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You are invited to attend the most decadent fete of the century. Italian high-society and international celebrities are gathered at Villa Ada, once a sprawling public park, now the largest private home in Rome. The host, a rags-to-riches tycoon, has planned an extraordinary wild animal safari - the party to end all parties.
Among the guests is Fabrizio Ciba, a neurotically charming author struggling to write his next great literary tome in order to rebuild his reputation. In an unexpected turn of events, he crosses paths with a beautiful, enigmatic pop singer and the Wilde Beasts of Abaddon, a fledgling satanic sect planning her demise in exchange for global fame. The world outside the mansion gates is soon forgotten, and all rules of civility are broken. What was intended as the most spectacular night quickly descends into apocalyptic chaos as the excesses of modern life are indulged to extremes. What mayhem will ensue once the games begin?
Internationally best-selling author Niccolò Ammaniti strikes a masterful balance between farce and tragedy as he brings a rapturous dose of anarchic absurdity to this portrait of a status-obsessed, self-indulgent society. A calamitous, supercharged, and wildly enjoyable satire, Let the Games Begin will surprise, delight, and frighten.
"This book pulls off a rare feat: an action-packed but well-paced satire populated with characters rather than caricatures." - Publishers Weekly
"A novel that veers out of control, obliterating its setup and dulling Ammaniti's admired edge as a satirist." - Kirkus
"Let the Games Begin may well be the print version of La Dolce Vita set today." - L'Unità
"Niccolò Ammaniti has constructed a novel you will not easily forget, rescuing the genius of Federico Fellini to mix chaos, social criticism and chronic human frailties... A fast-paced, fevered comedy... Ammaniti is the most gifted writer of his generation." - El Mundo
"Brilliant, smooth, neurotic, and at times scathing." - Le Monde
"A bittersweet book where you laugh knowing that there really isn't anything to laugh about." - La Repubblica
This information about Let the Games Begin was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Niccolò Ammaniti was born in Rome in 1966. He is the author of three novels, as well as a collection of short stories. At thirty-four, he was the youngest ever winner of the prestigious Viareggio-Repaci prize for I'm Not Scared which has been translated into twenty languages and was made into a movie.
His books have inspired 5 films, and in 2014 he directed his first documentary, The Good Life.
Link to Niccolo Ammaniti's Website
Name Pronunciation
Niccolo Ammaniti: ni-CO-lo ama-NEE-tee
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