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The Calling

(Endgame #1)

James Frey,

Nils Johnson-Shelton

3.74 · Rating details · 17,767 ratings · 2,254 reviews

Twelve thousand years ago, they came. They descended from the sky amid smoke and fire, and created humanity and gave us rules to live by. They needed gold and they built our earliest civilizations to mine it for them. When they had what they needed, they left. But before they left, they told us someday they would come back, and when they did, a game would be played. A game ...more

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Hardcover, 461 pages

Published October 7th 2014 by HarperTeen

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Start your review of The Calling (Endgame, #1)

Jan 14, 2014 Gillian added it

"In a world similar to Earth,"

(In a world similar to Panem)

"there are 12 bloodlines"

(There are 12 districts)

"Each bloodline has a champion between the ages of 13 and 17"

(Each district has a tribute between the ages of 13 and 18)

"And then one day they're called to fight, and all the bloodlines but the winners will be exterminated. They're fighting to be the last race."

(And then one day they're called to fight, and all the tributes but the winners will be exterminated. They're fighting to be the l ...more

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Jan 14, 2014 Megan marked it as i-have-my-reasons

You know, I think I've read this one before. It was about this girl from one of 12 districts who was sent to represent her people in a battle to see which was the best. I think it was called... I can't remember it. Is this that book? I think her name was Katnip. Or Cutlass.

Nevermind. Probably making it up. But I swear, it just sounds so familiar!

Oh, by the way James Frey, purveyor of a "fiction factory" which underpaid authors for their hardwork, a man who lied to my queen Oprah, a man who has ...more

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Dec 02, 2014 Claudia Ramírez rated it liked it

Shelves: exceeded-expectations, 2015

This books was AWESOME.

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Aug 07, 2014 Caz (littlebookowl) rated it really liked it

Shelves: owned

I received this book for free from Bookworld in exchange for an honest review.

For those of you concerned about Endgame being constantly compared to The Hunger Games (which has been done primarily from the synopsis alone), after reading it I can see that these two are quite different. This book sets itself apart with the genre, the setting, the format - we follow all of the Players and their journeys, and the plot is a lot more complex than it seems. This book sets up a lot of mystery and intrigu ...more

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Jul 07, 2014 Christie rated it it was amazing

Most people in the comments/reviews has even bothered to look into this book past a few sentences, and they will be proven wrong. They're mostly teenagers who don't even realize the dystopian genre was around long before Suzanne Collins and "The Hunger Games" - many (better) authors paved the way before her...Greats like Koushun Takami (Battle Royale), Stephen King (Running Man)... There have been many before and will be many after - there are over 100 dystopian fiction novels set to debut in th ...more

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Sep 10, 2014 Lindsay Cummings rated it it was amazing

Honestly one of the BEST books I've ever read.

I know many of you will say, "hold on...no. It's a Hunger Games copy!" And I thought the same thing when I first saw the description. And then I realized that this is WAY more like a super dangerous, super deadly Amazing Race type of story, heavily rooted in aliens and science fiction. The story is told from several different characters POVS, all of which are from all over the world---and all of which are killers, trained so well in not only physical ...more

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Jul 07, 2014 Hannah McBride rated it did not like it

Shelves: dnf

My issues with James Frey aside (hey, we've all made huge, colossal mistakes, but just avoided being called out by Oprah), I gave this book a chance. Maybe because it was in shiny gold packaging and I was blinded by the pretty.

IT HAPPENS, OK? Shiny things distract me!

But after reading - OK, not exactly. A friend of mine stood in the middle of our hotel room and read aloud the preface. I had an open mind here, people. I DID.

And then I realized I had heard this story before.

No, not Hunger Games. I ...more

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Oct 06, 2014 Maria rated it liked it

Finally, I was able to finish this huge book! It wasn't because it wasn't good, but it was because of the lack of time I have reading this January. Which sucked so bad. I am upset that I couldn't even sit on a book for an hour, or even 30 minutes.

Anyways.

In a lot of ways, this book was good. Great even. But why only 3 stars?

1. I hate stupid love triangles. The end of the world is coming and you get to think about boys? Or girls? I just don't get why it has to be there.

