The Shell Game is quite a political mystery. But besides all that, the intro comments of REAL events or historical comments prior to each chapter is a very valuable addition. Since it takes place so close in the future, the message has that much more impact as we can see ourselves living this nightmare. These events depicted are very realistic and the reality context for them is chilling!

Great stuff.
Tests your critical thinking skills.
He misses a few connections, but interesting reading.
Loved the real quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

If we don't wake up they could really pull this stuff off.
I haven't finished the book yet, wonder if he will quaote Revelation 16:11-17
11 ¶And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
(United States?)
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

A novel with a chilling reality, our leaders not only do not see the big picture but many of them are witting or unwitting agents of petroleum interests. How sad it was to see President Bush bow before King Facade begging for a boost in Saudi oil production. Oil revenue now exceeds our own annual budget, and the obvious market power of oil has probably displaced us as a super power.

Although this is a novel, the scenario of rising food prices and starvation plays out today. Energy, all will agree, is a vital infrastructure, but oil became more of an independent commodity, perhaps because it fostered greater mobility. Now, OPEC owns the major share of our vital energy supply. The price can only go up, and as it does the food chain does as well. Alten points out, with considerable research, that there, even now, is not enough food to supply the world's population.

This is a heady read, but lightly contained in a classy Tom Clancy like adventure story. I would call it a must read for policy makers.

A great read...but read BETWEEN the lines and learn the truth about current events..the is more to this story than a novel of the future..recent history is on display here for those who can see. Buy many copies - give them to your friends and family - let's get this made into a movie NOW!

I'm half-way through this exciting book now and look forward to each reading session. With this author, twists are at every turn. This is a talent with which not all authors are blessed and makes for a pleasurable read. The author has researched his topic well. I've learned facts I would probably never known on this subject. I'm not a reader of novels usually but this is such a thriller and so immediately relevant to our political reality, I am impressed. Highly recommended!

I am a person who always reads non-fiction but in this case, I took exception and decided to indulge myself in this work- my first in many many years. Simply WOW! I read the entire book in a matter of a day. I could not put it down. I needed to know what would happen next after each chapter. Even though it is a work of fiction whether or not you are a conspiracy theorist, it draws your attention. I'd suggest anyone who reads this, see it as a work of fiction and not view it as a reference based in reality. It's mere entertainment- and I loved it!!! If you want something that is more comprehensive and is non-fiction read other books related to peak oil, 9/11, Iran, and/or terrorism. Having stated that, I must admit though while reading, it made me think about certain issues related to the War on Terrorism and oil. You can take certain "facts" from the book and based them in reality but it is far from being comprehensive. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves political thrillers.

A technically rich thriller that escalates oil as the catalyst to political treachery. Alten pulls out all the stops and delivers an engaging read. If you're looking for villains and good guys thrown into a web of perilous world events, you won't be disappointed.

In a personal note at the beginning, Alten disputes being "far from liberal, and the Democrats feel my wrath in the story as well as the Republicans." He spins a story, though, that buys wholeheartedly into every post 9-11 conspiracy, casting Republican administrations as instigators, organizers, and suppressors of the 9-11 attacks. If you think that way, you'll delight in the permutations of "The Shell Game." If you prefer balanced thought, you won't find a lot of that here. In the world of "The Shell Game," the heroes all buy into the conspiracy theory. It's probably just a coincidence of time and place that they all happen to be liberal-leaning Democrats. The villains include Islamic extremists among, without giving away the plot of the game, co-conspirators that go all the way to the top of the U.S. administration--who happen to be Republicans. The cause celeb is environmentalism, with nods to global warming and diminishing oil supplies.

In what seems to be the thematic diatribe, a critic lambastes: "There wouldn't be any Islamic extremists if we weren't addicted to oil, there wouldn't be an Al-Quaeda if we hadn't funded an Afghanistan resistance against the Soviets, Saddam would have never been a threat if we hadn't armed him, or Iran, or the other puppet regimes the CIA set up so our administrations could pull the strings." Such a summation does as little justice to history stretching back thousands of years before America came along to be the villain of the Islamic world. Of all the fighting that has never ceased in the Islamic sand pile, being able to blame U.S. policy is a historically recent, convenient target.

