Endgame by James Frey and Nils Johnson Shelton (The Calling #1)

7/10

I’ll have to be honest – this just isn’t my thing. However, it’s easy to read and involves puzzles that could genuinely land you with an enormous cash prize. The clues are sprinkled within the text - so you need to pay attention. There’s something of The Hunger Games and Maze Runner about the set-up, and a little bit of Kit Williams’ Masquerade as inspiration behind it. Add a touch of The Chariots of the Gods and you’ll get the idea.

We meet twelve different characters from twelve different civilisations and see their reactions to the End of The World – and their role in it. There is a game in the story – and there is one online: http://endgameancienttruth.com/. There is a community board and a film to come. This cross-media approach is interesting and will definitely appeal to many people.

More interrelated books are planned and having a diverse set of characters from different cultures is a positive aspect to this future-set adventure. Equal numbers of male and female characters compete, and each has a Twitter account. Plenty of opportunities for engagement with other fans exist.

For readers who want transmedia adventures and something to puzzle them and their friends, this will be entertaining – and perhaps literally rewarding.

Note: Google Niantic is building a mobile location-based augmented reality videogame inextricably tied to the books and mythology, a major prize will be tied to a puzzle in each book, and Twentieth Century Fox has bought the movie rights.