The Left Hand of God

Written by Paul Hoffman

Narrated by Sean Barrett

The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman is the gripping first instalment in a remarkable trilogy.

"Listen. The Sanctuary of the Redeemers on Shotover Scarp is named after a damned lie for there is no redemption that goes on there and less sanctuary."

The Sanctuary of the Redeemers is a vast and desolate place - a place without joy or hope. Most of its occupants were taken there as boys and for years have endured the brutal regime of the Lord Redeemers whose cruelty and violence have one singular purpose - to serve in the name of the One True Faith.

In one of the Sanctuary's vast and twisting maze of corridors stands a boy. He is perhaps fourteen or fifteen years old - he is not sure and neither is anyone else. He has long-forgotten his real name, but now they call him Thomas Cale. He is strange and secretive, witty and charming, violent and profoundly bloody-minded. He is so used to the cruelty that he seems immune, but soon he will open the wrong door at the wrong time and witness an act so terrible that he will have to leave this place, or die.

His only hope of survival is to escape across the arid Scablands to Memphis, a city the opposite of the Sanctuary in every way: breathtakingly beautiful, infinitely Godless, and deeply corrupt.

But the Redeemers want Cale back at any price... not because of the secret he now knows but because of a much more terrifying secret he does not.

The Left Hand of God is a must read. It is the first instalment in a gripping trilogy by Paul Hoffman. Imagine if Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials met Umberto Eco's Name of the Rose. Fans of epic heroic fiction will love this series.

Praise for Paul Hoffman:
'This book gripped me from the first chapter and then dropped me days later, dazed and grinning to myself' Conn Iggulden
'Tremendous momentum' Daily Telegraph
'A cult classic . . .' Daily Express

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin UK Audio
• Release date: Jan 7, 2010
• ISBN: 9780141954790

Paul Hoffman

Paul Hoffman is the publisher of ‘Encyclopaedia Britannica’. He is the host of the five-part PBS series ‘Great Minds of Science’ and a frequent correspondent on television shows such as ‘CBS This Morning’ and ‘The News Hour with Jim Lehrer.’ For ten years, Hoffman was the president and editor-in-chief of ‘Discover’ magazine. He is the author of ten books including ‘Archimedes’ Revenge.’ He lives in Chicago, Illinois and Woodstock, New York.

Reviews for The Left Hand of God

[Francisco Benedict · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thomas Cale, death dealer extraordinaire!!!
Loved the book. The concept is fantastic. I can't wait to delve into the other books.

[drakhir · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Superb - an interesting 'hero', and a different level of fantasy from the usual fair. The the Redeemers are based on Catholics is obvious, given the cruel and bloody history of that faith, but Hoffman has given himself an imagined realm, so he is free to produce his won scenarios rather than writing historical fiction.
The use of language is excellent, and the way the style frequently drops into little cameo scenes is refreshing. When characters suddenly speak or act out of character only goes to highlight these are well painted, and I am looking forward to the sequel. Only two criticisms really - the first is the way the denouement was orchestrated. Considering previous behaviour, Cale's ultimate makes no sense for his character, and that annoyed me, particularly as it had been laid out before him. I confess if this had been dealt with well, i would have given it 5 stars.
The second is merely that there is no inkling this will be a series rather than a stand alone novel until you reach the last page.

[lafon_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While the first three quarters of the book were amazing, the sappy "romance" between Cale and "Swan-Neck" really ruined it for me. At least he saved it with the riddance of the relationship.

[philip1112 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Overall I enjoyed this book and am reading and enjoying the 2nd part of the trilogy - ‘The Last Four Things’ - at the moment.ConsIt is a difficult to classify book - it could be set several hundred years in the future or past (probably the past) as it refers to many place names and characters that we are familiar with such as Memphis and Jesus. So, it is definitely our world but when? The familiar name usage sometimes feels as if the author was them in a offhand way, which is slightly confusing. In scope, it has the feel of a fantasy story but there are no fantasy elements in it.ProsWell written, it is an enjoyable read with characters who are believable and enjoyable and who have lots of interesting things happen to them.Plot (intro)We are introduced to the central character, Cale, a teenage boy who accepts his horribly cruel circumstances under the control of religious zealots, The Redeemers. This changes when Cale kills a Redeemer he discovers performing a vivisection on a young girl. He escapes with two friends and another girls who was next on the redeemers list.

