Review by Ada Ling -- Zona: The Forbidden Land

[Ada Ling]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Zona: The Forbidden Land" by Fred G. Baker.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Fred G. Baker's Zona: The Forbidden Land is a fascinating Sci-Fi novel. The story started with Dr. Grand Taylor, a professor from the US, arrived in Saint Petersburg to inherit his uncle's possessions. His uncle Randall went to an expedition one year ago but never returned. Grant soon found his uncle's journal and tried to figure out what happened. More characters and mysteries came into play when the story unfolded. Eventually, Grant joined the team led by Volkov, who went to the adventure with his uncle and managed to come back. When the group got into the Siberia region, more surprises opened all people's eyes.

This book has so many twisted plots that I could not put it down once I picked it up. It has almost 400 pages, but I never felt bored reading through. At the beginning of the story, Grand went to his uncle's house, then some accidents happened. Later on, he found more strange things his uncle left to him. All his uncle's friends and partner seemed nice, but Grand did not know whether he could trust them. At some point, the story seemed pretty set in one direction, but it suddenly turned opposite. I can feel the cold of my back when I was reading some strange encounters. I kept going to confirm my prediction of the story. But the author crafted the plots so intelligently that I could never figure out until the end of the story. Though the plots are twisted, this book's structure is simple - two main chapters: the first one is in Saint Petersburg, and the second one is the real adventure. The author is a master who kept the central theme clear while hooking the readers all the way.

The massive description of the adventure also attracted me. The author backed his story with extensive research and meticulous preparation. One example is how Volkov put the team together. They had to consider many factors to make a perfect team that can achieve both research and safety goals. The way the group moved the camp around was fascinating - I would never think that the campsite could deploy in such a flexible and efficient way. The plants and animals in Zona were also captivating. The author did not describe them using a traditional way. Instead, he explained how team members interacted with the animals and plants. I was amazed to read what inside Zona was far beyond what I can imagine.

I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It is a well-edited book, and I did not find any errors. Two small areas could make this book even better, though. First, the motivations of some characters were not well understood. It could because this book has many complicated characters and mysteries, making it impossible to decode each person's mind. Second, there is quite a bit of sex in the book, although not very explicit. I feel the author can reduce the content on this description without sacrificing the quality of the story. However, these two areas do not impact my enjoyment of reading the book. It is a novel, so the author can add as much imagination as he wants.

All in all, this is a well-plotted book with extraordinary imagination. It would be an excellent read for those who crave for adventure fiction. However, I would not recommend this book to children and teens as it has foul language and adult content.

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Zona: The Forbidden Land
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[Nerea]

Stories with many plot twists are always adrenaline-risers. I like that the author supported his ideas with well-researched materials. I like the arrangement in your review. It's well-penned. good job.

[Ada Ling]

Thank you Nerea for the feedback.

[rahilshajahan]

The book was a good read. It just turned out to become more and more unbelievable towards the end. Thanks for an awesome review!

[Ada Ling]

The book was a good read. It just turned out to become more and more unbelievable towards the end. Thanks for an awesome review!

Agree. I feel toward the end, I just can not use my imagination.

[NDeMeer]

I love a good plot twist in stories and this one seems to have many of them. It's a shame there were so many characters that you couldn't understand them that well anymore, though. To me, feeling the characters is even more important. Thanks for this insightful review!

[Ada Ling]

Thank you for the feedback!

[Maconstewart]

The story sounds intriguing, until you mentioned that there was a lot of language and sexual content. I don't understand why some feel that is necessary.

[Honest-reviewer]

You made it sound very interesting. I surely want to read this book. Thanks for your wonderful review!

[Ada Ling]

You made it sound very interesting. I surely want to read this book. Thanks for your wonderful review!

It is a great book. Give it a read.

[Ada Ling]

The story sounds intriguing, until you mentioned that there was a lot of language and sexual content. I don't understand why some feel that is necessary.

This is a book I can not put down once picked it up.

[Bianka Walter]

This is a wonderful review!

[Star_and_Buck]

Wow! I would love this science fition. Thanks for a great review.

[Josep22]

Sounds like a storyline that requires much keenness and I love them that way. Thanks for the great review.

[TCG]

Sounds like an adventure novel. The twist in the plot gives me caution towards reading this book. But it's a great review here.