Review of The Hand Bringer

[mkreusser25]

[i][Following is a volunteer review of "The Hand Bringer" by Christopher J. Penington.][/i]

[rwc=id402842-125]2 out of 4 stars.[/rwc]Review 1



The hand bringer by Christopher J. Pennington is a novel about Peter Hadrian, an injured police officer recruited for a covert mission to stop a virus believed to be causing vampirism in medieval Romania to prevent exposure in the present. The story amounts to a soft one out of four stars. The idea of the novel is appealing and unique; however, the product itself leaves character development and plot clarity wanting.



The reader never gets a full description of Peter Hadrian, save his green eyes. The inner psyche of Hadrian is even more elusive. At times he appears sociopathic with his lack of emotion and surplus of violence, other times he appears brilliant beyond reason though his deduction is never elaborated on. His strength is exemplified though violence against animals, killing two dogs in the beginning and punching a horse in the face later. Pennington, character’s also fell into and out of love quickly and without reason. By his standards adultery is an indication of a good relationship. The only readers who might enjoy this novel are those with a vague interest in inaccurate historical fiction, with surplus scenes of violence, and poor character interactions.



The novel is peppered with curse language, none of which adds to character dialog. The first occurrence is on page — in chapter —.

There are some scenes that border erotic, however they, like the book, leave the reader confused and mystified that something could be so intriguing and incomplete at once.



I had hoped that as the novel progressed the clarity of the plot would as well, sadly it did not. The plot had no true beginning, the antagonists were unclear, as time itself and greed often appeared to be the true antagonists. There are mild allusions to pagan tradition, followed my Christian morality which I found confusing and distracting from what remnants of the plot I could follow.



I am unsure of the symbolism within the plot, however one larger question is that of the name ‘Hand-bringer,’ which is never explained. I assume Hadrian is meant to be a savior of sorts, through his psyche leaves much wanting in that area. Luke seemed a more likely hero, however he seemed to take the role of an antihero at the end of the novel.

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[i]The Hand Bringer [/i]
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