Review of Zona II

[Amy Luman]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Zona II" by Fred G. Baker.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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What do you think you would do if you discovered that someone was alive who you had previously believed to be dead? Would you be confused by the discovery? Would you be happy to finally find them? Would you doubt their existence? This is where the book Zona II by Fred G. Baker begins.

Grant Taylor discovers his uncle, Randall, Randall's partner, Veruschka (Ver for short), and their son, little Grant, living in the remote Siberian area of Zona. Randall has not been killed, as imagined by the investors in his expedition. He and his family are instead living with, and being protected by, a pack of dire wolves. These are the same wolves that befriended Grant and his expedition in the wilderness of Zona.

There are other members of Grant's party who are being protected as well. These include Irina and Lada, who are having Grant's children; Kira and Maxim, expecting their own child; Dr. Petrowsky and Valeria, also expecting a child; Regina and Tamara, currently in a relationship; and Yana. Yana had previously begun a relationship with Volkov, but he was forced to leave in order to procure more supplies for the participants and more financial backing in order to continue the current expedition.

While Volkov is absent, a war breaks out between the existing dire wolves and their rivals, the sabertooth lions. These two groups have always had an uneasy peace, but now the lions are trying to invade hunting grounds where they are not allowed. They also have a new, very deadly weapon. It's unknown, and Grant and his team are determined to discover what it is, where it comes from, and make it obsolete. Since they are living with the wolves, this becomes much less difficult than it would have been previously.

This is obviously a sequel. You can tell by the title, Zona II. It is not one that can be read independently, however. The reader's understanding of this novel depends on being able to recall details from the previous book. It is also helpful to know how the party came to be at the existing research camp, Camp Zona 2, and what the equipment there was used for. I especially enjoyed how all of the participants came to the decision to spend the winter in Almodor, the home of the dire wolves. I also liked that the humans were so willing to help the wolves when they were needed.

The first time that I saw this book, I knew that I wanted to read it. There is also a Zona III. I hope that it is available for review soon. This book earns a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. While I liked it very much, I did find errors, and that was a big negative for me. They didn't really detract from my reading experience, but I did notice them. I only recommend this novel to those who have already read Zona. If you like science fiction novels involving strange lands, in-depth research, and animals that you have only heard about, then I encourage you to read Zona and then this book.

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Zona II
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[Diana Lowery]

Since I was not a fan of the first book because of the errors, I will skip this one. I am sorry to hear that the editing has not improved.

[Lunar gate]

The book sounds fun, imagine the look on the face when they found out he isn't dead.

[Lunar gate]

The book sounds fun, imagine the look on their face when they found out he isn't dead.

[Amy Luman]

Since I was not a fan of the first book because of the errors, I will skip this one. I am sorry to hear that the editing has not improved.

There were still lots of errors, but I really liked it. I’m sorry you didn’t.

[Amy Luman]

The book sounds fun, imagine the look on the face when they found out he isn't dead.

Thanks for commenting!

[RJ Reviews]

This is a fitting sequel to the 1st book! Sabertooth and dire wolves clash again and we get to see the a lot of action. Yes the errors did hamper my reading pace but the story is engaging enough. Thank you for your insightful review.

[Amy Luman]

This is a fitting sequel to the 1st book! Sabertooth and dire wolves clash again and we get to see the a lot of action. Yes the errors did hamper my reading pace but the story is engaging enough. Thank you for your insightful review.

This was a great book. I was glad to know what happened to everyone.

[Gerry Steen]

The wilderness of Zona in Siberia strikes me as a difficult place to survive. I cannot imagine being protected by wolves and having to worry about lions who want to take over. This makes for an exciting story. I am happy that this review points out that it is necessary to read Zona before Zona II. However, this series of books intrigues me every time I read a review about Zona II. Thank you for this informative and fair review.

[Amy Luman]

The wilderness of Zona in Siberia strikes me as a difficult place to survive. I cannot imagine being protected by wolves and having to worry about lions who want to take over. This makes for an exciting story. I am happy that this review points out that it is necessary to read Zona before Zona II. However, this series of books intrigues me every time I read a review about Zona II. Thank you for this informative and fair review.

I urge you to try them!

[Risper Ouma Lisa Anyango]

I read Zona 1 and enjoyed Grants journey as he travelled to zonal. I was also glad to know that his uncle Rendal is alive and I am anxious to read book 2. Thanks for the awesome review

[Amy Luman]

I read Zona 1 and enjoyed Grants journey as he travelled to zonal. I was also glad to know that his uncle Rendal is alive and I am anxious to read book 2. Thanks for the awesome review

Thanks for commenting!

[Jennifer Coxon]

Thank you for your detailed and honest review. The interaction of the humans with dire wolves sounds amazing to me. However, your comment of this being a sequel that I shouldn't attempt to read it as a standalone story. It does seem clear a lot of explanation of the background and context is required.