Rating: 
Summary: FAST PACED MELTZER
Review: Brad Meltzer has a habit of grabbing his readers by the collar and pulling them through his novels at lightening speed. Having not scored on the big screen with any of his books, though some of them would make great movies, he does not have the name recognition that Baldacci and Grisham do. For that reason he is somewhat under-appreciated.ZERO GAME is faced paced. Its so fast paced, that the original first person narrator, Matthew Mercer is killed within the first 50 pages by a ruthless hitman named Janos. Then Harris Sandler picks up the ball and starts running with it and Capitol page Vivian Parker. Matthew and Harris are Capitol Hill Appropriators. The decide what goes into bills and where the money goes. The Zero Game refers to insiders like Matthew and Harris inserting various items into bills and betting to see if they get passed without question. Things get deadly when a seemingly worth abandoned mine in South Dakota is inserted as a giveaway. Harris and Viv learn that a lab to create Plutonium from worthless Neptunium, a byproduct of the nuclear process. Unfortunately, the mine-shaft is run by a terrorist nation. Thus, Janos is sent to clean things up and wipe out anyone in the know. Fast and fun, but not as many twists and turns as some of Meltzer's previous works. TENTH JUSTICE is still Meltzer's best book. The underling being taken advantage of by outside interests is utilized again here. Good entertainment, though, as others have noted, drawn out at times. Still a good read.
Rating: 
Summary: Whatta Waste
Review: I agree with reviewer Estee Beck. Meltzer never once grabs
the reader's attention and it seems like the author has
veered away from his past novels and is now aiming for a
younger generation, therefore, the inane dialouge between
Harris and Viv. I never once caught on to what the game
was about, not till the very end, by which time I was
exhausted by the lengthy chase sequences. I found it highly
implausible how everything falls into place for the victims
of the chase. Is it that easy to get a private jet to
take you from D.C. to S.D., at no cost, plus have a car
waiting for you on your arrival?
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but long winded...
Review: This is a good book. The problem is simply that it's too long winded. There are passages of action that should be describable in a couple pages, but drag on across 20. This is meant, I assume, to build suspense, but the net result is that high-intensity action becomes a little boring. Overall, the book is quite good and entertaining... not so much a political thriiller as it merely uses the guise of politics as an introduction to the novel rather than for the plotline. My only other complaint is that it left me with one unanswered question -- unfortunately, that question pertains to an event that happens that starts the roller coaster ride of a story. Without an answer as to why things were done they way they were (I don't want to give away anything), I'm left not understanding why there was ever a story to begin with.
Rating: 
Summary: His worst novel to date
Review: This novel was highly disappointing. For starters, the story described on the jacket is not at all the one told in the book. Had the jacket described the true story, I likely would have skipped the novel. I have read and loved every B. Meltzer novel to date. I am a huge fan who spent many months anticipating what turned out to be the bore of 2004. The plot was unrealistic and boring. The fight scenes were highly unbelievable especially since a former world class fighter kept getting his butt kicked by amateurs. It would be unfair to those who have yet to read the book for me to go into detail about my many objections. Suffice it to say it left a lot to be desired.
Rating:
Summary: Save Your Money!
Review: Picking up Meltzer's The Zero Game I was intrigued by the cover jacket description, basic political intrigue, then something goes wrong. sigh. And wrong it does-not only in the story-with-the lack of character development and the concentration of a drawn out 200 page chase sequence which after page 170 I began feel finishing this book would be more laborious because of the droning, ahem, "action sequence." If only the writer of the jacket would have either a) read the book or b) wrote the story line itself. The first few chapters held my interest. The plot starts with two guys one working in interior appropriations and another, his best friend working elsewhere in congress. There's a secret-insider-game basically betting on votes in the House and Senate. Then something goes wrong. The only other "fascinating" feature of the story line is the discovery of the secret in an old mining cave-and that's it. I disliked this book and I believe it is a waste of time. However, if you find that little character development, uncultivated multiple story lines and a 200-page chase sequence then hey, this book may be for you.