Alten has plenty of opportunity in his well-researched novel to voice arguments against his premise, to find faults in logic, and show conspiracies on both sides of complex struggles. But the author seems too engaged in a one-sided diatribe, so that he misses opportunities to weave a tapestry of deceit that could have doubled the peril factor and intrigue of the book far beyond the story Alten seemed so intent to tell.

This book is equivalant to a 9/11 "DaVinci Code" it exposes much of what our government has done in the past all wrapped around a story about what they could do in the future... I read it in like 4 days... very good read.

The Shell Game The Shell Game in a very intertaining fiction book with an interestingly large amount of non-fiction facts woven throughout including current events. It is amazing the amount of research that this author has done to create this novel. If you are wondering what is going on with the fuel prices today and how politics are related, this is a must read.

One of the "professional" reviews is by Publishers Weekly who is owned by Reed Elsevier, who, until last year, participated in arms fairs where items such as Cluster Bombs are offered for sale.
How can this be an objective review?

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Buy this book now!!! The 911 Truth movement is having Truth Week and promoting the sale of this book with the goal of getting it into the top ten. PLEASE BUY THIS BOOK NOW!!! Buy a couple or a few copies and give them to friends and family.

911 WAS AN INSIDE JOB AND A PRETEXT FOR WAR IN IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN.

Support of this book and in getting it into the top ten will shed light on the 911 Truth movement in a major way!!!

-Joshua Smith

Any body with a brain has understood for now that there are strange dark areas about 911. And has noticed that the press does not do her job about that. This very good book is a fiction but makes the reader ask himself the right questions.

I don't read much modern popular fiction, and I was first drawn to this book due to the author's brave and possibly career jeopardising stance on current political issues, including the war of terror on the American people. With my cards on the table, here is my brief review.

I thought that Mr Alten had all the mechanics of a thriller down pat. He doesn't spend much time at first focusing on the exposition of the rather complex underlying themes, rather he weaves them into the narrative. When background information is needed he used the device of Kelli Doyle's exposé of her time in the White House. I preferred this device to the incredibly long "conversations" that Dan Brown used in "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons". The factual quotes at the head of each chapter were well chosen and apropos.

I found the main characters fairly well sketched out, but there were necessarily many peripheral characters who were not described in detail. The pace of the book followed the usual thriller model where the pace and excitement build to the end.

I would like to think that the scenario that Mr Alten presents for a new 9/11-type event is incredible, but I fear that something like what he presents is only too possible. The scenario in the book is actually less complicated and involves fewer people than the first 9/11 obviously did. The only thing that would make it less likely is for the American public to wake up and educate themselves on the first 9/11 and other false flag events that have been used to sway public opinion in favour of wars. The unfolding of events at the end of The Shell Game suggest that the public can be awakened at least to some degree, but in this case it was only after a cataclysmic event. Maybe if enough people read The Shell Game and follow up on Mr Alten's suggested reading, the regime of the day will be afraid to try to fool the American public again.

This is just one great story. Using current events, peak oil ( do a Google ), and man's greed and love of money ( it is the "root of all evil" now isn't it ? ), to show a possible future, frightening as it is.
Even if you are not a "conspiracy theorist", you will love this book. I would advise you to use the 'Net to look up some of the info in the book as you go along, as it will make it even more immediate and pertinent. The part fescribing the history of Saudi Arabia and its corrupt government and why we are in bed with them, was very well done. Don't miss it !!

Larry

I sat down to write a review, only to discover that someone else had written (more or less) exactly what I was going to write. So please read the review below by Scott Meredith "SeeOtter" It's spot-on.

The Shell Game is an overwhelmingly well crafted novel. It deals with a government sponsered false-flag attack on U.S. soil to justify a massive bombing campaign of Iran. There is much factial information presented in the novel, with lengthy quotations, about 9-11 and other government conspiracies. These are hard truths and may be more palatable for Americans when delivered through a medium of fiction. The book's protaganist, Ace Futrel, is a man who works for a company who's job it is to evaluate the remaining world oil reserves against the backdrop of Peak Oil. After his wife, a CIA agent, is mysteriously murdered, he gets drawn into an adventure who's mission becomes to save the world. Other topics The Shell Game exposes are: manufactored bird flu; dead microbiologists; peak oil; war games on September 11th; survelience society; election fraud, and much more. Anyone who wants to understand what is happening in our world needs to read The Shell Game.

