Shibu is back with "Faith and the Beloved"

In 2016, I had read "Men and Dreams: In the Dhauladhar" by Shibu Kochery. Though the book was only 280 pages in length it was too deep in terms of technical information. I survived that book because of good character and story building. So when I came to know about "Faith and the Beloved", Shibu's latest book, I wanted to make sure that it should not cover lengthy technical information. I read the sample provided by Kindle and once I was certain that the author has given respect to the readers of the first book by avoiding unnecessary technicalities, I bought the book. And trust me 185 pages of "Faith and the Beloved" has more storylines and thrill then 280 pages of "Men and Dreams: In the Dhauladhar" taking twice.

To give you a brief of the story, a sleeper cell guy called Tony was killed in his apartment, while his wife Naithy was hospitalized due to head injuries. His body was found with two other guys who belonged to the underworld gang. Naithy's daughter Alice was on run from multiple organizations. Prem Rollands a Kalari expert, a hacker, and an intelligent strategist wanted to avenge his brother's encounter and people linked to the case. An underworld gangs were after rare diamonds that were missing from Tony's place. A CBI officer working on the case found a deep history of 10-15 years behind the crime. Are you thrilled to know these pointers? Don't worry I haven't given any spoilers. You will find way more than these points if you read the book.

Coming to the writing style

1) Pace - Fast

2) Language usage - Very easy. Even beginners can enjoy it.

3) Age group - preferably 15+

4) Plot Development - Complex style. Will discuss in the next paragraph

5) Character Building - Details to the core

6) Content Amount - 250% than normal thrillers

7) Cover - So so. Needs more attractive cover.

You might be thinking why I have given just pointers above, but why to waste more words when I can convert the same with just bullet points.

Now coming to what is changed from Dhaulandhar to this book. The author has reduced technicalities drastically. He focuses more on storytelling than engineering/technical discussion. The plot of this book is more interesting as we were unearthing new facts with each chapter. The reason I said the plot is complex is plot is divided between 6-7 major characters. You will get to know only the portion known to that character. You won't get a full picture without reading until the last chapter. The character building is still heavily information-driven, mostly dating back to the character's parents or grandparents' background. I enjoyed the information about the main characters but when too much information about someone meeting your characters just once (like a couple from the Gambia) was actually too much. I feel that could have been avoided.

Overall a wonderful read. One that can make a good visual content of converted in web series or movies. I may take a review on our BookTube channel as it fits our theme.

I will give 4.5 out of 5 to this book.

Book Links - Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review - 13 Worlds by J.J. Hair

The author J. J. Hair approached me 15 days back to have my feedback about his latest book "13 World's". As the book was available on Amazon Kindle Unlimited, I checked cover, blurb, and a few chapters, I found details interesting. So here I am sharing my feedback after finishing it.

"13 Worlds" is a sci-fi story written around the destruction of 13 planets in different galaxies by a super-intelligent character called Guide & his aid Emperor Malek. These 13 planets' people were about to discover a unique technology of DNA editing which was currently known to Genius. Though the book is merely 100 pages, the story is written in multiple segments. The author has shown 4-5 subplots in such a short storyline connecting the central theme. I don't want to share more about the story to give away spoilers. So to know more do read it.

13 Worlds by J J Hair

Coming to story development, I found the development bit jumpy, and before a character is matured it was changing. I have read some books where such jumping plots are used, but in the long run, those books give more information. But due to the length of this book that justification was missing. The most interesting subplot I found was actual action in the spaceship crew. I found the ending interesting. It left me thinking about what will happen next, I'll be waiting for the next part.

On an overall note, simple language usage, and fluid writing. Recommended for any age group. 

I found pace extremely fast, which ended up missing information here or there, which regularly sticks the reader till the last page. Another thing that I found lacking is the cover design, it could have been better.

I'll give 3.5 out of 5 to the book.

Book links Goodreads and Amazon.

Book Review - Banker's Game by Ashutosh Mishra

"Banker's Game" is my second read from Ashutosh. Though it is the first fiction from Ashutosh, as the previous one was self-help. As Ashutosh is acquainted with me on Whatsapp, I have seen his posts about this book 3 months previous to its scheduled release. I was very excited to read it. I got it just before lockdown. And during the lockdown, I got myself into BookTube videos which delayed this book's review. But normal life after unlock has brought this book to my hands again.

Banker's Game - Cover Photo

The reason I selected this book was my liking to Ashutosh's previous book. I was expecting indirect self-help content in this book. Another reason was familiarity with the subject and environment. Though I don't have the first-hand experience in financial banking but heard the first-hand experience from many of my classmates, plus the recession of 2008 with Lehman brothers, so I wanted to read what was the situation of bankers in those dire times.

The story revolves around 4 guys whose silhouette is given in the backdrop of the cover. As the blurb suggests Rekha, Amit, Satya, and Nitin are the central characters. All of them are working in a reputed financial bank. The first three are working under Nitin and called by Nitin as schmucks. The plot covers the professional life of these four and partially covers how their work-life affects their personal life. Though they are paying very high, it is like their life is bought by the company and each minute of their lives are owned by their bosses. On top of that things became more troublesome when Lehman brothers scam took the financial market down with it. Read the book to know how our characters fare.

The book talks about the worst work culture practices happening in some Indian establishments. I think people working in financial services might be able to relate to the experience of schmucks. Office politics, sexual exploitations, and back bickering all compiled in one place for the reader.

On the personal front, I was expecting more stories around the tragedy of Lehman brothers but the major portion covers office politics. Maybe I had higher expectations and which were not fulfilled up to the mark.

I will give 3.5 out of 5 to the book.

Book links Goodreads and Amazon

The Cliffhangers - a Novel by Sabin Iqbal - a book review

I know I mostly read light books but once in a while, I take challenging work. When I saw cover and blurb of cliffhangers by Sabin Iqbal published by Aleph books, I know the book will belong to a critically acclaimed book world, the ones I read once in a quarter. The topic covered one of the sensitive issues that India faces in the current time.

From the book blurb, I thought the book would be a murder mystery, but it was a completely different material. Though the story was based on a murder mystery, most of the parts cover the cultural and social background of that village/town. I know even I am writing the plot in a mysterious style. Let me give you a clear idea. The Cliffhangers that title mentioned are our 4 core characters, who belonged to a Muslim community. Their village has reached a limit where small mischief from either Hindu or Muslim community can bring violence & riots. Cliffhangers were notorious but not aligned to Muslim radicals that were prevailing in their area. They understood that religion was there the biggest problem in their area. 

The book covers various characters that interacted with Cliffhangers. It shows how each character had affected these teenagers' life in good or bad ways. There was a village where people considered taking a job in gulf countries or marine business was the ultimate goal in life. But cliffhangers wanted to change that same destiny. Read the book to know more.

Coming to the writing style, it is a descriptive narration. The story is not the case mentioned in the blurb but the life of the Cliffhangers. The pace of the story is slow to medium. The author has taken the time to develop characters and sub-characters. The sub-characters kept spawning until the last chapter, which makes you read until the last page. There are multiple sub-stories giving details of those areas and their people. It correctly shows the delicate religious matter that India is facing today.

The books may not be the best choice for beginners. But book lovers will love it. 

I am giving 3.5 out of 5 to the book.

Book Links - Goodreads & Amazon