Rating: 
Summary: The Game Turns Deadly
Review: If you've ever found politics boring, think how those in Washington feel. Matthew Mercer and Harris Sandler are senior staffers working on Capitol Hill but Matthew's getting restless and thinking about changing his profession. That's when Harris lets him in on a little secret known as the Zero Game. To spice things up in politics, only select people are invited to play a friendly wagering game on whether bills will pass or fail. And that's when a surefire win comes across Matthew's desk. He has the power to make the bill pass, giving him and Harris the chance of a lifetime. They bet everything they have and watch as the game unfolds. But when Matthew gets curious, Harris finds himself on the run. He draws a 17-year-old Senate page into the mix as he tries to uncover the truth. What went wrong with the game? Harris discovers there's more to the Zero Game than just some minor bets on bills passing or failing. Somebody wants him dead to keep the secret quiet...an international secret that could change life as we know it. Brad Meltzer has written one of the most clever novels ever created. The Zero Game weaves such a detailed web, you'll see a side of Washington that you have to wonder if it's really fiction or not. The world he's created is very real but not so technical that only a Congressman could enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: EXTRAORDINARY
Review: I thought I was a true fan until I read this book -- NOW I am a true fan. I read this book in several hours because I couldn't put it down. You find yourself devouring the book like a satisfying meal. This is absolutely the best read around and the best spent money for today. Read this one first if you haven't read his others - and you will be devoted.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: Brad Meltzer pulls through again. The first couple of chapters were a hard read. I do not come from a strong government background so I almost put the book down, but once I got past the first couple of chapters, I became addicted and it is one of my favorite books. The action sequences literally keep you pinned in your seat. You did it once again, Mr. Meltzer!!
Rating:
Summary: Meltzer is getting better and better...
Review: I read the Millionaires first, which despite it's absurd ending, I enjoyed. I read First Counsel(which honestly did not stay very long in my mind) and The Tenth Justice next (have not read Dead Even) and it was clear that Meltzer had a ways to go--good ideas, some sloppy execution...however, if you line up the books in the order they written, he has grown. This was a really interesting and original story. The best part of the book is the "game" (hilarious and ingenious) and the inside look at Congress (his research is outstanding). The characters, Matthew, Viv, and Harris are among his best. It is cool see a multicultural cast of characters. The problem? Well, the biggest was the fact that the two chase scenes are FAR too long. He had this problem in other books, but these went on and on. It would have been better to hear more about the Midas Project (I need to be vague so as not to ruin the book) and the political stories behind it. I would have enjoyed more character driven issues and less running around. And, as another reviewer so smartly noted, the dust jacket gets many things wrong--particularly Viv's age--which is 17, not 16. I must commend Meltzer on his restraint in plot twists--there is a whopper early on--but he uses them wisely--another sign of growth. I hear he has recently moved to Florida. I hope he does not lose his ear for the political or urban thriller.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes less is more!
Review: I really did like this book, and I found it exciting and highly compelling. I did think, though, that some of the scenes were way too long. The climax scene in the tunnels under the Capitol near the end of the book was full of violence. It just went on and on forever and got extremely physical and rough. The sequence of the events in the old gold mine in South Dakota was very descriptive and exciting, but it also was too long. I wish he had devoted some of those pages to tying up a few loose ends at the end of the book. I thought that he hurried through the last few pages, and it left me wondering about quite a few things that were not adequately explained. One other strange thing that I noticed was about the blurb on the book jacket. Whoever wrote that had obviously not read the book because it is not correct. Once you have read the book, you will see what I mean about the correctness of the jacket. Maybe a picky thing, but I noticed it and it should be changed in later editions. Lots of people read those blurbs before deciding whether or not to read a book. All in all, I would recommend THE ZERO GAME to others. I have read all of the other Brad Meltzer books and have loved them.It was a great effort from a popular author.
| 
