Book Review: God is a Gamer

Book: God is a Gamer

Author: Ravi Subramanium

ISBN: 9780143421399

Pages: 310 

Ratings: 4/5

Price: 299

Something about the book: (Goodreads)

Aditya runs a gaming company that is struggling to break even. A banker slips off a highrise building, plunging to her death. The finance minister has made some promises that he is finding hard to keep. The LTTE has unleashed terror in America that sends the FBI on a wild goose chase, bringing them to Mumbai.

Enter Varun, parttime drug dealer and fulltime genius. He turns around the gaming company before disaster strikes. Meanwhile, the investigators plunge headlong into he shady world of bitcoins and the Dark Net, websites that only exist for illegal transactions—drugs, sex and money. God Is a Gamer culminates in a stunning climax where money means nothing, assassination is taught by the ancient Greeks, and nothing is as it seems.

Pop quiz – What happens if you have not read a good book for months?

Ans – You are literally going through literary withdrawal and would get high with even a small insignificant dose of good fiction.

Of late, I have been reading some really ‘not upto the mark’ books (totally my fault!) So when Blogadda sent me God is a Gamer by Ravi Subramanium for review, my expectations were below the zero mark but it had me from the very start - the prologue! The story starts with an intense conversation, between two corporate honchos, regarding Wikileaks. The story rushes straight into action with an explosion and from there on the book doesn’t really have any drop points. The story moves with parallel plots in multiple cities including Mumbai, Washington DC and Goa. Characters range from S senators, to Heads of Banks and Mastercard and Visa to drug dealer cum gaming genius and many more. The death of a US Senator was what sets the pace of the book but is not the only one and the way the story is weaved with phishing issues, Bitcoins and world financial drama is what makes it impossible to keep the book down.

Pros :

1.   Plot – When you use Wikileaks and Bitcoins in the initial pages and do a damn good job at it, half the battle is won. And when you get large plotlines together with such ease and in a convincing way, it means you can pat your back. The plot is not only intriguing, it is written in simple yet in a very engaging fashion.

2.   Characters – One of the major issues with thrillers with a lot of characters is readers tend to lose track of the characters and a lot of times some characters and under used or just appear as fillers. But with the short chapters and the constant plot swings of God is a Gamer, it is hard to lose track of the characters. And each one is important, or at least that is what I felt.

3.  Well Researched Matter – The content is not only fresh but is very well researched making it an enjoyable read.

4.  Ending – Oh didn’t I fall for the pseudo ending and say seriously before I got the mild attack! *Have said too much already!*

Cons :

1.   Logical Loopholes – Data transfer from a system that is shut down, that too cause of a malware! Is that even possible? There are quite a few logical loopholes but this one stood out glaringly for me (an IT professional). Another one was the phishing attacks – don’t they need cell phone access for the one time password or something? How do Account ID and Password give you total access of the account?

2.  Ending – Yes, I liked the fact that I almost fell for the pseudo ending, but the actual ending was a bit unrealistic for me to digest.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and would give it a 4 on 5. The book would make a lot of readers hit Google for atleast a couple of hours. It is fast paced and fresh and totally justifies its sub genre of Banking Thriller. And this is confession time – after reading this book I realized what I have been missing for months. Totally recommending the book!

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

Private India - Book Review

Book: Private India

Author: Ashwin Sanghi & James Patterson

ISBN: 1780891725

Pages: 447 (Excluding extract by Patterson)

Ratings: 3.5/5

Price: 350

Something from the Book

Yellow Garrote Killings, read the headline of the Afternoon Mirror.

And the Private Investigators are finally in India thanks to Ashwin Sanghi. Ashwin Sanghi teamed up with International Thriller King James Patterson to get Patterson’s Private series to India with a case brewing in Aamchi Mumbai. Murder, Investigators, Shady but not guilty characters and Twists – this is thriller 101 formula and Private India capitalizes on most of it. The story starts with the murder of Thai national and more women are killed rather strangled with a yellow scarf as the story progresses. Enter Santosh Wagh an ex police officer who is a rough image of Detective Spencer of True detective – Alcoholic and Dark past. He is appointed to solve the curious case of the yellow scarf by Jack Morgan, the head of Private worldwide. Mumbai police overburdened with their work, in awe of Private’s quick response to Marine Bay Plaza’s call and puzzled by the deaths and their frequency hand the case to Private India, the best “private” detective agency of the country and so begins the hunt for the psychopath.

