Master of the Game – by Sidney Sheldon

I have been planning to write about this novel for many days but couldn’t find enough time. Though I posted many other things during that time, whenever I tried to focus on this book, what happened next? I open it from some random place and start reading again. The interesting thing is it took me nearly two years to finish it the first time; I read it in many sittings, with a very slow pace, but once it was done, I revised it many times. One of two novels I really liked. One is The Alchemist, and the other is Master of the Game.

Master of the Game is a novel by Sidney Sheldon, first published in 1982, spanning six generations in the lives of the fictional MacGregor/Blackwell family. It starts from Kate Blackwell’s ninetieth birthday celebrations in 1982, and then we move in the past, back to a century.

The best thing I found in this novel, and in fact in all other works of Sidney, is that the story moves at a constant and fast pace. No long, complicated dialogues. After every few pages, you find a turn that puts you more inside the novel. The same is true in Master of the Game: Sidney covers the lives of six generations in such a way that at every step the curiosity to get to know the next turn increases. I’m sorry I can’t give references from the story because it’s all worth reading; I don’t want to lessen the charm of the story.

The date when I had this novel: the next two images show the start and end of the novel; in between, we pass 6 generations; click to enlarge.

In the first term, the end wasn’t as per my expectations; in fact, in reality, I was a little disappointed. I was expecting some big turn from Sidney’s unique style of story weaving. i.e., making unpredicted things happen in jaw-dropping fashion. But after 2 or 3 revisions, it starts looking exactly as it should be. What it was, I’m not going to tell you; you must read it till the end, and I’m sure if you start once, you will not give it too much time to end.

Author Profile

Aasim Naseem

Hey, Thanks for your interest. I’m a PMP, AWS Solutions Architect, and Scrum Master certified professional with 17+ years of hands-on experience leading projects, building teams, and helping organizations deliver software solutions better, faster, and smarter.

Outside of work, I’ve got a deep curiosity for history — especially ancient civilizations like Egypt. I also enjoy reflecting on the everyday moments that shape how we live and work. This blog is my space to share insights, lessons, and thoughts from both my professional journey and personal interests.

Thanks for reading — and I hope you will find something here that matches your interest.

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