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    Endgame: The Complete Zero Line Chronicles
    Endgame: The Complete Zero Line Chronicles
    Endgame: The Complete Zero Line Chronicles
    Audiobook7 hours

    Endgame: The Complete Zero Line Chronicles

    Written by James Frey

    Narrated by Andrew Eiden

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A companion to the New York Times bestselling Endgame series, The Complete Zero Line Chronicles is a collection of prequel novellas that follows the Zero Line, an underground group of conspiracy theorists determined to put a stop to Endgame—and save the world.

    Several decades before the Players of Endgame meet at the Calling, an earlier generation of Players is learning the rules. Each has been chosen as the one to save their ancient bloodline—and win Endgame. But not everyone wants to see Endgame take place. One group in particular has other ideas. They call themselves the Zero Line, and this is their mission: Kill the Players. Stop Endgame. Prevent the end of the world.

    Originally published as three individual ebook novellas, the Zero Line Chronicles are now together in one print volume.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJun 7, 2016
    ISBN9780062468451
    Endgame: The Complete Zero Line Chronicles
    Author

    James Frey

    James Frey is originally from Cleveland. He is the author of the bestselling novels, A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard. He lives in New York.

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    Reviews for Endgame

    3.5/5

    106 ratings11 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      This book tries too hard.With the gore and action of Battle Royale and the grooming of 12 bloodlines for the fight of their lives *coughPanemdistrictscough* like The Hunger Games we are told that 12 fighters come to defend their bloodline to the death. Some may not even make it out of the first place they're gathered together for the first place. I hated a lot of the tributes...sorry CHAMPIONS. Sarah Alopay was just the worst and Jago just went downhill when he started beating up her poor normal clueless devoted lab puppy boyfriend Christopher. I loved Chiyoko Takeda and all her parts with An Liu and anyone in general really were so intense and amazing I think this would have been a really good book if it had just focused on her story rather than the 15 POVs. Aisling Kopp was also a very fascinating character hopefully she does get more time in the next book since she's one of the survivors of the first book and I do think An was a good villain but other than that, with the focus so much on Sarah and Jago it made for a horrible time for me...like I said I hated Sarah.
    • 3/5
      I can see from the comments on Goodreads that this book draws some controversy, but I quite enjoyed it. It's a solid 3.5 stars from me. The author's name didn't really ring a bell for me, so I had no preconceptions going into it, and the comparisons to The Hunger Games are really way off base. Yes, there are points of superficial similarity in the premise, but the story is entirely different. *Entirely.* It's a fast-paced and quite gripping story in which you never know which characters will live or die, and the idea behind the plot is intriguing. It made me think back to books like Chariots of the Gods, which I read in my teens, and which probably shaped a lot of my ideas about life in the universe (take what you will from that). I listened to the audiobook and it was excellently narrated by Sunil Malhotra, who managed to give a diverse cast of characters very recognizable voices.

      My only quibble was that some parts (long strings of words and/or numbers which the characters must decode) did not translate well for audio. Not sure how you'd fix that problem, but it serves to pull the reader out of the story, which you never want to do.

      At any rate, I'd read the next one.
    • 1/5
      "Endgame" ist die größte Enttäuschung seit Jahren und eines der schlechtesten Bücher, die ich jemals gelesen habe. Gekauft habe ich es, weil das Grundkonzept, das dem der "Hunger Games" ähnelt, mich interessierte, aber auch die Idee im Buch Rätsel zu knacken, die dann auf einen bestimmten Punkt in unserer realen Welt weisen fand ich spannend (wenngelich mir klar war, dass ich - 2 Jahre nach Erscheinen des Buches - keine Chance haben würde, die $500.000 zu gewinnen, da das Rätsel sicherlich bereits gelöst sei - was auch tatsächlich wahr ist).Tatsächlich haben die im Buch enthaltenen Rätsel aber eigenen so eigenen Charakter, dass ich nicht einmal weiß, worin diese Rätsel bestehen sollen. Die tausend Links habe ich dabei nicht geöffnet, da ich schon nach kurzer Zeit so von dem Buch abgeschreckt war, dass ich es nur noch möglichst schnell weglegen und meine Gedanken nicht auch noch an etwaige Rätsel, die mit dem Buch in Verbindung stehen, verschwenden wollte. Der Schreibstil ist unterirdisch - eine Aneinanderreihung von tausenden kurzer Hauptsätze, häufig sogar nur von Teilsätzen. Dazu die Versessenheit, jede Zahl mit häufig bis zu 5 Nachkommastellen anzugeben - es stört den (zugegeben ohnehin nicht aufkommenden) Lesefluss enorm, wenn dort Sachen stehen wie "der Flug sollte 216,3794 Minuten dauern" oder "Er war 14,59826 Jahre alt". Die Geschichte bietet keine spannenden Wendungen, da es Frey nicht gelingt, die Charaktere anders zusammenzuführen um seinen völlig überzogenen Gewaltdarstellungen einen Boden zu bieten, wählt er einfach telepatisch von den Aliens übertragene Hinweise als Mittel, die Spieler zusammenzuführen. Diese 12 Spieler unterscheiden sich zwar in ihrer Lebensweise voneinander, sind aber jeder für sich extrem flach und stereotyp, auch die Hauptcharaktere gewinnen auf den knapp 600 Seiten nicht an Tiefe. Das "große Finale" des Buches ließ mich absolut kalt, worüber ich sehr froh bin - so kann ich dieser Buchreihe getrost den Rücken kehren, ohne auf einen Cliffhanger zu verharren oder mich auch nur dafür zu interessieren, welcher der 12 Charaktere schließlich das Endgame gewinnen wird.
    • 4/5
      Sigue hacia abajo para encontrar la reseña en español.

