Review by Hannaredpanda -- Zona: The Forbidden Land

[Hannaredpanda]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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Zona: The Forbidden Island is a fantasy adventure book written by Fred G. Baker about Dr. Grant Taylor, a paleogeographer from Chicago. Grant must solve the mystery surrounding his uncle Randall’s sudden disappearance during his latest expedition. Randall is presumed dead but Grant feels there is more to the story. Grant's new life in Russia takes many unexpected twists and turns as he uncovers more about what happened to his uncle. His journey becomes complicated as he soon finds himself in danger and in love. Ultimately, Grant's journey will push him to follow in his uncle's footsteps and set out on the second Zona expedition. Will Grant find his uncle alive? Can he trust his friends and crewmates? What will he uncover in Zona?

Like the description entails, Zona brought me back to some of the classics such as Journey to the Center of the Earth, Jurassic Park, and King Kong. While the story felt nostalgic it was also original. I did not feel like I was reading the same story told in a different setting. The multiple mysteries kept me engaged the whole time wondering what would happen next. Also, I always appreciate a book with a map at the beginning. It helps me visualize where the characters are going and where they have been.

I really enjoyed the level of detail that went into the book such as using real life landmarks in Russia as well as the scientific explanations for some of the unexpected things that happen in Zona. I really appreciated the hypothesis’ the characters come up with instead of the events occurring without any explanation.

There was one section of the book regarding something all the women go through together that I did not enjoy as much. I did not like that they all seemed so eager and willing to go along with it. However, this could have been perpetuated by other things going on but it wasn’t made explicit. I feel the story would have been more relatable if there was some more turmoil about some of the late decisions made by the characters.

The editing on this book seemed to be done very well. I found no grammar or spelling errors in the book. This book was a good read and I would give it a 4 out of 4 stars. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in adventure books. There is some profane language and suggested sex scenes so it would be better suited for more mature audiences.

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Zona: The Forbidden Land
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[Bigwig1973]

This book reminded me of both Jurassic Park and "Tomb Raider", at least at the end. I agree that it almost seems as if one is reading two different books, or as you write "not the same story." A mystery, Tomb Raider, and then Jurassic Park. Your introductory summary is very good, except you have "Island" instead of "Land". Normally, I wouldn't mention it, but it's funny because I thought of the little guy hollering "Da plane, da plane!!!" from the television show called "Fantasy Island", and I giggled...But, it is still a nice opening for the book! Nice review!

[Holly Fleming]

Zona seems to have an interesting premise. I enjoy action-adventure books, so I might give this one a try. Thank you for this detailed review.