can't knock it for what it is, a fast paced read. I wouldn't rule out reading another of this authors books based on this experience.

I chose this as an easy holiday read, and it certainly is that. It's well written, descriptive and has a good story line, full of thrills and spills. Also the author has obviously done his research, as, for example, his use of South African words shows.But my criticism is that this is very much a pot boiler, and a bit contrived and superficial. It also stretches reality on occasions. In addition the characters come across as rather shallow and not very likeable. The idea and the theme are good, but I feel that it goes over the top, and at some length.In summary, this book, for all its potential, didn't really work for me

Book alright but the writing was a lot smaller than I am used to, this was the only down side.