Is Revenge the Best Solution? - Review of God is A Gamer by Ravi Subramanian

God is A Gamer -  Ravi Subramanian 
Publishers - Penguin Books India                              
Genre - Contemporary - Thriller
Paperbook - 210  Pages
Price: Rs 299

Available at Leading Indian Stores and Amazon 



Blurb

What happens when you cross gamer, banker, politician and terrorist with virtual money? God Is a Gamer is a world where money means nothing, martyrs are villains, predators are prey, assassination is taught by the ancient Greeks, and nothing is as it seems.

 Ravi Subramanian is considered the Indian John Grisham of financial/banking thrillers and there is no question about his insider knowledge of the banking system and the industry at large.

In fact, I bought one of his bestsellers "Bankrupt" for my dad (a banker himself). Unfortunately, he fell sick and never got a chance to read it. It stills lies on my book shelf, unread. Given my audit and finance background and my interest in technology, it's only natural I grabbed at the chance to review his latest thriller offering. 

Review -

The book didn't disappoint when it came to the goings-on in the banking sector - the card processing and scamming aspect of the business, to be specific. The addition of the bitcoin trail was a welcome move. 

The book starts off with a worried head honcho (or should that be two worried head honchos) of one of the biggest card payment processing companyies in the world - MasterCard (no prizes for guessing right) planning a meeting with his business rival. Senator Gillan Tan, who has the President's ears, steps in and diffuses the sizeable threat to profitability of the comapnies but traps the two men in a reciprocrity bond. We are given a glimpse, not only into the discreet lobbying in Washington, but also a peek into the Senator's daily routine. As you wonder where this is headed, trouble erupts, rather explodes, claiming th elives of Senator and his entourage. This is rapidly followed by an ATM heist in NewYork that have the bankers in a twist and pulls the FBI into action. The case picks up new scents including a bitcoin based dark web network, scams in multinational banks, hacking within/through gaming companies before dropping us into a world of deceit - a dark place where family members, colleagues and friends wear masks disguisng their true character and intentions.

The actions is spread over many locations and moves from the power corridors of Washington to the banking zones of Mumbai, the drug addled beaches of Goa, the Finance Ministry in Delhi; and to a lesser extent New York City, Stanford, and Ukraine. It reveals the banks' recurrent battle with phishing, sponsored heists, hacks, internal scams and ego-driven bickering within in the upper echelons of these financial giants.
Despite the brutal killing of a US Senator Tan, the murder of an Indian CEO of an MNC bank Malvika Sehgal, the hit-and-run death of her immediate but defiant subordinate Swamy, the story is essentially about greed, deceit, acts of betrayal and revenge.

When Aditya, ex-boss at NHIB - the MNC bank and now owner of two successful companies, welcomes estranged son, Varun back into his life, he never quite imagined the nature of events that followed. Neither did his ex-colleague and current CEO, Malavika forsee her downfall. 
Varun hits off with Malvika daughter Tanya while in Mumbai; their acquaintance established on a previous visit to Rio, Brazil. The lives of Malvika, Swamy, Mike, Josh, Nikki and the rest of the characters are inadvertently tied to each other through their actions.

But both Varun and Tanya have secrets hidden from each other and the rest of world, secrets that have deadly consequences for everyone involved. They have seperate agendas and yet share a strange link with Senator Tan.

The book is pacey enough and has a lot of short and single page chapters. The author has done his research when it comes to the banking and gaming scenarios. There are no black and white charcters here, except for Sundeep, as the rest are realistically presented in varying shades of grey. There is a bit of technical stuff that may distract a reader unfamiliar with either systems but is necessary enough for the plot.

Things that bugged me include: a step-motherly treatment to bitcoins, info dump on gaming, more of "tell versus show" style of writing, clipped dialogues, too many sub plots, and a blotchy, narrative ending. Not  a single character was worthy of readers empathy or cheering, except perhaps for Swamy and Aditya. Varun and Tanya's choices (revealed at the end) left me cold and with ambivalent feelings for both of them.

In short, it's a good one-time read and gets a 3 star rating from me. (Goodreads version - I like the book) Will I recommend it to others? - Only to friends who prefer Indian authors and family menbers in the banking sector.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book as part of the Book Reviews Program of blogadda.com.

The Dohmestics Book Trailer

Mohana Rajkumar is a prolific writer ( no exaggeration) based in Doha, Qatar. Her books, including the ones I've reviewed on this blog, usually focus on Arab and Asian characters within a Middle Eastern setting.