      I got this review copy from NetGalley.

      This is not a bad book and I liked it much more than I thought while I was reading it after I finished it, but it’s a bit weird and slow at first, because a lot of the things that the characters know are not explained. This is the first book of a trilogy, so I hope that the other two will move faster, as everything that the characters know is revealed by the end of this book. I suppose that the secrets of Endgame, the "game" that the characters are playing, will be revealed in the next two books. The Calling is just the search for the first key and there are three keys in the game, so there’s still room for many surprises.

      It’s not that the first half of the book is boring, but nothing happens and there are many characters, who are more or less main characters. Each chapter is the point of view of one (or more than one) of them, so some of the chapters are sometimes things that happen at the same time, but in different places, which can make this first part a bit tiresome.

      Endgame gets much better at the end, when we finally know what’s going on, or rather almost everything, because there are clues that suggest that everything is not as all those who trained for Endgame think. Before I started this book I had read a few reviews that compared it to The Hunger Games. Even though I can see why, I don’t think that they’re that similar. It’s true that there are twelve people and that they’re taking part in a deadly game where there can only be one winner, but everything else is very different. Even the circumstances that lead to this game (and the game itself) have nothing to do with The Hunger Games. If I had to compare this series with another, it would be 39 Clues, as it’s a race to find something (in the case of Endgame this something are three keys), but much more brutal and with bigger consequences for humanity.

      Something that I found interesting is that there isn’t a clear main character until after half the book is over. You can guess who they’re going to be, because of the number of chapters about them, but it’s something that can change at any moment until you reach the end of the book.

      The only thing that disappointed me a bit is that I had worked out where the first key was going to be a while before the characters did. Seeing as there had been so many clues that lead to other clues, I had been hoping for a sudden plot twist, but this didn’t happen. There is one at the very end of the book that left me looking forward to reading the next book of this series though.

      3,5 stars

      -----------------------------------------------------------------------

      Este libro no está mal y al final me gustó más de lo que esperaba según iba leyendo, pero es un poco raro y lento al principio, porque no se explican muchas cosas que los protagonistas sí conocen. Es el primer libro de una trilogía, así que espero que los otros dos avancen un poco más rápido, ya que al final del primer libro se ha revelado lo que saben los personajes. Supongo que en los dos siguientes se irán revelando todos los demás secretos de Endgame, el "juego" en el que participan los personajes de esta novela. La Llamada es sólo la búsqueda de la primera llave y hay tres llaves en el juego, así que todavía queda espacio para muchas sorpresas.

      La primera mitad del libro no es que sea aburrida, pero no pasa mucho y hay muchos personajes más o menos principales. Cada capítulo es el punto de vista de uno (o más de uno) de ellos, así que a veces varios capítulos son cosas que suceden al mismo tiempo, pero en sitios distintos, lo que puede llegar a hacer esta primera parte un poco pesada.

      Endgame mejora mucho al final, cuando por fin se sabe de qué va todo o más bien casi todo, porque hay pistas que sugieren que las cosas no son como han creído todos los que se han entrenado para Endgame. Antes de empezar a leer el libro había leído algunas reseñas que lo comparaban con Los Juegos del Hambre. Aunque veo el porqué de la comparación, no creo que se parezca tanto. Es cierto que hay doce chicos y que están metidos en un juego mortal del que sólo uno puede resultar vencedor, pero todo lo demás es muy distinto. Incluso las circunstancias que llevan a ese juego (y el juego en sí) no tienen nada que ver con Los Juegos del Hambre. Si tuviera que compararlo con otra saga sería con 39 Clues, ya que se trata de una carrera por encontrar algo (en el caso de Endgame ese algo son tres llaves), pero mucho más bestia y con consecuencias mucho mayores para la humanidad.

