May 02, 2003 03:52 AM
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(Updated May 02, 2003 03:54 AM)
Sidney Sheldon is the master of sex and power-play. His novels have these elements so perfectly intwined that one can't wait to turn the pages and before realisation dawns on him, the book is finished and so are 6 whole hours!!
Such is the power of Sheldon's writing, that it captivates the reader to an extent where he can afford the luxury of forgetting all the worldly nags and immerse himself in the throes of his simple and lucid narration. Before long the writer in engrossed in a different world and heck, its tough to get out of!!
The Story...
The story begins with James Blackwell, a young aspirant who dreams of making it big in the business scene. How he is cheated and how he goes on to set up Kruger-Brent Ltd. forms the basis of the book. The revenge that he exacts on his cheater forms the foundations of the second part of the book. Along the line of his illustrious heirs is Kate Blackwell, his Granddaughter, with an inborn skill of doing business. How she takes over Kruger Brent and the power struggles that follow is the plot of the novel.
Sheldon's prime plus point is the characterization and even in this case the same holds true. The characterization of the story's characters is so excellently done, that one finds it difficult to believe they could be anything but real. The novel, for the most part follows Kate and discusses her exploits. Sheldon outlines various facets of Kate's life at various points in the plot. Kate-the kid, looking up, to her Grandpa, then as an adolescent trying to seduce David, the love of her life, then as a mother, manipulating her son's marriage to create the biggest conglomerate business, and then as a Grandmother of her son Tim's twin daughters, picking out a potential future Kruger-Brent leader.
Kate's love for the company, her obsession in fact is evident from each and every act to uphold the interests of Kruger Brent. The element of sex is so powerfully used by Sheldon to illustrate various examples of ugly power-play that are a stark reality in the world. Sheldon has a brilliant knack of combining these power-plays with just the right amount of sex (usually) to achieve an optimised result. Here however, the sex factor tilts the scales a wee bit...
Sheldon weaves in and out of the story with effortless ease and keeps the reader engrossed, never allowing him to stop and look at the surroundings. He builds the plot and the characters with panache, charisma and finesse as their basic ingredient and that boils into one fantastic brew of a novel!!
The End Result...
''Master of the game'' is a novel that taxes much of your time and much of your brain but frankly, each and every minute you spend and every neuron you use upon it is worth it!!! For diehard Sheldon fans I don't need to say anything for the rest of the gang: Go Ahead Buy it, Borrow it, Beg, Steal whatever, but don't let a chance of reading this masterpiece go amiss!!!
