book is an apt description of the author. In the business of creating hard-to-put-down bestsellers, Sidney Sheldon is indeed the master of the game.", while USA Today praises Sheldon by saying that he is"a master storyteller at the top of the game." In Europe, the London Review of Books categorizes the main protagonist of the novel, Kate Blackwell as being "presented as some kind of role model, but it is the sort of role made popular in olden times by Joan Crawford". The Los Angeles Times concludes the book review with "This book is really a number of silly little stories strung loosely together like 'schlenters' (fools diamonds) about to fall off a string of dental floss.", referring to terms used in South Africa, while the London Review of Books ended with "This particular story is so schematically written that it could be used as a script for a film which has not yet been made but will undoubtedly proceed, as of right, to the wide screen." Adaptations A television miniseries adaptation aired in the US beginning on February 19, 1984, starring Dyan Cannon as Kate Blackwell, Ian Charleson as Jamie McGregor, David Birney as David Blackwell, Harry Hamlin as Tony Blackwell, Johnny Sekka as Banda, Cherie Lunghi as Margaret McGregor, Donald Pleasence as Salomon van der Merwe, Liane Langland as Eve and Alexandra, and Fernando Allende as George Mellis, with several notable actors in smaller roles, including Alan Dobie (as MacMillan), Jimmy Nail (as Schmidt), Stratford Johns (as Zimmerman) and Barry Morse (as Dr. Harley). The miniseries was produced by CBS Television and Rosemont Productions International Ltd. It was nominated for the Emmy Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Limited Series or a Special" for the first part of the series. The miniseries was released on DVD on May 4, 2009. The series was also shown on BBC One in the UK later in the year, beginning on September 2. The novel was also adapted into a radio drama series by Nuran Devres, titled Oyunun Kuralı (the Rule of the Game), starring Tomris Oğuzalp as Kate and Cahit Şaher as Tony. See also List of bestselling novels in the United States in the 1980s References Further reading External links Brief overview of Master of the Game 1982 American novels Novels by Sidney Sheldon Family saga novels American novels adapted into television shows Warner Books books