The Left Hand of God [Hardcover]

The first words or feelings that come to mind when reading the first several pages of this book, are those of desolation, loneliness, and cruelty. Cale has not had an easy life, and nobody seems to care about him. He is only good for being trained in the art of war. He is not allowed to make friends, lest he be punished. He has been made an example of, many times, in his young life. Sadly, he can't even tell anyone how old he is, as he doesn't know. He thinks that he is either 14 or 15, but doesn't honestly know for sure, and he can't ask anyone because they either don't know, or don't care. This book definitely captured my interest.
I really enjoyed Cale's character. He is multi-faceted and although he has had a rough start to his life, he still has a lot of depth. He learns about foreign emotions that had previously been withheld from him. He never knew that there were other emotions or feelings that he could feel, and it is interesting to see him explore these emotions, and therefore learn more about himself.
I enjoyed the world-building, and thought it was quite well done. The only drawback that I really found, was that certain places, or names were mentioned. These names are not "fantasy" based, and are more "real world" based, so I found that quite distracting. However, other than that, the book was quite well done. It was a fast-paced, engaging read, and I can't wait to read the next installment.
All in all, a great read. It had some distracting qualities, but overall, it was a really good debut fantasy novel. It has the markers for being the start of an epic story.

Many thanks goes to Bronwyn from Penguin Canada for sending me this book for review. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I try every once in a while to step out of my comfort zone and read something that for me, is different.

The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman filled the bill. It's a dark fantasy, set in a dystopian past.

Cale is taken at a very young age to the Sanctuary of the Redeemer to be trained by warrior monks to fight a holy war against the outside world. The thousands of boys inside the wall of the fortress have no idea of the world outside the walls - they've been indoctrinated to believe in the monks' cause. But one day, Cale and two of his friends (although friendship is discouraged) discover a secret door. They find that there are others - females,plentiful food, music and more. When Cale acts against the monks, he and his friends must escape out into the unknown.

What follows is a great adventure. I was intrigued by what would be beyond the walls. Hoffman's world is an odd mix of the past, drawing upon biblical references, philosophical views and historical works. Yet, his description of the impending and continuing wars among the peoples of this world parallels many of the conflicts happening in our present day. One ruler's plans to take all of one race to a remote island and be rid of them calls the Holocaust to mind.

This book somewhat reminded me of a darker Princess Bride as well. Cale is drawn to a young woman of the ruling cast of Memphis and much of his path is dictated by his attraction to her. Battles, escapes, miscommunication and odd characters populate The Left Hand of God. Hoffman has a sly sense of humor, injecting offbeat comments when least expected.

It's hard to say who this book will appeal to. The publisher has touted it as a dark Harry Potter, the protagonists are in their teens, but the audio book version is listed as 18+. There is cruelty and violence, yet love and hope as well. Definitely one for fans of speculative fiction. This is the first of a planned trilogy and the ending has neatly set up the second book. As there were a few plot lines that were never fully explained in this first book, I predict they too will be part of the sequel. Not my usual fare, but I enjoyed it and am curious as to what Hoffman has planned for Cale

(May Contain Spoilers)

This book is not my usual type of read but here has been a lot of buzz surrounding it which got me interested in reading it. The beginning was very confusing and I almost gave up on the book. Not a lot of information was given about the Sanctuary or the Redeemers. Even Cale who's been at the Sanctuary practically his whole life doesn't question anything of what the Redeemers tell him. Finally things started getting interesting for me about 50 pages in, when Cale makes a startling discovery that has him and his friends fleeing the Sanctuary and heading to Memphis.

Life at the Sanctuary is brutal and tough. The kids that are there receive extremely harsh and cruel treatment from the Redeemers. At the Sanctuary, Cale has been trained as a killing machine. When in a fight, he turns cold hearted and feels nothing. Living at the Sanctuary is all that Cale knows so when he flees, he's naïve to a lot of things and doesn't really what else is out there.

There were so many compelling characters. My favorites are Vague Henri and Kleist who are Cale's friends and who will always be by Cale's side when he needs them. Even minor characters who only appeared briefly each had their own different backgrounds and stories that intrigued me as well.

Despite the confusing beginning, the rest of the story made up for it. Its action packed with exciting battle scenes and lots of intrigue. It was riveting and I ended up getting drawn into the world and the characters. The ending leaves the reader hanging and I can't wait to find out what's in store next for Cale.

I would recommend this book fantasy loving adults and older teens as there are some graphic and disturbing scenes.