Timeline

Writer: Michael Crichton
Genre: Fiction


Tired of reading uninteresting fiction I decided to re-read this one. Had read it long back so I had forgotten the story and it helped. Crichton and his plots never disappoint you.

An old man is found wandering and disoriented in the Arizona dessert. He has no memory of how he got there. The couple that rescues him takes him to a nearby hospital where he soon dies due to a cardiac arrest. Everything seems normal but it isn't so.

Meanwhile somewhere in France, a group of historians are trying to recreate the medieval era but the process is slow and time consuming much to the dismay of their financiers  A sudden twist and the group find themselves in the middle of the ‘Hundred Years War’ and they have to get their way out into the modern world. Will they succeed or be stuck in an age which they have only read about?

Crichton and his love for technology makes him write some beautiful plots. One of the most successful movies of all times, Jurassic Park was his imagination so that will tell you something about his capability as a fiction writer. This book, although not his best, is still a wonderful read. But yeah, the climax wherein the group of historians decide to payback their chief financier in his own coin was a kind of let down. I mean it's really more of a feel good ending than a pragmatic one ;)

If God Was A Banker

Writer: Ravi Subramaniam
Genre: Fiction


Sundeep and Swami are two fresh recruits of the New York International Bank, where under the leadership of Aditya they set up a successful retail banking India business. Brilliant in all aspects, they however differ in their methods to achieve success. Sundeep is the aggressive kinds who doesn’t mind any kind of compromise to meet the ends whereas Swami is more cautious and would not compromise on his ideals. Both reach dizzying heights in their personal and professional lives but how long will the charm of success entice them?
What happens when the past comes haunting back?

A fast paced book with insights into the corporate world and our choices. However the plot is not really unique and the flow is overall predictable!

A Falcon Flies

Writer: Wilbur Smith
Genre: Fiction

My foray into the Ballantyne series! As expected Smith weaves a beautiful story around his favourite place, Africa.

Robyn Ballantyne is the daughter of Fuller Ballantyne, a famous missionary and African explorer. When he disappears his bosses are not really concerned but the daughter wants to trace him back. Along with her brother, Zouga Ballantyne, she embarks on an expedition to trace her father. They take the sea route on the American ship captained by Mungo St.John who she later realizes is a slaver and is on a voyage to buy good quality slaves. On getting to know of this fact she decides to part ways with the captain.
The brother sister duo then manage to reach their destination but en route they realize their destinations were never the same.

The book, like others set in Africa is fast paced and carries the Wilbur Smith flavour. However for the first time the protagonist and antagonist are not really up to the mark. The Courtneys are more my kinds I guess.

The Devil's Alternative

Writer: Frederic Forsyth
Genre: Fiction

Due to some technical snags, Soviet Union's fungicide making company ends up poisoning the wheat crop. As a result the overall production of wheat would come down and the country would face famine. The politburo decides to import the grain from USA without disclosing the actual reason. A leak from the politburo meetings lets the USA onto the secret and the hope to cash in by asking for some concessions. Some members of the politburo suggest waging a war and obtaining the wheat, however, the president, Rudin shoots down this option by a narrow vote of confidence.

Talks between USA and USSR begin and a treaty is almost signed called the 'Treaty of Dublin'. However in another incident the KGB chairman is shot dead by Ukrainian fundamentalists and just as they try to escape to Israel they are captured in West Berlin. Friends of the shooters then hijack a crude oil ship and ask the German chancellor to free the prisoners and hand them over to Israel where they would be treated minus the prisoner status. If the instructions are not followed, they threaten to kill the ship's crew and empty millions of crude oil into the sea.

Rudin cannot let the prisoners be freed because the terrorists would then declare to the world the penetrability of KGB. He puts pressure on USA to stop the release of the prisoners else threatens to pull out of the Dublin treaty. The US president is left with no choice. Whatever option he chooses people would be killed, hence the name of the book.

The climax is intriguing and I am not going to be a spoiler and explain it. One of the best books by Forsyth, a personal copy is highly recommended.