Book Review: God is a Gamer by Ravi Subramanian

Thanks to Vivek Tejuja, I got an autographed copy of Ravi Subramanian’s latest book “God is a Gamer”. Having read Ravi Subramanian earlier, I know what to expect and he does not disappoint in any way and delivers an easy to read, impossible to put down, pointless to criticize, globetrotting thriller that adds another feather to his already glorious repertoire. 

Touted as the first bit-coin thriller ever, “God is a Gamer” is the author’s typical no nonsense thriller that brings together the FBI, CIA, CBI, The White House and many more from the highest and the most powerful echelons of both India and US, including the finance minister of India, and the president of the US, in a murky plot which does not breathe easy until the last of the frenetic moments end in shocking revelations. Surprisingly, there are no red herrings here. Everything is connected.

I haven’t heard of bit coins before, so I found the book pretty informative on the virtual (digital) currency, and also intrigued me enough to google more on the subject, one of the key takeaways from the book. At 310 pages, divided into 89 Chapters, most of them 2-3 pages long, the plot is carefully constructed and brings all the elements of Banking, Gaming, BPO Operations, Investigation and Interrogation, into picture once it sets up all the key players and their stakes at a breakneck pace throughout.

The number of characters, their motives and their struggles which prompt their actions may overwhelm you by the sheer volume of them, and may seem difficult to keep a track of at times. Every stroke is broad and each page covers a lot of action, juggling between nations like an enthusiastic performer at a circus. Ravi’s plot is so vast that he does not indulge in any detailing or subtlety in dealing with his characters or scenarios. They lack any depth whatsoever and one can't invest anything in them and finds it hard to care about what happens to any of them.

The result is a delicious whodunit, which entertains with its rapid turn of events that grip the reader and cover for any inadequacies or loopholes in the plot. There is no way, one can look back and analyze what all he has read, till the end and that comes as the book’s greatest strength and its’ weakness as well, since it resorts to a lot of empty exposition, much of it towards the end, in a bid to bring closure to all the aspects it brought up during its course. There is not much showing done here, but Ravi tells you everything that you need to know, and connects the dots, in an underwhelming, but very much expected, climax. 

The identity of the killer can be guessed from a mile ahead, but that’s not the point of it anyway. Even if one can’t, it does not take away from the reading experience, since any one of the suspects can be made the killer at the end, and the story could be manipulated around to prove him to be the culprit. The characters lack depth and you don't really care about what happens to any of them since you are never connected to them emotionally.

If you have read Ravi’s previous books you know what to expect, but if this is the first one you are reading of him, then I have to say that God is a Gamer is his best work so far. It is neatly edited too. 

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Book Review: The Bankster by Ravi Subramanian

In Ravi Subramanian’s banking world every mean is justified if it gives the end the people want. He talks of people, who pay two and half lakhs rupee rent on apartments, who shift their allegiance at a drop of the hat for their cause, women who don’t even think twice to seduce their bosses and the works. Being ruthless in their ambition only seems to be the hallmark of the people who inhabit this world and coming from a veteran in both banking and its related fiction, his characters are only too believable.  Ethical dilemmas are rare but when found are dealt clinically with higher incentives or better appraisals and when none of them work, they unite to force it out of their system.

But “The Bankster” has more to offer in its James Bondesque international conspiracy to undermine India’s efforts at launching a nuclear power plant at Trikakulam in Kerala. Forces work towards its decommissioning with USA and Germany being the major opponents working with politicians in India with vested interests. It’s a murky world altogether and Ravi weaves an intriguing story spanning across Vienna, Kerala and Mumbai which manages to hold your attention for most part of its 358 pages. One of the contributing factors for a thriller to work is the red herrings and he does a great job at planting them appropriately and effectively. The narrative juggles between people at GB2 bank trying to piece together some discrepancies in their accounts and the protest against the nuclear power plant by NGOs and politicians. It is a page-turner alright but the inevitable end to all the action seems lame when put into perspective with the captivating built up to it. The characters are not entirely relatable and the climax neither disturbs you nor enthralls you making it a kind of damp squib.

The lack of a strong underlying theme renders this book lesser than its international counterparts while Ravi’s prose itself is simple, unassuming and lacks the style of a Dan Brown or a John Grisham (as the Wall Street Journal on the cover page chose to compare him to). Especially when the officers at Vienna use almost the same language and intonations as we use in India, it does not gel particularly well. However, for a fiction of banking, it does not indulge too much on the jargon and suitable explanations (though sometimes naïve) are provided to the uninformed reader.           

The Bankster has a lot of things going for it from its interesting cover design to the reputation of its' bestselling author and it is easy to pick this up in any store you might find it. If you are looking for a harmless light read that thrills you and keeps you on the edge throughout your flight, The Bankster is recommended. It is a reasonably well-researched work and stays clear of political propaganda albeit being a little too casual in its approach. But be warned that by the end of it all you might not be any wiser than when you have started reading it. 

PS: One minor squabble I had with the author is his unfortunate and unnecessary dig at Cricket Player Ravinder Jadeja. While I confess I’m not a huge fan of the player and Jadeja is no Vettori or Yuvraj to have people coming instantaneously to his defense, it suits the author well to realize that he isn’t exactly the modern days’ Tagore of Indian Literature himself.