The story is a typical crime/murder mystery, so some of you might be wondering why Mr. Sanghi, right? Well turns out the scarf and the murder pattern has cultural and religious linkage, so the expertise. The story however doesn’t restrict itself to the main track. ISI makes a special appearance so does Indian Mujahideen and the story maintains the drama punch thanks to the cop sidekicks and a Don. The book is fast paced and enveloped in the essence of Mumbai from Taj to Dharavi from Chowpati to Malabar but has many flaws that make it a onetime read and that too an unimpressive one.

Pros –

1.   Fast Paced – Classic James Patterson novel needs to be fast paced and this book doesn’t disappoint.

2.  The End – No matter how the story went I didn’t realize the mystery till the end which was somewhat satisfying.

Cons –

1.   Language – Bad editing or bad writing, still in a fix cause no matter whose fault it is the book has numerous flaws when it comes to English.

2.  Unimpressive Characterization – Sanghi makes all attempts to let his characters make a significant impact but fails terribly. Even the Main characters Santosh and Neha don’t really impress you at any point of the story.

3.  Research in terms of the Religious and cultural aspects – Poor, that’s the word and have to say it is so unlike Ashwin Sanghi’s works. The religious aspect of Thuggee cult seemed interesting in the beginning but lost the charm mid way. To portray any fact as historical stuff proper research and clarity on the topic is required and failing to do so is one of the biggest flaws of this book.

4.  Over cooked Tale – I sincerely want to ask Ashwin Sanghi why has he started writing stories with a Bollywood frame. There are so many things in the book that scream “this is such a Salman Khan Thing.” I am ready to let go of the flaw in the very concept of the book – Mumbai Police giving all authorities to a Private Detective agency; but other than that the cold war between old pals, the unwanted intimate breaks and the overdone climax, was all that really needed?

On the whole the book gets a tick as a thriller for sure but fails to impress as a novel on the whole. I would give this book a 3.5, would have been a 3 had I not found the pace fast enough to not spend time sulking over the logical errors. The story is a ready to hand over script for a Bollywood action movie but not a one to find its corner in any reader’s paradise. 

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

Rise of the Sun Prince - Book Review

Book: Ramayana: The Game of Life - Rise of the Sun Prince

                                                               Author: Shubha Vilas

ISBN: 9788184955309
Pages: 252
Ratings: 4/5
Price: 250

Something from the Book

Sweet, genuine words of gratitude are the best welcome drinks!

Ramayana is the way of life. Haven’t we heard this line a number of times? But do we believe it? Do we really see glimpses of our lives, our day to day challenges, our reverberating thoughts of what is right and wrong, in the versions of Ramayana that we know? I don’t know about all of you but till last week Ramayana was nothing more than a mythological story for me. Then what changed in a week? It was this book - Ramayana: The Game of Life #1 - Rise of the Sun Prince by Shubha Vilas.

There have been hundreds of renditions of this ageless saga but none have come this close to making me look beyond the tale. Rise of the Sun Prince is the first of the 6 books that have knitted the story from the poetic verses of Valmiki to the veiled analogies of Kamba Ramayana. The first book mainly focuses on Bala Kand of Ramayana but with a lot of insight to various aspects of the epic.

The book starts off with a gist of Ramayana in a very fundamental form but slowly delves into the era and the circumstances of the era. Ramayana that we have read till date runs on the high emotional quotient and the theme of love and sacrifice but this book makes you look at the book from the angle of society, struggles, and “not everything is black and white along with the emotional built up. The story starts with how Rishi Valmiki came to be despite of his sinister past and then gives you the whole insight to the great king Dasharatha. Did you know Dasharatha had 350 wifes other than his Prime Queens? You don’t believe me, it is ok, I didn’t believe either. But this book not only mentions that, it also gives the reason behind it. After that starts the journey of a hero in making and the journey of a spiritual teacher to find the true sense of the spiritual realms and the strength of the Guru Sishya relationship.

