Dr. Razi Ahmed had brought to us a light action comedy based around the Covid-19 pandemic. This very well grounded and thoroughly researched story goes through extreme lengths to establish its comic tones. In the bleak setting of the pandemic, the novel takes you into a journey that is a mix of science fiction and spy thriller and yet, has enough Avengers references so you don’t take it too seriously.
The story explores the laboratory origins of the Coronavirus as the Seeker, an agent of D.R.A.S.T.I.C. recruits the help of an American scientist Celina. Together they follow breadcrumbs in the maze of lies searching for the truth behind the genesis of SARS-CoV-2.
Much of what the story talks about can be found in a summarized version on this Wikipedia page. That is not to say the book is directly sourced from Wikipedia and the links therein, or that the story itself is barely a fictionalization of news reports. The disclaimer at the beginning makes the fictitious nature of the story extra clear.
As the D.R.A.S.T.I.C.’s conspiracy theory backed by Celina’s scientific research and findings starts to gain some traction, they come in the scope of the FBI.
FBI agent Viktor Kujur, the literal amalgamation of Thor and Captain America without the blonde hair, appears with an uncanny knack of saving Celina from tight spots she invariably finds herself in.
Their adventure takes them to the Wuhan Institute of Virology in a daring action-packed trip. But the high point of the story is what comes after… after the confirmation of their theories and unmasking of all villains. The twist and the final showdown were the most interesting part of the book.
There are scientific and biotechnology details of the book that may ultimately bore the casual reader, and almost two thirds of the book is the search for clues, phone conversations, technical details and other non-exciting stuff which, despite having roots in the truth, feel like a convenient puzzle with many pieces at the right places to fit into the bigger picture at the slightest tug.
An international adventure spanning from the USA to China, through India, does not actually feel international. The book could have used some flavour of different accents and languages.
All the Avengers references aside, the Skyhook stuck out like a sore thumb in my opinion, for the nerd of the story not immediately pointing out The Dark Knight connection!
This is a well written, fast paced story which can be your next read if you are in the mood for a lighthearted action comedy. It doesn’t actually need to be adapted to the big screen, because it already is like a movie story with the larger than life hero and a devious, monstrous, tattooed villain!
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