[presto_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Left Hand of God is set in some unspecified place, possibly around the year 1000, perhaps in an alternative world but from a common history. In this world a fanatical religious group has established a fortress, The Sanctuary, from which it wages a war against the sinful and depraved world at large. A fortress in the sense that it a stronghold, but stronghold to keep its adherents in rather than keep invaders out, for no one would willing want to go there. Within The Sanctuary the Lord Redeemers exact a harsh and brutal control over their thousands of young male acolytes, taken under the age of ten to be trained ready for war.One of the boys held in The Sanctuary is the fourteen or fifteen year old Thomas Cale, singled out for special treatment by Lord Redeemer Bosco who recognises in Cale unique qualities; although this special treatment does not necessarily mean it works in Cale's favour. But shortly after we meet Cale circumstances force him to make an early escape from The Sanctuary, along with two other boys. We follow them as they try too make their way to freedom and Memphis, a city that is as corrupt as The Sanctuary is supposedly righteous. Of course Bosco has no intention of letting go of Cale.Cale is a fascinating character, a ruthless killing machine yet with a compassion even Cale himself does not quite understand. He is loyal, sharp and witty, he can be stubborn and yet charming, he is also not surprisingly incredibly naïve as regards the outside world. He also has the almost unfailing ability to land on his feet whatever happens.After the terrors of The Sanctuary and tense drama of the escape attempt, which takes up the first hundred or so pages, and with the arr vial on the scene of IdrisPukke (one of several delightfully named characters) the tale enters a different phase, one of a lighter humour as we discover the outside world and its perverse ways. But there is yet more horror and drama to come, and Cale's continued freedom is never assured.From the very first pages one is drawn into this fascinating, if initially horrific, world that Cale inhabits. The writing is sharp and assured and the reads with consummate ease, the image of the austere existence and torturous punishments of The Sanctuary is effectively created without resort to unnecessary graphic detail. Along with the horror there are the lighter touches and some choice imagery: "He paused for a moment, studiously unwatched by the others, then put it in his mouth and began chewing with the enthusiasm of a man eating his own t-", (well, you'll have to read it to find out).The Left Hand of God is a engrossing story, peopled with diverse and interesting characters. It neatly contrasts episodes of dark horrors with periods of sharp wit and humour, holding the reader to the very end, and then leaves one wanting more.

[kimmydavis · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I tried on several occasions to read this novel I received from Library Thing's Early Reviewers group. I have to say that I have now given up on it. This is a very dark story, and while I usually like this type of book, it just did not capture my attention at all. When reading a novel becomes a chore, it’s time to move on.1 star

[benuathanasia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of the best parts of reading any book is forming predictions and then seeing whether you were right or not. I don't mind at all having my predictions proven incorrect throughout my reading, but it is very disappointing when everything that comes to pass is more bland and boring compared to what I had predicted. This book just seemed to fall very flat for me. At parts, it was very riveting and I could not pull myself away, but, even then, I had a large, unnamable sense of boredom and a feeling of let's-get-on-with-it.As a history minor and aficionado, you CANNOT go into this book without a very strong ability to suspend your disbelief. The world IS our world, but NOT. It's like seeing Europe's history through a muddy puddle. Some things are familiar (Jesus, Norway, Kiev). Other things will make you try to figure out what the hell the author is talking about (apparently in this world, Jesus was hanged instead of crucified and somehow ice cream exists in what is apparently a pre-Crusades world).As a nit-picky side-note, the erratic lengths of the chapters royally p*ssed me off: four chapter of two pages, one of forty, then one of ten then another of two. It's really freakin' annoying. I can deal with super-short chapters (a la Daniel X with chapters of two pages each) or books with really long chapters (a version of Moll Flanders I read had no chapters). Pick a number and stay reasonably close to it for chapter length. Grrrr...I may or may not read the sequels, but then again, I think I could supply my own ending much more satisfactorily.Edit: As a side note, only two characters were even the slightest interest to me (Vague Henri and Riba) and they are barely even background characters half the time. Cale's personality is such that I had no real vested interest in whether he won, lost, or existed. He's not someone I readily feel sympathy for (as he seems to be on the cusp of having a pathological dissociative disorder and the emotions he DOES feel seem contrived and forced on the part of the writer). Nor is he someone you love to hate (like James R. Rebhorn in every movie he's ever been in). He's just a robotic ass.

[kraaivrouw · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Let's get one thing out of the way before I review this book. It's a confession. I was immediately attracted to The Left Hand of God because I grew up in Memphis and loved that Memphis was the place name used for the seat of debauchery. I'm not saying it's that way in real life, but it's got an interesting history so it's kind of cool to think it might have been or might still be.This book is utterly compelling in an unusual way. It's unusual because, quite honestly, there really isn't a likeable character to be found in the entire book. There are reasons to despise just about everyone. Often books about unlikeable characters are difficult to read because it's hard to connect. Not so in this case. In this case, my connection was to the storyteller (the author) in an interesting metafictional kind of way. It's hard to say whether this is intentional because it's not terribly overt. I love The French Lieutenant's Woman precisely because the metafiction is so very intentional and obvious. John Fowles spends most of the book telling you a story and talking to you about telling you a story and I find that wonderful. The Left Hand of God does this, but in a more subtle way. I fell in love with the storyteller's voice and through that the author and I was willing to follow him anywhere.Aside from an interesting story, Mr. Hoffman does wonderful things with language and tone. Both change as location and circumstance change becoming more gray or more bright and always wryly humorous. This one of the best fantasy debuts I've ever read and I was excited to read this one along with the second installment.

[suzejamesy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I felt like this book peaked at the beginning and then slowly became less interesting until very near the end. That being said, I still enjoyed it. I though Cale was a fascinating character, as was Bosco and I look forward to reading the next book.

