The Shell Game (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Even die-hard conspiracy theorists will be dubious about the sinister government-led plots that form the shaky foundation of this political thriller. Alten, best-known for his gory novels featuring giant prehistoric sharks (Meg; The Trench), goes well beyond the already far-fetched idea that the Bush administration let the devastating 9/11 attacks happen to further the neoconservative agenda of reshaping the Middle East. In 2012, with centrist conservative David McKuin in the White House, the federal government plots to detonate a nuclear bomb in a U.S. city and blame Iran as a cover to take out that country's radical leadership. Standing in the plotters' way is Ace Futrell, an energy expert whose murdered wife was possibly targeted by U.S. intelligence. An awkward mix of actual and fictional political figures (Hillary Clinton is still in the Senate in 2012, having lost the 2008 election to McKuin) doesn't make this paranoid and superficial book more plausible. (Jan.)
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Review

A nerve-wracking thriller about America's addiction to Middle Eastern sweet crude and the network of enablers who keep our dependent nation away from detox. --Kirkus Reviews

Steve Alten proves his versatility in his latest thriller THE SHELL GAME, a tour-de-force thriller tackling oil, politics, and the state of the world. Controversial, shocking, meticulously researched, and sure to raise many eyebrows in Washington, Alten has produced both a dazzling political thriller and to a cautionary tale for our times. Anyone interested in the labyrinthine world of politics, international gamemanship, and the control of oil in society needs to read this book. --James Rollins, New York Times bestseller of The Judas Strain

Whether you embrace it or refute it, The Shell Game cannot, and should not, be easily dismissed. This is Steve Alten s boldest, bravest book to date. He s fearless, in fact, and his skills as a storyteller have not dulled. The Shell Game leaves you shattered, angry, and demanding change. -Andrew Tallackson, Michigan City (Indiana) News-Dispatch entertainment editor

Action packed, intense, and politically probing, The Shell Game is an intriguing blend of fiction and nonfiction that will most certainly disturb the practitioners of the game, because it will make readers stop and think about American foreign policy in the oil-rich Middle East. --Richard Folsom, Washington Daily News

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Sweetwater Books (January 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599550946
• ISBN-13: 978-1599550947
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.2 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (113 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #187,305 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Choice, January 7, 2008

By	Carol Liane Brouillet "9-11 activist" (Palo Alto, CA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had a stack of books to read over the holidays and the most irresistable was The Shell Game by Steve Alten. While some might dismiss the book as a political fantasy, the drama struck me as painfully real, vital, urgent, and timely, given our current reality.

The book is laced with quotes from sources which question the official story of 9/11, and the action casts light on "the next 9/11, a nuclear 9/11," how to stop it, and and how to stop World War IV. There are villains and heroes, lovers, lies, children, insights into the mindset of the Neo-Cons who have been trying to dominate the planet for these past decades.

There are surprises, too. It is one of those very hard to put down sort of books, as you want to know - what will happen next, will the protagonist succeeed in the impossible task, who will live, who will die, and what will be humanity's fate.

The political becomes personal, and the personal political, and the stakes grow higher and higher. Whether a person lives or dies, their intentions and actions have tremendous consequences in The Shell Game, and I think in the current world that we live in. One person, waking up spiritually, politically, intellectually to the profound reality of the moment, and taking action can make a tremendous difference.

What I love about The Shell Game is the evolution of the main characters who are transformed by their own very personal understanding of political events, events which they themselves participated in. Not all the "evil villains" become "good guys" and there are those who steadfastedly continue to lie to themselves and others. The book delves into the extraordinary complexities of human understanding, the modern political system, and the mega-mainstream communications system which shapes human understanding, and can be used to seize and manipulate political power.

For those who have struggled against the machine, the book holds some precious nuggets of truth, hope, and insight. For those seeking to stop the next 9/11 and World War IV, the book is a great opening for a dialogue on the painful truths and realities that most journalists and politicians do not dare to speak about. For those who dismiss the news and focus on their personal realities, and feel insulated from the struggles of the majority of people, this book will challenge their perception of reality, and perhaps inspire them to stop being a spectator and recognize their own power and responsibility to shape the future.

I highly recommend it as a first choice on what to read, and hope that readers follow up on the source books, and give the author a hand in preventing "the next 9/11."

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Frightening Book of the Decade - Genius!, January 24, 2008

By	Michael C. Ruppert - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Steve Alten clearly states that many of the factual threads running throughout "The Shell Game" were based upon the extensive research found in my book, "Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil". I actually didn't know about Shell Game until after it had been written, when Steve offered to send me a review copy. I am so glad he did.

My book is 600 pages of non-fiction with a thousand footnotes. It is in the Harvard Business School Library.

Steve's book is a gripping, fire-breathing, page-turning novel that the great Robert Ludlum would envy. Both books convey exactly the same message: that the world is running out of oil fast; that human civilization hangs in the balance; and that the US government used this crisis as a rationale for perpetrating the attacks of 9-11 and (very likely) attacks yet to come.

Why? The American people would never allow their sons and daughters to be used and sacrificed as bloody oil conquistadors unless we could call ourselves victims.-- We are victims, but not that kind.

Steve's absolute genius is in his ability to make the unpalatable irresistible. It lies also in his ability to separate research "ice cream" from research "bs". "Children", hucksters and some with more sinister motives have hijacked the so-called 9-11 "truth movement." That clear thinking is what makes "The Shell Game" slice through consciousness and reach the soul like a hot scalpel through butter. Steve takes us into a terrifying future as though he were reading a military GPS locator.

"The Shell Game" is a novel and a ticking time bomb for the psyche. It is the red pill from "The Matrix". Steve has brilliantly created a masterpiece that is going to rock the planet while entertaining and teaching millions at the same time. I applaud both his genius and also what I see as his divine inspiration.

Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil

-- Michael C. Ruppert

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, January 14, 2008

By	Chesty Puller (Oneida, NY United States) - See all my reviews

A perfect primer for anyone that wants to understand the history of foreign oil and it's impact on our society. A thrilling read.