The protagonist of the story might be Rama but for this book it was Vahishtha – Flawed, Strong, Famous, Respected, Lost and on the journey of finding himself. He was the guru of the Suryavanshi Princes, but the short tempered sage was also on a quest of his own, to defeat the demons that were determined to spread the negative energy everywhere. But in his journey he tends to lose himself cause of his anger and spreads some level of negativity himself. The book connects to our very own lives with that of Vashishtha and the way he learns from the young princes all while teaching them. At the same time the story of Ahilya and that of Sita talks of Fate and dedication.

Pros –

1.   Narration - Powerful yet simple and crisp narration.

2.  Perfected Rendition - Logical, bit philosophical but very apt rendition of Ramayana and not just a direct rip off of the story in different words.

3.  The chapters – The way the story is written, it makes you think clearly and connect directly to the physical and metaphysical lines of the mythology.

4.  The footnotes – The give you all that you need to know but not enough that you would have wanted to know. For example The Author started with Ravana’s story, gave just a sneak peek of his beginning but it was the footnotes about him and his brothers and sisters that made me say – I want to read more about them!

Cons –

1.   If you are not a mythology fan, I don’t think you will enjoy the book.

On the whole the Book is a sure read for every mytho-fiction fan and is a soul stirring yet a very light read and re read version of Ramayana. More than the story you will end up learning a lot out the characters, era and about life. This book is a sure 4 on 5 book and am eagerly waiting for the next part.

P.S. - This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Ballroom Dance

The shimmering light of the chandeliers

And the colourful flowers here and there

Made the ballroom a maiden’s dream

But the men pouring in, were from some medieval stream.

 All men wearing sleek Raymond suits

And posing with sophistication in woodland boots

But all re-colouring the whole room sepia

Unshaved and shabby; they pile up my dilemma.

Not one handsome knight

To break my cold feet plight

Not one striking gentleman

Suitable for this prince charming fan!

But there he enters like a gallant king

Clean shaved, McDreamy and super dashing

One glance and him and all ladies swoon

But he comes up to me with a cheesy woo

We dance all night in the artificial moonlight

While the ancient men play with thier stubble in spite

But not one of them scores a damsel for the eve

If only they had known, the secret was to shave.

I stared at the bright loving eyes of my crush

Who smiled like a rose, every time I blushed

His clean shaven look bowled me over

Wish I could sway in his strong arms forever.

The other ladies looked on, with envy in their eyes

Waiting for just a dance beneath the candled sky

While giving the retro crowd a cold weird pass

But this night was like a dream for me, at last!

-Vaisakhi Mishra

Something funny after ages!!!

P.S. - This post is part of Protest Against Smelly Stubble Activity in association with Blogadda, India's favorite blogging community

Also I was tagged by Ankit Jain for the contest. I tag Amrit, Sarah, Namrota and Bushra for the contest.

The Skittles' Lesson

Little bright skittles all packed in a room

With lights flooding white, switch on to a bloom

But little do they care for the sun’s tears of neglect,

Till Mrs. Skittle comes in and the Sun she selects.

Little bright skittles all washing their hands

One after the other lined, while the flowing tap chants

But little do they care for the thirsty dying crowd,

Till Mrs. Skittle stops the pour – ‘value water you cannot live without’.

Little bright skittles all huddle in an A.C. car

Happily turning up the internal wind that their closed windows bar.

But little do they care for the holes drilled above,

Till Mrs. Skittle opens windows and says – ‘Feel the Windy Adobe’.

Little bright skittles all litter the ground

Throwing chocolate and ice - cream wrapper all around.

But little do they know of the piling garbage hill on Earth,

Till Mrs. Skittle picks them up to limit the living land dearth.

Mrs. Skittle is the role model for all the bright young skittles

And shows the need to save the Earth, we dwell on,

And teaches them the right way of life;

Same like my mother did everyday all the time!

-Vaisakhi Mishra

I am sharing what 'I Saw and I Learnt' at BlogAdda.com in association with DoRight.in.

My Guardian Angel

There goes the lullaby of love

That tears the stained curtains of pain

A voice so angelic, peaceful and serene

I fall in its embrace, and all struggles seem vain.

