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Drawing Thin
Devil's Hand
A Las Vegas poker ace with supernatural luck is swept into a world-ending conflict between fallen angels and otherworldly shades, in a thrilling debut novel for readers who enjoy Dean Koontz, Jim Butcher, and Tim Powers.
The lone survivor of a tragic plane crash, Trent Hawkins inherited a mysterious lucky streak that made him famous, and hated, in the poker circles of the City of Sin. It wasn't long before the eyes in the sky threw him on the blacklist and chased him out of town. Now, after years away, Trent returns to Las Vegas, and walks right back into trouble.
As a serial kidnapper terrorizes the city, Trent and his wife, Susan, rescue a strange, thirteen year-old girl, only to find themselves caught in a fallen angel's plot to cleanse Las Vegas with an unholy blizzard.
As the neon dims and the city freezes, Trent is forced to make terrible sacrifices in order to protect his new charge, and learns dark truths about himself and the creatures plotting against mankind. Poker-playing demons, fallen angels, and otherworldly shades all vie to enlist his strange luck, and Trent must choose his role in the coming War, or watch our world fall to ruin beneath a blanket of shadow and ice.
The lone survivor of a tragic plane crash, Trent Hawkins inherited a mysterious lucky streak that made him famous, and hated, in the poker circles of the City of Sin. It wasn't long before the eyes in the sky threw him on the blacklist and chased him out of town. Now, after years away, Trent returns to Las Vegas, and walks right back into trouble.
As a serial kidnapper terrorizes the city, Trent and his wife, Susan, rescue a strange, thirteen year-old girl, only to find themselves caught in a fallen angel's plot to cleanse Las Vegas with an unholy blizzard.
As the neon dims and the city freezes, Trent is forced to make terrible sacrifices in order to protect his new charge, and learns dark truths about himself and the creatures plotting against mankind. Poker-playing demons, fallen angels, and otherworldly shades all vie to enlist his strange luck, and Trent must choose his role in the coming War, or watch our world fall to ruin beneath a blanket of shadow and ice.
322 pages, Nook
First published July 25, 2011
29 people are currently reading
466 people want to read
About the author
M.E. Patterson
3 books58 followersM. E. Patterson is an author and information technologist. His tales span the gamut from horror to fantasy to sci-fi. He lives with a geochemist and a dog in the Texas Hill Country.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
November 21, 2011
Book Title: "Devil's Hand (Drawing Thin)"
Author: M.E. Patterson
Published By: Digimonkey Studios
Age Recommended: 18 +
Reviewed By: Kitty Bullard (Great Minds Think Aloud Literary Community)
Raven Rating: 5
Review: Usually when one thinks of Las Vegas the phrase, 'city of sin' comes to mind. But after reading this book by M.E. Patterson it is easy to see how that phrase doesn't cut it. In this phenomenal piece of work Matt Patterson has turned Las Vegas into hell itself. When Trent Hawkins and his wife Susan return to the 'city of sin' they find themselves the guardians of a young girl named Celia with mysterious powers. What's worse is the demon that's after her and willing to take out anyone that gets in his way. In the guise of an old man named Salvatore he chases Trent and his wife through the streets and sewers of Las Vegas with only one goal in mind, making Celia his once and for all.
As I began to read this book I had to wonder how Trent and Susan could make sense out of the wacky weather they run into just a few miles outside of town. Though when you take into consideration Trent Hawkins' strange streak of good luck, you can somewhat understand. The man somehow survived a plane crash that took out all other passengers on board with him. He has always had the ability to win every game he ever played in any of the casinos in town, hence the reason he was banned from the state, and later in the story he somehow dodges bullets without even moving a muscle. By the time you get into the thick of the story you realize it seems that Trent's luck is running out and he must choose his path... whether to fight the war against darkness to win, or allow the entire world to fall into darkness.
This story literally had me on the edge of my seat, at times I felt as though I were watching a movie instead of reading a book. Matt Patterson has the ability to turn phrase in a like manner with some of the best horror masters around, such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and John Connolly. I highly recommend this book and I'll be looking for more to come from this up and coming new master of horror fiction. Bring it on Matt! I'm ready for more!
Kitty Bullard - Great Minds Think Aloud Literary Community
Read more: http://www.greatmindsthinkaloud.probo...
Author: M.E. Patterson
Published By: Digimonkey Studios
Age Recommended: 18 +
Reviewed By: Kitty Bullard (Great Minds Think Aloud Literary Community)
Raven Rating: 5
Review: Usually when one thinks of Las Vegas the phrase, 'city of sin' comes to mind. But after reading this book by M.E. Patterson it is easy to see how that phrase doesn't cut it. In this phenomenal piece of work Matt Patterson has turned Las Vegas into hell itself. When Trent Hawkins and his wife Susan return to the 'city of sin' they find themselves the guardians of a young girl named Celia with mysterious powers. What's worse is the demon that's after her and willing to take out anyone that gets in his way. In the guise of an old man named Salvatore he chases Trent and his wife through the streets and sewers of Las Vegas with only one goal in mind, making Celia his once and for all.
As I began to read this book I had to wonder how Trent and Susan could make sense out of the wacky weather they run into just a few miles outside of town. Though when you take into consideration Trent Hawkins' strange streak of good luck, you can somewhat understand. The man somehow survived a plane crash that took out all other passengers on board with him. He has always had the ability to win every game he ever played in any of the casinos in town, hence the reason he was banned from the state, and later in the story he somehow dodges bullets without even moving a muscle. By the time you get into the thick of the story you realize it seems that Trent's luck is running out and he must choose his path... whether to fight the war against darkness to win, or allow the entire world to fall into darkness.
