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A review by nejtack
The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Provocatively sloppy and generally a waste of time. At least Paul seems aware of his own lazy writing, as he is constantly prompting the reader to "consider x" or "imagine y", even if he does nothing to remedy it. Horrific world-building is accompanied by a general lack of structured plot and engaging, or even believable, characters. We are kept at a firm distance from our protagonist while the weird, omniscient narrator does all the heavy lifting for him; in fact, Thomas Cale is consistently referred to by his bloody surname, as if the author is afraid of us getting to know the character and connecting with him. The clunky prose ensures that the reader isn't given a moment of peace in the 400 pages of blind stumbling around the paper-thin, confusing story that even Hoffman himself doesn't seem able to explain.
If I had been religious in any capacity, I would have come away from this book an atheist. How this became a trilogy is utterly beyond me. Honestly. Is this really a finished work, fit for audiences to read? Is it suddenly a crime to edit and revise novels properly? Are there simply no standards for what is considered suitable for publication anymore?
If I had been religious in any capacity, I would have come away from this book an atheist. How this became a trilogy is utterly beyond me. Honestly. Is this really a finished work, fit for audiences to read? Is it suddenly a crime to edit and revise novels properly? Are there simply no standards for what is considered suitable for publication anymore?