Official Review: A God's Game by Andrew Whyte

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OB Brian
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Official Review: A God's Game by Andrew Whyte

Post by OB Brian »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A God's Game" by Andrew Whyte.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Somewhere in Mount Victorian, the city of the gods in the land of Grecil, three brothers sit playing their favourite game, Wartarria. However, in the course of their long lives, this game has lost its liveliness. They are the gods of games. Thus, none has bested the others in the ten centuries that they have been playing. Tired of the endless circle of their sport ending in a draw, Allgomac (the eldest) suggests a way to end the dullness. Bograv and Vokai (youngest of the gods) are more than happy to oblige. A God’s Game by Andrew Whyte narrates Warterria on a much grander scale to determine which of the three is the true god of games.

The brothers pick a planet, each selecting eight of its inhabitants to be their game pieces. Guess which planet gets the “honour” of hosting. That is right. Humans are the perfect candidates. One, they are technologically advanced but still harbour a tendency for infighting. Two, they are yet to make contact with other species. Besides, who names their planet after the dirt? The U.S. is the playground, and the pawns are picked randomly from its states. Each individual in a team comes from a different federation and has a unique sacred weapon. Yes, armament is involved! A person wields either a sword, a hammer, a battle-axe, a staff, gauntlets, a bow and arrow, claws, or daggers.

There are five rules in the game. One of them is death to a pawn that chooses to forfeit the game. Greg, Vokai’s warrior of the sword, requests a meeting with the other teams. He intends to find a way out of Warterria with everyone’s life intact and needs their support. But, when someone breaks the truce by killing a pawn during the meeting, the game starts whether or not they are ready.

Whyte brilliantly executes this masterpiece. First, he tabulates the humans under each god, giving their age, physical description, and background information such as family members. Therefore, before delving into the narration, one already gets a picture of the characters. Additionally, he describes the characters again as he introduces them in the story, lest we forget. The characterisation brings forth all the human personalities one can imagine. For instance, we see those with hearts of gold, selfless and optimistic to a fault; the crafty ones, always working an angle; the hotheaded ones, angry at how unfair life is; and those with something stiffer than a hammer and colder than the coldest winter in the coldest corner of the world for a heart. These dispositions are what I loved the most in the narration.

Then there is humour, dark and otherwise. The author’s choice of words brings out the wit in the best of ways. From the characters’ manner of talking to their reaction to a comment, this read had me smiling, chuckling, and in hysterical laughter. Coupled with the twists that evoked anticipations, occasional disappointments, and moments of despair, it made every moment of reading this work memorable.

A God's Game beautifully interweaves themes of crime, betrayal, romance, hope, selfishness, and internal struggle among young adults. The result is an appealing action story, having warriors with superhuman abilities to accentuate its hypnotism. And while it is a game to the three gods, it is survival to the humans. Therefore, the battle scenes are key, life-and-death situations.

Still, this read has its faults. Errors appear throughout its eight hundred and thirty-nine pages. The flaws are predominantly omissions, typos, and repetitions. While they did not hamper my reading, they are too many to ignore. Consequently, I call upon the editors to run through this work again and rectify said mistakes.

That said, there is nothing to dislike in A God's Game. However, I award this work three out of four stars, deducting a star for the numerous errors. I recommend it to young adults, especially those with a knack for action, fantasy, and mystery novels. Also, those who enjoy the thrill of danger will love this work.

In a word, A God's Game is exhilarating. I have read a good number of books, yet this is the most suspenseful. It keeps you in the dark, with little rays of light here and there for you to follow. Right now, I am earnestly hoping that this volume has a sequel. See, it had me hanging on every word, visualising every fight, and guessing every move. Unlikely individuals stepped up, and motivations changed. It had me where it wanted, then it just ended. How frustrating!

