Blogadda has this amazing Book Reviews program and I was one of the lucky bloggers who got a signed copy of God is a Gamer by Ravi Subramanium! I started reading the book a couple of weeks back and I was enthralled by the intricate plot Ravi has crafted around Bitcoins, which is touted to be the currency of the future. Now, before I end up babbling and revealing the entire plot to you, I think you need to know a little about the book. Check out the synopsis!
About God is a Gamer
Aditya runs a gaming company that is struggling to break even. A banker slips off a high rise building, plunging to her death. The finance minister has made some promises that he is finding hard to keep. The LTTE has unleashed terror in America that sends the FBI on a wild goose chase, bringing them to Mumbai. Enter Varun, part time drug dealer and fulltime genius. He turns around the gaming company before disaster strikes. Meanwhile, the investigators plunge headlong into the shady world of Bitcoins and the Dark Net, websites that only exist for illegal transactions–drugs, sex and money. God is a Gamer culminates in a stunning climax where money means nothing, assassination is taught by the ancient Greeks, and nothing is as it seems.
My review
I loved thrilling fast paced plots that are a literary roller coaster ride and that makes God is a Gamer a perfect book for me. Now, I must confess that one I first read its description that talked about Bitcoins, I was really confused. I thought it would be a book full of financial jargon which would go over my head. To my surprise, the book explained all the concepts beautifully without interfering with the plot and making the story boring.
The book began with a discussion between Vijay Banga, President of Mastercard International and Joseph Saunders, the CEO of Visa International who were making an attempt to stop a new form credit card to come into the market to ensure that their profits are not affected. From here, the plot jumped to India, then back to the USA till a series of isolated incidents seemed to be bound by a single thread.
Now, I don’t want to talk a lot of the plot because I don’t intend to accidentally give out the spoilers but let me tell you this; the book won’t let you take a rest in between. It is such a compelling read, full of nasty shocks and surprises, that you will find it difficult to understand the grand scheme, pulled off by two people (another shocking revelation), till the very end. The book is undoubtedly well researched and each character is compelling in his own right
So should you get a copy to read for yourself? Hell, yes!
We remember the day seven years back when were travelling in a Mumbai local trying hard to come up withe a name for our blog when struck us; Khushboo was always called a Jack of all Trades. The name stuck (with a slight modification, of course) and Minni was born. Six years, over 100 collaboration, lakhs of readers and several awards later; our love for blogging continues to grow. We continue to write on an eclectic range of topics from the funniest autorickshaw signs that we have spotted in Mumbai to how to bathe an elephant. We are true blue Munni of all Trades and we hope to continue on this joyride with our fellow Munnies and Munnas.