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The Mind Game
 
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The Mind Game (Paperback)

by Hector MacDonald (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (17 Jan 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 014029421X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140294217
  • Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 11.2 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 436,964 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #4 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > M > Macdonald, Hector

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Heartbreak, betrayal, blind animal terror--emotions are events in the brain and the uniqueness of our feelings is one of the things that makes us human; Hector Macdonald's debut thriller The Mind Game is a virtuoso exploration of those emotions. Oxford student Ben finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of happenstance--he is seduced by Cara at a party and Jenny, who loves him, cripples herself attempting suicide; he is asked to participate in an experiment by a don he hero-worships and finds himself shipped off to a Kenyan resort with Cara, a large expense account and sensors picking up his every feeling; he is framed for drugs charges and flung into a hell-hole jail. Ben discovers that there is no fact of which he can be sure, and almost no one whom he can entirely trust--and he swears vengeance on those who have tricked, corrupted and betrayed him. Macdonald's novel is a twisted maze of ambiguous motives and hidden meanings; it is an impressive display of virtuoso plotting and vivid local colour. It is also an intelligent and inventive display of the author's readings in evolutionary psychology and his concerned musings on where science may lead us. --Roz Kaveney --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Review

Madanzi is Paradise on Earth and lying on the beach with the bewitching Cara, Ben finds it easy to forget the real purpose of his trip to Africa. Yet he knows that nothing this good comes free and he is prepared to pay the price. For this vacation is in fact the first crucial stage of some ground-breaking research by Ben and his renowned Oxford professor who are on the brink of developing a cure for sickness of the mind. An ingenious thriller in the bestselling tradition of The Beach.
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Customer Reviews

29 Reviews
5 star:
 (18)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Staggering first novel, compulsive & exciting rollercoaster, 19 Dec 2003
By Wibles (Oxfordshire, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
Not exactly what I expected when my in-laws asked me what I wanted for Christmas, but nevertheless when a book is bought for you by such highly regarded members of the family you feel obliged to read it.

Well this was one markedly surprising book to say the least. After an edgy first couple of pages, where you can picture an excited novelist etching his first enigmatic words to the world, the book opens up into an exciting labyrinth of psychological plots, games and chilling frighteners.

It's amost impossible to review it without giving some of the game away, but the book essentially has two wonderful halves of the climactic build-up followed by the deep seated plot for revenge. Elegantly lyrical, with excellent narration, this book will be one you won't put down until you know what happens next, but that feeling won't end until you turn the last page.

I must say that I would have enjoyed the book much more had the publishers not detailed what to expect from the book on the back cover. If you have the presence of mind and can at all avoid the enticement of reading the back cover... then DON'T.

This has all the hallmarks of a hollywood blockbuster in the years to come as the rights have already been snapped up and I guarantee that all those who have read it will be saying,

"The film is not as good as the book!"

As it undoubtedly won't be.

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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent novel, 2 April 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: The Mind Game (Paperback)
The mind game is an excellent first novel by Hector Macdonald. A young undergraduate student is convinced by his charismatic professor at Oxford to be part of a study into emotions, at a resort in Kenya, with his assertive girlfriend Cara. The experiment is going well until Ben (the student) is wrongly arrested for buying drugs and thrown into jail...

Overall I thought it was an excellent novel. There was plenty of action at the start that slowly evolved into a psychological thriller. The clues to the twists, I found were a little obvious, except I must say that I didn't see the final twist coming. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a thriller away from the stock standard medical, crime, murder thrillers that seem to flood the market.

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A novel of beautifully designed mind games., 24 Feb 2002
By A Customer
I congratulate Hector Macdonald on a display of intelligence on how manipulation can destroy the mentality of a person. His ability to hide the influences affecting Ben Ashurst in the readers eyes is quite remarkable. I was unable to put down the book after the story twisted its angle providing a new dimension of understanding.
The mind game, a story of a student in Oxford asking to be a part of a unique emotion experiment in Kenya. A way out of England and to enter paradise, enjoying the sunny beaches and exotic atmosphere. Unable to see the betrayal he falls in a whirlpool of events, only to see paradise turned to a dark filled room with only the screams of the person next to him silencing the feeling of horror and shock.
A stunning debut and a well earned respect from the readers. Looking forward for his next bestseller.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Great page turner, but not a great novel
This was certainly a book that kept me reading - at least until two thirds the way through, when it started to get ridiculous. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Archy

4.0 out of 5 stars Read this on holiday..
I'm not going to say too much about this book. The early scenes of some students having a jolly time move on with our main character flung deep into some exotic dangerous location... Read more
Published on 28 Aug 2004 by Fatolliesbook

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read
A terrific book that is very difficult to put down. The story hops around in ever decreasing circles through to the thrilling conclusion. Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2003 by A. M. Woodyatt

1.0 out of 5 stars hopeless!
Sorry, I just thought this book was terrible. Very poorly written, one-dimensional characterisation, plot "twists" that are both unbelievable and telegraphed pages in... Read more
Published on 26 Mar 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping
This was extremely readable - it just flew by. The settings are captured perfectly, and the story twists and turns. Don't peep at the end. Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2002 by Regulus

3.0 out of 5 stars not bad, but not quite believable
This book has been compared to the beach and is similar on many levels. The story is of a young oxford student who takes part in an experiment on emotions in Africa for his... Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Turns into a very good story after a rocky start
I was ready to chuck this book after about the first half. Pretentious story line with unbelievable plot twists. Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2002 by jalal@gnomedia.com

4.0 out of 5 stars Kicks into gear with a vengeance
You could, in the first third of this book, get lulled into a false sense of security that this was just a collection of clever twenty-something set scenes, first at Oxford, then... Read more
Published on 12 Aug 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Best page turner I've read in ages
Superbly written and researched this book will really engage your mind. The twists and turns are well thought through and the ideas presented are both concise and thought... Read more
Published on 12 Jun 2001 by simon.rider@ntl.com

5.0 out of 5 stars I read it in an evening it was so gripping!
After hearing a synposis of Macdonalds debut novel on the radio, I was gripped. Once I had started to read it I was unable to leave my chair. Read more
Published on 8 Jun 2001

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