This story literally had me on the edge of my seat, at times I felt as though I were watching a movie instead of reading a book. Matt Patterson has the ability to turn phrase in a like manner with some of the best horror masters around, such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and John Connolly. I highly recommend this book and I'll be looking for more to come from this up and coming new master of horror fiction. Bring it on Matt! I'm ready for more!
Kitty Bullard - Great Minds Think Aloud Literary Community
Read more: http://www.greatmindsthinkaloud.probo...
September 25, 2011
I liked the way the book flowed, at least at the beginning. It had a smooth vibe that made you comfortable with the characters from the start and comfortable with their initial situation, which then smoothly transitioned from the normal to the supernatural. Once the plot was rolling, though I found things to be perhaps a bit too convenient - decisions too easily made - although I believe the author recognized this and always tried to ensure there were no loose ends.
Fallen angel/demon wars aren't new, but Devil's Hand offered it's own twist on the story that worked, without becoming preachy or even relying on the condemnation of us mere mortals.
I was concerned that the book would rely too heavily on the poker analogies, something I'm not overly familiar with. Fortunately, neither a knowledge of poker or even of Vegas was necessary. The descriptions of Vegas were well done; enough to paint an accurate picture, even for those who have never been there or seen the flashy lights in movies.
Overall, a solid entry for a new author.
Fallen angel/demon wars aren't new, but Devil's Hand offered it's own twist on the story that worked, without becoming preachy or even relying on the condemnation of us mere mortals.
I was concerned that the book would rely too heavily on the poker analogies, something I'm not overly familiar with. Fortunately, neither a knowledge of poker or even of Vegas was necessary. The descriptions of Vegas were well done; enough to paint an accurate picture, even for those who have never been there or seen the flashy lights in movies.
Overall, a solid entry for a new author.
October 1, 2011
Angels vs. demons in Las Vegas should be up to my alley. I enjoy the whole concept. Alas, this one doesn't impress me much. I don't know why I can't get into it, although I admit the first chapter is totally creeps me out (rains of fishes and bloods?!? shudder). Maybe I'm just not in the right mood. Maybe I should read this again some other time. But for this time, I can only give it a so-so 3 stars. Hey, at least I get it for $0.99 on Amazon Kindle Store ;)
Please note that this is totally a personal opinion of reading experience, not a review of the story or other technicalities. It doesn't reflect the quality of the book. I see many good reviews of it so everyone who enjoy angels, demons, fallen angels, nephilim, gregori and such should give it a try ...
Please note that this is totally a personal opinion of reading experience, not a review of the story or other technicalities. It doesn't reflect the quality of the book. I see many good reviews of it so everyone who enjoy angels, demons, fallen angels, nephilim, gregori and such should give it a try ...
November 7, 2019
I always feel a certain trepidation when starting a new book from an author I've never heard of. Even more so when it's their first book and I am going into it completely blind. Usually, when it's not a book that I'm reviewing, I'll scour the web for reviews to see what others are saying. I completely disregard Amazon reviews because, let's face it, it's safe to assume that more than half of those five stars found on an authors first novel are from friends and family and can't be trusted. So I was a little nervous going into Devil's Hand by M.E. Patterson. It's written by an unknown author to me, I refuse to read anything written about it as not to skew my own thoughts and it looks to be self-published. To say that it has more against it than for would be an understatement. Fortunately, by the end of the first chapter, I knew that I would be enjoying the novel, and I was right.
You can read Steve's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
You can read Steve's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
November 21, 2011
My Opinion:
I really liked this book. The first few chapters were dry. I liked Trent and his wife Susan. I felt they were a good mix. I also liked how the characters developed in the book. There were some great scenes in this and a few disturbing ones also. All in all it made for a good read. This book had its ups and downs and after the first few chapters it grabbed you.
Trent is a poker player and he attributes his luck to being the only survivor of a plane crash. It’s not till later in the book that you find out why he was the only survivor. Well,after the plane crash his luck is solid and he’s able to win all his games. But,he gets banned because no one can possibly win that much. He and his wife leave Vegas. Only to return because Susan gets a job offer. This is where things start going bad. Trent has to figure out what is going on and save a little girl that seems to be the key to it all. There is a secret to his winning and I enjoyed how the author sets this up. I also enjoyed how the author takes us on a journey of the supernatural. I loved the characters being chased by demons and the weather phenomenon that takes place over Vegas on this thrilling tale.
I give Devil’s Hand by M.E. Patterson 4 of 5 Stars.
I really liked this book. The first few chapters were dry. I liked Trent and his wife Susan. I felt they were a good mix. I also liked how the characters developed in the book. There were some great scenes in this and a few disturbing ones also. All in all it made for a good read. This book had its ups and downs and after the first few chapters it grabbed you.
Trent is a poker player and he attributes his luck to being the only survivor of a plane crash. It’s not till later in the book that you find out why he was the only survivor. Well,after the plane crash his luck is solid and he’s able to win all his games. But,he gets banned because no one can possibly win that much. He and his wife leave Vegas. Only to return because Susan gets a job offer. This is where things start going bad. Trent has to figure out what is going on and save a little girl that seems to be the key to it all. There is a secret to his winning and I enjoyed how the author sets this up. I also enjoyed how the author takes us on a journey of the supernatural. I loved the characters being chased by demons and the weather phenomenon that takes place over Vegas on this thrilling tale.
