Review by gabrielletiemi -- The Hand Bringer

[Gabrielle Sigaki]

[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 tells the story of Peter Hadrian, a police officer who is in the grief of his missing son and murdered ex-wife. But everything changes when he goes attend a call and gets attacked by a strange pale man. After that, he was taken to a laboratory by mysterious people, where the doctors said that would save his life. However, they inoculated a drug in his body that made him stronger and almost invincible. In the same laboratory, he finds Boriana, a strong woman the scientists keep caged in a garden, who seems to know him. Soon, he finds out that the scientists’ choice wasn’t completely random, he has bounds to the Romania past that he doesn’t even imagine. But they helped him for a reason: they want him to go back to medieval Romania to stop a disease that can be the end of the human race. In exchange, Peter wants to turn back time to save his family, but nothing happens the way he planned.

In this book, Christopher J. Penington blends the genres of science fiction, time travel, supernatural and adds some historical aspects in a magnificent form. The language is adapted to the dialogues making it possible to discern some of the people’s personalities very clearly just by that detail. The author has a great ability to develop the story, making each chapter more interesting than the previous one. These were aspects that caused a good impression in me.

But what I liked most in this book was how the author made the chapters dynamic. The novel is long, but you don’t want to put it down a single time. The author uses short phrases, free indirect speech, and an omniscient narrator that shows what the characters are thinking in a fluid form. Also, the twists in the story don’t let us bored, since they are always unpredictable and each chapter comes to amazing plot development. Penington also uses descriptions only when necessary, thus reflecting in the fast progress of the narrative.

There was nothing that I truly disliked, but a detail made me uncomfortable, the fact that the story of one character, Elizabeth, remained incomplete. We know the beginning, but not how it ended. But since it’s the only plot hole I found, and it doesn’t affect the quality of the narrative, I’m not taking a star for that. But I can’t give it four stars since I found more than ten errors, most of them were typos and some grammatical errors, not so much for a long novel. However, it could do with another round of editing.

Therefore, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It’s a shame for me not to give this book four stars, the plot is surprising, and I enjoyed every moment of reading it. I highly recommend it for everybody who likes books about wars, with a touch of sci-fi, and has an attraction to the supernatural. However, the book contains a lot of violence, some suggestions of sexual assault and torture, with erotic content and profanities, so I don’t recommend that people sensitive to these topics read it since it could cause discomfort.

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The Hand Bringer
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[Caffrey_19]

It's good to know that you found this novel captivating. I really enjoyed this book and I always try to acknowledge the author for such a creative display. Nice work on the review.

[Gabriel Kenji]

I was thinking about reading this book, but I'm scared of all the sci-fi vampires things feels to forced. After reading your review, I'll try it though.

[bookreviewmi1111]

The book was interesting, I really enjoy it I rated it 4 out of 4 stars. Thank you for writing an honest review!

[sirbobthewise]

Great job with your review. I felt very similarly about it when I read and reviewed it. The author did a really amazing job of blending together different genres, and it truly was difficult to put down. There were amazingly no dull moments or slow sections, so that added to its attractiveness.

By the way, your avatar makes me happy.

[kdstrack]

I am curious about the caged woman in the garden? Your motivational words about the fast progress of the book and the surprising plot make me want to read about Peter's dilemma. Thanks for the exciting recommendation!

[Gabrielle Sigaki]

It's good to know that you found this novel captivating. I really enjoyed this book and I always try to acknowledge the author for such a creative display. Nice work on the review.

It really has a very creative plot, it's rare to see such great ability in creating a story with so many references. Thanks for your comment!

[Gabrielle Sigaki]

I was thinking about reading this book, but I'm scared of all the sci-fi vampires things feels to forced. After reading your review, I'll try it though.

I didn't feel that it was forced at all. The book is actually pretty fluid. I'm grateful that you changed your mind after reading my review. Thanks for the comment!

[Gabrielle Sigaki]

The book was interesting, I really enjoy it I rated it 4 out of 4 stars. Thank you for writing an honest review!

It's a great book indeed. Thanks for your comment!

[Gabrielle Sigaki]

Great job with your review. I felt very similarly about it when I read and reviewed it. The author did a really amazing job of blending together different genres, and it truly was difficult to put down. There were amazingly no dull moments or slow sections, so that added to its attractiveness.

By the way, your avatar makes me happy.

It's amazing when this happens, a thrilling book with a very interesting plot is always welcome. Thanks for your comment.

About the avatar, Shinobu is my favorite character of the Monogatari Series. ;3

[Gabrielle Sigaki]

I am curious about the caged woman in the garden? Your motivational words about the fast progress of the book and the surprising plot make me want to read about Peter's dilemma. Thanks for the exciting recommendation!

It's a pretty exciting story. I hope you like it and I'm glad I was able to let you curious enough to want to read the book. It's a very interesting and different plot. Thanks for the comment!

[Koltrast]

I'm a big fan of stories that don't fit neatly into one genre, so this seems captivating. I can imagine it was frustrating when a plot line was dropped like that. Perhaps a thread to pick up in a follow-up?
Great review!

[daphne_asir]

I've always loved books with amazing characters! This sounds like a great read. Thanks for the review.

[Standor5865]

A missing son and a murdered wife sounds heavy. I wonder if the main character will be able to focus on his mission. The book sounds engaging.

[Gabrielle Sigaki]

I'm a big fan of stories that don't fit neatly into one genre, so this seems captivating. I can imagine it was frustrating when a plot line was dropped like that. Perhaps a thread to pick up in a follow-up?
Great review!

Who knows? It's a possibility, I would love to read a follow-up of this book. Thanks for the comment!