2. It dragged too long on ...more

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Jan 15, 2014 Callie *Fights Censorship* rated it did not like it

Shelves: oh-hell-no

Boycott Full Fathom Five

Fiction Factory

...more

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May 22, 2014 Paige (Illegal in 3 Countries) marked it as ouch

This is a shitty book by a shitty, deceptive, and unethical man who lied to make millions with his "memoir" and uses his production company Full Fathom Five to make other writers put out books like Dorothy Must Die and the I Am Number Four books on shitty, unfair contracts. And none of the books are even good. I've tried. This is normally not the kind of review or rant I'd write because I grew out of it a while back, but everything about this man, what he does, and what he will be able to contin ...more

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Jan 14, 2014 B marked it as will-not-read

so is Marcus bored, or...? Ugh, this is too much.

flag 36 likes · Like · see review

Jan 16, 2017 Dannii Elle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction-sagacity

I want to add a disclaimer here that I didn't realise the controversy surrounding the author before purchasing the book and, had I done so, I probably would not have ever read this. My review is based on my enjoyable experience of this book alone, regardless of who penned it. I am not supporting or overlooking his questionable actions but am simply not allowing them to influence my enjoyment. That being said, I certainly won't be purchasing another book by James Frey and am glad that I have the I want to add a disclaimer here that I didn't realise the controversy surrounding the author before purchasing the book and, had I done so, I probably would not have ever read this. My review is based on my enjoyable experience of this book alone, regardless of who penned it. I am not supporting or overlooking his questionable actions but am simply not allowing them to influence my enjoyment. That being said, I certainly won't be purchasing another book by James Frey and am glad that I have the rest of this series already bought second-hand.

This book has been compared to The Hunger Games as though it is a forgery of the legendary dystopian tale. I don't see it. There are factors that link the two, with the main one being the sacrificing of teenagers for the good of the world, but enough about the books are dissimilar to lead this to being a drastically different read.

Twelve players from twelve ancient family lines compete in one puzzle to save themselves from the impending destruction of the world. Alliances are made and bonds are formed but the twelve know that, ultimately, there can only be one winner. Clues and keys to deciphering the cryptic puzzle that will save them are strewn across the globe and the reader is invited into the intrigue and excitement as well-known geography and historical fact is incorporated in amongst the fiction of the tale.

And this is just once facet of the book that actively employs the reader in the tale. A real-world puzzle is also set out with a $500,000 prize for the winner, a mobile game has been made, and a stream of webpages created to involve the reader further into Endgame. The interactive elements of this book are what makes it such an exciting and innovative read.

The actual story is just as intoxicating! It is a whirlwind of insanity, action and riddles. Misleading clues and misguided attempts at conquering the puzzle make the plot's trajectory constantly unguessable and the cryptograms and conundrums were, at least for me, unsolvable.

My only negative was the sensational form of writing that tended to get a little irritating after long periods of reading. However, my enjoyment of every other element of this far outweighed my one small gripe and makes me eager and excited to read the next instalment. ...more

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Mar 30, 2014 Danielle. marked it as lol-how-about-no

Shelves: troll-award-of-the-year-goes-to

I had know idea this is the author behind I Am Number Four!

I'm fucking shocked; a few years ago I read A Million Little Pieces and absolutely hated it. Wasn't surprised when I found out that "memoir" was all a lie. Now this book is in the process of being released when it's a rip off of the Hunger Games when that's a rip off of Battle Royale... My head hurts.

...more

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May 06, 2014 Neil (or bleed) marked it as will-not-read

I knew you were *insert a familiar book here* when you walked in.

flag 23 likes · Like · see review

Aug 19, 2014 Nara rated it did not like it

Shelves: for-review, reviewed, dnf, mystery-thriller, into-the-fires-of-mt-doom

Before you all go yelling about it in comments, yes, I know about the FFF/James Frey thing. I thought I'd still give this book a go, because I like to separate the author from the book. I did the same thing with Ender's Game.

Well, in this case, really there was no need to separate the author from the book because this book was just the worst. Congratulations, Endgame: The Calling. You get the award for being my first DNF book of 2014.

