“The competition is a series of tests that are harder than anything you’ve seen. And unlike what I do, this will not be recorded, televised, streamed, or uploaded anywhere for the world to see. No audience. No clout. Just the games.”
So say the opening pages of The Most Dangerous Games, the official James Patterson x MrBeast collab novel that dropped Sept. 1.
The words come from MrBeast (aka Jimmy Donaldson) himself–because yes, he’s the starring character of his own book. Who are the other characters? If you just read the back cover copy, you’ll have no idea. Unlike most published novels, where the back cover is meant to entice potential readers by introducing them to main characters and their journey(s), The Most Dangerous Games‘ cover reads like a promo for Donaldson’s Amazon show.
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“The Games begin in Antarctica, where one wrong step on the ice kills you, and they never let up: Shark water off a remote Chilean island, desert heat that cooks you where you stand, storm-battered peaks, and caves so black you cannot find your own hand. No rescue. No second chances. A billion dollars to whoever is still standing.
Then the terrain stops being the thing that can kill you, and the other players start. Alliances turn into ambushes. Trust becomes the sharpest weapon. And somewhere above it all, a hidden voice is watching every move, testing, deciding who deserves to survive.”
Only when you flip through the book do you get an introduction to the protagonist–and possibly antagonist–players summoned (by fictional Donaldson) to participate in the competition. There are 1,000 of them, but just a handful get early page spotlights, like tough-as-nails refugee Alek, military veteran Amos, former Marine Ant, and pro boxer Carlos.
Every player received the same mysterious invitation from Donaldson, whom the book describes as “[s]harp, fair-minded, and deeply loyal.” It also hints that he be the overall hero: “[H]e isn’t afraid to stand up for the players when he suspects something has gone terribly wrong.”
Though the in-book competitors are told their trials won’t be turned into YouTube content and will be free from clout-chasing, real-life people are promised no such thing: The Most Dangerous Games‘ launch comes with a $1 million contest.
According to the book’s website, there are clues and easter eggs hidden in the book that will help players succeed in a series of weekly challenges. Once the pool has been narrowed down to 10 people, they’ll come together for a final “face the Beast” round, and one winner will walk with the big cash prize.
Competitors must have proof of purchase for an English-language copy of The Most Dangerous Games.
On X, Donaldson said he thinks that for many people, The Most Dangerous Games “might be the first book they actually read.”
“Growing up I thought books were boring, in reality I just didn’t read anything that actually interested me,” he said. “[G]ive it a read and tell me what you think :D”
The Donaldson x Patterson team-up brings together two pop culture giants. Donaldson’s YouTube channel has 515 million subscribers–which, if all those accounts are actual individual people, means 6% the world’s population is following him. Patterson, meanwhile, has written or co-authored (in that he hands other authors an outline and they write the manuscript) over 300 books, including numerous bestsellers.
But it’s not looking like The Most Dangerous Games will hit giant numbers. A report from intelligence platform Semafor said the book is “on track to be a historic bomb,” with preorders in the four figures. A person familiar with the project told Semafor sales so far are “a tiny fraction of what the publisher will need to justify Patterson’s and […] Donaldson’s hefty fees.”
That being said, The Most Dangerous Games is currently Amazon’s #1 new release in Mystery Action & Adventure, and #1,878 in new releases across all genres. So clearly people are buying and reading it. Whether that’s out of genuine literary interest or just a shot at $1 mil is hard to say.
