The book “God is a Gamer” by Ravi Subramanian is a fast-paced thriller that spans continents and has a generous mix of characters including the FBI, CBI, and ahem, the White House.
I’ve reviewed one of Ravi’s books The Bankster here.
Let’s first look at the book blurb for God Is A Gamer
God Is A Gamer – Book blurb
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 full time 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.
**
On the back cover:
What happens when you cross Gamer, Banker, Politician and Terrorist with virtual money?
From the bestselling author of “If God was a banker” comes the first ever bitcoin thriller.
God is a Gamer is a world where money means nothing, martyrs are villains, predators are prey, assassination is taught by the ancient Greeks, and nothing is as it seems.
Moving from Washington’s Congress to Delhi’s finance ministry, the beaches of Goa to the corporate boardrooms of Mumbai, this is Ravi Subramanian’s most gripping novel yet.
**
Book title: God is a Gamer
Author: Ravi Subramanian
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Pages: 310
ISBN: 9789351188087
Language: English
Genre: Fiction/Thriller
My book review:
The book opens with the assassination of a US Senator who is en route to meet the President of the USA. Investigations ensue and the FBI are under pressure to crack the case.
In the meantime, back in India, an international banking company faces trouble – internally as the top management gets shuffled and externally as customers are taken for a ride after they are scammed and money is skimmed off their accounts. As the rifts widen inside the company, yet another scam rocks it when customers’ credit card info is stolen and a massive ATM heist is executed.
What is the link between the happenings in the USA and the power struggle within the bank in India? How is ex-employee Aditya, an honest businessman who now runs a gaming company and welcomes his long lost son, Varun, back and hands over the reins of one of his business – related to it all? What is the motive behind all these crimes and who is responsible?
Add murders, scandals, crime, deception, investigations, romance and a couple of steamy scenes, a rather rapid switching of scenes… and twists to the tale – and you’ll keep turning the pages.
So maybe it is a little confusing when new characters are introduced all the time, but hey – the author manages to pack them all up at the end of the story rather well by turning the action into hurried narrative.
What I liked
Personally signed book – nice touch. And as usual, the signed note from Blogadda.
I was curious to read the book for the reference of “bitcoins” the revolutionary digital currency, which I find fascinating. The book is a fast read. I liked the author’s use of short chapters and oh, decent font size! He has in depth knowledge of what he is writing about – the situations and the places – and that’s a huge bonus. And I enjoyed the story with its twists and turns in its fairly intriguing plot interspersed with an overdose of interesting characters. Book cover is cool. Ravi has a penchant for silhouettes. 
Could have been better
God is a Gamer is an engaging read that started with a bang and lost a little steam towards the end.
While the narrative started off well, it lost me in places as there were too many plots within plots and I had to keep going back to keep up the continuity. After the edge of the seat story line and starting the book off with a series of happenings, I felt the author was in a hurry to wrap up the book – going by the quick summaries about the various characters the last few pages. And oh, so many characters!
Three mentions about the location of the same office by page 60. Heh. And while the author’s writing is pretty good, I managed to find typos! Also, repeated use of the same phrase in two consecutive sentences.
I thought the book blurb wasn’t in sync with the book. Also, the tagline “Is revenge a crime” did not seem relevant…because the revenge angle is introduced only at the end of the book.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I kept up my reading pace, if only to find out how it all ended even if there were spoilers.
And oh, trying to figure out the title of the book! I mean, why God?
Do I recommend God Is A Gamer?
If you like thrillers, and need a book to tide you over a short trip, of course.
Will I read more books by this author?
Of course and not because he shares my maiden name. I love thrillers.
I’ve reviewed the author’s book The Bankster here.
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