22 September, 2016

03:02 by Mainak Dhar - [Book Review]


Book Details:

Title: 03:02
Author: Mainak Dhar
Publishers: Westland
No of pages:340
Genre: thriller, fiction

Source: A free review copy from the author through www.writersmelon.com


Book Blurb:

At 03:02 on a Sunday morning, the world as we knew it came to an end.
Mumbai suddenly went black — no electricity, no phones, no internet and no working cars. It was as if someone had turned off the master switch of our civilization, turning us back hundreds of years overnight. We learned that it was not just Mumbai, but much of the world that had been impacted.

We also learned that it was no accident. A deadly enemy was behind it. An enemy that was now in our midst, seeking to conquer us and destroy our way of life. This is how our war for freedom began. A war that was to be waged not on the borders or by the Army, but in our homes and streets, with us as the soldiers.
This is our story.

My Review:
This is my second book of Mainak Dhar and I expected this to be a thriller too like first one
The chronicles of the undead. I loved the chronicles, you can read my review here.

The plot of 03:02 is good. This is the story of a common man who defend and attack terrorists with a strategy when he works with many people who beleive in fighting back together than waiting for someone else to rescue them. But, the narration and pace made it boring for me. I actually skipped some pages as there is too much detailed information on plan and strategy of attack with terrorists.

The way the author has narrated the story, it might have made a great movie with some emotional drama. It is good to read about different people and their thoughts when they are presented with a tough situation which they haven't faced earlier in their lives. But, the emotional connect was missing in the book. Usually in novels, we connect to the characters by reading the different layers of their characters and their emotions. Here, other than Adi and Megha, we cannot connect with other characters as book readers. The book seemed too much focused on Adi most of the time, which I didn't like. 

The title and cover are apt. I loved the message re-iterated at many places of the book about fighting back together than losing hope. 

My favourite lines of the book:

If your whole world is painted black, you can start to light it up again. All it needs is for each of us to realize that we should stop waiting for someone else to provide the spark; that the spark lies within each of us.


I recommend this book to someone who love strategies and war attacks. There is a good message too. But, if you love fast paced thrillers, you can give it a skip.

My Rating: 3.5/5

PS: I have received a free review copy in exchange of an honest review and this is my unbiased opinion on the book.


Purchase links:


Flipkart


About the Author:

After finishing his schooling at Modern School, Barakhamba Road and his under-graduation at Hindu College, Delhi, Mainak Dhar graduated from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He has spent two decades in the corporate sector — starting with Procter & Gamble in India. He spent eighteen years with P&G, fifteen of them outside India across the Asia Pacific region. In 2014, he moved back to India as the CEO of the India operations of a major consumer products multinational. 

A self-described cubicle dweller by day and writer by night, Mainak is also the author of over a dozen books, some of which have been bestsellers in India and abroad. These books have been translated into Turkish, Vietnamese, Japanese, French, German and Portuguese. He lives in Mumbai with his wife, Puja, and their son, Aaditya. When not at work or with his family, he can usually be found working on, or thinking about his next book. Learn more about him and contact him atwww.facebook.com/AuthorMainakDhar.


Until next time,








10 comments:

  1. Thanks for this great review. I enjoy contemporary thrillers particularly those set in Mumbai and will definitely put this on my to read lisg

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    Replies
    1. Yeah.. you will connect well as it's completely set up in Mumbai. Thanks Bellybytes

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  2. Thanks Ramya. Point noted.

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  3. Too bad. I've read a number of books along this theme (although not taking place in India) and I might have been interested if it had more social and cultural details to enjoy.

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    Replies
    1. Yes Alana. It has some social details in the story

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  4. Loved the honesty with which you review the book. The plot indeed is interesting.

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  5. That was such a well written review! Really enjoyed it. Not sure Ill read this book, but I'll come back to your blog for more tips on books . Awesome blog you have. Thanks:-)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the good words Eli. Humbled 🙂

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