Review of Zona: The Forbidden Land

[STabassum]

[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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Each of us leads our lives in our way. Life is unpredictable and may change any day. Those of us who are accustomed to leading our lives in a particular manner may find such chaotic situations difficult to manage. During such tricky times, what matters most is our inner resilience and brave attitude to face the perils of life. Zona: The Forbidden Land by Fred G. Baker is one such novel that inspires us to hold on to our nerves during times of stress. It is a story about a fictional land and the thrilling expedition that takes place there. It is a story of love, redemption, family bonds, and bravery.

Grant Taylor is the protagonist of this novel. He is a professor who teaches at a university near Chicago. He was accustomed to living the ordinary life of a teacher until the day when adventure came knocking at his door. He faces the unwelcome and shocking news about the death of his uncle and of him being the only heir. He immediately leaves for Saint Petersburg, Russia, to visit his Uncle Randall’s home. Upon reaching there, he realizes a sense of mystery. He comes to know that his uncle had gone on a secret expedition to an unknown land near Siberia, named Zona. He never returned from that expedition. While looking for answers to all the questions that were fascinating him regarding the mysterious disappearance of his uncle and his alleged death, Grant comes across journals belonging to his uncle, that provide him with key hints to the mystery. He is helped by Boris Ustinov, his uncle’s attorney, who also brings along his vivacious niece, botanist Irina, with him. Finally, they decide to undertake a perilous mission to find the whereabouts of his uncle. They decide to undertake an expedition to Zona. They are also joined by Colonel Volkov, the only survivor of the previous expedition, and a mystery man named Captain Oleg Godunov, who had an alliance with the Federal Security Service, tracing its origins to Soviet-era times. Will Grant find the answers to his questions? Is his uncle dead? The answers lie in this book and its gripping plot.

My favourite character in the novel is Grant. It is not easy for any person to come out of their comfort zone and become a part of a mysterious expedition without having any experience. Grant, despite being a novice and an ordinary professor, undertakes the dangerous expedition for the sake of his uncle. This hints towards his strong family values and the importance of family bonding above the materialistic ties of property rights and being an heir. His character evolves throughout the story and he soon transforms into a brave person with a resilient and patient mind during times of stress.

There are several positive attributes to this book. The picturesque location of the fictional land of Zona has been described so vividly that it seems to be real. The author has intelligently intermingled real facts about the geographical locations of Russia with his fictitious backdrop, thereby giving a sense of a realistic tinge to the story. He has also researched Soviet history well and has incorporated geopolitical history and recent tensions into the plot in a wise manner. There is a sense of mystery throughout the narrative, which speaks volumes about the visual mode of writing skills of the author. The adventures in Zona and the monstrous animals found there added a lot of thrills to the story. There was an ample amount of suspense till the very end.

There was just a minor thing that I disliked about this book. There was a lot of sex in this story involving Grant, and most of it was unnecessary and not in sync with the gravity of the plot. I found it too distractive and silly, even though it wasn’t very erotic.

There were no grammatical errors in this book to impede my reading pace, and it was exceptionally well edited. Therefore, keeping in mind all the points that I liked about it, I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. This book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys reading fiction novels. It is a very fast-paced suspense novel and needs a mature reader base to read it to understand the metaphors of the story and their alignment with real life. Because of the sexual and violent content associated with the adventurous tale, I will not recommend this book to young readers.

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Zona: The Forbidden Land
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