[jaimelesmaths · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting first installment to a new series, but the ending fell flat. Cale's character was very well developed, as were some of the minor characters. I took some issue with how aware Cale was of his abilities - it did not seem that way in the first part of the book, so it was a surprise to hear him describe it later. I would read the next book in the series to see how it goes. In summary, good, but not great. 3.5/5.

[lisagibson_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Let me preface this by saying that I stopped reading this book. I started out and was interested and then the book seemed to dissolve into something that I couldn't really hang on to. I felt it was somewhat scattered. I felt there was so much there that maybe I was missing some of the points buried in description or meandering prose. Not for me at any rate. I decided to put it down and will maybe pick it up again at some point.

[kreierso_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the first in a planned trilogy about a sixteen year old boy named Thomas Cale. Thomas has been raised in a remote Sanctuary of the Redeemers and trained to fight in a forthcoming holy war. He escapes after saving a girl who is being abused by one of the Redeemers. Thomas is destined for greatness but whether that will be on the side of good or evil is yet to be seen. Lots ofaction but I found the narrative to be disjointed. I don't think I will read the next installment.

[beserene · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Note: This book was received through the early reviewer program and this review contains a spoiler.Finishing this novel left me in a foul mood. Let me tell you why: this is not a good book. It could have been, but it isn't. It is a book that explores some interesting ideas, but in a lackluster, sloppy, bitter way. It is a book that presents some intriguing characters, but inconsistently and casually changes their nature so that they are sometimes relatable and sometimes repugnant. It is a book that has just enough power to its story that I want to know what happens next -- and that is the most frustrating part, because it is the beginning of a series and I wish it had been a stand alone, seriously -- but is so irritating and frustrating a reading experience that I have no real desire to endure such a thing again.Basically, I want to read a synopsis of the sequel to this book, not the sequel itself. In case you need more than just a rant, allow me to support my opinions for a moment. The novel begins at a place called the Sanctuary, a training center for young boys that takes all the most disturbing accusations leveled at the Catholic church throughout history and pushes them to their most violent extremes (of course, the novel doesn't use the word "Catholic" at any point, but, well, duh). The Sanctuary is run by the Redeemers, a fanatical religious sect that echoes the Catholic Jesuit order, but taken to extremes of violence and cruelty. (Really, the details of the book deliberately make the reader squirm, but not to any real, satisfying purpose -- gratuitous violence is the norm here.) Our central character is Thomas Cale, a not-very-likable young acolyte who has been trained, in the most brutal ways, to be an exceptionally efficient killer. When certain events occur toward the middle of the book (again, disturbing events) and Thomas Cale escapes from the control of the Redeemers, the action really begins. The Redeemers struggle to get him back, again using the most brutal and violent means, and Cale himself struggles (sort of -- though the people around him suffer the brunt of the struggle) with his own nature. These struggles are set within a world that is frustratingly inconsistent. Hoffman has written a book that reads somewhat like a YA fantasy novel, but uses real-world references (Jesus of Nazareth, familiar geography) interspersed with made-up locations and figures, like the Hanged Redeemer, who is the divine icon of the fanatical religious sect. At first, one looks for meaning in the way that Hoffman stitches together real historical/geographical references and invented icons and place-names, but eventually it seems more like the author simply ran out of ideas for his own names and decided to pull random places together instead of working on it a bit more. The result is a constant nagging sensation, as one reads, that one should know where the story is taking place... except one can't quite place it.Other irritations that pull you away from what story there is here include the trite phrasing -- Hoffman at one point even uses the tired out "words were no longer necessary" cliche to make it clear that his characters had started having sex -- the sloppy editing (which, to be fair, could simply be a consequence of reading an ARC) and the habit of over-hiding the characters with hoods and cloaks and anything else shadowy and secretive. Honestly, from Hoffman's descriptions, you would think that we are never supposed to know anything about anyone in this book. While secrecy is essential to the development of a suspenseful novel, there comes a point where the reader is no longer intrigued, but genuinely confused about what the hell is going on in the text. We reach that point pretty quickly in Hoffman's novel. The climactic battle is so stupid and so graphic that at times I felt an irrational urge to shout at the text. After all of this irritation, by the time the reader gets to the reveal at the end of the novel (***SPOILER ALERT -- SKIP THIS PART IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW) and realizes that the whole book has been a character study of the Anti-Christ, essentially (END SPOILERIFIC SECTION***) there is nothing here left to care about. The big reveal falls flat and at least this reader was simply ready to be done with the whole messy business. In the end, I felt like Paul Hoffman was more concerned with expressing and exaggerating his not-very-well-concealed bitterness against the Catholic church than with writing a decent novel. Bottom line: The novel has just enough story to keep one reading, but the flawed character development, trite writing, and inconsistent contextualization make the reading experience itself frustrating. Not recommended.

