Book Bound: Zero Day by David Baldacci

Zero Day

Author: David Baldacci

Now, I must confess that I am relatively new to David Baldacci, especially when compared to Jeffrey Archer and John Grisham, but I simply cannot draw a parallel since each of them is in a league of their own, and rightly so.

This is my second David Baldacci book, after Absolute Power which was one of his first books over 15 years ago.

David Baldacci, has struck gold with Zero Day and this is mostly because of Special Agent John Puller. John Puller is a war hero, a special agent with the Military CID and he is among the best at what he does.

In Zero Day, Agent Puller is sent into a struggling rural American coal town to investigate the mysterious murder of a Colonel with the DIA and his family. Agent Puller teams up with a local police Sergeant, Samantha Cole in his quest to get to the bottom of these murders.

As the investigation proceeds, more and more bodies start piling up, but the entire equation behind their deaths doesn’t. Agent Puller gets thrown into the investigation all alone, with the top brass keeping a close eye on the progress. John Puller keeps digging and nearly gets blown up on two occasions.

Agent Puller is the younger son of Army Legend, Lt. General John Puller Sr., now an old man with Alzheimer’s.  His older brother is serving a prison sentence for treason, the reasons of which were not explained. John Puller is portrayed as the perfect American soldier – Tall, Fit, Strong, Technically sound and knows how to follow orders. Puller’s exploits in Afghanistan have earned him several accolades, but he has still not come to terms with losing his 

entire team at war.

What caught my attention the most is Puller’s inept ability to assess situations, being prepared for the worst and the skill to read between the lines.  

His pairing with Sergeant Cole and the development of their dynamic was interesting but largely predictable. The involvement of her entire family created an added complexity, especially with her brother – in – law playing a pivotal role.

David Baldacci has wonderfully weaved in the hazards of surface mining and their impact on the environment. The inclusion of nuclear bombs and technology, while being at the center of the plot, somehow only serves the role of giving the story an explosive ending, where it could have done a lot more.

I will rate Zero Day a 3.5/5. Whenever the book lacks in certain areas, John Puller more than makes up for it. Baldacci has created a memorable character in Puller, a character who we should get to read more about. As far as I am concerned, the book has only just scratched the surface of John Puller.  

Screen Struck: Review of 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Promises were made that this will be the EPIC conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Batman. And EPIC was what was delivered.

Set eight years after Batman took the fall for Two Face Harvey Dent's crimes, all with the hope of making Gotham crime free. Batman's sacrifice has paid off, until terrorist Bane threatens to wipe Gotham City off the map permanently. 

The Dark Knight Rises had the uphill task of living up to the standards set by The Dark Knight in 2008 and Christopher Nolan, with the success of Inception under his belt, has put together and made great great use of a stellar cast all working together like a well oiled machine. 

Every character, developed beautifully, each telling their own story, some torn apart by their loyalties and some driven by their vengeance.

Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred, Joseph Gordon - Levitt as Blake and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox all play key roles in Bruce's journey to finding himself and the Batman again. 

Anne Hathaway as Selina, the catty thief whose only priority is herself, treads the fine line between good and bad, responsible and ruthless perfectly well, adding that needed dose of glamour and oomph into the story. 

Marion Cotillard essays the role of Miranda, a wealthy philanthropist with a twisted past. Despite being so pivotal to the entire plot line, the development of this character is somehow lacking and though a very powerful climax is delivered, a lot is left to the imagination and one can only imagine the impact of a more powerful character could have had on the entire movie. 

Tom Hardy, the Bane of this movie, delivers a role that is powerful and strong. To fill in the boots of Heath Ledger's JOKER is virtually impossible, and Tom Hardy does his bit to become Batman's worst nightmare. Nolan successfully takes Batman to his breaking point with great delivery and orchestration from Bane. But despite the brute force, Bane never holds you the way The Joker did, but thats being way too hard on any body, even though he is the central negative character of the entire movie. 

The Dark Knight in 2008, was purely about the JOKER, the evil and the madness, and the The Dark Knight Rises is only about Batman. Christian Bale does an excellent job of portraying the struggles of a fallen hero. The conflict in him to protect his city at any cost or to live a comfortable life and a sprawling business empire. He takes on a journey of determination and belief, of failures and successes, of transcending beyond a broken body, making sacrifices and protecting what you love the most. For me Christian Bale is Batman. Period. 

Despite its fairly long run time, the movie keeps you engaged and waiting for what is to happen next. The production quality is impeccable and true. It is not a run of the mill superhero movie with action sequences one after the other, Nolan has taken the time and effort to create a story, to incorporate the drama and fiction which make this film stand apart and stand leagues ahead of what I have seen in recent times. 

The downsides? 

Bane, with his mask, was difficult to understand at times. The plethora of characters has resulted in lack of development of certain key characters. The romance between Bruce and Miranda, seemed out of place and unnecessary. 