A face that smiles despite the anguish

Of letting go of dreams so dear

But sees the reflection of what it sought

In a young visage it adores with a heart, so clear

I rattle and chatter, my day long tale

There is a smile that listens to every word I scream

Murmuring roses fall short of words

For that smile shames innocence; O that benign beam.

A pair of hands holds the crazy bivouac

To satiate the needs of a demanding fool

Yet not one word of complain is ever heard

It’s a magical, never failing, meticulous tool.

Marching across from place to place

Attending the requests made ungratefully

The tired feet just halt for when

That smiling face has to hear me attentively

The smile, the voice, the tranquil face

That ease my life beyond words I have

All belong to my best best friend, God sent

My Mom has all the love in the world I crave.

- Vaisakhi Mishra

No matter how much we write, we will never find enough words to thank our moms or even describe the simple greatness her presence silently radiates. 

P.S.: ‘I am writing a Tribute to Mom in association with Parentous.com‘

There's Always a Door

“Will give you a treat at the blue frog when I get my first salary, for now let us eat at McD please”, Shipra urged, while I was busy teasing her for not giving me a treat over her getting placed, which was due two months now. Just then Shipra’s Mom called and asked us to rush home, in a very worried tone. When we reached home, Shipra’s Mom sat in the living room, with a haunted look on her face, staring dead ahead at the T.V. Its volume blaring at its highest, may be hoping that somewhere they would say it’s all a lie.

“Satyam…down….delisted…crash…”

Each word, breaking and shattering the dreams and with those dreams, hope. Eyes watery, wanting to scream out loud, but silence was all she could manage in the shock. Two months ago Shipra got placed in Satyam with a six digit package, and today that very placement seemed like a curse.

Within a week Satyam’s shares were down to nothing, the company was delisted from NIFTY, it was on the verge of closing, Satyam’s future was cloudy and Shipra’s grief had no bounds.

She was my teacher, the ace student of her class, not the top rank but always in the top three. She was the only girl out of the six student selected by Satyam that year from my brother’s college and she decided to help every other student of her class in studies so that they could get placed too. Dedicated, hardworking, loving and kind, that is how my mom saw her and my brother got chided for not being anything like his best friend. And for me she was one of my favourite people in the world. I always looked up to her and even though I was five years younger to her she was my best friend and we shared everything with each other.But now, she was broken, cocooned in her grief and no one could do anything to console her. Upon getting placed with Satyam, she had decided not to appear for other interviews, to give the others a chance. Now, the placements were closed.Life had played a foul game with her and she was back to square one with the future looking bleak and uncertain.

“Am I that bad? Don’t I deserve it? Or have I done anything wrong? Why did this happen to me?” Shipra cried.

It had been four months since the Satyam breakdown. Every classmate of hers had a joining letter but her, and with all the ex Satyam employees out in the job market, a fresher didn’t stand much of a chance.

“My whole year is wasted. I didn’t even appear for any entrances, my life is a waste, what am I going to do?” an inconsolable Shipra complained.

Then my mother told her about the people who lost everything in the Gujarat earthquake.Back then we used to stay in Surendranagar, Gujrat. I was very small, but I did have a faint memory of the horror and screams. She then told Shipra the story of Vikram Uncle, though I didn’t remember him well I remembered he had a jewellery shop in some mall that crumbled into dust in that ill-fated quake. Also she said that he used to stay on fourth floor and jumped out of the window, to save himself, when the earth broke havoc. He had broken his right leg, but not his will. Now eight years later, he has four shops in Surendranagar and Ahemadabad, just because he didn’t give up and decided to draw the lines of fate in his favour.

It was either this story or something else that jolted Shipra out of her depression, but anyhow after that day, she was all geared up to challenge fate itself. That very year in November she appeared for CAT, the most difficult of the management exams in India. With barely seven months of preparation she got into IIM Bangalore, one of the most prestigious management institutes of India. And her feat did not cease there. She aced in her class again.Two years of firm dedication, rigorous hard work and achievements got her placed in DELL. But somehow that did not satisfy her. She worked there but aimed for more. Within a year she started a Software training institute with my brother and two other friends of hers.

“I am leaving my job”, Shipra told me while we were finally enjoying a pizza at the Blue Frog.

