#FridayReads: ‘Endgame: The Calling’ by James Frey

I’m a sucker for gimmicks and puzzles. The second someone, or a company, says, “Hey, if you solve this puzzle, we will give you a prize,” I am there. So color me delighted when I got news that James Frey (of A Million Little Pieces fame) was coming out with a series that basically said, “Hey, if you solve this puzzle, we will give you a prize!” I was sold.

Endgame: The Calling is the first book in a small series that tells the story of the end of the world. The reader follows twelve kids from ages 13-19, from twelve different ancient earth lineages, to death. Each teen is “in charge” of a small part of the world, and if he or she loses, well, so does their area of the Earth. Now, before you start to say that this book sounds strangely like another young adult series, let me stop you. I wouldn’t exactly call it fantasy or science fiction, or even that dreaded word “dystopian.” This novel takes place present day and only has hints and references that there is something more going on in the world than the average person knows.

You know that meme? The one with the Ancient Aliens guy saying, “I’m not saying it was aliens, but….aliens”? Yeah. That’s exactly this book. But now that I’ve lost almost all my readers, let me explain why you need to get your hands on this book when it comes out October 7th.

Yes, there’s a puzzle. With prizes in gold. (Unfortunately, having an advance copy does not give me a jump start; my copy has a place holder puzzle.) But this novel draws you in. There are endnotes upon endnotes that gives the reader tinyurls to go check out. Or sometimes, a youtube video to watch. These don’t take away from the reading experience, but adds history and backstory without weighing the book down with awkward character conversations. More books should do this.

But besides the gimmicks and puzzles, the story is interesting. These kids you read about feel real; a hard feat to pull off in most teen novels in my opinion. The short chapters bounce back and forth between characters and world locals. And even though I haven’t finished the novel, it hasn’t shown me that the story is going to fall flat. Endgame: The Calling compels you to read the book way past your bedtime, and to go out and explore the world to look for the prize yourself.

Think of this as an extended X-Files episode. You’ll want to believe.