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Master of the Game Hardcover – January 1, 1982
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length403 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherWilliam Morrow & Co
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 1982
- ISBN-100688013651
- ISBN-13978-0688013653
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Product details
- Publisher : William Morrow & Co
- Publication date : January 1, 1982
- Edition : First Edition
- Language : English
- Print length : 403 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0688013651
- ISBN-13 : 978-0688013653
- Item Weight : 1.21 pounds
- Book 1 of 2 : The Game Series
- Best Sellers Rank: #279,087 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,482 in Suspense Thrillers
- #34,050 in Literature & Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Best known today for his exciting blockbuster novels, Sidney Sheldon is the author of The Best Laid Plans, Nothing Lasts Forever, The Stars Shine Down, The Doomsday Conspiracy, Memories of Midnight, The Sands of Time, Windmills of the Gods, If Tomorrow Comes, Master of the Game, Rage of Angels, Bloodline, A Stranger in the Mirror, and The Other Side of Midnight. Almost all have been number-one international bestsellers. His first book, The Naked Face, was acclaimed by the New York Times as "the best first mystery of the year" and received an Edgar Award. Most of his novels have become major feature films or TV miniseries, and there are more than 275 million copies of his books in print throughout the world.
Before he became a novelist, Sidney Sheldon had already won a Tony Award for Broadway's Redhead and an Academy Award for The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer. He has written the screenplays for twenty-three motion pictures, including Easter Parade (with Judy Garland) and Annie Get Your Gun. In addition, he penned six other Broadway hits and created three long-running television series, including Hart to Hart and I Dream of Jeannie, which he also produced. A writer who has delighted millions with his award-winning plays, movies, novels, and television shows, Sidney Sheldon reigns as one of the most popular storytellers of all time.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find this book captivating and easy to read, with a compelling storyline that follows several generations and includes many twists and turns. The writing is excellent, and customers find the characters mesmerizing, with one customer particularly praising the female characters. While some customers say it's hard to put down, others find it a bit convoluted at times.
AI Generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book highly readable and captivating, with one customer noting it's a page-turner.
"Great book! A good friend recommended this book to me and I have loved every page of this story! A very good read from start to finish!" Read more
"...The ending was so classic Sidney! It was OUTSTANDING! OMG, I cheered at the end because it was so fitting!..." Read more
"...I love love love the storyline. It is a timeless story that can be read over generations. A timeless book!" Read more
"Such a good intense read" Read more
Customers find the book's story compelling and full of intrigue, following the lives of several generations, with one customer noting that the storyline flows smoothly through each generation.
"...The ending was so classic Sidney! It was OUTSTANDING! OMG, I cheered at the end because it was so fitting!..." Read more
"...I love love love the storyline. It is a timeless story that can be read over generations. A timeless book!" Read more
"...It is an interesting story, but I would not give it five stars. Perhaps it tries to cover too much in one novel, with too many sub-plots." Read more
"...It was easy to lose hours at a time to the swift plot line, but the 360 degree storytelling also allowed me to feel fully satisfied even if I could..." Read more
Customers find the characters in the book mesmerizing, with one customer particularly appreciating the female characters, while another notes that the story is told by a real storyteller named Sheldon.
"...read this book four or five times and it is always entertaining, every character, every page, every time!!!" Read more
"...A great book to read along with characters. Kate was a hoot!" Read more
"...He is a master story teller and develops his characters and the story well. It takes place mostly in South Africa during and just after Aparthied...." Read more
"...The characters were very well developed and Mr Sheldon makes you feel as if you are right there with them in every venture...." Read more
Customers praise the writing quality of the book, finding it excellent and easy to read, with one customer noting the author's descriptive style.
"...The book is written excellently well. This is story telling at its best...." Read more
"...Not a happy story, I'm afraid! But the writing itself is expert." Read more
"...Having said that, its an easy read and enjoyable enough, just a bit empty and soulless." Read more
"...The author is very descriptive and creates full and living characters that one can feel...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's twists and turns, with one customer describing it as action-packed with turns in every direction.
"...was having a hard time putting it down , its a love story,Adventure , twisted , crime , its everything in this book, when I got to the last chapter..." Read more
"...There are always twist and turns that you don't expect. I always think I will figure out the next one and he gets me every time...." Read more
"Excellent book well developed characters stunning plot with many twisted and turns. A real page Turner...." Read more
"...Master of the Game is so jammed packed with twist & turns that seamlessly mesh together it could have easily made for two, if not three different..." Read more
Customers find the book hard to put down and easy to read.
"...This is a book you cannot put down. It's intriguing and it keeps you wanting to know more. I saw the movie, and it was JUST like the book...." Read more
"Yes, I found this book intriguing, and hard to put down. Still, each character disappointed me individually...." Read more
"Hard to put down. Read this book twice and I’m still in awe. It’s brilliant" Read more
"...For fun, easy, light-weight entertainment this will be hard to beat." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some praising it as Sidney Sheldon at his best while others find it a bit convoluted at times.