I give Devil’s Hand by M.E. Patterson 4 of 5 Stars.
September 15, 2011
This book is guaranteed to keep the reader on his/her toes. There is constant action and excitement with some undercurrents of menace when the antagonists come in. Trent is the main character, he is surprisingly likable, the reader will have no trouble connecting to him. The reader will learn a little bit about Trent's background in the beginning of the novel, then get to know him better further in.
Trent and his wife return after being run out of Las Vegas...and they walk right into trouble. They help a thirteen year-old girl and continue to shelter her, leading them into danger and catalyzing the plot of the novel.
Who doesn't like to read about an evil antagonist? How about a Fallen Angel? There are many angel novels in the works right now; however, Patterson manages to make the concept appear more believable, even scary. The secondary characters, for the most part, as fun to get to know. The plot is different and intriguing-with a hint of irony (fallen angel literally bringing a cold day in hell to earth). The events are fast-paced and will keep the book moving consistently until the end. This book is recommended to adults.
October 29, 2011
It almost sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. An ex-pocker player, a nurse, a homeless guy, and numerous angels and demons walk into Las Vegas. But it's no joke. It's M.E. Patterson's first novel.
Trent Hawkins, Luckiest Man In The World, returns to Vegas after being blacklisted several years earlier. He and his wife get caught up in a plot to bring about a prophecy.
I chose this book primarily because its setting is Las Vegas. My wife and I have been there twice. Patterson describes it in all its gritty glory. Vegrants, casinos, porn pushers, and poker players.
The story takes off quickly and keeps that pace. You do get to catch your breath but it is rare. I found mysef devouring it fourty pages at a time, sometime as late as two in the morning. If I had a complaint it would only be my lack of sleep.
Devil's Hand is Aces in my book.
Trent Hawkins, Luckiest Man In The World, returns to Vegas after being blacklisted several years earlier. He and his wife get caught up in a plot to bring about a prophecy.
I chose this book primarily because its setting is Las Vegas. My wife and I have been there twice. Patterson describes it in all its gritty glory. Vegrants, casinos, porn pushers, and poker players.
The story takes off quickly and keeps that pace. You do get to catch your breath but it is rare. I found mysef devouring it fourty pages at a time, sometime as late as two in the morning. If I had a complaint it would only be my lack of sleep.
Devil's Hand is Aces in my book.
April 30, 2012
I read this one with my 2 reading buddies Kerry and Doreen. I might be the only one who liked it. This book started off very strong and I thought it was going to get better as I read on. There were some parts that I found to be confusing but overall I enjoyed the storyline. I loved the demon-angel element the story had. AND YES i actually thought the spider thing was pretty cool! I will be reading the second book to this!
September 3, 2011
This was a really great book to read, so if anyone enjoys a book about good and evil and the complexities between the two; this book just might be for you!I closed the book, hoping and praying that he will continue this story and turn it into a series. It would totally be worth it! :)
December 19, 2011
In short, I loved the book and hope there will be more to follow. Only thing that became a pet peeve during reading was the overuse of the word: cacophony. Each time I read that word it drove me bonkers.
November 17, 2018
Angels, demons, demigods and a man with exceptional luck. This book begins with a tire change on the side of the interstate outside Las Vegas and well... in the first few pages, fish start falling on our protagonists from the sky. This I found both weird and excellent at the same time, along with the entire book. The writer takes us through a wonderful maze of mysteries and abandoned tunnels and back-room Casino card games where torture and purgatory are waiting around the corner... as all the while a blizzard decimates or "cleanses" The City of Sin. A most enjoyable and surprising read!
June 17, 2018
Good vs evil
Good read. Wasnt sure what i was getting into with this story but kept my interest. Fantasy story with an interesting take on fallen angels. Live in las vegas so enjoyed the setting. Would definitely read more of this author.
Good read. Wasnt sure what i was getting into with this story but kept my interest. Fantasy story with an interesting take on fallen angels. Live in las vegas so enjoyed the setting. Would definitely read more of this author.
October 26, 2011
I'm fickle. I'll tell you that right up front. I go through phases where all I want is one particular kind of thing, and lots of it. Maybe that's single-ply wool yarn for knitting, maybe that's coconut oil, maybe that's pumpkin pie flavors, or maybe little cartoonish owls. That's how I am, and it's how I am about books, too. For a long while, the only thing I really wanted to read was non-fiction. And then I decided to test the murky waters of books my friends were reading which turned out to be, largely, fiction. Waaahmpires, and so on.
Sidebar: I bought a copy of Devil's Hand because I follow the author, M.E. Patterson, on Twitter (@mepatterson). Which is to say that because I read what he tweets I was eventually exposed to enough information about this book to form the following opinion: This books is probably my kind of book. The aforementioned information was in front of me frequently, because the author has a very solid grasp on the use of social media. As a person with very low tolerance for tedium, I was never even a little bit annoyed with the promotional tweets. He shared relevant information, quotes from reviews, comparisons to familiar authors, and whether it was actual salesmanship or just the power of suggestion in the face of repeated exposure: I bought his book. I'm a converted sale, and so thus I am evidence that he's Doing It Right. Further, Mr. Patterson is actively and attentively engaged with his readers - he answers our questions and he shares information and he Gets It: without the 'social' part, 'social media' is pointless.
On to the review: I started reading with a little bit of trepidation. I didn't want to hate this book. I was a worried I WOULD hate this book - in part because of the social media stuff I just wrote. It would suck a lot to be all "hey, @mepatterson, I uh.. read your book. Wow. And I mean WOW. So, um, do you have a day job?"
