Before-the-Game

I loved getting a deeper sense of what made him tick

After finishing The Billionaire’s Game, I was really curious about Dominic’s backstory – and Before The Game gave me exactly what I needed. It was such a fascinating look into who he was before he met Theo, and I loved getting a deeper sense of what made him tick. The writing pulled me in with all the emotion under the surface, and even though Dominic tries to keep everything in control, you can tell from the start that things are starting to crack.

What I liked most about this story was how well it showed Dominic’s inner world. He’s powerful and calculated on the outside, but inside, he’s clearly dealing with a lot of emptiness and fear of connection. Watching him slowly unravel, piece by piece, was surprisingly emotional. There’s no big romance here like in The Billionaire’s Game, but you really feel the tension building toward it. The story gave so much insight into his decisions, especially why he’s the way he is when Theo comes into the picture later on.

The bonus short stories were incredibly fun too. Honestly, this whole idea for Dominic was very different from anything else Moore has done, so I understand why some might feel put off by it. But I heavily enjoyed reading the short stories as a sort of accompaniment to this main story, and I’m glad I got to discover why Dominic is the way he is in Before The Game.

Moore’s characters always have so much depth, and every story adds another layer to this world he’s building. I’ll definitely be reading the next installment as soon as it’s out.

Safety Over Love; NO. ‘Truth is Beauty,’ Keats.

Author Ryan Moore’s prequel to the Billionaire’s Game.
– Cool, curated like the art gallery the story begins with, Dominic’s world that he has created for himself. It reflects the control he needs, he desires, he believes ideal. Beautiful things should be witnessed, not possessed; everything decays. “Nihilism,” observes the warm and disarming Lucas at their first meeting; honesty and dishonesty are both dangerous, Dominic prefers control. ‘The hardest kind of honesty’ per Lucas. The Mark Rothko painting they’ve been discussing isn’t about restraint or hunger, but about the ‘moment before choice’, when all possibilities can occur. Cool flirtation, tension, currents of possibility between them. Carefully, calculated but uncharacteristic, Dominic calls Lucas months later; Lucas notes the careful precision when he comes to Dominic’s edited, emotionless apartment. He invites Dom to play his own piano, and finally elicits emotion as Chopin is played.
– Others have disliked Dominick, while noting Moore’s depth and precision in scripting his short story. I felt sadness for a man so closed-off, so afraid of himself that he must control everything in his life. I recognize elements of myself in this, it is the desire not to be hurt, to not allow the world in. When Fate intervenes, Dom’s father dies, he shuts out Lucas, after 8 novel months of being together. Death, grief can create barriers, walls that go up to protect against the world, the sadness. I remember my own reaction to that situation, at the same age as Dom; luckily Mother suggested therapy and I listened.
– My reaction to this story is personal, I felt the claustrophobia of sadness again, change is hardest when it is observed by friends and lovers, and it is easier to create a mask to keep them out. This is the route Dominic chooses, as we see him deleting Lucas from his life, and finally beginning to compose a contract for his future ‘Encounters.’
– ‘Control over connection, safety over love’ are the wrong choices. Dominic will wait years to loosen and lean into love and kindness. Ryan Moore again elicits emotional response from this reader, and maybe I should look at some of my own choices, in my twilight. Readers have said ‘complicated,’ I say it is Truth. A writers goal should be to show Truth. Well done.

Suspenseful

Can’t wait to SEE! Just enough to let you almost see. Keeps me hooked. Wanting to read ahead but afraid I’ll miss something. Soooo good.