Seizure - Robin Cook (Book)

54/100 of #100bookpact Seizure - Robin Cook

This book had been in my collection for quite a while and somewhere I read about his latest release so thought of picking this up first. What an amazing Biotech thriller it is - written by a Doctor (MD) it actually gives a good glimpse in the life of likes. As the protagonist(s) of this one is a Harvard PHd, who has found the cure for Parkinson's which isn't yet approved by FDA. What all he has to go through to put it in the line of approval (by force) by illegally testing it on the same Senator who discards his idea in the first place. Because he wants to use it first for himself being a Parkinson's sufferer and is about to lose his ever flourishing career. With a superb twist thrown in which relates to Shroud of Turin thrown in - it makes up for a superb detailed thriller with eye popping details on Biotechnology advancements. Involvement of other characters, the illegal practices, their cross country travels on research and collection of required items - makes up for an amazing thrilling ride. The entire book covers up close to a months time and it is written in such an intelligent and engrossing manner that I actually had to go back to earlier chapters to check the dates and time to make the pieces fall on their right places. This is almost one of those very few novels which kept sending me back after placing the book mark on the current pages again and again. Too Good. I guess I am all ready now to pick up some of his other works as well need to pick up a couple of books mentioned in this one on Shroud of Turin now - that is so fascinatingly mentioned and written about in this one that its just impossible to resist now. Another good part about the whole story is the explanation given by Robin Cook in the end of the book clearing fact with fiction hence calling it a Faction, I really liked that.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Book)

53/100 of #100bookpact Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

One of the most gruesome murder stories with fantastic (don't know how good it is to use that word for a murder) gory details told in one of the most chilled out ways. Can't say I loved it but yes as a book it is indeed mind-blowing for its size and what it covers. As the title suggests - I specially loved the way the whole story is narrated in the very first line itself the author has told us very clearly - what is going to happen, who is going to and why too. Even then the pace, the suspense, events relating to it, reasons, and almost everything else works supremely. Its gripping, intriguing and very captivating till the very last page. I just couldn't believe it the way story moves and it also got me thinking of an alternative ending, I actually thought and wished that its going to go some other way. I have never read a better murder story then this one ever and this is one of the best stories for "How Done It" genre (If that's even grammatically correct). Superb Book.

Animal Farm - George Orwell (Book)

52/100 of #100bookpact Animal Farm - George Orwell

Wifey got this book from her office library being the thinnest and smallest book in the whole rack and I gladly picked up as it came highly recommended by some of my own friends - even she liked it. Although its a nice one time read with being so smaller in size I could actually finish it in one sitting but once I reach midways - I started realizing that something wasn't right about it and thats when I Wiki'ed and realized what the author actually wanted to pin point at. Thats another problem when you read a book which was written say 50, 60 or may be a 100 years ago - you may not get its real point what it meant to make and like this one - for people who may not care to know it turns out to be a nice little book on farm animals who revolt against human barbarism against animals and start living on their own. They go to an extent of living almost a humans like life, play cards and drink whiskey like us. They even make their own anthem and sing it proudly too, they have their own Seven Commandments (Hilarious ones) and they believe the funda of "Four Legs Good Two Legs Bad". They change so much themselves that some of them become their own leaders and their internal issues start cropping up before the inevitable predictable end it draws to. Whereas the story has got a lot to do with Russian revolution and the characters mentioned in this story are taken from some of the great names from Russia (Old United). But even otherwise its a fantastic fast read which did put a lot of smiles on my face and made me laugh ear to ear with the hilarious situations.

Frankenstein - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (Book)

51/100 of #100bookpact Frankenstein - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley I have no idea why but as and when the word Frankenstein used to come to my mind - I used to think of it / he was a man / ghost / robot or some kind of animal put together by a maverick scientist by taking parts of various animals or humans. Finally I get to read the book and set the score straight that it was actually Frankenstein (Victor) who makes the "Creature" and no the other way round. Heart touching story of an experiment gone wrong (rogue) and what happens next when its actually made and left on its own. How the Creature is made (not in too much details) its repercussions on its maker and his own family is the story. Initially it is written in the format of letters being written by a guy who is on some kind of voyage across the globe to his own sister, where he gets to meet Frankenstein and later it becomes the first person account of the maker itself to the world, followed by Creatures story to his own maker. The account of the Creature as how he sees us humans is an eye opener and something which indeed put a lump in my throat - poor soul. As he narrates his own story of survival where he tries never to hurt anyone yet he keeps getting hurt by us just because of his looks. What he does in anger or as a revenge to his maker changes their life forever. His one last request or demand with his maker before he promises to never appear on the face of the earth is heart touching, what was the demand? The loyalty of reader keeps shifting from Creature to Frankenstein and back to the Creature. Superb Book.

Inferno - Dan Brown (Book)

50/100 of #100bookpact Inferno - Dan Brown I love those writers (and books) especially the ones those are able to give me sleepless nights (although that has got nothing to do with my graveyard shift) and Dan Brown is one of those few good ones. This being his latest work that I guess isn't appreciated much by critics as his best but of course I totally loved it - as picked it up Saturday early morning and had to finish it this morning to not to have a break in between. After seeing a couple of movies based on his books and totally loving the character of Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks on big screen) it was simply impossible for me to not to have it. Again it is almost as pacy as his other works - same treatment for Robert too - wakes up in a hospital with a gun shot wound on his head - no memory of last two days, why is he in Florence, why are people trying to kill him, what has WHO got to do with him. The pace is simply frenetic with so much going on continuously (typical Dan Brown) and Robert on foot with a little help from another character who happens to be a doctor.  Another thing about Dan Brown is that his books are a total visual treat and so rich in Architecture, History, Symbols, Amazing places and the theories that he comes out with - totally believable (scary at times). Even in this book the mathematical calculation that he has given for world population growth and its impact on planet or humanity is scary. It's like he is actually making us aware that the end is near (yet again) and there is no way we can stop it, so does the villain in this one - kill half the population with one swift move and make the planet last long for the rest. The question is - is he really a villain? Should he be stopped? He has already set a time bomb ticking at a location no one knows where, will Robert be able to reach on time and diffuse, the bigger question - should the bomb be diffused or should it go off? The whole story in wrapped up in flat 72 hours I believe. Another best part of this book is that the movie is right round the corner and should be releasing in a couple of months- I am now so eagerly waiting for it - gonna be watching it first day first show for sure. If you like thrillers - you just cant ignore this and if you have read it already - do let me know how you liked it.

PS: Also, with this book - I have reached the halfway mark :)