Review by Eclaire_Parker -- Zona: The Forbidden Land
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Eclaire_Parker
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- Latest Review: Zona: The Forbidden Land by Fred G. Baker
Review by Eclaire_Parker -- Zona: The Forbidden Land
[Following is a volunteer review of "Zona: The Forbidden Land" by Fred G. Baker.]
Paradise. How many of us have dreamed of living in paradise? I'm sure many people have fantasized about it at least once in their lives. But what is your idea of paradise? Is it a land of peace and harmony, a land of plenty, a picturesque landscape? Or perhaps it's a place where diseases and sickness don't exist, where our fragile human bodies don't age, and we can live longer than expected. Whatever paradise is to you, be prepared to be transported to a world that meets many of these fantasies when you read Zona: The Forbidden Land, by Fred G. Baker.
Zona takes you on a fantastical journey that ends in the most unlikely manner. It starts off as merely an expedition to look for a lost group of explorers, one of who was the main character's uncle, and to discover treasures hidden in the unexplored regions of northern Siberia. The expedition begins with a number of mysterious events that lead the main character, Grant, to question the reason behind some of his fellow adventurers' presence there. As the journey progresses, the group is thrown into numerous dangerous, and even fatal, situations that leave you on the edge of your seat. As you reach the never-before-seen land in the northernmost reaches of Siberia, which the explorers named Zona, you are transported to an Eden-like landscape that, although fraught with danger from large previously extinct animals, is brimming with surprises. These surprises include particles in the air that enhance emotions, plants that contain substances that mimic the human growth hormone, as well as some plants that have amazing healing properties. All of these combined seem to create the perfect place to live in, as people became happier, and their bodies were rendered stronger and younger than before.
The story is written in the perspective of the main character, Grant Taylor. The beginning of the story started off somewhat slow, interspersed with just enough interesting happenings to keep you reading. I found the numerous mentions of brand names somewhat annoying in the first few chapters of the book, akin to having too much unnecessary details. However, the brand name dropping eventually ends once the story gets going with the expedition. This practice of peppering the story with details continues throughout the entirety of the book. In many instances it was quite helpful in creating a picture in the reader's head of what the surroundings look like, and bringing them alongside the characters. There were situations, nevertheless, wherein the details were so numerous that it was almost too easy to just gloss over them. An example is the description for the set-up of the camp. Although necessary, the way the description was undertaken would be confusing for some readers who find it much more difficult to imagine maps and placements, especially when sledges and trucks used for the perimeters are described in letters and numbers.
Another aspect of the story that was somewhat personally off-putting was the prevalence of sexual encounters and relationships mentioned in the book. There were no detailed depictions per se. However, in order to emphasize how the environment in Zona enhanced emotions, the author was more than generous in mentioning the frequent sexual romps among the characters. Despite this, though, I found very little vulgarity in the story. Perhaps one instance I can point out that can be remotely construed as vulgarity, was the use of the word "idiot", as a term of endearment by one character towards Grant. Another was an expletive said by a character during a particularly dangerous situation they were in.
What I liked most about Zona: The Forbidden Land was the way it flew me to a completely new land that made me feel like I was in another world. For most of the time spent in Zona, I forgot that this place was still on Earth. Everything about it felt very fantastic, and I believe that this is one book that many readers would help them escape from their daily grind. Fred G. Baker described Zona so well that you can almost see yourself standing there, and experiencing everything through Grant's eyes. His style of story-writing not only built up the location and environment, it also created characters that I either grew to love or hate, as if I knew them personally. He definitely knew how to transport the reader into the heart of his story.
I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. One star was removed mainly due to the portions that were detail excessive that didn't necessarily enhance the story, as well as the numerous mentions of sexual encounters. The book seemed professionally edited and I didn't find any grammatical errors. If you're someone who likes adventure and fantasy stories, and who loves going on journeys to far away places in your mind, I recommend you pick up Zona: The Forbidden Land by Fred G. Baker.
******
Zona: The Forbidden Land
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Paradise. How many of us have dreamed of living in paradise? I'm sure many people have fantasized about it at least once in their lives. But what is your idea of paradise? Is it a land of peace and harmony, a land of plenty, a picturesque landscape? Or perhaps it's a place where diseases and sickness don't exist, where our fragile human bodies don't age, and we can live longer than expected. Whatever paradise is to you, be prepared to be transported to a world that meets many of these fantasies when you read Zona: The Forbidden Land, by Fred G. Baker.
Zona takes you on a fantastical journey that ends in the most unlikely manner. It starts off as merely an expedition to look for a lost group of explorers, one of who was the main character's uncle, and to discover treasures hidden in the unexplored regions of northern Siberia. The expedition begins with a number of mysterious events that lead the main character, Grant, to question the reason behind some of his fellow adventurers' presence there. As the journey progresses, the group is thrown into numerous dangerous, and even fatal, situations that leave you on the edge of your seat. As you reach the never-before-seen land in the northernmost reaches of Siberia, which the explorers named Zona, you are transported to an Eden-like landscape that, although fraught with danger from large previously extinct animals, is brimming with surprises. These surprises include particles in the air that enhance emotions, plants that contain substances that mimic the human growth hormone, as well as some plants that have amazing healing properties. All of these combined seem to create the perfect place to live in, as people became happier, and their bodies were rendered stronger and younger than before.
The story is written in the perspective of the main character, Grant Taylor. The beginning of the story started off somewhat slow, interspersed with just enough interesting happenings to keep you reading. I found the numerous mentions of brand names somewhat annoying in the first few chapters of the book, akin to having too much unnecessary details. However, the brand name dropping eventually ends once the story gets going with the expedition. This practice of peppering the story with details continues throughout the entirety of the book. In many instances it was quite helpful in creating a picture in the reader's head of what the surroundings look like, and bringing them alongside the characters. There were situations, nevertheless, wherein the details were so numerous that it was almost too easy to just gloss over them. An example is the description for the set-up of the camp. Although necessary, the way the description was undertaken would be confusing for some readers who find it much more difficult to imagine maps and placements, especially when sledges and trucks used for the perimeters are described in letters and numbers.
Another aspect of the story that was somewhat personally off-putting was the prevalence of sexual encounters and relationships mentioned in the book. There were no detailed depictions per se. However, in order to emphasize how the environment in Zona enhanced emotions, the author was more than generous in mentioning the frequent sexual romps among the characters. Despite this, though, I found very little vulgarity in the story. Perhaps one instance I can point out that can be remotely construed as vulgarity, was the use of the word "idiot", as a term of endearment by one character towards Grant. Another was an expletive said by a character during a particularly dangerous situation they were in.
What I liked most about Zona: The Forbidden Land was the way it flew me to a completely new land that made me feel like I was in another world. For most of the time spent in Zona, I forgot that this place was still on Earth. Everything about it felt very fantastic, and I believe that this is one book that many readers would help them escape from their daily grind. Fred G. Baker described Zona so well that you can almost see yourself standing there, and experiencing everything through Grant's eyes. His style of story-writing not only built up the location and environment, it also created characters that I either grew to love or hate, as if I knew them personally. He definitely knew how to transport the reader into the heart of his story.
I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. One star was removed mainly due to the portions that were detail excessive that didn't necessarily enhance the story, as well as the numerous mentions of sexual encounters. The book seemed professionally edited and I didn't find any grammatical errors. If you're someone who likes adventure and fantasy stories, and who loves going on journeys to far away places in your mind, I recommend you pick up Zona: The Forbidden Land by Fred G. Baker.
******
Zona: The Forbidden Land
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Zona: The Forbidden Land by Fred G. Baker
