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The Hand of Andulain
For most young men raised in a quiet rural village, a hunting trip is rarely something to cause excitement. But when Bran Somnerson encounters a mysterious being, mortally wounded and running for its life, all hope of a normal afternoon fades away.
This being, one of the legendary Eki, is a messenger who has traveled far from home to deliver a plain metal arm band on a mission of dreadful urgency. When it is clear to Bran that the messenger's journey will end prematurely in a pool of blood, he promises to keep the precious cargo safe.
Little does Bran know that he has just become the most wanted man in all the Four Realms. His promise will take him far from home and into a world far bigger and more deadly than he could have imagined.
Bran is reluctantly willing to try and keep this unassuming arm band safe, but he may lose his life in the process.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aaron Mahnke was born in Illinois in 1975, holds a degree in psychology from Eastern Illinois University, and has built a successful career telling stories for businesses through marketing and design communication. He is a lover of fantasy and science fiction, and a student of history and religion. He currently lives in the Boston area with his wife and two daughters where he is at work on his next novel.
This being, one of the legendary Eki, is a messenger who has traveled far from home to deliver a plain metal arm band on a mission of dreadful urgency. When it is clear to Bran that the messenger's journey will end prematurely in a pool of blood, he promises to keep the precious cargo safe.
Little does Bran know that he has just become the most wanted man in all the Four Realms. His promise will take him far from home and into a world far bigger and more deadly than he could have imagined.
Bran is reluctantly willing to try and keep this unassuming arm band safe, but he may lose his life in the process.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aaron Mahnke was born in Illinois in 1975, holds a degree in psychology from Eastern Illinois University, and has built a successful career telling stories for businesses through marketing and design communication. He is a lover of fantasy and science fiction, and a student of history and religion. He currently lives in the Boston area with his wife and two daughters where he is at work on his next novel.
- GenresFantasy
436 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 24, 2011
3 people are currently reading
331 people want to read
About the author
Aaron Mahnke
27 books1,317 followersOne of the most successful podcast producers in the world, Aaron Mahnke began his career in 2015 with the launch of Lore, which went on to become a breakout hit.
Aside from racking up over 450-million downloads to date, Lore was adapted for two seasons of television on Amazon, and as a three-book set from Penguin Random House. Aaron has also toured extensively, delivering his trademark storytelling experience to thousands of people across the country.
In 2019, Aaron also published his first comic book series, Wellington, through IDW. And in 2021, he launched the first of a new slate of fiction podcasts, beginning with the breakout hit Bridgewater, starring Misha Collins, Melissa Ponzia, Karan Soni, Alan Tudyk, and Tricia Helfer.
Aside from racking up over 450-million downloads to date, Lore was adapted for two seasons of television on Amazon, and as a three-book set from Penguin Random House. Aaron has also toured extensively, delivering his trademark storytelling experience to thousands of people across the country.
In 2019, Aaron also published his first comic book series, Wellington, through IDW. And in 2021, he launched the first of a new slate of fiction podcasts, beginning with the breakout hit Bridgewater, starring Misha Collins, Melissa Ponzia, Karan Soni, Alan Tudyk, and Tricia Helfer.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 19, 2011
3.5 stars
I really liked the plot and characters in this book. Its a classic "greatness thrust upon" story with interesting themes throughout. The villains are truly despicable and the hero is likeable. The magic system is interesting and I'm looking forward to more description of its workings. The setting is varied enough to keep things fresh. Excellent description has you feeling like you're traveling alongside the characters.
My only complaint (and reason for the minus .5 star) is that my copy was edited horribly. Lots of missing letters and words and word substitutions. I would estimate that a third of the pages had some sort of editing error.
I'm definitely looking forward to the continuation of the story.
I really liked the plot and characters in this book. Its a classic "greatness thrust upon" story with interesting themes throughout. The villains are truly despicable and the hero is likeable. The magic system is interesting and I'm looking forward to more description of its workings. The setting is varied enough to keep things fresh. Excellent description has you feeling like you're traveling alongside the characters.
My only complaint (and reason for the minus .5 star) is that my copy was edited horribly. Lots of missing letters and words and word substitutions. I would estimate that a third of the pages had some sort of editing error.
