Review by NGM15 T+ -- The Hand Bringer

NGM15 T+ · Post by **NGM15 T+** » 21 Jun 2020, 13:41

[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 features a story of a Police officer, Peter Hadrian whose life took a drastic turn when a vampire attacked him during his duty. Peter had grief and quest for answers following the death of his wife although they were divorcing and his son as he only found a blood-stained Halloween costume. Born by a Romanian mother and unknowingly exposed to vampire blood, Peter survived after he has been infected with seenjites to immunize him against the infection. However, it also made him the viable candidate for the Blue Project run by Apocalypse Suppression Administration (ASA) whose mission is to travel back in time through a portal to destroy the origins of vampirism before it reaches its present time. They believe that vampirism originated in Romania around the 1470s with Vlad Dracula. Peter is lured by the idea of finding his son and he is joined by his friend Luke, Bat aka Matthew, two members of ASA Dr. Kolemis, and Colonel Scot.

Their mission into finding and killing Dracula is filled with twist and turns, treachery, romance, forging alliances, endless wars, faith, and wisdom. Although the mission was accomplished, only two members Peter and Bat survived, Luke as a result of greed and love didn’t make it back and Dr. Kolemis who has been deceiving his colleagues at ASA and throughout the journey returned as a vampire but later on died as he was sent through a different portal. Peter reunited with his son on his way back from the mission and also found a wife Boriana, the one who infected him on his fifth birthday.

What I liked the most about this book is how the whole story showed the impact of predestining as Peter, not by his own volition was chosen at his young age to end vampirism, and back in time his coming was also foretold. The fight between light and darkness and the ability of faith and prophecy to bring victory makes the story an enchanting fiction entangled with history, science, and beliefs. The author took his precious time delving into time travel, medieval and Romanian history, and vampirism, his vocabulary is exquisite including the use of Romanian dialect. The ending of the story which reveals how everything unfolded from the time Peter lost his son because of Boriana to how Dr. Kolemis was chosen by Boriana makes an interesting twist the reader would not have imagined from the throughout the story.

I would give a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I did not come across any typos or grammatical errors hence I can safely state that the book was professionally edited. There are violent and romantic scenes, and frequent use of vulgar language which all makes the book not suitable for children and other groups of people who do not subscribe to the use of such language. The entire story was well-plotted with each chapter leaving room for imagination. I would recommend this book to people who love sci-fi, fantasy, and adventurous stories.

Although the story is well-plotted there are some parts of it that are a bit confusing such as the existence of Boriana in the present world as a vampire and back in time. I found it confusing at the end on who really wanted to destroy Vlad Dracula, between Boriana who is telling Peter about his predestination and how she aided him into achieving it and the ASA. The book title which is also the name Peter is being called by throughout the book is also not given its meaning.

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The Hand Bringer
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