Alas! I was saved from that unpleasant imagined interaction because dude can actually write a book! A good book, I mean. I was taken up into the story right away, and immediately grossed out - the right way - by the Incident With The Fish. Not so much that there were fish, which: yeah, no thank you, because that's just awful, but more because of the descriptions of said fish... arriving. The adjectives chosen by the author conveyed the scene really well, and the whole thing came off as Guh-ROSS. And then it went from icky to creepy. When I have to stop reading a book at night because I'm alone in the house in the dark; when I have to stop reading because the book is gripping enough to move past 'icky' in The Incident With The Fish and move into 'creepy', and then I still have trouble going to sleep? The book is doing its job.
The characters were written in such a fashion that they are authentic and distinct. I found some segues to be a bit jarring - I had to go back to make sure I hadn't zoned out on something crucial between points A and B - but only once or twice, and early on. These scene changes are almost Tarantino-esque, that way, making me go "ruh?" and then weaving back together to form the fabric of crucial characters and how they are intertwined.
In explaining this book to my husband, I used words like "John Constantine", and "Kevin Smith's Dogma", and "Boondock Saints". None of those are exactly right, but they express the general flavor. What's awesome about none of those being exactly right, I've decided, is that it's because this book has managed to rework the whole God/Satan/Angel/Fallen/Demon/Monster/Holy War thing in a unique enough way. I like that. I'm an (actual, literal, card-carrying - it's in my wallet as I type) atheist, and (maybe because of the atheism, or maybe the atheism is because) I go all fight or flight from the uncanny valley when I'm faced with people having religious experiences. And yet, I totally love stories with supernatural good v. evil implications. Angels? Demons? Monsters? A flawed "human" Chaotic Neutral protagonist who rolls to disbelieve and then charges ahead before the dice even land?
Hell. Yes.
I liked this book. It was engaging, creepy, and well-written. The story is solid, and I found myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. It is full of themes and ideas and actual things that were seemingly designed specifically from a list of things that I hate (again, in a good way). This imaginary list starts somewhere around slimy wet thwacking noises, meanders through Las Vegas, tells me all about terrifying you-know-whats (s-p-i-d-e-r-s), and then turns out all the lights. But that's not all! Airplanes are awful! And snow. And kids in trouble! Bad guys! CHERUBIM! (That last one, "cherubim", is a word I did not know before reading this book. I love that word! TMYK!) When I started to fear that the poker metaphors were going to go too far, they stopped. When I began to suspect that everything was going to wrap up way too neatly, it didn't.
What it comes down to is this: I'm looking forward to buying the next book in this series. I think that says it all.
Sidebar: I bought a copy of Devil's Hand because I follow the author, M.E. Patterson, on Twitter (@mepatterson). Which is to say that because I read what he tweets I was eventually exposed to enough information about this book to form the following opinion: This books is probably my kind of book. The aforementioned information was in front of me frequently, because the author has a very solid grasp on the use of social media. As a person with very low tolerance for tedium, I was never even a little bit annoyed with the promotional tweets. He shared relevant information, quotes from reviews, comparisons to familiar authors, and whether it was actual salesmanship or just the power of suggestion in the face of repeated exposure: I bought his book. I'm a converted sale, and so thus I am evidence that he's Doing It Right. Further, Mr. Patterson is actively and attentively engaged with his readers - he answers our questions and he shares information and he Gets It: without the 'social' part, 'social media' is pointless.
On to the review: I started reading with a little bit of trepidation. I didn't want to hate this book. I was a worried I WOULD hate this book - in part because of the social media stuff I just wrote. It would suck a lot to be all "hey, @mepatterson, I uh.. read your book. Wow. And I mean WOW. So, um, do you have a day job?"
Alas! I was saved from that unpleasant imagined interaction because dude can actually write a book! A good book, I mean. I was taken up into the story right away, and immediately grossed out - the right way - by the Incident With The Fish. Not so much that there were fish, which: yeah, no thank you, because that's just awful, but more because of the descriptions of said fish... arriving. The adjectives chosen by the author conveyed the scene really well, and the whole thing came off as Guh-ROSS. And then it went from icky to creepy. When I have to stop reading a book at night because I'm alone in the house in the dark; when I have to stop reading because the book is gripping enough to move past 'icky' in The Incident With The Fish and move into 'creepy', and then I still have trouble going to sleep? The book is doing its job.
The characters were written in such a fashion that they are authentic and distinct. I found some segues to be a bit jarring - I had to go back to make sure I hadn't zoned out on something crucial between points A and B - but only once or twice, and early on. These scene changes are almost Tarantino-esque, that way, making me go "ruh?" and then weaving back together to form the fabric of crucial characters and how they are intertwined.
In explaining this book to my husband, I used words like "John Constantine", and "Kevin Smith's Dogma", and "Boondock Saints". None of those are exactly right, but they express the general flavor. What's awesome about none of those being exactly right, I've decided, is that it's because this book has managed to rework the whole God/Satan/Angel/Fallen/Demon/Monster/Holy War thing in a unique enough way. I like that. I'm an (actual, literal, card-carrying - it's in my wallet as I type) atheist, and (maybe because of the atheism, or maybe the atheism is because) I go all fight or flight from the uncanny valley when I'm faced with people having religious experiences. And yet, I totally love stories with supernatural good v. evil implications. Angels? Demons? Monsters? A flawed "human" Chaotic Neutral protagonist who rolls to disbelieve and then charges ahead before the dice even land?
