Review by Radiant3 -- The Hand Bringer
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Radiant3
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Review by Radiant3 -- The Hand Bringer
[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 is a gripping story written by Christopher J. Penington. The story follows the adventures of Officer Peter Hadrian who is attacked by a vampire one night while on duty. The attack proves to be more of a blessing than a curse when, consequently, he is recruited by the ASA, also known as the Apocalypse Suppression Administration. This now gives him the opportunity to find out what happened to his son. Accompanied by his friend Luke, they are sent on a mission through time to 1476 medieval Romania. Peter carries within him a secret weapon that can give him the strength to stop the spread of vampirism. He has to find Dracula and stop him before he gets a chance to spread his darkness across the world.
The Hand Bringer is a complex book with a great mix of science fiction and fantasy that helped to create a brilliant novel. There were themes such as love, spirituality, darkness versus light, redemption and friendship. I really appreciated how the author was able to include a variety of ideas in his story and yet blend them so smoothly.
The scenes were very entertaining and vividly described especially the fight and battle scenes with the vampires. The characters were strong and well defined, for example; Luke’s distinctive sense of humor, Peter’s heroic qualities, and Dracula’s mercilessness. Although there were many characters in the story, they were not a blur in the background but each stood out clearly.
The love between Peter and Boriana was an integral part of the story. They found their love constantly being tested. This added an interesting dimension to the story.
The book did seem professionally edited, since I found just a few errors. This did not distract from the overall reading experience. However, there was the unusual placement of words in some instances of reported speech, such as on page 76, line 25, "From which land have you to come to us?" I didn’t consider these as errors since they may have been purposely written so. There were only a few scattered instances of profanity. Although there was banter and references to sex ever present throughout the book.
I found only one odd point, in reference to Luke on page 23, line 16. The line stated, “And the other one taught college before he quit his job and became a police officer." Yet on page 56, line 18, Luke says in reference to himself, “I’ve been paid to carry a gun since I was seventeen." The statements seemed to contradict each other about Luke's history. I did not find any other negative aspects about the book.
The intricate plot and concepts used made it a very thrilling and compelling read. I gave The Hand Bringer a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I think this story would appeal to a very wide range of readers. Those who enjoy science fiction, adventure, fantasy, and thrillers would really enjoy this book. Readers who do not particularly like reading about death, gore, and vampires might not be interested.
******
The Hand Bringer
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
4 out of 4 stars
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The Hand Bringer is a gripping story written by Christopher J. Penington. The story follows the adventures of Officer Peter Hadrian who is attacked by a vampire one night while on duty. The attack proves to be more of a blessing than a curse when, consequently, he is recruited by the ASA, also known as the Apocalypse Suppression Administration. This now gives him the opportunity to find out what happened to his son. Accompanied by his friend Luke, they are sent on a mission through time to 1476 medieval Romania. Peter carries within him a secret weapon that can give him the strength to stop the spread of vampirism. He has to find Dracula and stop him before he gets a chance to spread his darkness across the world.
The Hand Bringer is a complex book with a great mix of science fiction and fantasy that helped to create a brilliant novel. There were themes such as love, spirituality, darkness versus light, redemption and friendship. I really appreciated how the author was able to include a variety of ideas in his story and yet blend them so smoothly.
The scenes were very entertaining and vividly described especially the fight and battle scenes with the vampires. The characters were strong and well defined, for example; Luke’s distinctive sense of humor, Peter’s heroic qualities, and Dracula’s mercilessness. Although there were many characters in the story, they were not a blur in the background but each stood out clearly.
The love between Peter and Boriana was an integral part of the story. They found their love constantly being tested. This added an interesting dimension to the story.
The book did seem professionally edited, since I found just a few errors. This did not distract from the overall reading experience. However, there was the unusual placement of words in some instances of reported speech, such as on page 76, line 25, "From which land have you to come to us?" I didn’t consider these as errors since they may have been purposely written so. There were only a few scattered instances of profanity. Although there was banter and references to sex ever present throughout the book.
I found only one odd point, in reference to Luke on page 23, line 16. The line stated, “And the other one taught college before he quit his job and became a police officer." Yet on page 56, line 18, Luke says in reference to himself, “I’ve been paid to carry a gun since I was seventeen." The statements seemed to contradict each other about Luke's history. I did not find any other negative aspects about the book.
The intricate plot and concepts used made it a very thrilling and compelling read. I gave The Hand Bringer a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I think this story would appeal to a very wide range of readers. Those who enjoy science fiction, adventure, fantasy, and thrillers would really enjoy this book. Readers who do not particularly like reading about death, gore, and vampires might not be interested.
******
The Hand Bringer
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Escape by Belle Ami