      Algo que me pareció interesante es que hasta pasada la mitad no hay un claro personaje principal. Se puede sospechar quiénes van a ser por el número de capítulos dedicados a ellos, pero hasta que no se llega al final del libro, es algo que puede cambiar en cualquier momento.

      Lo único que realmente me decepcionó un poco es que había deducido dónde iba a estar la primera llave mucho antes de que lo hicieran los personajes. Teniendo en cuenta que había habido tantas pistas que llevaron a otras pistas, había estado esperando que hubiera algún giro súbito, pero no fue así. Sin embargo, sí que hay uno justo al final del libro que me ha dejado deseando leer el siguiente libro de esta serie.

      3,5 estrellas
    • 5/5
      I loved this book!
    • 5/5
      Loved this story! Action and humor along with mystery, clue hunting, puzzle solving and tiny tiny bit of romance. Can't wait for the next book! The characters are extremely interesting and different.
    • 1/5
      Diese und weitere Rezensionen findet ihr auf meinem Blog Anima Libri - Buchseele

      Um James Freys „Endgame: Die Auserwählten“ wurde ja ein riesiger Hype gemacht. 500.000 US-Dollar gab es in einem multimedialen Kryptographie-Rätsel-Dings zu gewinnen (hat die eigentlich irgendwer gewonnen? Ach, keine Ahnung, ist ja auch egal) und – wie bei solchen Werbemaßnahmen nicht anders zu erwarten – der Wirbel um die Story war groß.

      Und so konnte ich natürlich auch nicht widerstehen, musste aber schnell feststellen, dass „Endgame: Die Auserwählten“ im Grunde genommen nicht viel mehr als heiße Luft ist. Die ganze, riesige Werbeaktion ist letztendlich, in meinen Augen, nur viel Lärm um nichts gewesen, denn das Buch war wirklich denkbar langweilig.

      Bei James Frey gibt es nicht nur einen langweilig perfekten Protagonisten, nein, es gibt direkt zwölf dieser Alleskönner. Sie entstammen uralten Geschlechtern der Menschheit, ihre Familien sind reich und sie sind von Geburt an nur für eins trainiert: Das Endspiel, denn nur wer dort gewinnt, kann das Überleben seines Stammbaums sichern. Der Rest der Menschheit wird von den Aliens ausgelöst – die brauchen ja auch mal ein bisschen Unterhaltung.

      Ähm ja… Noch besser wird es aber, wenn man sich die Rollenverteilung dieser Auserwählten ansieht: Wer sind die Guten, wer sind die Bösen und wer die völlig uninteressanten, überflüssigen Nebencharaktere? Yay, genau! Die Amis sind die hübschen, guten, intelligenten, mitfühlenden Herrschaften, die Asiaten die skrupellosen, hinterhältigen und unansehnlichen Mistkerle. Europäer und Co. sind im Grunde völlig wurscht und nur schmückendes Beiwerk.

      Hätte man hier nicht wenigstens ein bissen mischen können?! Es ist so langweilig! So absolut langweilig und uninteressant. Die Charaktere sind nichts weiter als nichtssagende, blasse Stereotypen, die mir alle völlig egal waren, meinetwegen hätten die Aliens sie auch direkt alle umbringen können.

      Zu den schrecklich langweilig perfekten und stereotypischen Charakteren kommen total überzogene und in meinen Augen reichlich geschmacklose Gewaltszenen und – und das ist richtig nervtötend – völlig absurde Logikfehler in den Beschreibungen des Autors, der einerseits ständig die Perfektion seiner Figuren betont, andererseits passieren denen ständig Dinge, die ihnen bei ihren Fähigkeiten eigentlich nicht passieren dürften.

      Alles in allem ist „Endgame: Die Auserwählten“ von James Frey ein total überflüssiges Buch, 500.000 US-Dollar Gewinn hin oder her – der ist für die meisten eh völlig unerreichbar. In meinen Augen ist die Geschichte denkbar simpel, Neues wird hier nicht geboten, dafür eine gute Portion nicht ganz so sinniger Handlungen. Ich kann von der Geschichte nur abraten.
    • 3/5
      Many thanks to the Publisher via NetGalley for a Sampler of this book in return for my honest review

      (I have reviewed this book as I have read it - I have not read The Hunger Games which some are saying this is similar to)

      Interesting concept, I but had no idea how this was supposed to be worked out. I am guessing a full copy of the book would include instructions. I can see some people wanting to try it out, but I have always had difficulty cracking ‘codes’ and such, so not for me.

