Book Review: God is a Gamer

Book Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ruba41fF1Ag

Author: Ravi Subramanian

Publisher: Penguin

Publisher : Penguin Books India


Genre : Thriller

Book Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ruba41fF1Ag

There is something about thrillers. They never fail to catch my attention. “God is a Gamer” was another one of those books that not just caught my attention but retained it till the very last word of the story. Well aware of Ravi Subramanian’s writing style, I knew that was going to be worth the read.  “God is a Gamer” is a racy thriller that trots around the globe and makes it impossible for its readers to put it down.

“God is a Gamer” is a simple and a straightforward thriller that is intelligently woven around bit coins. The story loops around some of the powerful ranks of India and the USA. From FBI to the White House and the President of America all make their presence felt within the plot, making this story one hell of a rollercoaster ride which holds your attention with bated breath. The dots are well connected in this story and one can hardly find any loose threads.

One noteworthy thing about this book was the way it explained about bit coins without making the digital currency look like a dry drab and a boring concept. Each of the 89 chapters spanned a maximum of 2-3pages making it an easy read. The plot spread across 310 pages described all its components of Banking, Gaming, Investigations and inquisition in a delectable manner with a full tilt pace.

The characters in the book are etched well. However, sometimes it feels like a crowded fanfare and becomes a little difficult to keep track of them all at times. Each character has an objective and all of them skirmish to get to their goals. While there is not much detailing done the plot cleverly unfolds making this a gripping story. In all honesty, I couldn’t find any loopholes or loose ends. However, there were times when I wanted to go back and read some parts back before I proceeded reading any further.

Towards the end of the book, the author has done a fantastic job of letting his readers know everything they want to know. While the dots are connected in a conventional manner, the climax still keeps up its abrasive pace. While the author has taken great care to keep the plot from losing its sheen, he has surely paid lesser attention to detailing his characters and the scenarios.

While the killer’s identity can only be guessed, one cannot for sure say who it is. Ravi Subramanian’s thriller is definitely a treat for all those who like thrillers. The book is also edited well, hence making it a neat read. God is a Gamer is definitely one of Ravi Subramanian’s best so far.

Ratings

What’s Hot: A gripping, fast paced story from start to end

What’s Not: Nothing really

Final Verdict: A good read for all those who enjoy thrillers

Rating : 4.5/5

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Book Review: Private India

Title: Private India
Author: Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson
Publisher: Arrow Books
Genre: Mystery/ Thriller
Pages: 470

The authors and a crime mystery were the reason why I wanted to review this book. After a bout of love stories, a crime mystery was a welcome break. While the plot seemed intriguing and interesting, the thickness of the book made me wonder if I could finish reading it in the stipulated time. While the book was not gripping, it still piqued my curiosity and that’s exactly how I finished reading the book.

The story line talks about Private India, the Indian wing of Private Worldwide, an investigating agency owned and run by Jack Morgan. Santosh Wagh heads the Indian arm of Private India and is a character that keeps talking to himself in his head and needs booze to keep him going. Santosh’s team includes Mubeen, the forensic expert, Nisha Gandhe, the smart lady on board and the tech expert Hari. The other important character in the book is Rupesh, who definitely has an interesting part to keep the story afloat. Apart from these there was a generous sprinkle of other characters named Munna and Nimboo baba, which came across more like clichéd Bollywood characters.  Amidst all these characters is the Attorney General Nalin D’souza who shows off his sophistication and charisma on all the women he meets.

The story kicks off with the murder of a foreign national followed by more murders. The murderer fancies killing women by strangling them with a yellow garrote as he leaves clues in the form of props. The story takes you on a Mumbai darshan all along. Private India takes its job seriously of finding the person responsible for all the mayhem and amidst all this ends up foiling a terror attack.  In short, this was a sub-plot that was stashed along with the main story.  I didn’t really think that was necessary though.

While the main story is woven decently and keeps one guessing, the end felt like a damp squib. The story could have been better, mediocre use of English was another let down. Some extremely Bollywoodish style cheesy lines like "You bastard, what are you thinking? Why are you messing with my head?" was more than annoying.

The narrative was decent, but fell flat at a few points. The Mujahideen angle and the reference to the Criminal tribes seemed unnecessary and for a moment made me lose interest. However, the way the motive of the murderer was disclosed and the connection with the props seemed apt and well written. While the story took great trouble in portraying the issue of transgenders and transsexuals, it didn’t really do justice to it.

With 116 chapters and 460 pages, this book was a concoction of drama, suspense, some generous amounts of history and mythology which in the end made up a thriller which is worth reading once. 

Ratings:

What’s hot:

A powerful starting storyline which then takes its readers across Mumbai as more murders happen.

What’s not:

Two awesome authors co-authoring a book which falls slack at a lot of instances.

Final Verdict:

All in all a book, which will make a good Bollywood thriller.

Rating: 3/5

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!