The biggest downside though, was the lack of 'Batman' time. I surely could have done with more time of him in his cape. 

These few downsides do not undermine the magnitude of this movie at all. I came out a pretty satisfied customer and could not hide my joy for quite a while. 

I'd give The Dark Knight Rises a 4.5 out of 5. 

Till next time. 

The Trail : Prologue

She stood there in utter disbelief, shocked and confused about what just happened. The world as she knew it suddenly ceased to exist. She saw the blood but couldn’t feel the pain. There was a whirlwind of action around her, chaos and mayhem, action and chatter. But she was completely cut away.

She still stood there, unaware, even when all the noise around her subsided. A tap on her shoulder brought her back to reality. An officer, probably from the local police department was saying something to her. She could see him talking, but couldn’t hear him. All she could do was stare.

It was only when she finally saw that serious face that she so very well recognized, that she cracked, tears pouring from her eyes, trying to make sense of all the mayhem that she might have just caused. She braced herself for what she was about to hear. He made his way to her, face full of disappointment and said “Rita, I hope you fully understand the implications of what just happened here.”


To be continued......

PS: The Trail, is simply a working title for all posts to follow under this.

Book Bound: Review of Only Time Will Tell

Only Time Will Tell

The Clifton Chronicles: Volume One

Author: Jeffrey Archer

Only Time Will Tell is the first installment of ‘The Clifton Chronicles’ touted to be Archer’s most ambitious undertaking yet.

Only Time Will Tell - set in post World War I Bristol, England takes us through the riveting beginning of Harry Clifton’s journey.

Born to a War Hero, Arthur Clifton, who Harry believed died in the war. It is a very long journey after which Harry actually learns how his father died, and which in turn throws up the question of whether Arthur was even his father or not.

In the backdrop of the First World War and the inevitability of the Second World War, Harry meets with incredible characters, all who play a pivotal role in helping him achieve his potential.  

Harry’s mother, Maisie Clifton, widowed by the greed of enterprise, is the perfect mother, making every sacrifice after the tragic death of her husband to ensure that Harry gets everything he ever needed. An extraordinary and smart woman, Maisie is constantly faced with difficult choices, some which could even demean her character. She perseveres through it all to ensure that her son sees through school, high school and finds a place at Oxford.

As a young boy, Harry would accompany his uncle, Stan to the docks where he would work. Here Harry meets Old Jack Tar, a brilliant man with a troubled past. Old Jack Tar sparks the inquisitiveness for knowledge in Harry and coaxes him to attend school. It is at school that Harry discovers his exceptional vocal skills and wins a choral scholarship to a prestigious school in Bristol.

At school, Harry makes his first friends after Old Jack Tar, Deakins and Giles. The three boys form a bond for their entire life, which continues into High School and even at Oxford.  Giles is the son of Hugo Barrington, the owner of the docks that Harry’s father used to work. As the boys grow, their friendship strengthens and with that, Mr. Hugo Barrington’s hatred toward Harry grew as well, something that puzzled Giles and his mother. Mr. Hugo’s indifferent behavior was never clearly understood by Harry either.

Over time, Harry falls deeply in love with Giles’s sister, Emma. Mr. Barrington’s rage at this discovery brings his family to the brink of falling apart. It is at this time that he admits he may have been responsible for the death of Arthur Clifton.  Somehow, Harry overlooks this with the hope of being with Emma. Without much ado, Harry proposes to Emma, who willingly accepts. In the middle of this, Harry gets accepted in Oxford and also makes a shocking discovery about his mother.

Just before the wedding, Harry is introduced to the fact that Mr. Barrington might actually be his father. With this discovery and on understanding the potential implications, Harry stops attending classes at Oxford and decides to join the Navy. Harry hops aboard a cargo ship sailing towards America to learn the ropes of sailing. The unexpected announcement of war and a split second decision by Harry, and the serious implications that they might have will impact the course of the books to follow.

Jeffrey Archer’s style of narration is surely the highlight of the book, where each pivotal character progresses the story from their point of view. It is amazing to read the book in such a manner as it does not getting boring and key holes in the story get filled up along the way.

At the end of the book, many interesting questions get thrown up in the mind: Will Harry, now a completely different person be able to get out of the mess he has got himself into? Will he succeed Mr. Hugo Barrington for his entire Empire? Will Emma and Harry ever be able to be together?  

I would rate the book a 4/5 thanks to some great characters, the flow of the book and the fact that it leaves you hanging at a point where you just cant wait for the next one. It makes for a quick and enjoyable read. The narration style comes out on the top and makes me look forward to reading The Sins of the Father, the second installment of the Clifton Chronicles.

