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willsnow's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
jason_pym's review against another edition
4.0
A tough one to categorise, as it takes place in a historical setting that doesn't exist (we hear vague European references, but it's clearly nowhere real). Nothing fantastic happens, but it will appeal to fantasy readers. And it's not alternate history, because it doesn't alter the course of real history. But none of that is important I guess, it's a book I genuinely couldn't put down. Great stuff.
jacintaalmeida's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
5.0
I have to say, it is a very catchy history. I loved the references to real facts and so what to battles. And definitely, I was not waiting for this ending.
blackangel's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
whatsmacksaid's review against another edition
2.0
To be honest, I'm not sure if I liked The Left hand of God, though I suppose it's a good sign that I'm still thinking about it two weeks after I finished reading it.
I did enjoy large swathes of the book. I liked the three main characters and their relationship and interactions. I thought the first part of the book, before their escape, was very strong writing and an enjoyable read. I also liked the soft Homeric imitations and thought they were very clever.
There were aspects of the books that bothered me, though. I wasn't impressed by the overt connection between the Redeemers and Catholicism. It detracted from the story because I kept wondering if Hoffman has a special dislike of Catholicism, or if it was just an easy scapegoat. I felt like I ought to adore both Cale's love interest and his witty mentor, but I didn't particularly care for either. There are a handful of characters that are very fully and well developed (the three main boys, the girl they rescue, and the head honcho's adviser), but there were just as many other characters that felt absolutely flat. Cale's rival at learning-to-be-a-hero training camp was one, his love interest was another, as was her father, and frankly the big bad guy was a fourth. He's a zealot, but that doesn't become clear until very late in the story. For most of the novel he is simply a frightening, mysterious guy and I would have preferred he took a bit more of a forefront instead of sauntering in at the end to ruin everyone's lives and set things up for book #2.
All that said, I will be reading the second novel (I will probably borrow it from the library, though), and I recommend reading The Left Hand of God if you've got some time to kill. It's a quick, enjoyable read, but if it was trying to be as awesome as the Night Angel trilogy, it sadly failed.
I did enjoy large swathes of the book. I liked the three main characters and their relationship and interactions. I thought the first part of the book, before their escape, was very strong writing and an enjoyable read. I also liked the soft Homeric imitations and thought they were very clever.
There were aspects of the books that bothered me, though. I wasn't impressed by the overt connection between the Redeemers and Catholicism. It detracted from the story because I kept wondering if Hoffman has a special dislike of Catholicism, or if it was just an easy scapegoat. I felt like I ought to adore both Cale's love interest and his witty mentor, but I didn't particularly care for either. There are a handful of characters that are very fully and well developed (the three main boys, the girl they rescue, and the head honcho's adviser), but there were just as many other characters that felt absolutely flat. Cale's rival at learning-to-be-a-hero training camp was one, his love interest was another, as was her father, and frankly the big bad guy was a fourth. He's a zealot, but that doesn't become clear until very late in the story. For most of the novel he is simply a frightening, mysterious guy and I would have preferred he took a bit more of a forefront instead of sauntering in at the end to ruin everyone's lives and set things up for book #2.
All that said, I will be reading the second novel (I will probably borrow it from the library, though), and I recommend reading The Left Hand of God if you've got some time to kill. It's a quick, enjoyable read, but if it was trying to be as awesome as the Night Angel trilogy, it sadly failed.
alboyer6's review against another edition
3.0
Grabbed me at the beginning though it did drag a little in the middle but the end is well worth it. Now just to wait for the next book in the series.
karireads's review against another edition
The prose is somewhat awkward and clunky, but the real problem was the women characters. Riba is called fat from her first appearance, she is always helpful and sweet when she isn’t being emotional and problematic. The women exist solely as objects of desire except, oddly, an assassin who falls in love with Cale for no apparent reason.
erazonasarah's review against another edition
4.0
What I liked the most about this book was its ability to take me by surprise, which it did several times through the story. Cale is a compelling and intense character, whose darkness I found really interesting.
zaphod46's review against another edition
3.0
This is a fine quick read. It would have been better as a stand alone novel instead of advertised as first in a trilogy. The trilogy aspect made the story arc too predictable.
One interesting style point is that the author made little effort to come up with fantastic sounding names for people and places. It was fun seeing lots of modern terms and ideas repackaged into a fantasy world, though I don't think everyone will agree
One interesting style point is that the author made little effort to come up with fantastic sounding names for people and places. It was fun seeing lots of modern terms and ideas repackaged into a fantasy world, though I don't think everyone will agree
metalandteacups's review against another edition
5.0
This is the closest book, I've ever read, to being a genuine masterpiece. The only other author I've found on par with Hoffman, is Mark Lawrence, author of THE BROKEN EMPIRE series.