Review by Camilarush -- The Hand Bringer

Camilarush · Post by **Camilarush** » 29 May 2020, 15:21

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

4 out of 4 stars

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The Hand Bringer by Christopher J. Penington tales the story of Peter Hadrian, a street cop in Dallas with Romanian heritage. His life used to circle around his son’s mysterious disappearance, until one day he receives a call to assist another officer that will turn his life upside down. A man with an inhumanly strength attacks Peter and he has to be taken to a facility in Texas, which belongs to a secret governmental agency. There, Hadrian and his friend Luke, discover that Peter’s heritage bounded him to Romania more that he could ever believe. Hadrian is genetically modified to be the strongest man on earth, and vampire-immune (they also discover that vampires are a real thing).

Subsequently, Peter, Luke, and other team members are assigned to a time-travel mission in medieval Romania (they also discover that time travel is also a real thing). Their aim is to stop the rising of vampirism, which is suspected to spread in Vlad Dracula’s reign (Yes, THAT Dracula). In the facility, they learn everything they need to survive in the medieval era, including using a sword.

I give this book 4 out of 4 stars, that’s how much I liked it. If I could summarize the story in one word, I would say “exciting”. This is the second time I read a Penington book and I loved it just as much; I can’t wait to read more from him. The story has it all, love, sorrow, action, suspense, humor, and mystery. The writing is beautiful; the author has a way of describing the character’s thoughts that really allows the reader to be immersed in what is happening. It is also very well edited; I have found only one spelling mistake in the book.

Another aspect that I really like about Penington’s book are the characters. They are complex beings, everyone has an interesting back-story. And everyone develops throughout the story, making them a completely different being in the end compared to how they started. I specifically loved the relationship between Luke and Bat (two of the crew members involved in the mission) because they were so different they were constantly having funny arguments. Bat, being mostly uneducated, having a very basic vocabulary, and Luke being an educated person who more often than not likes to use difficult words around Bat. Their arguments are just hilarious, and the contrast between them makes a very interesting addition to the story.

The world-building is also very detailed. As a reader, you really have the insight of medieval Romania; you can understand just enough of their culture and way of living. However, you don’t have too much information to get overwhelmed by history.

I would recommend this story to historical fiction fans, who also like fantasy and a dash of Science fiction. If you like vampires and the medieval world, this is the book for you. However, I must add that this book does contain erotic content and profanity, making it not a book for young audiences.

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The Hand Bringer
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