RIGMAROLE VII

This blog post is a continuation from: http://eternallypale.blogspot.in/2012/04/rigmarole-vi.html 


Both Mikros and Half Pint understood the pain of poor Twerp and did not push him further with anymore questions. Mikros walked along the path that Half Pint had set him on. The excitement of meeting the wizard had Mikros so excited that he broke into a run. Half Pint and Twerp held on the edge of his pocket for their dear lives, but the gush of wind was too strong for them to hold on for long. They decided to go down into the pocket and catch up on some rest.

Mikros was more than happy, for he now got the chance to be on his own and imagine what he could become after meeting the wizard. He had never been so excited and happy in a very very long time.

Back inside the pocket, Half Pint and Twerp exhausted by the unexpected turn of events over the last few days fell asleep almost immediately. In deep slumber, Half Pint dreamed of the reunion with his father, the powerful Wizard of Ounce, both excited and nervous

On the other hand, Twerp was tossing and turning, disturbed with the freshly resurfaced thoughts of his father, the infamous ‘Pervertous Magnus.’ What started out as a dream, turned into a nightmare with images he had seen as a kid flooding back to memory. Twerp suddenly awoke, sweating and shivering. Before he could say anything to the fast asleep Half Pint, Mikros let out a cry for help.

Mikros stood confused at a rather unique crossroad, from where eight different paths diverged, but all of them carried a sign leading to the same place: ’The Castle of Ounce’. Mikros was intelligent, but he just could not wrap his head around this.

Twerp woke Half Pint up, and showed him their new predicament. Half Pint’s eyes opened wide in amazement, he was quiet for a couple of minutes and then cracked up in wild laughter. Both Mikros and Twerp were so confused that the only thing they could was wait for Half Pint to stop.

Finally, after catching his breath, Half Pint proudly announced: ‘Welcome to the Castle of Ounce’. He had Mikros let him down onto the ground and then childlike again, Half Pint muttered and jumbled a few words. He stepped back and waited. The 8 different paths moved all at once and transformed into one broad pathway leading straight ahead into a town, at the end of which a magnificent castle was seen

A voice suddenly bellowed from inside the town seemingly coming from the castle:

“You dare step foot on Ounce soil again! What brings you home Colorius, the wizard prophesised to bring rainbows back to the world?”

This post will be continued at: http://anujaponkshe.blogspot.in/2012/05/rigmarole-vol-viii-continued-from.html

Another Hiatus comes to an end

Two and a half years!!!! Two and a half f****ng years have gone by.

Things have changed and so have perceptions,
Things have changed and so have situations,
Things have changed and so have relations.

But, that is not the objective of this post, the objective is to thank the current schematic of things that have brought about the end to the hiatus.

There is more to come, all about travels and journeys, triumphs and tribulations.

Till then,
Adios, ciao, goodbye and the works!

After ages, i am thinking again :)

An interesting question thrown at me today got me thinking. I being the only person at the table who was not in a relationship, was thought to be the ideal person to answer. The question was whether I would prefer to be in a relationship or just a friend with benefits. Now for the uninitiated like me, a friend with benefits is just like any other friend but with the benefits of a girlfriend or boyfriend (whichever applicable to your personal tastes and preferences) with no strings attached in the sense of commitment or the likes. I have to admit, the question did catch me off guard, but when I think of it, the answer surely is that I would prefer to be in a relationship rather than to have a friend with benefits. My reasoning goes like this, for me as an individual, though being rather detached, I would always want to have a person who I can rely on and also be relied upon at the same time. A lot of things happen in our lives every day and to have something stable and steady really makes a lot of difference. For me, its not the physical aspect of a relationship, but the emotional aspect that matters more. To know, that when your down and out, and when you need something more than what a normal friend can give you, but its not physical what you need, its here when being in a relationship is different. There are separate jurisdictions where friends operate and with someone who shares more than that, the playing field is different, completely different. At the same time, im not against friends being in a relationship, it makes a lot more sense then because you are with someone who knows you as a friend first. So there is comfort and understanding. And when you share something deeper with someone who is already a friend, things are bound to fall in place easier coz of the higher amounts of the already established understanding of one another.
Another interesting observation is that I was asked this question by people who are already in relationships. And as far I know, they are not particularly unhappy there either. So this only fortifies my point to say that, what a relationship can give you, in this case nothing else can. The relationship needs to be solid and long lasting undoubtedly.
We all are looking for the right person in our lives, they might be right in front of us and we never know. Feel what the other person feels for you before you let yourself into the relationship or before you say no to that person. We all need just one person to change our lives. All we need is a hand to hold and a pair of eyes to look into to see that they believe you when you don’t believe in yourself. To feel cared for when you know the world is looking down at you. To know that someone will listen to every little word of yours and say that itll be ok, to know that you mean the world to someone and to feel that you are loved.
There is nothing else to this life, all the pain and anguish will just disappear when you find that hand to hold, those eyes to believe in and that person to embrace.

well till next time,

adios, ciao, goodbye and the works