I'm definitely looking forward to the continuation of the story.
May 10, 2019
Formulaic fantasy - boy/man thrust into a role he is unprepared for and must save the world. Those who should have taught him earlier now "helping" him find his way.
Even formulaic, it could have been a good read. Sophomoric sentence structure and egregious word misuse relegate it to the bottom of the "must read" list. I won't be following up with the next volume(s)
Even formulaic, it could have been a good read. Sophomoric sentence structure and egregious word misuse relegate it to the bottom of the "must read" list. I won't be following up with the next volume(s)
April 18, 2011
Fun fantasy novel. The characters are very well done and quite likable.
I really like that this is the first book of a series, but is a great stand alone novel in itself.
Looking forward to the next one!
I really like that this is the first book of a series, but is a great stand alone novel in itself.
Looking forward to the next one!
October 10, 2018
3 stars.
October 10, 2021
Needs editing
Many grammar errors. Steal for steel, reigns for reins, bows for boughs etc. It was very distracting. An editor is important.
Many grammar errors. Steal for steel, reigns for reins, bows for boughs etc. It was very distracting. An editor is important.
August 25, 2011
(from my Amazon review):
You're always taking a bit of a risk when you read an author's first book--especially in a genre as full of amateur attempts as the fantasy genre. This, however, is no amateur hack at a fantasy novel; it's a great read which was painfully difficult to set down, and I'm very anxious for the rest of the series. It was endlessly worth what I paid for it--a great and exciting read, with enough variety chapter-by-chapter that I couldn't even tell myself to set it down "just at the end of this chapter."
As someone who doesn't read a lot of fantasy novels, I did notice when elements were shared with other fantasy novels I've read--namely some similarities between the main character and other well-known epic adventurers. However, I get the feeling this is normal for fantasy, so I'll leave any commentary in that area to someone who knows more than I do. Either way, it didn't keep me from loving the book.
Just a few more specifics: The characters are engaging and personable--I felt like I knew them by the end of the book--and the mythos/spirituality of the world is something I'm really looking forward to seeing develop. Also, I bookmarked the map in my Kindle so I could continually flip back to it to find locations on the map and track the characters' progress across the landscape, which was great fun.
Overall, it's a great book with wonderful characters, great writing and a storyline I can't wait to see continue.
You're always taking a bit of a risk when you read an author's first book--especially in a genre as full of amateur attempts as the fantasy genre. This, however, is no amateur hack at a fantasy novel; it's a great read which was painfully difficult to set down, and I'm very anxious for the rest of the series. It was endlessly worth what I paid for it--a great and exciting read, with enough variety chapter-by-chapter that I couldn't even tell myself to set it down "just at the end of this chapter."
As someone who doesn't read a lot of fantasy novels, I did notice when elements were shared with other fantasy novels I've read--namely some similarities between the main character and other well-known epic adventurers. However, I get the feeling this is normal for fantasy, so I'll leave any commentary in that area to someone who knows more than I do. Either way, it didn't keep me from loving the book.
Just a few more specifics: The characters are engaging and personable--I felt like I knew them by the end of the book--and the mythos/spirituality of the world is something I'm really looking forward to seeing develop. Also, I bookmarked the map in my Kindle so I could continually flip back to it to find locations on the map and track the characters' progress across the landscape, which was great fun.
Overall, it's a great book with wonderful characters, great writing and a storyline I can't wait to see continue.
April 2, 2012
I got about a third of the way through this book and then abandoned it. This is the first book in a series (I think there are two that are currently published) and I just wasn't enthralled enough to feel like I would continue with the next book. I'm not a big heroic fantasy fan and I guess I just couldn't get into the story and characters. Anyone who enjoys heroic fantasy would like this book.
December 20, 2012
Quit this one about 1/3 of the way through.
It just never grabbed me. The fantasy setting and story are trite and there is almost no character development. I pushed through a lot more of this book than it deserved hoping for something to pull me in, but I'm giving up.
It just never grabbed me. The fantasy setting and story are trite and there is almost no character development. I pushed through a lot more of this book than it deserved hoping for something to pull me in, but I'm giving up.
February 29, 2012
Rated this on accident and can't get it to delete unformed the iPhone app. Haven't read it yet!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews