2004th BLOG POST
9th Book of 2022
S. Hussain Zaidi is a phenomenal author and I have always loved reading
his work. He made me fan with his book- Dongri to Dubai and after reading “Headley
and I”, I just got addicted to the world that he creates in his books. From
non-fiction to fiction, he knows how to handle the words so that his readers
won’t get disappointed by him. I have just completed his latest book named “Zero
Day” which is published by HarperCollins in around 210 pages. This is a fiction
story about how a cybercrime stops Mumbai’s traffic which leads to chaos and
immediate action for the Police as well as Cybercrime department. The police
officer Mirza and his colleagues – Vikrant and Deo start investigation regarding
how this got possible for someone to execute in the Maximum City. Immediately,
another such activity takes place again which reveals the severity of the
situation. From here onwards, the race begins which takes you into the world of
crime, terrorism and cyber-attacks.
It is very common for writers to write stories on murder or terrorism
but it’s very gutsy from Zaidi to write a fiction account of what extreme can
happen with cybercrime which we generally hear about in modern podcasts and
tech channels. It is not very easy to frame whole story which is based upon
this and yet keep it enough exciting for the readers to enjoy the cat-and-mouse
game. I liked how author has kept things light for readers to understand as such
topics can become pain to comprehend which could have become the major reason
of people putting this book aside in between. Hussain has explained the complex
terminologies such as DDoS attacks, cybercrime, Internet bots, dark web etc. in
a simple manner even for someone from a non-IT background to get the theme.
Developing the characters in the most utopian way is an art for S.
Hussain Zaidi and he proves it so wonderfully in both the worlds- non-fiction
and fiction. Right from Mirza’s character to his colleagues and sub-ordinates,
the way he handles the equation and chemistry between them makes you fall in
love with their department even when Police department is something you can
never fall in love with. Haha! Similarly, the way he brings in the angle of CM
and his person being in the team for the investigation is handled so comically
that there are many instances which makes you laugh. The dialogues are very
nicely written because even in the tense situations, the way sarcasm for each
other makes you smile keeps your interest in the story as well as these
not-so-important but funny conversations intact.
Every chapter is like a small episode similar to the modern-day
web-series format. Not a single chapter is written just for extending the plot
but it brings the narration to the next level which increases your curiosity
about what happens next. The way even the anonymous criminal is handled in the
first half of the book is exciting as you don’t get bored of his repetitive
acts. The twists and turns come at the right spot. Even the pre-climax and
climax takes the plot towards another parallel story but the way all of it come
together in the end makes it a fun experience. I liked the editing by the
author and the crisp story-telling prowess that even with such complex concept,
author completes the whole narration in just about 210 pages which is a very
positive sign. Even the beginners can start their reading journey right from the
thriller genre without worrying about how tough it would get for them.
I give this book 4.25* out of 5.
Thanks!
WRITING BUDDHA
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