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Cover of The Game of X
Book details

The Game of X

by Robert Sheckley

Published 1980ISBN 978-0-4412-7308-9

The Game of X was loosely adapted as the 1981 Disney film, Condorman: Sheckley also wrote the novelization of this film. Say "gesundheit" to the spy who came in from the cold & get set for the intrigue novel to end all. "Combines ironic wit with suspense to remarkable effect."--John Le Carre Here is a spy-tangled novel of undercover misadventure that goes from Paris to Venice by ways of intrigue that 007 never dreamed of--with semi-professional killers, submissive subversives & a swinging Mata Hari from Hunter College. This is upmanship espionage at its funniest--& all in The Game of X

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Fiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.

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What the reading experience may hold

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Themes to notice

Fiction

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Content notes

Catalog signals suggest violence, death, or criminal harm. These notes may not be complete; consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.

These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.

Reading experience

Balanced tone · Urgent pace

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Who it may suit

A good fit if…

Readers who want a thoughtful experience and enjoy noticing the connections beneath a book’s surface story.

At a glance

This book's DNA

A visual estimate based on this edition's categories, description, and length. Select a star to explore the signals.

ToneBalanced
LuminousDark

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No plot details

Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc

A broad estimate of the book’s emotional rhythm, shown without story events or outcomes.

Spoiler-free
12345
PeakRelative emotional intensity
The Game of XRobert Sheckley
Powerful4.7/5

This visualization is an interpretive estimate based on catalog description, categories, tone, pace, and content signals. It does not describe specific scenes.

Before you choose

A quick reading snapshot

Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.

Reading lengthLength not listed
Publication eraModernFirst published or edition dated 1980
Primary categoryFictionExplore similar books below
ISBN-13
978-0-4412-7308-9
Language
English
Edition record
OL7525445M
BookenDeX editorial lens

A more thoughtful way into this book

This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.

Good to know

Preview the edition to decide how it fits your available reading time.

Begin with its place in Fiction, then notice where the book resists that label.

Try this reading approach

Read for connection, not completion.

Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.

Three questions to carry with you

  1. What does the central character want, and what do they misunderstand about that desire?
  2. Which detail or relationship changes how you interpret the story?
  3. What feeling or question does the book leave with you after the plot moves on?

Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.