[okrysmastree · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I devoured this novel, to be honest, and it was surprisingly satisfying. I'm not a fantasy reader, generally, and I was reluctant to pick this one up and actually start reading when it appeared in the mail, but I'm very glad I did. This is one of the first books I've read in a while that I've found myself practically unable to put down. The story is masterfully told, developed subtly with a surprisingly nuanced character development and foreshadowing - I found myself looking forward chapter to chapter as new questions were raised and others were finally answered. My only issue would probably be with the love interest character, who is written fairly flat with nothing to recommend her but her adoration for the protagonist - oh, and her beauty. It's a shame, that a novel with minor characters with motivations so developed (Simon and his tutor both, for example, both interesting individuals with very little "screen time"), that she'd be so underdeveloped. Despite this disappointment, though, which admittedly turned me off the last chapter of the novel, I'll be giving the following parts of this series a shot. I'm interested in seeing more of this universe and its population.

[mariah7_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It took me foooreverrr to finish this book. I thought I would really like this book becuase it was full of adventure. But for some reason I just couldnt get into it. I got like 50 pages in and then I started reading some other book, then I would come back to it. I forced myself to read this book because I needed to write a review. The over all story was really good but I felt like I was watching the battle from afar instead of fighting next to Cale.It also seemed like there was lots of paragraphs that were just meant to take up space. They seemed to be way off topic and I felt lost. I would stop and say "wait....what just happened" or "what the heck are they talking about"Overall this seemed like an interesting book but I didnt love it as much as I thought I would. I would give it a try though.

[aadyer · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Great beginning, with a feeling of both Gormenghast with your worst monastic experience that you can imagine, which was excellent and broody, rapid deterioration close to the middle of the book, and the last Act was very poor, better buy classic fantasy if you want it, the mystery of the location of the world was also not that exciting....my advice, best avoid

[iftyzaidi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The phrase 'rollicking adventure' strikes me as the most apt description of this book. I found it to be a page-turner. The story follows Cale, an acolyte being trained for war in a monastery run by a fanatical religious sect called the Redeemers engaged in a long running holy war. Cale has certain peculiar talents that set him apart from the norm, a fact not lost on the priest in charge of training. However a chance encounter (or perhaps not a chance encounter - its never explained) see Cale and two of his friends fleeing the monastery for their lives and getting embroiled in plots, duels, affairs, assassinations and the fate of kingdoms.There's nothing particularly new in the plot, but where the book is distinctive is firstly in the odd, chatty omniscient narrator style that the author adopts, which, judging by some of the other reviews here, seems not to work for everyone, but helped to hook me in, and secondly, in the strange almost-familiar world that the author constructs, where places like Norway, Jerusalem, Memphis and York exist, but the political set up is different to what existed in our history. At the same time, while there are throw-away references to Judaism, the Redeemer of the major religion is categorically not Christ (who is famous apparently for having lived in a whale) and he was hung in a gibbet and not a cross. Some readers did not appreciate these tantalizing hints of a parallel-world setting, but I felt it added to the atmosphere and fit well with the oft-times familiar idiom of the way people spoke.If there is one aspect of the novel I didn't like, it was the somewhat Robert Jordan-esque approach to writing about the female characters. Other than this drawback, I thought this was a grandly entertaining novel.

[cpom_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I like the general concept of the story, but I found myself struggling to make it through the book. I expected more plot and character development... there were too many times when I struggled to grasp what was really going on.

[saltmanz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Left Hand of God starts off intriguing enough: Thomas Cale is a young acolyte in "the Sanctuary" of the Redeemers, where religious zealot leaders preach love and redemption before beating the boys and feeding them rotten food. There's some adventure with Cale and a couple of his friends discovering a hidden door, among other things. And despite the despicable Redeemers (who are obviously some twisted, alternate-universe Catholics) the first quarter of the book is actually quite gripping.Then Cale and his friends make an escape attempt, and the book takes a turn for the cliche and forgettable. Cale is revealed to be a perfect, unfeeling killer, a military genius, and more knowledgeable in medicine than the finest doctors of the largest empire in the world. He clashes with aristocracy and falls in love with a princess. Ho hum. Only at the very end of the book (more or less a cliffhanger; this is only the first volume in a projected trilogy) did the story grab me again, redeeming the book for me, if you will. Until the last ten pages, I had no intention of seeking out any of the sequels; now I just might have to.Besides the been-there-done-that of the central portion of the book, the author made some bizarre and/or questionable choices in his worldbuilding. This is an obvious fantasy world that includes: God, the Holy Spirit, the Ark of the Covenant, Jesus of Nazareth, Norwegians, cities named "York" and "Memphis", and more. The religion of the Redeemers is very much a twisted version of Catholicism, where their personal Redeemer (not necessarily Jesus; he is mentioned as someone who lived in the belly of a whale) was hanged instead of crucified. The inclusion of such real-world names and ideas really distracts the reader right from the start, though by book's end one has mostly built up a tolerance to it. But perhaps the re-use of real names was preferable; some of Hoffman's made-up names are quite groan-worthy: IdrisPukke and Arbell Swan-Neck, for example. Mention should also be made of Vague Henri, which I actually thought to be a cute nickname, but which grew more than a little tedious when almost every single time he was mentioned it was by the full nickname.For a book about which I have so many complaints, it was an awfully hard book to put down. That in itself, coupled with the unexpected ending, inspires me to give The Left Hand of God 3.5 out of 5 stars.

