Buy new:
Save with Used - Good

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
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
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now
Frequently bought together

Frequently purchased items with fast delivery
- A Savage Place (Spenser)Mass Market Paperback
- The future was clay, to be moulded day by day, but the past was bedrock, immutable.Highlighted by 147 Kindle readers
- Money was to make your life easy when you were well, and to take care of your needs when you were ailing.Highlighted by 143 Kindle readers
- Old money’s motto was, If you have it, hide it. New money’s motto was, If you have it, flaunt it.Highlighted by 141 Kindle readers
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: #146,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,193 in Suspense Thrillers
- #20,292 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
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
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 keeps them engaged. The writing is excellent, with mesmerizing characters and full of twists and turns, making it hard to put down. The pacing receives mixed reactions - while some praise its quick pace, others find it a bit convoluted at times.
AI Generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as an awesome Sidney Sheldon book that kept them engaged throughout.
"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
"...Great read!" Read more
"...This is a great read. Almost as good as The Other Side of Midnight. ." Read more
"...But very entertaining. Wicked man and woman in this book. Very interesting. Makes you wonder if the things in the book could or did happen." Read more
Customers find the book's story compelling and full of intrigue, with several generations being followed throughout the narrative. One customer notes that the storyline flows smoothly through each generation.
"...female protagonists ---and you're set for a great story. **..." Read more
"...This is one of his earlier, I think. He is a master story teller and develops his characters and the story well...." Read more
"I read this book many years ago & loved it!! It was just as exciting & thrilling a mystery the 2nd time...." Read more
"I would recommend it to all my friends great writer and story teller, all of his books i have read were awesome☺" 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
"...This time around I saw not one redeeming character, from Jamie McGregor up...." 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.
"Sheldon is a great writer. I especially liked this book. Of course, I was not happy with the vulgarity. The story would have been..." Read more
"...Having said that, its an easy read and enjoyable enough, just a bit empty and soulless." Read more
"Well written. Love the characters and the story line. I have read this book several times and it never gets old." Read more
"Excellent writing and story...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's twists and turns, with one customer describing it as action-packed with turns in every direction.
"...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
"...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
"This is one of the craziest stories I've read in a while. Lots of twists. It's definitely a great read!" Read more
"Excellent book well developed characters stunning plot with many twisted and turns. A real page Turner...." Read more
Customers find the book hard to put down and easy to read.
"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
"...read the epilogue, read the 1st chapter and ended up I could not put the book down and I read the whole entire thing that night...." 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.
"...Perhaps it tries to cover too much in one novel, with too many sub-plots." Read more
"...A book that seizes your attention and overflows with trdegedy, greed, dispare, love and even a little gerosity thrown in to wet your appetite for..." 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
"...I recommend it to everybody. It has a really girly cover but the story isn't particularly for women only...." 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.
"...Fast moving & just plain enjoyable. Love, deceit, humorous, sad, wrapped in one book that is fast easy reading." Read more
"It's a slow start but it's totally worth it to push through the first few chapters!..." Read more
"You never know what is lurking around the corner in this story! Fast-paced and entertaining. Kate Blackwell is a formidable opponent." Read more
"Quick book of rollercoaster rides through many many generations. Even though the book is dated , it still flew by" Read more
Reviews with images

Paid for new received used
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.
- 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 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 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.
- 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 October 18, 2016Format: KindleVerified PurchaseThis was the first time I've ever read a Sidney Sheldon novel, and it was just what I needed. I'm usually the type to shred through a novel in little more than a couple of days, but I just never seemed to be ready for this story to end. I wound up reading 5 to ten pages here and there, while I was brewing coffee or waiting for an appointment, with the occasional indulgence of several chapters over lunch or before bed. This is the perfect book for speed readers and page nibblers alike. The story spans several generations, with Sheldon introducing and developing new characters along the way. 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 only fit in a few pages here or there. Accompany the flexible pacing of the book with a killer narrative about power, struggle, and the truth behind coming from "a good family" --- all revolving around strong (if slightly one-dimensional) female protagonists ---and you're set for a great story.
**Some readers are more mature than others, but the sexuality, violence, and overall "foregone era" theme of this book would probably keep me from recommending this book to anyone under a VERY mature high school student.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2025Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified PurchaseI like all of his books
- 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 January 30, 2025Format: KindleVerified PurchaseQuick book of rollercoaster rides through many many generations. Even though the book is dated , it still flew by
Top reviews from other countries
-
Dr Dorivam Celso NogueiraReviewed in Brazil on December 22, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Obra prima
Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified PurchaseMuito bom
-
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.
-
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.