Product Description

The ultimate conspiracy thriller. It is the most secret contest in the world -- for the highest stakes. At the beginning of the 21st century, only one institution stands above the sea of corruption into which most governments, councils and think tanks have fallen. The College, established on a Scottish island in the Middle Ages, is the most powerful and secretive organisation in the world. It is subject to the control only of its Master. So who will be the next Master? The one who wins the Mastership Game. Five Fellows are selected. Each must fulfil certain tasks to be accepted as the candidate. And they must understand the moral and philosophical nature of the Game. But there's a catch. The players must take part in a contest without knowing the rules -- and there can only be one winner. Once committed, things are the opposite of what they expect. They quickly need to understand the true nature of the game if they want to stay alive. So how high are the stakes? Is murder on the cards? And are others playing as well -- by different rules? The only clue is an old Chinese puzzle box, whose maker died hundreds of years ago. The box is far beyond their reach and its secret has never been solved. Yet it contains both the path to the Mastership! and its ultimate answer. The Game is played all over the world. The players require all their skills to survive, let alone solve the clues. The winner is uncertain until the surprise ending. Compelling and fascinating, The Mastership Game is a race involving a tempestuous clash of character and wills as the players, and the reader, are forced to consider the true nature of power and just what they will do to attain it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #115235 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 544 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Beyond Presidents and dictators there lies the Master; The Mastership Game is a brilliant novel of ethical responsibility and international intrigue. Set up in the late Middle Ages, the Institute is an intelligence service devoted to the resolution of conflict and the preservation of peace, and its Master is one of the most highly respected, if little known, figures in world politics. And when the Master gets old, the succession is up for grabs. There are five candidates, soon reduced to four by murder, but only one of them can succeed--the first to produce 20 million dollars. Yet it is clearly not as simple as that--Rex was not the first candidate for the Mastership down the centuries to die by violence, and the ancient Chinese puzzle box the candidates are shown is clearly a part of the problem or its solution. Scott McBain's first novel takes us from the corridors of Washington's power elite to a remote Scottish island, the jungles of Latin America and the pirate-swarming Taiwan strait. It is an impressive debut with exciting action sequences and some real thoughtfulness about power and those worthy of it. --Roz Kaveney

Review
This superior thriller does more than entertain: it questions the nature of power and the lengths people will go to acquire it.' Christopher Matthew, Daily Mail 'A conspiracy thriller of the highest order! a tight and always intriguing novel which examines the depths to which people will sink in their quest for power. A masterly debut.' Evening Herald 'McBain has a talent for creating believable characters and situations! For those who thought he was going to carry on in the usual vein of thriller writers, this will be a surprise; for those who enjoy good writing, a pleasant one.' Richard Pedley, Jersey Evening Post

About the Author
Scott McBain was born in Scotland. He has worked in international banking and law, and travelled extensively. He has now decided to write full time.

Customer Reviews

Philosophical parabola around Machiavelli and Laotse
In the beginning 13th Century, in front of Jerusalem the severely wounded crusader James McDonald carries out an oath: If he should ever see his scottish home again, he would create an autonomous institution with persons with their only task, to consultate all rulers of all countries for the purpose of keeping the peace ....

...in the year 1217 James could fulfill his oath, when he became first "master" of the "collegium" furnished on his island Tirah. Further 80 members, among them five arbitrators, belong to the organisation in accordance with their statutes beside the master. The determination of a new master is incumbent on this group of five. Until today the arbitrators are choosing several candidates from all members to join in a selection by a special procedure. The candidates are introduced with the "competition" by the acting master and then they are asjked, whether they would like to participate. To those, who agreed, the master presents the task of testing, who have been determined by the arbitrators....

...nearly 800 years after the establishing of the collegium, physicist Rex Boone, politologyscientis and economist Ivan Radic, Andrew Brendon UN-advisor in military questions and the Expert of financial politics Sebastien Defrage and his girlfriend, computerexpert Tanya Johnson, following the invitation of the master. After all five candidates have assured their participation and become acquainted with a small chinese box, the task is opened to them: Within period of one year, each candidate must appear with 20 billion dollars in presence of the arbitrators....

Now begins what the title promises: "The Mastership Game" In addition to it belongs the knowledge of power and the ways how to abuse it in "logically" way, because the master has to be trusted with all cases. There ist no wondering, that the candidates recognize already soon that, not only power, but already bare striving for it is corrupting. The novel is a successful parabola around power and moral. The ethics and the methods are moving between the pieces of advice Machiavellis and master Suns (author of "the art of war", 1. st century B. C.) on the one hand and Laotse on the other hand, which are placed at the beginnings of the chapters. For it's philosophical mental impetuses and it's liquid legibility the novel deserves 4 Amazonstars

Thought provoking and twist after twist
A quality read from start to finish. You continually think you have finally worked out the what, when's, where's and why's, and then you are having to re-think again.

The most upsetting thing about this whole book is the ending- the fact that there was one, because I was gutted to have to finish it!!

Please, Scott, write another book because 2 is just not enough.

An excellent thriller
Scott McBain succeeded in delivering a superb thriller about something important to all people: "Power". It is nicely written and keeps the reader curious who'll become the next Master up until the last page. A definite 'must-read' for all those who love to read good thriller. One of the best thrillers I read this year.