[pierthinker · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Believe me, I am not a big fan of fantasy fiction. When I was a lot younger I read science fiction, but the fantasy genre never really appealed to me. I came across Paul Hoffman’s ‘The Left Hand of God’ almost by mistake and did not really understand it is a fantasy novel until I had it home and started reading it.Hoffman certainly knows how to write. The narrative marches along with plenty of incident to develop the characters and the story. Plenty of wit too, both from the characters themselves and from the authorial voice describing the action.Thomas Cale is brought up an orphan by a fanatical Christian-like sect, the Redeemers, who make Dotheboys Hall sound like Disneyland.He and his friends escape and travel to Memphis where Cale’s remarkable fighting skills are recognised and feared. A climactic battle between Memphis and the Redeemers reveals many twists in the story. A sequel is already in the works...Hoffman’s use of our-world place names in incongruous ways in his-world help keep us off balance and emphasise the strangeness rather than the familiarity of this universe. A sprinkling of words we can guess at the meaning of, but are completely made up just add to the mystery.I recommend this book as much as a medieval historical actioner as mch as a book of fantasy. Fast moving, punchy and with plenty of loose ends to make the sequel more than just a re-hash of this plot.

[chris_iginla · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lucky enough to receive a review copy of this book, I was wondering what to expect. I was immediately enthralled by the novel. Having recently getting into this genre, Hoffman joins the ranks of Brent Weeks, Joe Abercrombie and Patrick Rothfuss as those talented writers who now have added me as a raving fan.Cale is an intriguing and well developed lead character. "The Left Hand of God" is an outstanding debut and Hoffman should be a force to be reckoned with in the fantasy genre. I, for one, am highly anticipated his next release.

[arconna_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The rise of fantasy has, in my opinion, produced two kinds of cliche-oriented reactions within the publishing spectrum: entertaining, inventive, and/or enjoyably derivative trilogies, and fascinating ideas and worlds mired by barely serviceable prose, lackluster plotting, and/or a general failure to maintain cohesion (in the plot, worldbuilding, character development, and/or the writing). Both groups aren't always separate, since sometimes a book with weak prose can still be a thrilling read, but usually they are. Unfortunately, I think The Left Hand of God fits into the latter of the two groups.Because the synopsis plays a role in my review, I'm going to post the version on the inside flap of the U.S. edition of the book:In the Redeemer Sanctuary, the stronghold of a secretive sect of warrior monks, torture and death await the unsuccessful or disobedient. Raised by the Redeemers from early childhood like hundreds of other young captives, Thomas Cale has known only deprivation, punishment, and grueling training. He doesn't know that another world exists outside the fortress walls or even that secrets he can't imagine lurk behind the Sanctuary's many forbidden doorways. He doesn't know that his master Lord Bosco and the Sanctuary's Redeemers have been preparing for a holy war for centuries-a holy war that is now imminent. And Cale doesn't know that he's been noticed and quietly cultivated.Then, Cale decides to open a door.It's a door that leads to one of the Redeemers' darkest secrets and a choice that is really no choice at all: certain death or daring escape. Adrift in the wider world for the first time in his young life, Cale soon finds himself in Memphis, the capitol of culture-and the den of Sin. It's there that Cale discovers his prodigious gift: violence. And he discovers that after years of abuse at the hands of the Redeemers his embittered heart is still capable of loving-and breaking.But the Redeemers won't accept the defection of their special subject without a fight. As the clash of civilizations that has been looming for thousands of years draws near, a world where the faithful are as brutal as the sinful looks to young Cale to decide its fate.It sounds intriguing enough, and Hoffman's book does deliver on a number of the points described above, but overall, The Left Hand of God falls desperately short in three key ways.The first failure has to do with point of view. While the synopsis indicates that Cale is the main character, Hoffman's writing fails to adequately display that, almost as if Hoffman didn't seem to know who the book was supposed to be about either. The first quarter of the book does focus on Cale, but the rest of the novel switches randomly from POV to POV to give the reader the thoughts of basically anyone in the room at that moment, or even people who are completely insignificant to the actual plot. None of this is done between chapters, which might have been okay, but within chapters, sometimes between paragraphs, and sometimes between sentences. One second we're hearing Cale's inner thoughts, and the next it's someone else. And before you can grow used to the transition, Hoffman switches again.From a purely stylistic standpoint, this is simply poor writing for two reasons: 1) trying to tell your readers everything everyone is feeling about everything sucks the life right out of the story, because very little remains a mystery, and 2) switching POVs in the middle of paragraphs is unnecessarily jarring and almost as annoying as inconsistent tenses. Sadly, Hoffman violates one of the golden rules of writing on a routine basis in order to give as many perspectives as possible--i.e. "show, don't tell." I suppose you'd have to in order to perform the aforementioned task, but breaking the rule so clearly, with no regard for its eccentricities and ambiguities, is careless. The prose suffers as a result.The Left Hand of God also suffers from narrative inconsistencies. For example, the synopsis indicates that Cale isn't aware of the world outside of the sanctuary. The problem? This isn't actually true. He doesn't understand the customs of the cultures that exist beyond the walls of sanctuary, sure, but, as we learn later in the book, he is both aware of the outside world and instrumental in the Redeemer's plans for those places (i.e. he actually designed their plans). This leads me to another inconsistency, which is Cale's fighting ability. When Cale first exhibits these abilities, it's a shock both to the reader and to the non-Redeemer characters. Why? Because it's never mentioned beforehand. One moment he's just some poor, beaten-up, grumpy guy, and the next he's the Roman equivalent of a ninja. It's all rather convenient, and obviously so. Narratives aren't supposed to be convenient. They're supposed to feel believable. Nothing should feel as though it doesn't belong.The last problem I had with The Left Hand of God was the general unbelievability of some of the events that occur throughout the narrative. Characters do things that are completely contrary to who they are, despite Hoffman's attempts to establish them as pretty clearly in one particular form. Perhaps the worst instance of this is when Hoffman writes the Materazzi as a Spartan-esque warrior class, but then proceeds to have them lose a battle in the most idiotic manner conceivable--a thing that no military of the Materazzi's caliber would do. Likewise, characters fall in love at random, sometimes despite legitimate reasons why they shouldn't. I may have rolled my eyes more than once while reading. The point is, Hoffman's novel regularly devolves into nonsensical plot points, which sucks it dry of the potential established in the first chapters--the strongest part of the book is the beginning.The Left Hand of God isn't without positive qualities. Hoffman does have a knack for tension, and, as I've just mentioned, the beginning third of the book, while a tad long, is quite strong and intriguing. Plus, the interior of the book is quite beautiful, with nice texture for the pages, an awesome map, and a good design for the pages and chapter headings. But it's not enough to have some great ideas, a relatively strong beginning, a nice interior, and a few generally entertaining sections. A novel needs to be more than that, and, unfortunately, I don't think The Left Hand of God comes close to meeting the burden of minimums. The biggest problem for me is that I had high hopes for the book. It had a lot of potential and there truly were some good moments. But I ended up being disappointed and thinking that this isn't the right direction for fantasy at all. Let's keep the mediocre writing standards to the vanity presses, please.