Her books give you more than a glimpse into the lives of the natives in oil-rich Qatar and South Asian diaspora  elsewhere. I am hoping this book is on similar lines but brings something extra to the table.

As part of her blog tour entourage, I offer this trailer of the recently released book -

The Dohmestics

The Dohmestics explores the ups and downs of six women thrown together by fate in the quintessential Middle Eastern compound; a neighborhood enclosed by a boundary wall with a security gate. Emma, Nouf, Rosa, and Maya are part of the sophomoric fish bowl no one can escape, where rumors can ruin marriages or jobs.

Available in paperback or eBook. at Amazon

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

Ramayana - The Game of Life : Rise of the Sun Prince (Book 1) -  Shubha Vilas                     
Publishers - Jaico Publishing
Genre - Contemporary - Mythology
Paperbook - 217  Pages
Price: Rs 250

Available as eBook at Amazon Kindle Store

A common childhood memory for older generations is the faithful retelling of the Ramayana by the elders in the family and the gradual progression to reading numerous adaptations of the epic.

The current generation is probably more familiar with the basic story and concepts in comic form. While the mythological tale has been revisited countless times, every new rendition – fiction or philosophical lends a unique flavour of its own.

One such modern rendition combined with traditional theological elements is the first one in the book series - Ramayana - The Game of Life: Rise of the Sun Prince by Shubha Vilas

The book starts as every Ramayana narration begins; with the Bala Kandha or the childhood exploits of Prince Ram and his brothers. The book draws largely from the Valmiki's masterpiece but artfully weaves in the poetic analogies found in the southern version by Tamil poet Kamban and folk tales.

The book begins with sage Valmiki and rightly so. The original narrator is analysed in detail. This detailing of characters, their actions and situations that they face is something that is retained throughout the story.

Sage Vishwamitra, a unique personality in his own way, is accorded ample acknowledgement as both spiritual guide and mentor of the celestial Prince.

The lessons of childhood shape our future actions and the sage plays an important in moulding the character of the princes and helping them earn their rightful place.

Readers familiar with the tale are well aware of the father, king Dashratha - his hopes, foibles and agony. The same has been well captured in this narrative, as well.

The famous ceremonial fire and battlefield scene has been captured in all its serenity and pathos. As the reader watches the young Rama and his siblings grow up under the sage's tutelage, he/she is swept along by the immersive storyline. Every character gets a place under the sun including minor ones. The parts involving Ahalya and Sita move you and make you question the customs and traditions that dictate their lives.

The Ramayana is a serious but engrossing tale and the author provides a version that mirrors the original while retaining a unique voice. The book cover is attractive and draws you in. The author has adopted a simple but effective writing style. He handles the complexity of various situations with the ease of a skilled narrator.

The detailed explanation in the form of footnotes is a welcome addition. You learn and unlearn as you read some of the explanations.

As a neutral agnostic with a fairly religious upbringing, I liked the explanatory parts more than the preaching aspects. Seen from a dispassionate point of view, the book manages to motivate on a humane level through the "laws or key lessons" and provides a path of life that can be assimilated without adding colours of faith.

If you are seeking a mythological fiction series such as Ajaya: Roll of the Dice by Anand Neelakantan, you will be sorely mistaken.

The author Swami Shubha Vilas is a motivational speaker and spiritual seeker. His book reflects this; it is a modern rendition of the timeless epic.

I give this engrossing and intellectually stimulating book, a four star rating.

 This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. 

Short Messages to Dad -

My A_Z journey ends here. I have been down with a heat related stomach infection for a couple of days. Having missed three posts in a row, it's only fair I quit. I will continue to post a-z tidbits when I get better.

A big thank you to Alex, Michelle and others who visited and tried to make me feel better.

Short Messages to Dad - Letter F

Letter F - Future

Image courtesy -InspirationBoost/quotes

Life goes on... Nothing's changed, snail paced at times and missing an important element - you.
Someone said,"You don't die with the dead". True enough. You can - you just don't. 

Mom is coping badly...Work keeps my grief at bay but for someone who made you the focus of her life, time has slowed down. 
Rifled through your clothes - found the birthday ones with shopping tags intact - planning to give them away.

All I need is a future plan to bring a smile on mom's face - one not dependent on your grand kids.  

Any ideas, dad? I am desperate. 

Short Messages to Dad - Letter E

Letter E - Ethics

Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do - Potter Stewart

You could have been a rich man with luxurious apartments and fancy cars. You were surrounded by ones who build personal fortunes through devious means and never got caught. You worked in the banking industry - loans and advances - and held a position that offered such opportunities. You never took those bribes and commissions for breaking rules - never gave it a second thought.