"...I recommend it to everybody. It has a really girly cover but the story isn't particularly for women only...." Read more
"...Perhaps it tries to cover too much in one novel, with too many sub-plots." Read more
"...This is one of Sidney's master pieces! I've read it over 10 times and each time it doesn't fail to keep me guessing. Well done." Read more
"While a bit convoluted at times, and too conveniently handled at times, the story kept my interest and provided a great cast of villians...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the pace of the book, with some loving the quick pace and finding it easy to read, while others find it rushed.
"Quick book of rollercoaster rides through many many generations. Even though the book is dated , it still flew by" Read more
"I found the oddest thing about this book was that its pace was so fast that a terrible tragedy could happen to a character and then a couple of..." Read more
"...This is the perfect book for speed readers and page nibblers alike...." Read more
"...unscrupulous characters...this book has it all and it is one fast moving page turner. OUTSTANDING!!! Am on to my next Sidney Sheldon book." Read more
Reviews with images

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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2025Format: HardcoverVerified PurchaseMy very first book by Sydney Sheldon, I’ve been hooked ever since.. Had a horrible house fire lost my original form back in 1991. So yes I’m replacing with hardback and rereading them all again.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2025Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified PurchaseI like all of his books
- Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2025Format: KindleVerified PurchaseQuick book of rollercoaster rides through many many generations. Even though the book is dated , it still flew by
- Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2025Format: KindleVerified PurchaseGreat book! A good friend recommended this book to me and I have loved every page of this story! A very good read from start to finish!
- Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2014Format: KindleVerified PurchaseWell I have to say, Sidney did not disappoint, although I must say, he gave me quite a scare toward the end of this book. I've always called Sidney Sheldon the Master of Plots, and I call him that for a very specific reason. He is THE MASTER OF ALL MASTERS! How he throws several stories into one and your mind is spinning trying to figure out what the hell is going on, by the time you get to the end and it comes together, you say, "A-ha!" He was such a brilliant writer and Lord knows I miss him. He's one of my favorites and one who made me want to go into writing.
This story was outstanding. Again, near the last few chapters, I got so damn frustrated because those twins, Eve and Alexandra were something else, or shall I say, Eve was something else. The good twin versus bad twin type of vibe going on. Alexandra angered me so much because she was so damn stupid and never saw the wrong in anyone. She was almost childlike, but even children eventually begin to suspect things, but not Alex. Eve, in my opinion, was short for Evil! That woman had some issues for real!
Sidney managed to go through an entire family dynamic in this book. From the ancestors all the way through the early '80s. To follow each generation was amazing. Katherine Blackwell's early beginnings gave rise to how the rest of the family would fair.
The ending was so classic Sidney! It was OUTSTANDING! OMG, I cheered at the end because it was so fitting! If you've never read this, trust me, you will love it! What an Awesome Read!
- Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2024Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified PurchaseThis was the first Sidney Sheldon book I read and it's my favourite. I love love love the storyline. It is a timeless story that can be read over generations. A timeless book!
- Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2024Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseSuch a good intense read
- Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2010An interesting tale. Jamie McGregor leaves a hardscrabble farm in Scotland in 1883 to seek his fortunes in the diamond fields of South Africa, one of many people chasing a dream (my mother's family left Scotland circa 1620, first to Ulster, and then to the American colonies to seek their fortunes). Jamie's initial success is stolen from him, and he seeks revenge, and then has a compulsion to acquire wealth and position in society. He passes his compulsion to his daughter Kate, who learns that power matters early in her life. Kate learns to manipulate people, and force things in the direction she wants, even if she destroys people in the process. Therein lies the story, because some things come back to bite her.
The story alternates from detailed episodes to fast forwarding that skims over years of intervening time. There are sections that could have been better researched, e.g., in 1914 Kate talks about building armaments for World War I including tanks for the Army (tanks had not been invented at that point in time). Overall, it does give a good picture of the racial problems in South Africa where her company was founded, and the exploitation of native labor. It covers a span of about 100 years starting with her father, then Kate, then her son, then her granddaughters, and finally a young great grandson, ending on Kate's 90th birthday party.
It is an interesting story, but I would not give it five stars. Perhaps it tries to cover too much in one novel, with too many sub-plots.
Top reviews from other countries
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Dr Dorivam Celso NogueiraReviewed in Brazil on December 22, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Obra prima
Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified PurchaseMuito bom
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Wayne LockyerReviewed in Germany on September 11, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars Geniale Geschichte
Format: KindleVerified PurchaseDiese Geschichte ist einfach genial, immer wieder neue Überraschungen und in absolut verständlichem Englisch geschrieben. Da macht das Lesen richtig Spaß!
- WickenReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Never fails to disappoint
I’ve read this a handful of times now, and I always enjoy it. It has some delightful twists and turns.
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Cliente de AmazonReviewed in Mexico on November 4, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente
Format: KindleVerified PurchaseMuy buen libro! Vale mucho la pena
- Kindle CustomerReviewed in Spain on January 17, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars An old favourite
I have read this book 3 or 4 times over the years and never tire of it. Fast moving and easy to read. I'm sure I shall read it again.