“Your brother and I are going to start a consultancy firm along with our training institute”.

“Why didn't he tell me?And when did this happen? Why are you telling me now?”

“A week ago our loan got sanctioned, and this was going to happen someday. After I realized jobs weren't reliable, cause if companies like Satyam can dissolve, any company can. If that company is my own, at least I will be upset at my failure and not question my calibre cause of someone else’s failure. And I am telling this to you now because tomorrow we are having a surprise for your mom and would need your help, after all, all this is happening because of her, right?”

Her words made me realize, what people say about ‘life throwing lemons and us trying to make lemonades out of it’ is perhaps true, because, when one door closes,somewhere another door is open. All we have to do is, keep trying the knobs.

Vaisakhi Mishra

P.S. This is my entry for Chicken Soup for the Indian Entrepreneur's Soul. I wish to get my story published in Chicken Soup for the Indian Entrepreneurs Soul in association with BlogAdda.com 

proof read by JD (coz he said jd not eon)...:)

Saint to Satan

Title: Salvation of a Saint

Author: Keigo Hgashino

ISBN: 978-03-126006-8-6

Genre: Crime Fiction

Cost: INR 350/-

Pages: 377

Rating: 3.5/5

Some words before I can say something:

“Yes?”

Ayane faced him again, taking a deep breath. “What about your love for me? Whatever happened to that?”

Yoshitaka flinched, then gradually his smile returned. “My love for you hasn’t changed a bit,” he said. “I can assure you of that. I do still love you.”

That was a complete lie, as far as Ayane was concerned. But she smiled and said that was good. She wasn’t sure how else to respond.

“Let’s go.” Yoshitaka stood and headed for the door.

Ayane glanced at her dresser, thinking about the white powder hidden in a sealed plastic bag in the bottommost drawer on the right.

Guess I’ll be using that soon, she thought, the last glimmer of hope fading beneath the shadow inside her."

A lot can happen over a cup of coffee it is said, after reading “Salvation of a Saint” I would love to add murder to the list. Set in modern Tokyo, “Salvation of  Saint” is Keigo Higashino’s 1^st book I came across. Tokyo Police Detective Kusanagi is the lead protagonist of this crime fiction and has the task of figuring out the killer of Yoshitaka Mashiba along with his team members Utsumi, Mamiya, Kishitani and detective Galileo Prof. Yukawa.

 The story starts with the couple Yoshitaka and Ayane contronting the truth that their marriage is in shambles within a year and by the time you flip through 30 pages you find Yoshitaka dead. The suspects initially turn out to be Hiromi Wakayama , Yoshitaka’s mistress and Ayane’s favorite apprentice and Ayane the sad shaken wife who was off to her parents when the husband was killed. Even though at that point the readers conveniently know who the killer is, the police force are in the dark and still have a lot of pieces of the puzzle to figure out. Kusanagi smitten by the saint is torn between reality, evidence, duty, mind and heart. It is interesting to go through the dilemma Yukawa goes through to finally unveil the face of the killer. There are times in the book where the interrogation takes a wrong turn and something inside you is dying to scream at the Tokyo police “You are looking at this all wrong”.

The book is a sure quick read and is gripping too cause till the very end the killer is enjoying her time of extended salvation. But unfortunately for lovers of thrillers and crime fiction, who have scanned through Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus novels like life and death crisis and remember almost every episode of ‘Castle’, knowing the killer right in the start is a big loophole that puts you in a realization mode half way through the story and you already know how the story might end.

Pros:

It is definite page turner with use of very simple narrative and would appeal even the “not regular” readers.

Gripping as far as the investigation is concerned.

Character build up through the story, though not intended is good and you can connect to the characters well.

Cons:

Biggest con would be, knowing who the killer is right at the establishment of the story.

Half way through the book the you have an 80-20 chance of figuring out the end.

Police getting smitten by a grieving widow was kind of a bollywood-ish plot to me.

Over all I would give the book a 3.5 but not a 4 on five because I really enjoyed the whole hill ride of the investigation. I still wish the author would have waited till the very end to let us know the saint was the satan, because revealing the murderer in the commencement of the book seemed unnecessary. But for people who love crime fiction this book is at least a “give it a try book”. And people who want to start reading crime fiction this would be a good start because it is simple fast and engrossing at the same time.

