Review of Zona: The Forbidden Land
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Ashiyya Tariq
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Review of Zona: The Forbidden Land
[Following is a volunteer review of "Zona: The Forbidden Land" by Fred G. Baker.]
Zona: The Forbidden Land by Fred G. Baker is a searing fantasy tale centered on the expedition to Zona, a Siberian region that is considered a no man's land on Earth due to peculiarly dangerous animals and harsh weather conditions. Explorer and scientist Dr. Randall Taylor had led a team there that was formed to explore this unofficial area, predominantly to carry out a scientific investigation on the unusual plant and animal species found in Zona territory. Unfortunately, it ended egregiously leaving many questions behind it.
On the other side, the protagonist, Dr. Grant Taylor, the only heir of Dr. Randall has to come to Saint Petersburg (Russia) to settle the affairs of his uncle's estate, declared dead in the last expedition. During his stay, he goes through a series of chaos related to finding the clues of his uncle and his lost expedition, seeing his untouched property, and dealing with the mysteries attached to this incident. In this new country, his uncle's attorney Boris Ustinov and his assistant Irina (later his lover) were among those with whom he could develop familiarity along with some other people whom he could barely trust.
Then, events take a sudden shift, and there comes a breakthrough regarding the Zona mission. He was surprised to know that a new expedition was already on its way, and he has been included in it with Irina and many new comrades. The journey to the unknown begins with an aim to find links about the previously lost expedition, their people, and collecting the extracts of different exotic plants that could be used as a perfume base for the "Fascination Boutique,"—sponsors of the mission. In addition, they planned to get information about the mysterious animals of the Zona. How will they face the unusual situations of this difficult adventure? Will their mission be successful or turns into another lost expedition? What happened to Randall? Will he come back? These and many other jaw-dropping questions are awaiting you, but for this, you will have to read the book!
This science-fiction/fantasy thriller digs you deep into the world of magic, adventure, science, and the wonders of Jurassic Park, all covered in three parts. The beauty of this book lies in the author's ability to maintain the element of suspense just right from the beginning and keeping it until the book ends, and no doubt it was the core reason that kept me enthralled while reading the book.
Moreover, the chronically told events, character description, and setting were seamlessly fused into the story so you can genuinely feel and visualize every moment of their journey that had much precariousness in itself in terms of places, people, surroundings, and climate. Another interesting feature is the inclusion of a map containing the course of their expedition to Zona so you could imagine the hurdles that lay ahead to their journey to Zona.
The elements of love, unity, greed, lust, power and some level of violence dominate in the theme of this book. There is a use of profane language in some places, and it has many sensitive scenes. Though they are not portrayed graphically, still it makes a big portion of the book. I would recommend it to the only mature audience (not for those under 18). If you feel uncomfortable with the above-mentioned features, stay away from this. Also, I recommend the author launch its sequel. As the book has a cliff-hanger ending, I wish to read the following part of the mission that can better be accommodated in the next book.
My only incongruence lies in the exhaustive details at some points that made me overwhelmed on different occasions while reading the book, like the long-winded elaboration of a journey while moving in Zona territory is its example. Though explanation is an essential part of any fictional tale; however, when it exceeds the limit, it makes the story less interesting.
Despite this all, the fantasy nature of events has such a profound impact that they give you a semblance of truth. And this all kept me intrigued to learn more about this mysterious land which is of course fictional. The editing and formatting of the book are perfect, and I couldn't find any typo, except one misplaced information. The ability of the author to intertwine juxtaposing events can nicely take the rating of 4, but due to my reservations, as I've said above, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I would keenly recommend it to the fans of Sci-fi/fantasy thrillers as they would certainly admire the story.
******
Zona: The Forbidden Land
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Zona: The Forbidden Land by Fred G. Baker is a searing fantasy tale centered on the expedition to Zona, a Siberian region that is considered a no man's land on Earth due to peculiarly dangerous animals and harsh weather conditions. Explorer and scientist Dr. Randall Taylor had led a team there that was formed to explore this unofficial area, predominantly to carry out a scientific investigation on the unusual plant and animal species found in Zona territory. Unfortunately, it ended egregiously leaving many questions behind it.
On the other side, the protagonist, Dr. Grant Taylor, the only heir of Dr. Randall has to come to Saint Petersburg (Russia) to settle the affairs of his uncle's estate, declared dead in the last expedition. During his stay, he goes through a series of chaos related to finding the clues of his uncle and his lost expedition, seeing his untouched property, and dealing with the mysteries attached to this incident. In this new country, his uncle's attorney Boris Ustinov and his assistant Irina (later his lover) were among those with whom he could develop familiarity along with some other people whom he could barely trust.
Then, events take a sudden shift, and there comes a breakthrough regarding the Zona mission. He was surprised to know that a new expedition was already on its way, and he has been included in it with Irina and many new comrades. The journey to the unknown begins with an aim to find links about the previously lost expedition, their people, and collecting the extracts of different exotic plants that could be used as a perfume base for the "Fascination Boutique,"—sponsors of the mission. In addition, they planned to get information about the mysterious animals of the Zona. How will they face the unusual situations of this difficult adventure? Will their mission be successful or turns into another lost expedition? What happened to Randall? Will he come back? These and many other jaw-dropping questions are awaiting you, but for this, you will have to read the book!
This science-fiction/fantasy thriller digs you deep into the world of magic, adventure, science, and the wonders of Jurassic Park, all covered in three parts. The beauty of this book lies in the author's ability to maintain the element of suspense just right from the beginning and keeping it until the book ends, and no doubt it was the core reason that kept me enthralled while reading the book.
Moreover, the chronically told events, character description, and setting were seamlessly fused into the story so you can genuinely feel and visualize every moment of their journey that had much precariousness in itself in terms of places, people, surroundings, and climate. Another interesting feature is the inclusion of a map containing the course of their expedition to Zona so you could imagine the hurdles that lay ahead to their journey to Zona.
The elements of love, unity, greed, lust, power and some level of violence dominate in the theme of this book. There is a use of profane language in some places, and it has many sensitive scenes. Though they are not portrayed graphically, still it makes a big portion of the book. I would recommend it to the only mature audience (not for those under 18). If you feel uncomfortable with the above-mentioned features, stay away from this. Also, I recommend the author launch its sequel. As the book has a cliff-hanger ending, I wish to read the following part of the mission that can better be accommodated in the next book.
My only incongruence lies in the exhaustive details at some points that made me overwhelmed on different occasions while reading the book, like the long-winded elaboration of a journey while moving in Zona territory is its example. Though explanation is an essential part of any fictional tale; however, when it exceeds the limit, it makes the story less interesting.
Despite this all, the fantasy nature of events has such a profound impact that they give you a semblance of truth. And this all kept me intrigued to learn more about this mysterious land which is of course fictional. The editing and formatting of the book are perfect, and I couldn't find any typo, except one misplaced information. The ability of the author to intertwine juxtaposing events can nicely take the rating of 4, but due to my reservations, as I've said above, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I would keenly recommend it to the fans of Sci-fi/fantasy thrillers as they would certainly admire the story.
******
Zona: The Forbidden Land
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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