      I found the style a bit difficult to read with such a lot of very short sentences, although it did get better.

      It would be interesting to see if any of the characters grow enough to feel connected to them. I like the fact that what I read so far did not have complicated names or places as often used in fantasy books, this makes it easier for a younger audience.

      Sadly though it left me underwhelmed, and so I will not be reading the full book.
    • 4/5
      I have not read the Hunger Game books but I have seen the movies. So, of course, there is going to be a lot of pressure and comparison to any author or book that comes out that has similarities to the Hunger Game books. Which it is hard not to compare this book to Hunger Games. Ok, so first off I would have liked a little more back story in regards to what the End Games were and how they were chosen. I don't know if the author did this on purpose or because he thought that readers were just automatically figure be fine with not knowing. Again this goes back to the Hunger Games. Also, there were so many people coming at me all at the same time that it was hard to keep them all straight. It was not until all of them assembled to the location to learn about the End Game and the goal of it that I was able to then start getting all of the characters straight in my head. Once I was able to figure out the goal of End Game and who was who, I was able to then start enjoying the story. Although, it did feel a little on even like the story was focused mainly on Sarah and Jago. The chapters involving them were longer then most of the other characters. However there was a lot of action and traveling all over the world. Having the ability to travel all over without any rules leaves a lot of bodies in every one's wake. The ending does leave a good lead into the next book. Even at 477 pages, this book is a quick read.
    • 2/5
      *NOTE* Endgame: The Calling is at its core a puzzle, and any review of it must take that into account. However the review copy of the book I was provided contained a placeholder puzzle, so as not to release the actual puzzle early. Thus I won't be reviewing the puzzle portion at all, only the book itself. This is not entirely fair, so judge this review accordingly.The first thing that strikes me about this book is that the author uses really short sentences. Seriously. It's annoying. Very annoying. Unfortunately, it got on my nerves so much that I was unable to finish the book. I think the concept is good, and, no doubt, the hype surrounding the prize will help it to sell. It just wasn't for me.
    • 4/5
      The StoryWe follow as twelve characters, chosen over 9,000 years ago, from their bloodline. Some have been eagerly awaiting this moment, some dreading the possibility. After having waited so long, surely they will not be chosen. They only have until their 20th birthday to take part. After that, they must hand-off the burden/privilege to the next in line, and so it has gone for over 9K years. Then it happens. The first sign comes, a meteor striking the earth, to signal the beginning. In the end, each player has their own invitation, brought by meteor, a meteor which has wreaked havoc on the world, destroying people, animals and nature alike. This is only the beginning.With blood and screams all around them, the players are brought to two realisations: 1) Endgame has begun2) They must not lose, or they will destroy everything they love. Who will be first to solve the puzzle and win? At what cost?What I Think about the Story and Game:I found the story to be quite a good read. It does have a few 'flaws,' as mentioned by other reviewers. Namely being that the characters are meant to be chosen, but not anything more than human. However, they take on feats that are well beyond human ability. I took this in stride though, as one has to remember we are not in a world that is exactly like ours, so 'normal' people may be able to do slightly more. Also, when one is terrified and striving to save those they love, whilst avoiding death, it is not uncommon for humans to do things believed impossible. I like the extreme, addicting pace of this book. It really is a read that is hard to put down. The action starts from page one and doesn't cease, leaving you aching for the second book. I also liked the characters. They have enough depth to be very interesting. Plus, the characters are spread in traits, beliefs and wants. They all have different backgrounds, act differently and care about very different things. This means that some of the characters do not want to be a part of the game, but know they must, whilst others have yearned for this day, trained for it. These differences are held in the characters and ultimately decide how they act in certain situations. The overall story is brilliant! As far as a dark fantasy/sci-fi blend it is epic and really does pull in all types of readers, making them a part of so much more. The real Endgame is one of the most brilliant ideas I have seen in ages. Linking together a great read with a true puzzle is brilliant. It does mean that you have to switch your mind back and forth between the book and the world, but this is not the full aim. It is meant to really get you to absorb yourself into the world of Endgame, to be a part of it, striving to be like the players in the book...to be the first to solve the puzzle. They have even made Endgame more real, with a link between the world puzzle and the book by have events that take place all over the world.