Hell. Yes.
I liked this book. It was engaging, creepy, and well-written. The story is solid, and I found myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. It is full of themes and ideas and actual things that were seemingly designed specifically from a list of things that I hate (again, in a good way). This imaginary list starts somewhere around slimy wet thwacking noises, meanders through Las Vegas, tells me all about terrifying you-know-whats (s-p-i-d-e-r-s), and then turns out all the lights. But that's not all! Airplanes are awful! And snow. And kids in trouble! Bad guys! CHERUBIM! (That last one, "cherubim", is a word I did not know before reading this book. I love that word! TMYK!) When I started to fear that the poker metaphors were going to go too far, they stopped. When I began to suspect that everything was going to wrap up way too neatly, it didn't.
What it comes down to is this: I'm looking forward to buying the next book in this series. I think that says it all.
November 6, 2011
reading this one on the kindle...saw an ad somewhere...facebook? somewhere. looked interesting...time will tell
okay, so good start...a few problems...(i'm up to chapter 6 or section 6)...there's like this simile/metaphor that ....something is "like the puke-stained parking lot in front of a strip club."
well now you may never have been to a strip club...how many of us are there?...and i confess it's been awhile for me...last time i was there i ate a marshmellow out of a belly-button, charred brown/black of course...variation on the smore....but simile...i believe they're called...i was not ready for it...i kinda get a sense for something like that, but coming as it did early in the story...yukkky poo.
sue me.
early on, there's some business about an airplane disaster that trent experienced....i was wanting to visit that past rather than get a bit and piece of it...there's actually several bits and pieces up to this point..but there was on...something about a fireball...you don't know as you're reading it what that means...
other than those two things...the simile and the fireball...the story is great. this guy, sal, a kind of street preacher living in las vegas's tunnels (for drainage) is a figure...he is losing his mind, old timers disease.
vince...was it vince?....another guy and his girl head into town...both been there before...and right at the 13% point we get some news about kids disappearing....reappearing apparently...but damaged...reminding me of the wolves of the calla from stephen king.
there's some nice scenes w/sal....i liked those scenes more so than the time i spent with the couple....vince/susan i think they are...she's at work now....
trent! heh heh! saw that after i posted last time...this is ongoing can you tell
44% done to this point. found a few more annoyances...could simply be typos....that sort of thing..."face" where "feet" should be and at least one other....a seemingly minor mistake...editing? input to kindle form? whatever...it is the equivalent of "pecker" tracks...whereby you have hammer marks in the wood where some enthusiastic carpenter missed the nail and left "pecker" tracks in the wood. not, in all honesty, a good sign....ever.
there's some non-stop drag-out action here...trent/susan have tried to help this teenaged girl...cecil...many are dead...there's this fantastic....monster....that seems unstoppable...also...another...good? bad? otherwise? nicely ambiguous, although one could argue for demon possession and perhaps be correct...time will tell.
there are, like i said, some fantastic elements...water that grasps like vines...a monster that slips into shadows like the old looney tunes cartoons....remember those? fat character disappearing behind a thin tree? no? check em out you ever get a chance..looney tunes.
we are under las vegas at times...in a hospital...there is a chase scene or two...or three..or...
there is some business to do w/angels...perhaps demons? it isn't clear yet exactly what...angels for sure...good? bad? otherwise? not clear.
....update....finished....saturday evening...10:20 pm
there's at least one more....editing error...or whatever it is. i've seen this time and again on the kindle and dunno if it is...dunno where blame lies....i think i've seen errors in things like middlemarch by george eliot, too.
so there's a lot of action...blood...guts...maybe the f-bomb once...but rarely heard even that for the things that take place.
there are many fantastic things that take place here...angels....demons...shape-changers....powers beyond the ken....beyond something...snow storm in las vegas...etc.
this old guy....sal...actual....what? possessed i guess...so you initially feel for him at the start...you lose that...and return. trent is the main protag....w/the tennaged girl....celia or however it was.
there seemed to be some sort of...what kind of error is it called? trent's plane crash....speaks about nebraska...yet also says he spent time in a hospital there in las vegas...continuity....the crash is visited in one form or another, long and short...but the hospital is mentioned briefly in passing...no biggy really...and maybe it it not a continuity error...maybe "nebraska" is sposed to be "nevada"?
good story....a white-knuckler
okay, so good start...a few problems...(i'm up to chapter 6 or section 6)...there's like this simile/metaphor that ....something is "like the puke-stained parking lot in front of a strip club."
well now you may never have been to a strip club...how many of us are there?...and i confess it's been awhile for me...last time i was there i ate a marshmellow out of a belly-button, charred brown/black of course...variation on the smore....but simile...i believe they're called...i was not ready for it...i kinda get a sense for something like that, but coming as it did early in the story...yukkky poo.
sue me.
early on, there's some business about an airplane disaster that trent experienced....i was wanting to visit that past rather than get a bit and piece of it...there's actually several bits and pieces up to this point..but there was on...something about a fireball...you don't know as you're reading it what that means...
other than those two things...the simile and the fireball...the story is great. this guy, sal, a kind of street preacher living in las vegas's tunnels (for drainage) is a figure...he is losing his mind, old timers disease.
vince...was it vince?....another guy and his girl head into town...both been there before...and right at the 13% point we get some news about kids disappearing....reappearing apparently...but damaged...reminding me of the wolves of the calla from stephen king.
there's some nice scenes w/sal....i liked those scenes more so than the time i spent with the couple....vince/susan i think they are...she's at work now....