Money was important but not enough to discard professional ethics. You watched bosses, colleagues and juniors take hefty cuts from businessmen. Those bundles of money never swayed you. 

This was your greatest asset that you passed on to me and bro. You considered us your assets - your wealth. 

 My greatest joy - honest, hardworking parents who scrimped and sacrificed to give us the best they could. My greatest regret - my inability to fulfill those professional dreams you had, for me. Where I failed, your son made you proud. He truly deserved to hold your remains - your ashes.

I try to follow your footsteps. You know I don't write false web copy or blog reviews for harmful products, and have never written fake book reviews for monetary compensation. 

Were you proud of me, dad? 

Short Messages to Dad - Letter C and D

* The auto posting failed and I failed to notice. I have edited it to add letters C and D in today's post. *

Letter C - Crab

Anyone who's lost someone to the crab will say this, that you have to struggle to try to remember the person before the diagnosis happened, because they really do change - as anyone would change - Mindy Kaling

I've met my share of crabs in my short life. Most of these have been the homo-sapien kind, although I encountered a couple of eight-legged ones on the beach. 

Some become close friends - one of them, 20 years older than me, still is - you know who I am talking about, don't you dad? You liked her too, as did any everyone who met Aunt. 
Other crabs were nice, shy, weird or rude. They were friendly and reserved; moody and talkative - much like me. 

And then - there were three - possessing all the negative traits of this sun sign and more - they made my life miserable, and yours by extension.

I believed all crabs were made equal. I was so wrong.

The worst of the lot was the invisible one - the villain who attacks innocents by pretending to make perfect cellular copies of them. It doesn't discriminate - age, colour, religion, sex, race, language, education, wealth, and country - doesn't matter.

This black monster chose you as his next victim - started off as benign and curable - weakened you -  an everyday viral infection killed you. No symptoms except constant back pain - brushed off as old age and worn out bones - could we have saved you?

Letter D - D Day

It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was - Anne Sexton, American poet 

Today is the fourth day of the four month of this year. 

It's been a month since I last heard your voice. Come to think of it, I haven't heard your voice for longer than that, ever since they shifted you to the C.C.U. 

Four was my lucky number - my birth number, but now, I will forever associate it with the day you moved on to another realm - we will argue about these realms some other day.

You made promises - you broke them. I made promises - I broke them. You died early in the morning, in your sleep - in a coma.  A gentleman till the end -  making sure your children didn't have to run around getting things arranged. You gave loved ones enough time to make it to the funeral site. I called up two banker friends from Mumbai, who kept in touch with you, post retirement. Other cried over the phone but I had to hold back my tears, for later. 

Every one whose company you enjoyed turned up - some by the first available flight and some by road. It was a small group of 30 odd relatives that gathered around us, giving us strength and comfort. 

Short Messages to Dad - Letter B

 B - Beaches

The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach - waiting for a gift from the sea.Anne Morrow Lindbergh

You loved beaches. It was befitting your ashes were scattered at Elliot's Beach, a favorite spot in Chennai.

Hindu women aren't supposed to, but the priest (to my surprise) allowed me to accompany your son and nephews on this last leg of your earthly journey. I wasn't allowed to touch that small brass urn containing your ashes. Another feminist rant from me, but you've heard these and more for over 30 years, haven't you?

I stood on the short wall surrounding the beach. Teary-eyed, I watched three lonely figures wade into the water and release you from mortal confines.

Short Messages to Dad - Letter A

My first post for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge 2014. Almost a month ago, I had decided against participating and I had emailed Michelle (one of the co-hosts and bloggette friend) about it. This, after informing her about an event that rocked my life.

My dad, aged 70, passed away 29 days ago. These short messages -100 words (drabble) or 200 words (droubble) are a mix of past, present and future happenings, memories, and thoughts.

I apologise if some of these letters end up on a sad note.

A - Acceptance 

Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward - C.S. Lewis 

How do I accept you will never return home? Your desperate attempts to breathe haunt me - 36 hours turned hope into despair. How do I stop this recurring image - your bidding me good night and walking slowly to your room, wearing those black and red flip-flops?

I wake up everyday and expect to see you in the living room – I imagine myself grabbing the newspaper while you're distracted by the news on television.

How do I assuage my guilt over those words repeated every day of your hospital stay - false words I believed in – back home soon?