An imaginative author exploring the dark side .....

Please note: The below post is solely my opinion on writing skills of this author.


There was a time when I despised Sydney Sheldon for his raunchy and explicit usage of language to describe every biological process in a crude way. But then this dreary choice of mine, Master of the game, got me hooked to this author for reasons elaborated in this post. And must say, not without a reason is he so famous.

When I read this novel Master of the game, I found the story clichéd and events quite stereotyped. But then there was something that attracted me to this book! I read it a second time! And i spotted the difference. Till date, all books that I have read (which included novels by Robin Cook, Irving Wallace, Arthur Hailey, John Grisham etc.. and also some new entries like Mark Giminez and Stephenie Meyer - The one who made teen vampire a sensation!), had the perfect protagonists! Then what made me appreciate Sydney Sheldon from this lot? Honestly, not all his books are good, most of which I could associate with trash. But then there is one quality that makes his write-ups stand out! He gives life to each of his characters. The passion with which he evolves a character is overwhelmingly brilliant! A fictional character in his book, seems to be so real and commanding which comes across as a mystic personality that camouflages a dark steel interior, exhibiting an overbearing exterior, which at times confuses the reader as to which of the traits, protagonist or the antagonism of the personality is more appealing. Very few people have that talent to make the character a charade, a make believe, and so real that the reader is carried off in a complex world of trust, envy, love, lust and betrayal.

Two of his novels that left a profound effect on me are Master of the game and The other side of midnight. I would say, both these books do not have a great story line, but still they are worth a read for the kind of power the characters hold on you till you finish reading them.

Sydney often portrays the dark facet of human personality in a very subtle, yet powerful manner. A trait that is hidden in every human, but emerges when the soul is brushed the wrong way. The antagonists of his novels are for sure, villains of the highest order, but what this author makes sure of is, Not Without A Reason! The two novels stated above are a worthwhile read, if and only if you are not a story chaser. Because, you will be disappointed! And the intention of his works is not about producing a story or a chain of events, but is more about molding of a personality against a plethora of events which evidently show off in the strong negative emotions that pour out in the course of events. Sometimes, we ponder what a human personality could be and could be not against the chain of incidents that govern the personality of these characters.

In short, I found Sydney has a knack of portraying antagonism without making the reader feel uncomfortable about the it!