Review by Foreverrmore14 -- The Hand Bringer

[Ayesha Emjedi]

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

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Hand Bringer, written by Christopher J. Penington, is a book of exquisite imagery and postulation. It is indeed not your usual stereotypical vampire story; and that in itself is a good enough reason to give this book a chance.

The story follows the life of a Dallas street cop by the name of Peter Hadrian. Peter is introduced as a tough and smart man, who had just recently lost his wife and son. After responding to a call asking for assistance, Peter is attacked by a man of abstruse strength. This encounter leads Peter and his friend Luke – who arrived later – to be transported to a facility instead of a hospital. Peter finds himself at a governmental agency in which they successfully genetically re-engineered him as a weaponless warrior. It is here in the book that Peter learns he is to travel back in time, with Luke and a few other men, to Medieval Romania with the intent to wipe out the origin of vampirism. But to be able to do this, it would mean that Peter and his comrades would have to kill Prince Vlad Tepes, commonly known as Dracula. Will Peter and his comrades be able to complete this task? No doubt there will be challenges, betrayals, deaths and losses as their journey begins.

I was completely enthralled by this book. Initially, when I came upon it, I was a little hesitant to read yet another vampire story but was pleasantly surprised when introduced to the unique concept this book held. I found the book to be a roller-coaster of mystery, suspense, action and adventure with just enough humour to keep the reader captivated. The plot was complex at times yet intriguing I was especially amazed at how Penington manipulated modern and medieval times to suit the books pacing.

Penington ensured that only the best dialogues and vocabulary was used, and although some words were relatively big, the context in which it was used made it rather easy to understand. The dialogue was also rather hilarious at times; often bordering sarcasm; it was effective for me in a manner that it would pull me away from the intensity of what was occurring in the scene.

What I liked most about this book was the encounters and hilariously witty dialogue exchanged between the two characters – Luke and Bat. Luke always found a way to provoke Bat with his extensive vocabulary, to which Bat always commented and got annoyed about. Those two always managed to put a smile on my face; and it is fair to say that they quickly became my favourite characters. The aspects I liked least however, is the slow pacing that came with the advancing of the main plot. It seemed as though something was always happening to divert from the plot. I do understand that this adds to the build-up of the story and I could easily overlook those parts.

I had a hard time deciding on an appropriate rating for The Hand Bringer, but came to the conclusion that it deserved a good rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I would have rated it a perfect 4 stars if there weren’t as many errors or if the book had a slightly faster pace to the main story. I do, however, recommend this book to those who love historical fiction with a bit of flare, mystery, action, war and adventure. It is sensitive for younger viewers; or simply for those who dislike war, use of profanity and sexual content.

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The Hand Bringer
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