Author
Ravi Subramanian
Publisher
Penguin
Date
January 1, 2007
Final Verdict
3.5/5

About the Author

Ravi Subramanian, an alumnus of IIM Bangalore, has spent two decades working his way up the ladder of power in the amazingly exciting and adrenaline-pumping world of global banks in India. It is but natural that his stories are set against the backdrop of the financial services industry. He lives in Mumbai with his wife, Dharini and daughter, Anusha. In 2008, his debut novel, If God Was a Banker, won the Golden Quill Readers’ Choice Award. The Incredible Banker won him the Economist Crossword Book Award in 2012.
Other Works By Ravi Subramanian
I Bought the Monk’s Ferrari (2008)
Devil in Pinstripes (2010)
The Incredible Banker (2011)
The Bankster (2012)
Bankerupt (2013)
God is a Gamer (2014)
The Bestseller She Wrote (2015)
In the Name of God (2017)
Don’t tell the Governor (2018)

God is a Gamer

I recently read God is a Gamer. The latest is by Ravi Subramanian. Got the book as part of the book review program by Blogadda.com. Please note that this is NOT a paid review. I do NOT make any money from this.

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One line verdict
God is a Gamer is an attempt at writing a chase through myriad locations, characters and situations, all of it culminating in one destination. A pot-boiler for sure.

Full review
I read the book a few days back but never found the time to write a review. Here I am, on a Sunday morning. Trying to wrap my head around what I read a few days back. Whatever I write will come from my head and I would not have the advantage of flipping through the pages to write the review.

So, the plot is slightly difficult to talk about in a few words. I’d still try. A few seemingly unrelated crimes happen in New York, Washington and Mumbai. In the US, a high-ranking government servant/official is murdered and the great police departments, the FBI, the CIA and all other three-letter agencies can’t seem to figure out the intent or MO. In Mumbai, a banker is killed and the police are forced to cast a net so wide that the Finance Minister himself becomes a suspect. Meanwhile, in Mumbai, BPO handling transactions for large financial institutions in the US gets hacked and it results in

At times the book reads like corporate espionage, a political thriller, a murder mystery, a chase and of course, a love story! Love the way Ravi got all these themes together in one place! I wish I could do the same with my books!

Of course, I could get into more details but then I would have to unravel the suspense. Nah, I won’t do that. The book has to be read. It’s definitely a one-time read. And a racy one at that.

Coming to the good bits

  • Short chapters. Each chapter is about 2 slides on the page. Brilliant strategy. The book becomes a page-turner. I think that’s a new trend. The last book I reviewed, Private India was similar.
  • A brilliant way to teach the basics of the financial industry, especially a peer-to-peer currency like Bitcoin. Reminds me of Goldratt’s Goal. I think Ravi needs to look at that genre closely. Can he make boring things like finance into interesting plots and stories like God is a Gamer?

There were a few things that I did not like. I call them not-so-good bits

  • Too many characters for my liking. Unless the book is a Godfather that requires me to think of motives and actions of men (that are guided by long-standing traditions rather than moments of insanity), I don’t want to burden myself with too many characters or too many side plots. Maybe it’s Ravi’s style.
  • The Bitcoin misnomer. The book has hardly anything to do with Bitcoin. Agreed that crime happens because Bitcoins are at the heart of the issue but again, I won’t call it The Bitcoin Thriller.
  • Hollywood-ization. There are elements in the book that probably are best suited for a spy thriller (spoiler alert: hidden rings etc) based in the US of A. As an Indian reader, I just can not relate to these things. Maybe other evolved readers can. But I can’t. So it could be my limitation, as compared to the book. You decide.

That’s it I guess in form of a review.

In the end 
Definitely, a one-time read if nothing else. Do read it. At times the book is unputdownable. I could finish the book in two sittings. That’s it.

Thanks!
SG

Notes
1. This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!
2. Since I am an author as well now, I take these reviews even more seriously.
3. If you want to review my first book, The Nidhi Kapoor Story, please write to me (or leave a comment) and I would be in touch.

Originally posted on SG’s Personal Blog.

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