Book Review : God is a Gamer.

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Ravi Subramanian's latest thriller "God is a Gamer " is the first bitcoin thriller ! Ravi Subramanian is a banker .He has authored many books in fiction ,namely Bankerupt,The Incredible Banker,If God was a Banker,etal All his books have been been loved by readers in India as also abroad ! He has also penned a non fiction book "I brought the Monk's Ferrari ". 

 The book "God is a Gamer " is published by Penguin.It has an impressive cover .The title is embossed  in Golden letters.There is a stamp of a Bitcoin, also in gold ! The cover shows the White House at a distance & a man in black from head to toe standing in front of the White House.It appears as if he wants to confront the political establishment represented by the White House.

 This is story which unfolds all over the world in many places.Gillian Tan ,a senator and a trusted friend of US President is ambushed in Washington D.C. Gillian Tan seems to have the best of everything .He had a loving family & ab great career.Or was it just a screen saver ? There is Aditya Rao & his son Varun who are upbeat about their gaming company in Mumbai.There is Sundeep as also Swami who look up to Aditya Rao as their guru.Malvika is Swami 's boss & the two of them cannot get along.Many banks in India have outsourced lot of work to Aditya's BPO company.And when the ATMs are raided across New York in one single day,all hell breaks loose.Swami resigns .Aditya & his BPO unit are the main suspects.Malvika jumps to her death ( out of frustration) or was she murdered ? Tanya, Malvika's daughter accuses the Indian finance minister of killing her mother.Kabir Khan of CBI,India ,Adrian Scott,Special Agent,Tony in US & a host of others are having a hard time cracking the ATM heist,the death of Gillian Tan & Malvika & the blowing up of many laptops.And to top it all ,Bitcoins are being exchanged all over the world to cover up illegal deals in drugs & other contraband.Who is the brain behind all this? Why was Gillian Tan killed ? Is the finance minister guilty ? Is Aditya Rao, the mastermind behind the ATM heist ? Or perhaps, Varun as he is tech savvy ? Or maybe, it is the father son duo, who are up to dirty tricks.

The novel narrates how the internet age has made cyber crime, a harsh reality in the internet age.And many times,it is nearly impossible to point out the perpetrator /s .This is because, any server anywhere in the world can be used to commit a crime somewhere else.And if bitcoins( an internet currency )  are used instead of real currency,the cyber crime becomes a double jeopardy.That is,it is doubly impossible to unearth anything.

 The book is spread over 310 pages & is divided into 99 chapters.The book begins with a Prologue.Many chapters are just one page long.This encourages readers to finish that page & move further & so on.The mystery starts building up from the first chapter itself.There is never a dull moment.There is lot of technical lingo that is used & yet, it never gets monotonous.There are many characters & the author has managed to give equal importance to one & all.The story ends in a spell binding climax & how !A truly worthwhile read !

Mesmerising Melbourne !

As I read about Melbourne ,Australia,I find it very  familiar.And then it struck me ! It is so much  like Mumbai. Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra,Melbourne is the capital of Victoria.Inhabitants of Melbourne are Melburnians or Melbournians -the residents of Mumbai are Mumbaikars.Mumbai is a port city with the busiest port in India .Similarly ,Melbourne port is the busiest port in Australia.Melbourne has a river Yarra & Mumbai has its own river Mithi -never mind, it is hardly a trickle now ! Melbourne has an extensive network of rail & road transport just like Mumbai, where the local trains & BEST transport make up the lifeline of Mumbai.

 

Very soon Mumbai is going to get its Metro & mono rail.A metro for Melbourne is underway & will soon see the light of the day ! Trams were a sight in Mumbai many years ago & trams are a very visible mode of transport in Melbourne even today.I feel, trams give a bygone era look to the city of Melbourne.It is as if, two time zones are existing at the same time ! I will definitely want to travel in the trams & savour the feeling of an era gone by !

 


British,Chinese,Vietnamese,Indians,SriLankans,Malays,Muslims,Christains,Hindus all have made Melbourne their home .Mumbai is cosmpolitan as it is teeming with Indians of every religion & region .So,a Melbourne visit, will be like a bird’s eye view of diverse cultures at one place.Melbourne is a centre of many international cuisines as the numerous settled  communities have their own food culture, which they have showcased in the cafes which line the streets of Melbourne  .Being a foodie,I think I would get a wonderful opportunity to sample various cuisines- vegetarian as I am a vegetarian..My daughter is a big fan of MasterChef Australia &  she is eagerly awaiting a visit to Australia.


 


We can smell roses actually & not just literally, at Werribee Mansion & that too a mind boggling  5000 varieties ! One can visit the Werribee Open  Range zoo vide a safari trip to see Zebras,Griaffes ,etal as they roam freely on the expansive grounds .I would amazingly watch koalas & kangaroos at the Healsvillie Sanctuary, as I have never seen either the koalas or the kangaroos till now !


 


I would collect memorabalia at the famed Queen Victoria  market & savour fresh diary produce there ! A lifetime experience would be the one, at Victoria's oldest prison, which housed dangerous criminals in days gone by .I am sure ,the wonders of Melbourne would keep me enthralled throughout !


 


Melbourne is the cultural capital of Australia.Similarly Mumbai has a a diverse culture - Bollywood being the most visible sign.There are theatre groups -the Marathi theatre,English ,Hindi as also Gujarati.Even advertisements & television serials are shot extensively in Mumbai .Dance & music recitals are also very much a part of Mumbai's cultural scene.Televison in Australia started with Melbourne.Melbourne houses many centres for music & theatre.Melbourne celebrates many festivals just like Mumbai -all thanks  to its cosmoplitan population which makes for vibrancy ! All in all,both Mumbai & Melbourne are very happening cities ! So, no dull moments in Melbourne.The city of Melbourne is always pulsating with some excitement or the other ! This makes it a must for exploring ! I think ,I can hear my heart beats growing faster, by the minute, as I think of all this !

The Garden city of Australia ,Melbourne is an excellent model to follow for Mumbai as Mumbai has a dearth of green cover.Gardens will also make up for aesthetics in Mumbai.

As I pen this ,I can hear ‘…it's your time to visit Melbourne NOW!’ This is so, as  my daughter will very soon, be joining college.I would like her to join one of the various Universities in Melbourne .Our Melbourne visit, now, would make her get familiar with the sights & sounds of Melbourne so that she feels comfortable ,once she starts pursuing her higher studies in Melbourne, very soon. Melbourne university is among the top four universities in the world.Even the other Universities housed in Melbourne such the Monash,RMIT ,Victoria have excellent international rankings.My choice would be Australia & particularly Melbourne, as it is cosmopolitan & my daughter can live & experience numerous cultures of the world , even as she studies.Moreover ,Melbourne being so much like Mumbai ,she will feel very much at home abroad ! What more can she  ask for  ? ! After all ,due to its wide cultural spread,Melbourne has been ranked as the most liveable city three times over !

As,I write this ,I wonder why can’t we model Mumbai on Melbourne & not Shanghai ? After all ,both being so similar ,that can happen sooner !

This is my blog post entry for the ‘…it's your time to visit Melbourne NOW!’contest on IndiBlogger in association with Tourism Victoria.If you liked my blog post ,please vote ,comment & share !