trent! heh heh! saw that after i posted last time...this is ongoing can you tell
44% done to this point. found a few more annoyances...could simply be typos....that sort of thing..."face" where "feet" should be and at least one other....a seemingly minor mistake...editing? input to kindle form? whatever...it is the equivalent of "pecker" tracks...whereby you have hammer marks in the wood where some enthusiastic carpenter missed the nail and left "pecker" tracks in the wood. not, in all honesty, a good sign....ever.
there's some non-stop drag-out action here...trent/susan have tried to help this teenaged girl...cecil...many are dead...there's this fantastic....monster....that seems unstoppable...also...another...good? bad? otherwise? nicely ambiguous, although one could argue for demon possession and perhaps be correct...time will tell.
there are, like i said, some fantastic elements...water that grasps like vines...a monster that slips into shadows like the old looney tunes cartoons....remember those? fat character disappearing behind a thin tree? no? check em out you ever get a chance..looney tunes.
we are under las vegas at times...in a hospital...there is a chase scene or two...or three..or...
there is some business to do w/angels...perhaps demons? it isn't clear yet exactly what...angels for sure...good? bad? otherwise? not clear.
....update....finished....saturday evening...10:20 pm
there's at least one more....editing error...or whatever it is. i've seen this time and again on the kindle and dunno if it is...dunno where blame lies....i think i've seen errors in things like middlemarch by george eliot, too.
so there's a lot of action...blood...guts...maybe the f-bomb once...but rarely heard even that for the things that take place.
there are many fantastic things that take place here...angels....demons...shape-changers....powers beyond the ken....beyond something...snow storm in las vegas...etc.
this old guy....sal...actual....what? possessed i guess...so you initially feel for him at the start...you lose that...and return. trent is the main protag....w/the tennaged girl....celia or however it was.
there seemed to be some sort of...what kind of error is it called? trent's plane crash....speaks about nebraska...yet also says he spent time in a hospital there in las vegas...continuity....the crash is visited in one form or another, long and short...but the hospital is mentioned briefly in passing...no biggy really...and maybe it it not a continuity error...maybe "nebraska" is sposed to be "nevada"?
good story....a white-knuckler
October 4, 2011
Devil's Hand is a Supernatural Occult Thriller.
Trent Hawkins is the "luckiest man alive", especially after he falls out of an airplane and is the only survivor of a horrific plane crash. He has been blacklisted from Las Vegas as his uncanny knack at cards has casino owners looking at him with suspicion and bad luck seems to follow those who are around him.
When Trent's wife, Susan, is given a job at the Children's Hospital in Las Vegas, they move back with great trepidation. Trent doesn't know if a year away is long enough for old bygones to be let go but for the love of his wife, Trent is willing to do anything for her. Upon arriving back in Vegas, the two are hit with a hail storm that soon turns into falling fish. Bewildered and confused, they chalk it up to high pressure weather fronts and before they are even unpacked, all hell breaks loose and Trent is the only person who can make things right.
Children in Las Vegas are being kidnapped and returned to their parents in a vegetative state. No one at the hospital can explain what is occurring and on the night that Trent and his wife arrive in Vegas, Celia, a thirteen year old who is allergic to water, has been rushed to the hospital in anaphylactic shock. Celia doesn't know it yet, but she is being hunted by an Angel named Zamagiel.
Zamagiel wants to return to Heaven and he believes by ridding the Earth of all sin, he will get himself a one-way ticket back to his home. He has resided in Hell for far too long and wants to live by the Grace of God once again. He uses Salvatore Cortina as his host body, Salvatore is a street bum who lives in the sewers beneath Las Vegas. He isn't a willing host and is often fighting Zamagiel for control.
Trent has gained powers that he has now been forced to understand in order to save humanity from the grips of evil, to stop the War that is brewing amongst the Angels, the Cherubim and the Grigori's, everyone has their own agenda. Some like the order of things as they are and want War diverted in that they may continue enjoying their Earthly pleasures, some want the Prophecy to be fulfilled in order to amend God's severing of the Angels from their Host and others just want more anarchy and chaos and only one group's champion will secure the future.
This is a fantastic debut novel by author, M.E. Patterson. It has intrigue, mystery, angels, demons, magic and more included for this engaging ride into the fantastical world of Angels and Demons. Using Las Vegas as a backdrop for the creatures was quickly impressive, if anyone has ever read Hunter S. Thompson's rendition of Las Vegas, you will see the similarities between the reptilian races and the thoughts of the late author had. If I was going to make one place in the world as the core of Hell, then Las Vegas would be the optimal place to locate such.
I loved the history being shared about the Angels and their positions held on Earth and in the eyes of God. I enjoyed the expression of faith and free will that the author shared, it was on par with how I view the angelic realms. I thought the characters were wonderfully written and the back stories shared brought enough light to the situations that the characters found themselves in.
The written style of M.E. Patterson reminded me of early style Stephen King or Robert R. MacGammon, written with clarity and insight and urged the reader to continue with the story. I found it hard to put down and needed to finish the story and was equally pleased to see the ending did not fail the story. I am hoping that there will be more adventures involving Trent, the author left so many doors open in the ending that it would be hard to miscontrue his intent. At least I am hoping his story isn't finished, I would love to read more, the possibilities are endless with such a scenario.
I would give this book five out of five stars and for me, this is a rarity, I don't hand them out to often, but this book definitely has the charisma and depth to encourage others to share the story within its pages. Devil's Hand isn't a book one should ignore, not if you like Angels, the paranormal and an excellent written style to bring it all together.
