Stale Book Review #20: The Zero Game

The Zero Game by Brad Meltzer

Cost: $0.90US

Page Count: 468

I've reviewed Brad Meltzer's books on Stale Reviews before.  In fact, I believe that I have read most of his catalogue.  To be absolutely truthful, I'm growing tired of his subject matter.  They always have the same protagonist with a similar plot line.  It's growing stale for me and I really wish he would mix up his formula a little bit.

Anyway, The Zero Game is just what you would expect from Meltzer.  There's two guys, both of whom have positions within offices on Capital Hill.  Nothing new there, Brad.  One of them presents the other with a game, The Zero Game, that places friendly wagers on legislation, how many pubic hairs a senator has, or any other mundane activity within Congress.  It seems harmless, of course.  That is until one of the two protagonists gets offed within the first forty pages.  Killing off a main character fairly early in the book is actually something new.  I liked it.

So, there is some betrayal.  There are some hair-raising chases.  There is a diabolical killer with a weird weapon of choice. The Zero Game is pure Meltzer.  Really, no one else could have written this book and no one reading would mistake it as anything but a Brad story.  

The Zero Game is kinda lame.  But, it's a super easy read and if you have the reading ability of a fourth grader you can knock this thing out in a day or two.  It might be the literary equivalent of an Everybody Loves Raymond Episode.  

Spoiler alert:  The good guys come out on top.  

Stale Book Review #8 - The Amber Room

The Amber Room by Steve Berry

Cost: $1.25US

Page Count: 390

I shall admit, while I like Steve Berry's books to a certain degree, I only bought the Amber Room because it was autographed by the author.  Not bad...a signed copy for a buck and a quarter.  I'm glad it was signed because that is really the only redeeming quality about this book.

The Amber Room is about a Russian room in one of the palaces in the old Soviet Republic that was, shockingly, covered in amber panels.  Amber...you know, the sap-like shit that we often find old assed mosquitos frozen into.  Anywho, the Amber Room was a priceless relic that was taken apart and spirited away in the night during the Nazi advancement on Russia.  Apparently, the Russians weren't too keen on the Nazi's getting their hands on their historical relics.  So, the room was dismantled and shipped away...only to be lost forever.  

That's where Rachel Cutler and Paul, her ex, get involved.  So, Rachel stumbles across some clues about the possible whereabouts of the Amber Room.  Why is it that the protagonist always "stumbles" across something only to get sucked into a furious race to find the relic?  It happens in every fucking book and it's kinda starting to piss me off.  But, I digress.  There are sadistic killers also on the trail of the Amber Room and, of course, there is going to be a big old showdown with our two heroes.  Yawn.

The Amber Room is about as cliche a novel as you can get.  A lost relic, heroes, killers, a race to the end, blah blah fucking blah.  Steve Berry has written a few good ones that I will be reviewing in coming days.  He's actually a pretty good writer.  I will chalk this up to being one of his earliest attempts at novel writing and I will cut the dude some slack.  Yep...just checked the inside cover and this is his first novel.  Slack cut, Mr. Berry.  

The Amber Room is poo.  Lame story, lame premise, lame characters.  Steve Berry was cutting his teeth on this one.  Good for him, bad for the reader.