******
A God's Game
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Kennedy NC
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Post by Kennedy NC »

A game where none is able to get the best of the other. Quite an interesting plot. Great review.
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Post by Dzejn_Crvena »

The cover reminds me of The Other Normals by Ned Vizzini.
Reading the summary, I also find similarities between this book and the one above.
Does the story make you think of DnD adventures?
Congratulations on your published review.
just call me "jane" :tiphat:
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Post by the_ashfeathers »

The plot is a refreshing breath from the overused ones, it's unique and makes me scared and yet wanting to be a part the game.
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Post by OB Brian »

the_ashfeathers wrote: 08 Jun 2021, 17:05 The plot is a refreshing breath from the overused ones, it's unique and makes me scared and yet wanting to be a part the game.
You and me both. Thanks for the comment.
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Post by OB Brian »

Dzejn_Crvena wrote: 05 Jun 2021, 07:38 The cover reminds me of The Other Normals by Ned Vizzini.
Reading the summary, I also find similarities between this book and the one above.
Does the story make you think of DnD adventures?
Congratulations on your published review.
I have yet to read The Other Normals, but I definitely will if it's anything like this read. Thank you for the comment.
OB Brian
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Post by OB Brian »

Kennedy NC wrote: 02 Jun 2021, 01:28 A game where none is able to get the best of the other. Quite an interesting plot. Great review.
Indeed, notwithstanding the prospect of death. Thanks for the comment.
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Post by Shrashti_04 »

Through review I felt like this book is suspenseful and action one. If this God's Game was real I felt like it's kind of dangerous game to play for human.
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Post by OB Brian »

Shrashti_04 wrote: 10 Jun 2021, 08:40 Through review I felt like this book is suspenseful and action one. If this God's Game was real I felt like it's kind of dangerous game to play for human.
Dangerous? Yes, thrilling? Very. Thanks for the comment.
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Post by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda »

Whyte brilliantly executes this masterpiece. First, he tabulates the humans under each god, giving their age, physical description, and background information such as family members. Therefore, before delving into the narration, one already gets a picture of the characters. Additionally, he describes the characters again as he introduces them in the story, lest we forget. The characterisation brings forth all the human personalities one can imagine. For instance, we see those with hearts of gold, selfless and optimistic to a fault; the crafty ones, always working an angle; the hotheaded ones, angry at how unfair life is; and those with something stiffer than a hammer and colder than the coldest winter in the coldest corner of the world for a heart. These dispositions are what I loved the most in the narration.
What an interesting and original way to present a vast array of characters, and eliminate the confusion that often comes with it.
This book takes the concept of puppet-master to another level. What an original premise!
Thank you for your great review!
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Post by OB Brian »

Lunastella wrote: 23 Jun 2021, 09:24
Whyte brilliantly executes this masterpiece. First, he tabulates the humans under each god, giving their age, physical description, and background information such as family members. Therefore, before delving into the narration, one already gets a picture of the characters. Additionally, he describes the characters again as he introduces them in the story, lest we forget. The characterisation brings forth all the human personalities one can imagine. For instance, we see those with hearts of gold, selfless and optimistic to a fault; the crafty ones, always working an angle; the hotheaded ones, angry at how unfair life is; and those with something stiffer than a hammer and colder than the coldest winter in the coldest corner of the world for a heart. These dispositions are what I loved the most in the narration.
What an interesting and original way to present a vast array of characters, and eliminate the confusion that often comes with it.
This book takes the concept of puppet-master to another level. What an original premise!
Thank you for your great review!
Thank you
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Post by Hunter Tester »

It sounds like an interesting storyline! The characterization especially interests me. Too bad about the errors though. Thanks for your review!
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Post by OB Brian »

Hunter_T wrote: 26 Jun 2021, 10:46 It sounds like an interesting storyline! The characterization especially interests me. Too bad about the errors though. Thanks for your review!
I appreciate your comment.
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Post by Stephanie Runyon »

The story resembles The Hunger Games series. Great honesty in your review.
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Post by Cheryl Erickson »

What a refreshingly original plot! This sounds like a book that readers won't want to put down due to the action and suspense involved on several levels. Do you find out which brother is the true god of the games? Thank you for your thorough review.
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