Trent Hawkins is the "luckiest man alive", especially after he falls out of an airplane and is the only survivor of a horrific plane crash. He has been blacklisted from Las Vegas as his uncanny knack at cards has casino owners looking at him with suspicion and bad luck seems to follow those who are around him.
When Trent's wife, Susan, is given a job at the Children's Hospital in Las Vegas, they move back with great trepidation. Trent doesn't know if a year away is long enough for old bygones to be let go but for the love of his wife, Trent is willing to do anything for her. Upon arriving back in Vegas, the two are hit with a hail storm that soon turns into falling fish. Bewildered and confused, they chalk it up to high pressure weather fronts and before they are even unpacked, all hell breaks loose and Trent is the only person who can make things right.
Children in Las Vegas are being kidnapped and returned to their parents in a vegetative state. No one at the hospital can explain what is occurring and on the night that Trent and his wife arrive in Vegas, Celia, a thirteen year old who is allergic to water, has been rushed to the hospital in anaphylactic shock. Celia doesn't know it yet, but she is being hunted by an Angel named Zamagiel.
Zamagiel wants to return to Heaven and he believes by ridding the Earth of all sin, he will get himself a one-way ticket back to his home. He has resided in Hell for far too long and wants to live by the Grace of God once again. He uses Salvatore Cortina as his host body, Salvatore is a street bum who lives in the sewers beneath Las Vegas. He isn't a willing host and is often fighting Zamagiel for control.
Trent has gained powers that he has now been forced to understand in order to save humanity from the grips of evil, to stop the War that is brewing amongst the Angels, the Cherubim and the Grigori's, everyone has their own agenda. Some like the order of things as they are and want War diverted in that they may continue enjoying their Earthly pleasures, some want the Prophecy to be fulfilled in order to amend God's severing of the Angels from their Host and others just want more anarchy and chaos and only one group's champion will secure the future.
This is a fantastic debut novel by author, M.E. Patterson. It has intrigue, mystery, angels, demons, magic and more included for this engaging ride into the fantastical world of Angels and Demons. Using Las Vegas as a backdrop for the creatures was quickly impressive, if anyone has ever read Hunter S. Thompson's rendition of Las Vegas, you will see the similarities between the reptilian races and the thoughts of the late author had. If I was going to make one place in the world as the core of Hell, then Las Vegas would be the optimal place to locate such.
I loved the history being shared about the Angels and their positions held on Earth and in the eyes of God. I enjoyed the expression of faith and free will that the author shared, it was on par with how I view the angelic realms. I thought the characters were wonderfully written and the back stories shared brought enough light to the situations that the characters found themselves in.
The written style of M.E. Patterson reminded me of early style Stephen King or Robert R. MacGammon, written with clarity and insight and urged the reader to continue with the story. I found it hard to put down and needed to finish the story and was equally pleased to see the ending did not fail the story. I am hoping that there will be more adventures involving Trent, the author left so many doors open in the ending that it would be hard to miscontrue his intent. At least I am hoping his story isn't finished, I would love to read more, the possibilities are endless with such a scenario.
I would give this book five out of five stars and for me, this is a rarity, I don't hand them out to often, but this book definitely has the charisma and depth to encourage others to share the story within its pages. Devil's Hand isn't a book one should ignore, not if you like Angels, the paranormal and an excellent written style to bring it all together.
July 4, 2012
Trent is supposedly the luckiest man alive – having survived a plane crash that killed many people. From then on, Trent’s had a string of amazingly good luck – especially on the poker table, which gained him the hatred of many casinos. Returning back to Las Vegas to start afresh with his wife, he’s soon confronted with a horrifying blizzard, shadow demons, an absolutely terrifying supernatural serial killer and an army of angels that are hell bent on (what else) destroying mankind.
Maybe moving back wasn’t such a great idea.
Add to this a young teenager, Celia, who seems to possess magic of her own, and you got the recipe for a great novel. Trent also discovers that his “good luck” isn’t actually as easily explained as he thought.
First compliment I have to give is the characterisation. Trent is a likeable hero that has enough flaws to make him realistic and likeable. He does have a few crisis of faith moments but when the chips are down (no pun intended) he pulls himself back up to fight again. For some reason, as I was reading him, I actually imagined him looking a little like the wrestler James Storm – and if this was ever made into a film I think he’d be great to play that role. Celia is the secondary protagonist, a teenager who appears to have a strange allergy – but in actual fact possesses some extraordinary powers herself. She is by no means a damsel in distress (which is what I like) and actually gets to do a bit of ass-kicking herself. Salvatore is the villain of the piece, possessed by a demon named Zamagiel, who is trying to take Celia for himself and puts Trent through hell pretty much the entire book. Every so often, he switches back between the human Salvatore and the demon Zamagiel – I liked that. Added a lot of depth to his character as the two sides fought for control.
Second thing I liked was the genuine sense of urgency the book had. The city of Las Vegas is battled by snow and blizzards the whole way through the story, gradually getting worse and worse. This made the action really intense in places and I seriously could feel the fear that was going through Las Vegas during this time. I really did feel that Trent was racing against the clock in this one and that his time was numbered.
I think there were only a couple of places where the story slowed down a little. The first being where Trent plays poker with a few demons, whereby Trent learns a little more about the angels plans to bring about apocalypse. The other being where he meets the angel Ramon and learns the truth about his survival and everything else. This scene went on a bit too long for my liking and felt like more of a plot exposition – which I think can sometimes slow the story down a little.