Steve Alten's latest book, THE SHELL GAME, was very costly for me, even though one of my daughter's sent it to me as a gift. It cost me sleep, and also cost me time that I should have been working on my latest book. Steve owes me and he knows it, because it was that way with his other books, Meg, The Domain Series, and The Goliath Series.
I first heard Steve's name about two years ago while researching sharks. I needed one for a story I was asked to write for a magazine; knowing that I was hauling in lobsters (and `other things') from the Bahamas and Caribbean for several years, the editor figured I'd seen many sharks.
True! I had...the two-legged land variety and many of the aquatic species, but nothing like the star of MEG...thank God. A shark the size of a locomotive with an appetite that is never satisfied? C'mon Steve. A little digging and there she was. Megalodon Carcharodon ruled the oceans for a long time; and maybe. . .?
That's when Steve became my latest favorite author. I finished The Shell Game during this morning's early hours, Wednesday 9 April 2008...when I shoulda been working on a difficult chapter in my book. That's okay, it was worth it.
I can tell you a little about the book and not spoil it for you, because the characters and scenes that Steve creates in The Shell Game will keep you turning pages, and you'll forget all about what I tell you here.
I'm also a Vince Flynn fan, and honestly didn't think any current author would be able to build tension and characters that could keep me from working on my latest novel, like him. Wrong! I put down The Shell Game several times, thinking, I've gotta get some sleep. CLICK, light off. (ten minutes later) What's he gonna do if...CLICK, light on. Splash a little cold mountain water on my face, nuke a cup of coffee, and back to The Shell Game.

We all know that one day we're going to be forced to make changes in our energy source, because fossil fuel, primarily oil, is not endless. If we know it, then they know it. They! Who? The people who own it and the people who control it; both making fortunes from it. "Control the world's oil and control the world." I don't recall where I read that, years ago or who said it, but they certainly understood mankind's basic motivation. "Get rid of one of my cars? Replace my twin outboard engines for one smaller engine? Don't run my air conditioner year round? This is Florida, man, are you crazy?"
As you progress through this novel you'll begin to understand more about the consequences of allowing our lives to become dominated by oil; the fossil fuel source that dictates how modern 21st century humans will fare in a world soon to lose that source.
Steve is a master at creating characters that we love and become attached to and understand what their role in the changing plots will be, AND characters that we despise and can't wait for them to `get theirs', AND then he shakes the bag and dumps them all out on the page...and they're not at all as we had pictured them in our mind.

I have enjoyed reading a book by many good authors who disappointed me by not adequately wrapping everything up as my eyes approached THE END.
Steve has done a brilliant job of bringing everything to a great conclusion in all of his books, and doesn't fail his readers this time either.
I closed this terrific novel with only one question. How is he gonna top this one?

Rick Magers
Author: DARK CARIBBEAN
Amazon.com

Why do all Americans care zip about the rest of the world? Because they only care about themselves, and what causes this is a vast ignorance of what their governments have done to others. I am proud to be an American but feel ashamed of all the harm they've done abroad, its citizens totally in the dark of dirty policies their leaders have put into practice for many years. That's why "The Shell Game" very well describes what the rest of the world think very probable (filth and bullying others), but the Americans don't want to see: THE TRUTH.
Enter Steve Alten's great talent for creating his "cautionary tale." Let's see if Americans finally awake and demand a return to true and clean democracy.
If it does happen, Steve and those of us brave enough to face the truth can finally see a good and healthy U.S.A. Don't be mislead or misguided by what the powers that be say or by the fear they're constantly distilling into our country. It's extremely easy to do what you want as President when you create fear. But... We are not children anymore. And Steve will have guided us to the Truth. Buy this product, as the truth makes you free.
STEVE, KEEP ON OPENING OUR EYES WITH ALL THE BRAVERY YOU'VE SHOWN US.