[bobcatnshn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Alice in wonderland meets Dr. Suess meets epic war novel. Stange use of language, strange group of characters and more plot and character development holes than a piece of Swiss cheese. Nonetheless, some of the book had me turning pages and interested in the whys and what will happen. Sadly, many of the answers are missing. Not sure I'll read what appears to be other books in the series. However, not horrible and a decent, quick read.

[melhay_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Shotover Sanctuary is the religious grounds of the Redeemers. Boys are sent here under the age of ten and only about half of them make it to fifteen... or leave by way of a blue sack, to the grave yard. This is where Cale has lived since he can really remember, he is now fourteen or fifteen years old. One of the many strict rules here is you are not allowed to have friends, and there are plants to "befriend" you - planted by the Redeemers - and you pay dearly for being caught with friends. But Cale has two of friends, Vague Henri and Kleist. One night while delivering a message to the Redeemer of Discipline, Cale sees something the Redeemer is doing that is so horrible to him, he attacks the Redeemer. In the Sanctuary Cale's results of this act would end in death for him, as punishment. So he runs, taking his two friends so they don't get dragged in to the mess, and the girl with him... This is the journey of these four trying to make it.The book seemed to break into four sections for me.In the beginning ninety pages we are introduced quickly to many Redeemers and the world they live in - religion and way of life - along with the boys of the story. You really get an inside look at how stern and brutal the world in on the in side of these walls, from minimal amounts of tasteless gray porridge to eat, to not being creative and being physically punished if they are. These boys are very physically fit for their ages and their training is very brutal. In the first ninety pages this world starts here and grows the suspense of the war the Redeemers are fighting with the Antagonists and what the boys are trained for and why then moves to the outside world. But then it slows down as Cale and company make their journey to Memphis. The next hundred or so pages where them running off. I enjoyed meeting new characters such as IdrisPukke and liked his character. But they are trying to get away and I felt as if they really didn't worry about being in danger from the all feared and wonderful assassins of the Redeemers. They where quite relaxed and not worrying about who knew who they were. Like no one would be looking for them, yet they knew they where after them. I know there is the deal made in capturing the boys and the Redeemers where not to interfere as it would offend the leader of whom they talked to, but the Redeemers are this feared group. The Redeemers are to be the hard core ones who don't let escapees get far or away for long. But it seems as they don't care so deeply about Cale and his friends being free. Or maybe this was part of a plan to move things along in a different direction. Almost using Cale to get what they want. But in this section we wonder away from what I had thought to be a major plot in the book - the Redeemers and the war they are fighting.The next ninety to a hundred pages started to pull back toward the main plot. Getting back to the Redeemers hunting Cale and starting into some action and movement of the characters. Getting everyone back into the idea of corruption and scheming going on behind the scenes.The last 80 pages brings the action in full swing and the ties all start to fit together some. There are still questions for me with some of the actions and reasons behind it all. I am curious of the Redeemers and the war they are fighting, and why what was done was so. But there are two more books left to read.With all this being said, I did enjoy the book. I thought the two middle sections could have been combined together with the ending eighty pages - as I think it slowed down in the middle parts. But all in all I did enjoy the idea of the Redeemers and the curiosity has got me, I will pick up book two to see where the conspiracies all go.