This review is a part of the biggest <a href="http://blog.blogadda.com/2011/05/04/indian-bloggers-book-reviews" target="_blank"> Book Review Program </a> for <a href="http://www.blogadda.com" target="_blank">Indian Bloggers.</a> Participate now to get free books!

World of the Paranormal: Tantra

Title: Tantra

Author: Adi

ISBN: 978-81-908636-2-9

Genre: Fantasy Thriller

Publishers: Apeejay Stya

Price: INR. 195

RATING: 4 ON 5

“God is the embodiment of that vastness, the source and the end of everything. There is no good. There is no evil. It is all an illusion manifest.”

-Tantra

Indian authors and thrillers is not a very common notion. Unfortunately lesser known Indian authors perch themselves on the branch of love stories to see how the world of readers embraces them. So when I first saw the book “Tantra” by Adi, frankly I was a bit surprised with the prologue and wanted to read the book as soon as possible. No high hopes, cause of the perceptions I had, but way too curious to know about a female lead, who fights with Vampires, in a book named Tantra (black magic).

Anu Aggarwal, a US returned, Indian Delhiete girl, lives with a nagging but loving aunt with a mission of getting her niece married before Anu gets to say the word marriage, is a no nonsense guardian whose soul hobby is hunting down the demons of night – Vampires. But Anu has a looming sadness and desire for vengeance veiled under her “go for the kill attitude”, for her now dead boyfriend Brain. This reason brings her to the city of Delhi where she has to put her past aside and learn life is not just shades of black and white, right and wrong, there is more to every story, every being. The story soon transgresses form simple vampire-human track to a much explored and engrossing paranormal narrative.

The story starts with Anu sitting alone, gazing at a sleepy Delhi and ends with her defeating the darkness that thrived under the spell of moon with many allies she never thought she would have. The character of Anu is woven beautifully in threads of life, and as the story progresses the character is strongly emerges to be more than just a trained killer. It easily reminded me of one of my favourite fictional female leads of all time “NIKITA”. Her journey of how she started off alone, made a friend then two, her fight with herself about what to believe and what to not, learning from her mistakes, understanding anything can be true, trusting friends and foes, caring for a family she always pulled herself away from, this is the journey of Anu and she surely takes you everywhere with her through the book.

Pros:

1 -     It is a fast read with simple and flowing prose. Hits off with the main story with the 3^rd chapter itself. If you have 2 hours in a day or 3 tops, for a book, I bet you can’t keep the book down till you finish it.

2.      Focus on the storyline and the connectivity rather than all the characters keeps you gripped till the very end.

3.      A strong female lead with normal and paranormal issues is a welcome change and hence the book strikes the curiosity chord of a diligent reader.

4.      A considerably good balance of witty lines, funny punches and serious dialogues.

Cons

-  A few grammatical errors here and there which will irritate the grammar police. For example: page 184 3^rd last line “keepings its memories”.

- Not a lot of background and a lot of things are left to the understanding of the reader. Though it tickles imaginative side of many, some readers might find it disconnecting.

- Selection of places for meets and events. Though it is not a big issue, it made the story seem a little fake from a reader’s point of view, a bit overdone as almost all of the places her high profile 3 or 5 start places of Delhi.

Overall it is a pleasant read and a very good first attempt by the author. I would have given it a 3.5 star but because I could connect it so strongly to Nikita I had to give a four *guilty me*. A potential series is what I see with this book as the first, and if it turns out to be true would be waiting eagerly to see how much tantra percolates and settles itself in our protagonist’s life. The book is an intense paranormal thriller sprinkled with witty phrases, garnished with strong puzzling characters and the intention of proving “tantra’ is not all wrong nor are the creatures we dread so much, there is always more to what we see and understand; it is all perspective. It is sure to appeal to a young reader base. 

Vaisakhi

This review is a part of the biggest <a href="http://blog.blogadda.com/2011/05/04/indian-bloggers-book-reviews" target="_blank"> Book Review Program </a> for <a href="http://www.blogadda.com" target="_blank">Indian Bloggers.</a> Participate now to get free books!