Review by Rwill0988 -- The Hand Bringer
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Rwill0988
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Review by Rwill0988 -- The Hand Bringer
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Hand Bringer" by Christopher J. Penington.]
The Hand Bringer by Christopher J. Penington is a historical fiction and science fiction novel. The book explores vampirism, time travel and 15th century Romania. The exploration into history looks at the politics of the time, how people lived, superstitions of the time and warfare. These subjects intertwine to create a unique and interesting story.
This story follows Peter Hadrian, the Hand Bringer, and his journey to stop the spread of the seenjite microorganism from spreading in 15th century Romania to ensure that vampirism does not exist in his time. As a reward for accomplishing this, the Apocalypse Suppression Administration (ASA) will help Peter find his son.
Peter is sent back in time with his friend Luke McElroy, a convict named Bat, and a scientist named Dr. Chester Kolemis. Peter’s natural intelligence and training are heightened by an inoculation he receives against vampirism. While Luke and Bat are also inoculated, they don’t share the same level of strength as Peter. Even with this strength, will Peter have the strength required to stamp out vampirism? Considering the time paradox, is it even possible? Throughout the novel, these questions are answered.
The majority of this book was enjoyable. I would give The Hand Bringer 4 out of 4 stars. My favorite parts were the various relationships in the book. My favorite relationship was between Peter and Boriana because it developed naturally throughout the story. The relationship felt very realistic because of the ups and downs they faced. My least favorite part of the book was the overly detailed descriptions of warfare and battle scenes. Many of these could have been edited or removed, and the story would have been better for it. With vampirism and time travel and warfare there was a possibility this novel would bite off more than it could chew. For the most part, this wasn’t the case.
The spelling, grammar, and vocabulary of this story were excellent. Luke and Peter tend to have a very rich vocabulary. The most difficult character to understand was Bat and this was an intentional choice by Penington. The Wallachians, Moldavians, and Transylvanians from the 15th century also had speech patterns that took some time to adjust to but having that dialect included enriched the story.
There were erotic scenes in this book. These included seductions, rapes and romantic sexual intercourse. Each erotic scene fits into the novel and felt important to the storyline. During a couple of these scenes, it was fairly clear that the story was written by someone who did not completely understand the female perspective. I found this disappointing because for the majority of the story Boriana and Elizabeth were very well written and developed.
A reader of The Hand Bringer needs to enjoy time travel and historical fiction novels. However, those picking this novel up hoping for a standard vampire novel will be disappointed. When I finished the book, I was pleased with how Penington wrapped up all the loose ends. It would be a book I recommend to others.
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The Hand Bringer
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Hand Bringer by Christopher J. Penington is a historical fiction and science fiction novel. The book explores vampirism, time travel and 15th century Romania. The exploration into history looks at the politics of the time, how people lived, superstitions of the time and warfare. These subjects intertwine to create a unique and interesting story.
This story follows Peter Hadrian, the Hand Bringer, and his journey to stop the spread of the seenjite microorganism from spreading in 15th century Romania to ensure that vampirism does not exist in his time. As a reward for accomplishing this, the Apocalypse Suppression Administration (ASA) will help Peter find his son.
Peter is sent back in time with his friend Luke McElroy, a convict named Bat, and a scientist named Dr. Chester Kolemis. Peter’s natural intelligence and training are heightened by an inoculation he receives against vampirism. While Luke and Bat are also inoculated, they don’t share the same level of strength as Peter. Even with this strength, will Peter have the strength required to stamp out vampirism? Considering the time paradox, is it even possible? Throughout the novel, these questions are answered.
The majority of this book was enjoyable. I would give The Hand Bringer 4 out of 4 stars. My favorite parts were the various relationships in the book. My favorite relationship was between Peter and Boriana because it developed naturally throughout the story. The relationship felt very realistic because of the ups and downs they faced. My least favorite part of the book was the overly detailed descriptions of warfare and battle scenes. Many of these could have been edited or removed, and the story would have been better for it. With vampirism and time travel and warfare there was a possibility this novel would bite off more than it could chew. For the most part, this wasn’t the case.
The spelling, grammar, and vocabulary of this story were excellent. Luke and Peter tend to have a very rich vocabulary. The most difficult character to understand was Bat and this was an intentional choice by Penington. The Wallachians, Moldavians, and Transylvanians from the 15th century also had speech patterns that took some time to adjust to but having that dialect included enriched the story.
There were erotic scenes in this book. These included seductions, rapes and romantic sexual intercourse. Each erotic scene fits into the novel and felt important to the storyline. During a couple of these scenes, it was fairly clear that the story was written by someone who did not completely understand the female perspective. I found this disappointing because for the majority of the story Boriana and Elizabeth were very well written and developed.
A reader of The Hand Bringer needs to enjoy time travel and historical fiction novels. However, those picking this novel up hoping for a standard vampire novel will be disappointed. When I finished the book, I was pleased with how Penington wrapped up all the loose ends. It would be a book I recommend to others.
******
The Hand Bringer
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
“Give me a man or woman who has read a thousand books and you give me an interesting companion. Give me a man or woman who has read perhaps three and you give me a very dangerous enemy indeed.” ~ The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
Latest Review: Julu by Jan Anderegg