I think the main problem I had with Endgame is that there are ...more

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Dec 06, 2014 Michelle Wrona rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015, awesome-ending, made-me-fangirl, mystery-thriller-murder, freaking-amazing, yum, too-good, love-triangles, dystopian, male-perspective

This review can also be found on A Thousand Lives Lived, check it out for more reviews!

Don’t fucking call this a rip-off or a knockoff-read of The Hunger Games or else I’ll seriously punch you. Okay, I’m not making a threat here, haha, I’m just kidding. But really, the haters need to back off. Just because the summary makes it sound like there’s a game and in order for there to be one winner, everyone has to die, THAT DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING, OKAY? This book was honestly fucking amazing—and here i ...more

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Sep 26, 2017 Clem (the villain's quest) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, 5-stars

"Endgame is the reason of life, the reason of death. Play on, what will be, will be."

Rating: 5/5 Stars.

Synopsis: for readers of Battle Royal type books (The Hunger Games) and lover of world stories with a diverse cast (sense8.) Endgame tells the story of children aged from 13 to 18, charged with the heavy purpose of choosing the fate of Humanity as we know it. All of them are legacies of the 'original' lines, raised in certain traditions and beliefs. Some hoped for the Endgame, others dreaded a ...more

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Sep 13, 2015 Mizuki marked it as to-read

The Chinese translation is out there, to read or not to read?

Edited@10/02/2016:

I found out the questionable things James Frey and his infamous publish house had done in the past (including but not limited to publishing I Am Number. 4, which is a huge crime in my eyes), so no, I'm not going to read it. No need to read a Hunger Games clone. ...more

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Aug 01, 2014 Michael rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2015

WHAT? What is this f**kery? I did not sign up for this mind blowing story with twists and turns that I can't even keep up with. I did not sign up to feel so many feels. I need the rest of this series. Now please. Read this book. And then tune into the BookHunters liveshow on January 31st so I can rant and answer questions and share the emotions. ...more

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Jul 12, 2017 Lauren rated it it was amazing

Shelves: i-cried, 2017, favorites, books-i-own, sci-fi

First of all, a big thank you to my lovely boyfriend Matt for picking this book out and for being willing to read it with me. Being able to hear your thoughts as you read, seeing who you liked first hand as I formed my own opinions and finishing the book within ten minutes of you just proves all over again that I'm lucky to have found you. Thank you for being willing to put up with my craziness and doing a buddy read with me. (:

REVIEW TIME!

description

"This is Endgame, bitch. Best get used to it."

Oh, ma ...more

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Nov 06, 2017 Cristina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Sep 10, 2018 Ashley Daviau rated it liked it

I started off REALLY loving this book but it kind of went a bit downhill after the beginning. The whole Christopher/Sarah bit was incredibly annoying and cue a MAJOR eye roll at the love triangle. Why must authors spoil a good story by inserting the dreaded love triangle?! I was also a bit disappointed because I expected more killing but everyone ended teaming up. The idea was incredibly interesting and had so much potential but it was a bit long and drawn out. It really could have been a bit sh ...more

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Feb 04, 2014 Sandra marked it as winter-in-pandemonium

The blurb sounds an awful lot like the Hunger Games. I won't be reading this. ...more

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Jan 15, 2014 Jon marked it as dnf

Seen at Bookish Antics!
Endgame is one of Harper’s biggest titles of the year, but it’s also a novel by James Frey (a.k.a. that guy who lied to Oprah and capitalized off his deceit). I didn’t want to support Frey due to his Fiction Factory, but I decided to give this book a shot because I was curious. Endgame appeared to be a derivative of The Hunger Games but I discovered few similarities once I actually began reading. I read 60 pages of Endgame and it was incredibly repetitive, poorly written a ...more

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Jul 07, 2014 Krista rated it it was amazing

I haven't been this excited about a book since the last Harry Potter novel was announced. I love the concept and the fact that it involves a real prize/treasure. Love the style and the different characters.

