Review by Zainabreadsnow -- The Hand Bringer

Zainabreadsnow · Post by **Zainabreadsnow** » 14 Aug 2020, 12:54

[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 is a time travel book that is masterfully crafted into a fantasy packed action novel with vampires! Any story with vampires in them is a story I must read and this one is an invigoratingly unique take on the subject. It follows the story of two gallant cops, Peter Hadrian and Luke, who are employed by the Apocalypse Suppression Administration (ASA) to defeat a deadly threat to the human race; vampirism. Peter Hadrian is bitten by a vampire on a mission which led to him undergoing a genetic reengineering surgery. This backstory is what makes Peter the best protagonist for this mission. I would rate this fast-paced, energetic story that plays with elements of the past and combines them with fantasy to create a new universe 4 out of 4 stars.

A majority of the story takes place in 15th Century Romania which is where the villain of the story, Vlad Dracula, is present. The choice of placing the story in the past took me surprise as most fantasy novels tend to create a new reality-based in the future. Creating a fantasy in the future allows for more creativity and can make space for a writer to bend reality to suit their story better. Naturally, this meant that Christopher J Penington had set himself a rather difficult task which he accomplished beautifully. He manages to include details of the war between Walachia and Turks that keep the story rooted in the past and adds more realism to the plot.

Christopher J Penington skillfully introduces the characters of Peter and Luke to the reader and slowly makes the reader fall in love with each of them. I immediately sympathized with Peter’s backstory of losing his wife and son to horrible circumstances. It made room for a lot of character development as at the beginning of the story, Peter is a depressed person who needs to make a lot of changes to his life to become a better functioning person. Luke and a character that was introduced later on, Boriana, feel mostly like side characters. I am not sure if that was the intention of Christopher J Penington.

The book is very well edited and I thoroughly enjoyed the smooth flow of the storytelling experience that is indicative of well thought out and effortlessly edited text. I would warn any younger audiences to steer clear of this book as it does contain quite a bit of profanity. Since the book also discusses topics such as losing family members, death, and rape, I would suggest proceeding with caution for anyone who might find it triggering.

I would recommend this book to any lover of fantasy and historical fiction. It is an absolute joy to read Christopher J Penington’s work and I cannot wait to delve into more of his writing in the future.

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The Hand Bringer
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Rashida10 · Post by **Rashida10** » 31 Aug 2020, 10:03

This story possesses highly contagious characters. Peter Hadrian seems to be at the top of the list of these characters. I have a good feeling about this book. Thanks for sharing.

Zainabreadsnow · Post by **Zainabreadsnow** » 01 Sep 2020, 09:31

Rashida10 wrote: ↑31 Aug 2020, 10:03 This story possesses highly contagious characters. Peter Hadrian seems to be at the top of the list of these characters. I have a good feeling about this book. Thanks for sharing.

The characters are truly intriguing. Thank you for your comment!