Review by King Nightspawn -- Zona: The Forbidden Land

[King Nightspawn]

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

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Zona: The Forbidden Land is a fascinating sci-fi novel by Fred G. Baker that combines action, romance, atmosphere and adventure in an epic quest across a faraway landscape. The story follows Grant, an American who has made his way to Russia after being made aware of the disappearance of his Uncle Randall. Grant soon becomes involved in an expedition in Siberia to complete a journey his uncle’s team failed to one year prior, after which his uncle was declared missing. Among a multitude of characters are Irina and her Uncle Volkov, the latter being a surviving colleague that joined Randall on the initial expedition.

As the team embarks across the dangerous tundra, they must be wary of abnormally large, dangerous wild wolves and mountain lions. Strange changes in behavior also emerge as a threat the closer the group gets to the heart of Zona, which adds for an interesting psychological twist about halfway through. I won’t give away the ending, but I will say that I liked it very much. After all the excitement that occurs and questions that appear throughout, it was an ideal, thorough conclusion.

I thoroughly enjoy Baker’s writing style and felt it suited the atmosphere of the story perfectly. He deftly sculpts his sentences with careful attention to descriptive detail, like a more concise Lovecraft. I also appreciate the way he adds a level of humanity to his characters, developing them not only with detailed information but human emotion. It was very easy for me to picture these characters interacting with one another, as the dialogue felt natural. That being said, the relationship between Grant and Irina fueled my interest as it was exciting, if at times frustrating. In fact, there are a number of interpersonal relationships that develop across the story that accentuate the mystery and ambience of the plot.

The most I would say to be wary of before reading this book is the sexual content and violence. There was certainly a level of eroticism that presents itself a portion of the way into the book, but nothing explicitly vulgar. There are a number of human deaths in the book and, being that the group is in the upper regions of Siberia, they do have to fight off giant wolves and mountain lions with an intense level of firepower, so fellow animal lovers may want to approach with caution. The only other thing some readers may dislike is the pace towards the beginning of the story; it is a purposeful build-up, but some may find it a little slow. Even so, once the plot is in full effect, the pace develops nicely.

Overall, Zona: The Forbidden Land is a very well-written and highly enjoyable book. I would certainly recommend for fans of sci-fi, especially those with an appreciation of adventure and nature. It is very intelligently crafted and contains a wit and sense of humor that is very cognizant of the human condition. I also noticed no publication errors, further solidifying the quality of the material. It is for these reasons I give it a 4/4-star rating. I salute Fred G. Baker and hope he continues writing, as it is clear that he is an expert at what he does.

******
Zona: The Forbidden Land
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Pearl Akpan]

Wonderfully written review. Thanks for the informing opinion of how engaging and interesting this novel is. I look forward to enjoying all of the story

[Dayna Frank]

This is a wonderful review! I agree with the slow start to the novel. It definitely has a purpose for being a slow start. Very well-written review. The way you explain the pros and cons of this book is fantastic!