Also, I just enjoy anything James Frey writes...regardless of controversy...he's a very talented writer. ...more

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Feb 05, 2015 Andrada rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, read-in-english, science-fiction, dystopia, 2016, young-adult

This review is about a book that I read recently, this summer, a book I wanted to read for a very long time, firstly because one of my very good friends (and reading companion) was reading it some time ago and she made me all curious about it when we were chatting and secondly because I have heard about the puzzle/treasure-hunt hidden in the pages of this book and the fact that there is a cash prize once the first person manages to solve it. I found this concept very appealing, and somehow I fel This review is about a book that I read recently, this summer, a book I wanted to read for a very long time, firstly because one of my very good friends (and reading companion) was reading it some time ago and she made me all curious about it when we were chatting and secondly because I have heard about the puzzle/treasure-hunt hidden in the pages of this book and the fact that there is a cash prize once the first person manages to solve it. I found this concept very appealing, and somehow I felt that hiding clues in a book and urging your readers to find them is like you’re giving them an opportunity to become more involved in the book and somehow live a little bit of what the main characters of this book are living (which totally applies to this book). Thus, I decided to embark on this adventure called Endgame.

The story itself is actually quite simple. There are 12 players belonging to 12 different lines (each line has its own name, sign and history, which makes it even more interesting) of humankind (some sort of ancient tribes) in a game that takes place just before the end of the world, and the player who manages to win the game is the one whose line survives the apocalypse. The game is managed and supervised by those who created us, the Anunnaki; they are the ones who helped us build all our civilization, those who decided when to push the button and bring humanity back to square one and also those who determine when the game takes place and what the rules are. The 12 players are between 13 and 20 years old, and they have been trained all their life (short life in some cases) for the purpose of winning Endgame and for the survival of their line.

A little bit about the personal opinions now… It is very interesting to see the psychology behind each of the 12 characters. Unfortunately, in this first volume not all the characters were equally well-developed, this leading to the reader liking someone more just because maybe someone else wasn’t given enough space and time to grow in this book and will do so in the next one maybe. This was a disadvantage from my point of view, but I can also understand that it is hard to develop equally 12 characters and give them all subtle nuances. The plot is also also exciting because when you come to think about it our characters are basically children or teenagers that have been trained their whole life to survive a pretty murderous game and saving their line (a lot of responsibility on their shoulders, if you ask me); and there will always be a moment in the book when their childish/teenager nature will surface and despite their maturity they will make reckless choices.

I really enjoyed this book, even if it is quite an easy read (you can finish it in a couple of hours) and maybe the idea is not the most original ever but I still decided to give it 4 stars : because the action is nicely built, there are some notably awesome characters, it’s definitely a page turner and even if some parts are predictable there is still a lot of unknown stuff going on there. I would recommend it if you’re into young-adult literature and also if you’re a fan of dystopia, but I believe that anyone can actually read this book and enjoy it and it is a nice break from really complicated literature.

For a full review: http://chapter26.net/2016/08/30/the-c... ...more

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Oct 19, 2014 Helene Jeppesen rated it liked it

This book was quite an adventure around the world! When I first received the book, I didn't know what to think of this concept: The reader is told to read "Endgame" and then participate in the international search for the gold. What gold? I was a little bit confused but also intrigued to see what this was all about.
I was happy to see that this book is actually told as a fictional story surrounding 12 individuals from around the world, who have all been trained to participate in the Endgame whic ...more

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Oct 11, 2014 KL (Cat) rated it did not like it

Shelves: haven-t-i-already-read-something-si, what-is-this-shit, die-just-die, death-by-hype-train, did-not-finish

I shall never ever touch this book in my life, and will advice my school librarian to do so as well. (The single star is simply for shit and giggles)

For those who may ask why.

Edit:

Haha, a few disgruntled trolls decided to message me on how I can't judge a novel from where it's published. Screw that. So I decided to take initiative and read the first chapter and good grief, my eyes. I swear that my Harry Potter fan fiction has better writing that this.

"Marcus Loxias Megalos is bored. He cannot re

"Marcus Loxias Megalos is bored. He cannot remember a time before the boredom. School is boring. Girls are boring. Football is boring."

See here, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. This is the opening sentence of the novel. Note the spectacular eloquence as the coauthors convey Marcus' feelings. Such marvellous writing; compared, Catherynne M. Valente has plenty to catch up on terms of prose.