[lpg3d · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cale has been brutally trained by the warrior monks at the Sanctuary of the Redeemer since he was a young child. At sixteen he is lethal in hand to hand combat, and when he discovers a terrible secret about the Sanctuary, he must make good his escape from the Sanctuary.The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman is the story of Cale and his escape (with some friends) from the Redeemers. The first in a series, The Left Hand of God is an outstanding introduction to Cale and the Redeemers. I look forward to more books in this series.

[twink_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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

[trinibaby9 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm surprised to see this book has gotten such low ratings. Maybe it's just not for everyone. It's a straighforwad easy read that most people should be able to get through in a day or two. For all it's simplicity, I thought it was fantastic and zipped through it all in a day. I found it to be refreshing, which is no easy feat within this genre. It's got a fantastic cast of characters, and a good amount of intrigue to it. It drew me in with the first sentence and kept me wanting to read more all the way though. Each chapter ended on a cliff hanger, making it difficult to put down. It ran the full emotional gamut, ranging from terror, fury, despondency and loathing to joy, love, humor, happiness and the wonder of discovery. The concept reminded me of Stephenson's Anthem in some ways, but was actually better done in some aspects. Hoffman did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life. I felt anger and dislike towards the Redeemers and fell in love with the Cale and his comapnions. The characters and political happenings in Memphis were intriguing, as well as hillarious. Watching Cale grow as into as normal a human being as possible was captivating. I found it interesting seeing him learn to trust, laugh, come to know friendship, and happiness, even enjoying the simplicity of a good meal. It was also just as hard to see him disappointed by those he had come to trust and love in the end. To see everything he had gained snatched away in a heart beat. Throughout the first half of the book I was sure he, Kleist, Henry and Riba had actually pulled of their escape. Hoffman really lures you in, making you hope for the escape, then begin to believe it's possible and finally to think they've gotten away with it, only to pull the carpet out from under you at the end.This was a good opening to the trilogy, giving us a glimpse into the Redeemers and their plans, but not giving it all away. It was an excellent introduction into the people of Memphis, and their political intrigue. We've met Cale's companions seen them grow, and now see them about to embark on a new path following their friend to an unknown and possibly unpleasant adventure. The main character has grown and become something he never dared to hope for, and now had the foundation he's slowly built crumble around him. There is clearly a war forming involving many factions and it will be interesting to see how Cale is affected by all that has happened, as well as being under the rule of Bosco once again. I look forward to seeing how the rest of the trilogy develops and the role each of the main characters will have in the outcome of things. If there was a draw back to it for me, it would have to be the fact that Cale is just a bit too accomplished. It's like he invented the wheel. He never fails to win a fight, is a strategic genius, and apparent weapons master, a skilled deceiver and pargon of physical strength, not to mention a genius, who's not only able to escape the sanctuary but takes three people along with him. One has to wonder why he waited so long to escape is he's as good as he appears or why he tolerated the yoke and treatment of the Redeemers for as long as he did. He clearly doesn't buy their bullshit or beleve in any of the rhetoric they are feeding all of the inhabitants of the sanctuary. He's able to anticipate the move of everyone and anyone before they make it and is unbeatable in combat situations no matter how the odds are stacked against him. It's just not very believable. Unfortunately his super skills continue to grow with each chapter, making his tolerance and stay in the sanctuary less and less understandable. After a while it got to be ridiculously annoying, and actually detracted from the book. By the end I found Cale's companions to be much more enjoyable than Cale himself. Definitely a good read, nothing complicated or difficult about it. If you want something straightforward, easy and pleasant to zip through in a few days, then this is a great read. This is the makings of an excellent trilogy and hopefully it continues along this path.

[crazybatcow · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I did not find this book is quite as bad as some of the recent reviews; nor did I find it to be particularly misogynistic. True, there are only a few female characters in the book and none of them play a role other than to be targets for hate or lust, but this is not really that uncommon in the "boy-fantasy" type novels.I did, however, find some problems: 1) there are events that were put in for no point whatsoever (i.e. two hit-persons were sent to capture Cale when he was off on some multi-month excursion (for which there was no justification either) and one of them suddenly realizes she's in love with him, gets killed by the other hitman who then runs off, never to be heard from again...)2) there are events that were left out when they should have been put in (i.e at one point we're informed that Cale is in love and has been shagging his love interest for some unspecified period of time - and it was a wonderful passionate thing, 'cept that the reader isn't shown any of this passion and is only told of it after the fact. If it was so passionate and significant (his first love after all), you'd think the author would have mentioned it when it occured).3) the Redeemers are JUST PLAIN EVIL. Period. no reason, no explanation, they simply like to beat children, murder and torture. Oh, and they despise women. And they stage battles against mysterious enemies and don't care how many of their people they kill in these pointless battles as long as they can determine if their tactics work. Huh? Where are they getting all their fodder (aka boys) from anyway?4) the main character is wayyyyyy talented. He must have some "special" powers (and this is hinted at via the head Redeemers lust to recover him) but we're not told how or why in this book.5) some of the characters' names are just plain stupid. I think the author was trying to be funny (i.e. Cale's best bud is named Vague Henri and there's some pointless discussion as to why he's called that, but... we don't see him in the book other than once to discover cross-bows so why bother spending time explaining his name?) And there's another "main" character who leads Cale around the countryside (for no purpose whatsoever) whose name sounds like Puke.6) what on earth were the girls kept by the Redeemers for? Big deal about them being there, but no followup, explanation for, or use of them.Anyway... it's not completely terrible. It seems as though it was written as a series of vignettes that were subsequently woven together by a very poor tailor.

