The Left Hand of God By Paul Hoffman

The Left Hand of God
By Paul Hoffman
Pub: Penguin Group
498 pages

The Redeemers are building an army. Kidnapping or appropriating young boys they herd them back to their fortress to begin a harsh regime of physical training and religious indoctrination into the worship of the Great Redeemer.

Thomas Cale is the most promising of the Redeemer's recruits, a gifted tactician and fighter by the age of fourteen. Regularly beaten and brutalised even beyond the bounds of punishment handed out to others Cale has grow hardened to the hardships he endures, nurturing a hatred of his masters. Cale bares witness to an act of torture, horrific, even by his numbed sense of the word. With two of his fellows and a rescued captive Cale undertakes a daring escape, fleeing from relentless pursuit.

The escapees eventual take asylum in the city of Memphis, at the heart of the Materazzi Empire. Thrust into a very different world the boys remain outcasts, despite the favour of some of the cities nobles. Cale rubs up hard against the Materazzi society and earns the enmity of a number of powerful figures. Matters are further complicated as Cale falls in love with the daughter of the Materazzi Emperor, a woman who despises him.

The boys position is further complicated as the Redeemers begin preparations for all out war and focus of the capture of Cale and his companions.

I really enjoyed The Left Hand of God, and became quiet invested in the character of Thomas Cale, and his companions. There are good supporting characters all round, plot twists, and some really well done set piece scenes. Violence is handled well, as is sex (always a surprise in a fantasy book, it either never gets a mention or it’s a brightly lit, mile high, 3D, porn extravaganza).

Only one nigle that I can think of and that was that the world is slightly odd. York, Norway, and Jesus of Nazareth are mentioned in passing, given the world a feeling of being set on Earth, possibly in the past, yet other cities are completely unfamiliar. Clothing is also strange, as in a world where armies still clash in plate armour; others roam the world in bowler hat and waistcoat. It’s doesn’t detract from the story, but it does lend the setting a sense of intangibility, and a slightly hodgepodge feel. Hopefully things we be fleshed out further as the story goes on (particularly “Kitty the Hare”), which brings me nicely to my final point.

A continuous whine of mine seems to be that I don't want to wait for the next book in the series to come out. Once again this is true. Consider it a sign of a good story, good writing and good characters, and in this case, a seriously sheer cliffhanger of an ending.