Review of Zona: The Forbidden Land

[EternalD]

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

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Suppose you have read Fred G. Baker's bibliography. In that case, you are probably already aware that he is a very qualified writer to describe environments and create plots full of mysteries and deaths. Zona: The Forbidden Land couldn't be different. Unlike his uncle Randall Taylor, a natural adventurer, Grant Taylor is an adjunct professor at the University of Chicago. The latter goes to St. Petersburg to see what he will do with his uncle's apartment that is now his. But after all, what happened to Randall Taylor? He disappeared after making an expedition trying to reach Zona, a region of Siberia that "doesn't officially exist," according to the author.

Grant will then participate in a second expedition with Colonel Volkov, some scientists, and Irina, the protagonist's love interest. They will have to deal with wild animals, the unknown, and much more. What more can I say? Well, the mortality of the expedition won't be much different from the first one, where only Colonel Volkov returned to tell the tale.

As mentioned, the author is very talented in describing scenarios and characters. His descriptions make the reader feel like he's in the middle of the expedition. In addition, the characters are very well designed, and there are no predictable actions and no pedestrian characters. What I liked most about the book was Grant's relationship with Irina, which involves a lot of sex and distrust. Until the final parts of the book, it is impossible to know if she is a heroine or a trained Russian agent from the movie Red Sparrow.

In addition to these qualities, Zona: The Forbidden Land is polished and well written. It's infrequent that I read such a long book and not find a single typo. I can't write what I disliked the most because the book in all its parts is faultless. Any possible defects that one might point out are probably purposeful to provide an ambiguous and mysterious constitution to all events.

Baker's masterpiece is nothing short of amazing. I cheerfully award it 4 out of 4. And why would it be any different? An error-free book that is exciting from the first page deserves full marks. The book mixes so many other characteristics that it is even difficult to choose a target audience. Generally speaking, I would say that those readers who like suspense and science fiction will enjoy Zona: The Forbidden Land. There are repeated sexual scenes, but nothing reminiscent of the Fifty Shades of Grey movie. Avoid this one if profane words offend you and prevent you from enjoying reading. Throughout the work, you will find the most diverse swear words.

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