[gord3barker · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This story takes place at some unspecified time in the past. From some of the references I think around the year 1000 to 1200. The locals who are in power (the Materazzi) have an opinion that to kill any one in anything but armed combat is cowardly and the most advanced weapon mentioned in a steel driven crossbow (although I'm not sure how steel got invented in this world). The hero of the story (Cale) is being brought up in a nightmarish religious cult as a foot soldier for an upcomming battle (perhaps the final battle) of an ongoing war with the unidentified Antagonists. Through an head injury, Cale is able to see telegraphed moves in battle before his opponent has actually started to make them which makes him an unstoppable killing machine. Cale and his friends seem not to notice their horrible surroundings and behave like typical kids today by stealing what ever they can, learning how to sleep though chant period and slipping away when no one is looking. It's during one these exploration parties that they find an unguarded door that leads them to a banquet kitchen and a parallel group of girls being raised by the nuns.When, on an errand to the Lord of Discipline, he sees one the the girls about to be vivisected he (somewhat out of character) kills the Redeemer, rescues the girl and then he and his friends are off in a poorly planned escape.There are many characters here that could be developed better. Cale comes across as a two dimensionsal Bruce Willis (if thats possible). His friends are like holograms that go into statis when they are not with Cale and his love interest (Arbell) acts more like a southern belle than a Roman (or roman derivitave) aristocratic woman.A great deal of time is spent on Simon, Arbells deaf-mute brother whom they create a new sign-language for so he can communicate with them. I am not sure what his purpose is in all this.The book disintegrates at the end during which a feint battle by the Redeemers against the Materazzi to test a new weapon (the trebuchet). While retreting, the Redeemers are trapped when for some unfathonable reason, the supposed campaign hardened troups of the Materazzi face the retreting Redeemers with overwhelming force managed to include unarmoured horses against archers. The horses objected to being hit with arrows and bolted. That caused to men to start an advance that could not be called back and eventually they were slaughtered.This is where Simon comes in. He wants to see the battle better and go onto the field in the middle of the slaughter. Arbell implores Cale to rescue him which he does...and gets captured.Memphis was taken by the Redeemers but they swap the city for Cale. Ok...now I'm really lost.There is a faint chance that I will get the next book in this series just to see if it gets better.

[jjackunrau · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Paul Hoffman's The Left Hand of God wasn't really my cup of tea. It's an alternate history (or sf) book about a boy who's been brought up by this horrible cult to fight some unnamed Antagonists who then escapes with his (forbidden) friends out to the world. The whole thing felt like an amateurish take on Gene Wolfe's (excellent) Book of the New Sun series.Some of the things that annoyed me: Is it alternate history or SF? The city the three boys (and rescued girl) escape to is called Memphis and it's unclear if this is the same Memphis that's out in Egypt or not. There's a desert, but the fort in York is a few days travel away. And Jesus of Nazareth was the guy who was in the belly of the whale. It feels like Hoffman was just pulling out historical names and places and slapping them down without any thought for how they'd interact. I think the Antagonists are Muslim analogues, but there are Jews that are just called Jews. It's all very sloppy.The Cult of the Hanged Redeemer is a cartoonishly dark take on Middle-Ages Christianity. So much so that I was sure the book was a fantasy novel. They eat gruel and get tortured and have to deal with their Original Sin and get flayed for breaking the rules. These are the ancestors of the Dan Brown Catholics. But Thomas Cale (the morally bereft thuggish anti-hero) got hit in the head as a young man and can tell what people are going to do in a fight, making him a preternatural killing machine. Oh and he falls in love with the beautiful daughter of the Roman Empire governor analogue, but he's so tortured and inarticulate. Oh noes. And apart from being a preternatural killer (demonstrated by his kicking the ass of the greatest fighter the Roman academy has produced in twenty years and then killing a hardened soldier who hates him in a gladiatorial duel) he's a tactical genius and the battle in the end is lost due to other people's incompetence and he does something heroic even though he's so troubled.I also hated the narrator's voice. There're these offhand implications that Cale will do great things and change the world, and these folksy "Oh but how could Cale know what she was thinking, the way we do?" kinds of asides that infuriated me.And then the end of the book isn't an ending but the point of departure for a series. A series I have no desire to read. Good thing I didn't spend money on it. (It was a review copy from LibraryThing.)