Review by haooy77 -- The Hand Bringer

[haooy77]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Hand Bringer by Christopher J. Penington is a modern-day retelling of one of the oldest myths in the world – the vampires.

The story begins in Fort Hood, Texas. The main character, Peter Hadrian, is a policeman who gets attacked by a vampire, then is saved and taken to a secret underground organization known as ASA.

The organization is working on a cure against vampirism, and the newcomer arrives just in time to tests its effectiveness. The ultimate goal is to send someone, injected with the antidote, back in time, to 1470s Romania, so they can kill the first-ever vampire – Vlad Dracula – and this way, to prevent vampirism from reaching modern times.

Now, I knew from the summary already that the book took inspiration mainly from Romanian folklore, language, and history. However, this was such an unexpected and unique twist, it’s basically what sold the book to me. Step aside, Avengers, there’s a new pretender for the most ambitious crossover in history.

Something else I liked about this retelling of the vampire myth is that it’s based entirely on biology, more specifically genetics – a scientific field I have a strong fascination with. Reading that bit was a real pleasure.

Another thing I liked equally as much is the incorporation of Medieval Balkan history, Balkan culture, and traditions. Not just Romanian but in general. I just so happen to live in that part of the world, so seeing it acknowledged in such detail has been another great pleasure.

I give the book wholeheartedly 4 stars out of 4. There really isn’t anything I disliked. It was engaging from the beginning to the end, full of action, and incredibly original. In fact, I recently read another retelling of the vampire myth by George R. R. Martin, and I like this one much more. And that’s saying something, considering I’m a hardcore “Game of Thrones” fan. (Sorry, Martin!).

I didn’t notice any typos, spelling or grammar errors. There is, however, mild profanity and mild descriptions of erotic scenes, so I don’t think the book is suitable for readers younger than sixteen.

Other than that, I do recommend it completely to everyone who enjoys reading about vampires and/or is a secret history geek with an inclination towards Eastern Europe. I mean, it beat Martin (in my opinion), and if that’s not enough to convince you it’s worth the reading, then I don’t what is.

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The Hand Bringer
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