"Marcus wears baggy black gym shorts and is shirtless. His 24 ribs show through his tanned skin. His arms are sinewy and hard. His breathing is easy. His stomach is taut and his hair is close-cropped and black and his eyes are green. A bead of sweat rolls down the tip of his nose. All of Istanbul simmers on this night, and Marcus is no different."

Ooh, is that what I think it is? Why, I must be mistaken! Surely the authors couldn't have conformed to using the pseudo-literary device of going against "show, don't tell" at such an early stage of the chapter, let alone novel? (This is the third paragraph.) Well, I suppose showing is a technique rarely employed by brilliant writers nowadays, or heaven forbid, expected. I must have words with my 7th grade English teacher.

“But immediately afterward in terror and confusion—deep, true, and profound terror and confusion”

Clever of the authors to correctly guess I didn't catch 'terror and confusion' the first time.

"Unlike Odysseus, war will never find Marcus. There will be no grand journey.... He holds a 9,000-year-old knife, made of a single piece of bronze forged in the fires of Knossos..."

Grand allusions to Greek mythology! How terribly well-read the authors must be, as they reveal their exemplary knowledge to us, the mere ~~mortals~~ readers. I am basking in the glow of higher enlightenment.
(view spoiler)

"He has slept with it under his pillow since he was six. He has killed chickens, rats, dogs, cats, pigs, horses, hawks, and lambs with it. He has killed 11 people with it. He is 16, in his prime for Playing."

Lists, I'm sure as you know, are proofs of flawless prose. Why, I can just feel the angst and terribly deep anger inside Marcus. I'm sure that he'll make the ultimate love interest for those female heroines in YA supernatural novels.

Yep, and that's chapter one. Reading anymore would most likely result in either tossing myself out of the window or the novel itself. Because, you know, it's just so so terribly good and I am unworthy of reading another chapter, let alone having the novel within a one mile radius. How awfully sad that would be.

God. It seems my storage of sarcasm has ran out for the day. *goes off to write fan fiction*

...more

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Oct 15, 2014 alexandra rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2015, own-in-ebook, frustration, netgalley-ew

reading this book was slow and slightly painful. it wasn’t the worst book i’ve ever read, but it most certainly wasn’t the best.

i hate to compare novels with other novels, but i couldn’t help but think of it like the hunger games. the plot is something along the lines of: twelve teenage representatives fight to the death in an epic end-of-the-world type of games. the circumstances are different, but the main gist of things are the similar.

the story is told from an omniscient (kinda) third-person ...more

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Jun 09, 2015 Vivianne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: z-5-stars

Spoiler free Series review!

Books in this series:
The Calling: 5 stars.
Sky Key: 4 stars.
Rules of the Game: 3 stars.

Series rating: 3,5 stars!

I really enjoyed this series. I would recommend it to people who are into young adult and that like fantasy.

The concept really appealed to me and that’s why I picked the first one up in a local bookstore. I really enjoyed to learn about the different cultures and about the players. I also found the game quite interesting and still love the symbols and lin ...more

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA Fantasy/Dystopian/Action book about 12-24 teens who were all trained to play a “game” where they go around the world looking for a “prize”. Read between 2012-2016. [s]	4	39	Nov 04, 2020 07:58PM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA Science Fiction. Families of trained killers from around the world train for a showdown between one another every 100 years or so. [s]	8	28	Sep 24, 2020 11:29AM
YA Buddy Readers'...: The Calling (Endgame #1) by James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton - Starting February 8th 2020	2	6	Jan 21, 2020 01:07AM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA or NA book, possibly dystopian, part of a series. [s]	6	44	Dec 21, 2017 02:14PM
YA Buddy Readers'...: The Endgame Series by James Frey, and Nils Johnson-Shelton - Restarting January 3rd AND February 1st 2017	77	110	Feb 20, 2017 05:12PM
End game story	2	17	Jan 01, 2016 02:24AM

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About James Frey

James Frey

2,458 followers

James Christopher Frey is an American author and entrepreneur. After battling with alcohol addiction and spending time in rehab, he wrote A Million Little Pieces which was published in 2003 in America and the following year in the UK to critical acclaim. He wrote the sequel, My Friend Leonard about life after rehab, which was published in 2005 in the US and the year after in the UK.

James Frey now ...more