But on the plus side, when it did go back to the action – boy did it go back with a bang! This doesn’t hold back on any of the violence and those who are a little squeamish might feel a little uncomfortable reading this. But on the whole I felt that it was fine as it was and nothing to majorly troubling. The ending sets it up nicely for a sequel – which I have to admit I wouldn’t mind reading in the future.
Devil’s Hand ticks a lot of the boxes for me. Great characterisation, a feel of suspense, a dark plot involving demons and angels and the coming of the end of the world – which must be prevented. Even though it does slow down once or twice, it quickly picks up the pace to make it a joy to read. This is one of those books that NEEDS to be made into a film or TV mini-series as I think it would highly benefit from that. All I can say to sum up is, to misquote Motorhead – if you like to gamble, you can bet on the Devil’s Hand!
Maybe moving back wasn’t such a great idea.
Add to this a young teenager, Celia, who seems to possess magic of her own, and you got the recipe for a great novel. Trent also discovers that his “good luck” isn’t actually as easily explained as he thought.
First compliment I have to give is the characterisation. Trent is a likeable hero that has enough flaws to make him realistic and likeable. He does have a few crisis of faith moments but when the chips are down (no pun intended) he pulls himself back up to fight again. For some reason, as I was reading him, I actually imagined him looking a little like the wrestler James Storm – and if this was ever made into a film I think he’d be great to play that role. Celia is the secondary protagonist, a teenager who appears to have a strange allergy – but in actual fact possesses some extraordinary powers herself. She is by no means a damsel in distress (which is what I like) and actually gets to do a bit of ass-kicking herself. Salvatore is the villain of the piece, possessed by a demon named Zamagiel, who is trying to take Celia for himself and puts Trent through hell pretty much the entire book. Every so often, he switches back between the human Salvatore and the demon Zamagiel – I liked that. Added a lot of depth to his character as the two sides fought for control.
Second thing I liked was the genuine sense of urgency the book had. The city of Las Vegas is battled by snow and blizzards the whole way through the story, gradually getting worse and worse. This made the action really intense in places and I seriously could feel the fear that was going through Las Vegas during this time. I really did feel that Trent was racing against the clock in this one and that his time was numbered.
I think there were only a couple of places where the story slowed down a little. The first being where Trent plays poker with a few demons, whereby Trent learns a little more about the angels plans to bring about apocalypse. The other being where he meets the angel Ramon and learns the truth about his survival and everything else. This scene went on a bit too long for my liking and felt like more of a plot exposition – which I think can sometimes slow the story down a little.
But on the plus side, when it did go back to the action – boy did it go back with a bang! This doesn’t hold back on any of the violence and those who are a little squeamish might feel a little uncomfortable reading this. But on the whole I felt that it was fine as it was and nothing to majorly troubling. The ending sets it up nicely for a sequel – which I have to admit I wouldn’t mind reading in the future.
Devil’s Hand ticks a lot of the boxes for me. Great characterisation, a feel of suspense, a dark plot involving demons and angels and the coming of the end of the world – which must be prevented. Even though it does slow down once or twice, it quickly picks up the pace to make it a joy to read. This is one of those books that NEEDS to be made into a film or TV mini-series as I think it would highly benefit from that. All I can say to sum up is, to misquote Motorhead – if you like to gamble, you can bet on the Devil’s Hand!
November 2, 2011
4.5 stars - full review at Working for the Mandroid
Trent is your standard fallen hero, except midway through the book you suddenly realize he’s turned into an awesome badass. As the unofficial guardian of the weird teenage girl who is being chased after by the big bad, he’s dropped into the middle of all the crazy and he rises to the occasion. Trent starts off as an unemployable, pathetic mess, who loves his wife but doesn’t have much else going for him. The change into a hero is subtle and happens naturally without any big blinking arrows pointing at him, saying “HE’S A HERO NOW!” A giant shadow monster begins chasing him, two giant blonde guys keep showing up to threaten him, and then of course, there’s the weird teenage girl who seems to have magical powers over the ice and snow. Yet through it all, he manages to keep a mostly level head and to take everything in as it happens without falling apart, including a high stakes poker game with a table full of demons.
To be honest, by the time I reached the demon poker game, I got a very American Gods feel to the entire thing. Trent was a very similar hero figure to Shadow, making similar sacrifices, discovering similar supernatural qualities in the world at large, and fighting something much bigger than him. Having chatty angels and demons around, most of who were not clearly defined as good or evil, added to the feel. Don’t get me wrong – a comparison to American Gods coming from me is a huge compliment – Devil’s Hand is very much its own story; it just had a similar feel to it with two very different worlds colliding and causing chaos in the life of a seemingly ordinary man.
The big bad is housed in the body of an old homeless man named Salvatore, who doesn’t realize he’s possessed by evil. When the bad guy, a fallen angel, comes out to play, he’s after all of his children – seemingly mortal kids that might have special powers. He’s a menacing character, but he’s most interesting in the way he affects Celia after initially coming into contact with her. Despite being a devastated thirteen-year-old, she is strong, mysterious and the most interesting of all the characters. Her background remains a little fuzzy and a little bit of handwaving seems to happen to explain what she’s capable of, but it doesn’t matter – Celia is pretty awesome and the type of adolescent character I like reading.
While there’s a lot of mythology within the angelic culture of Devil’s Hand, I wasn’t always entirely clear on where the lines were drawn, who was on what side and what they hoped to gain. It didn’t take much away from the story except for my occasional wondering of why so many were on the side of the big bad when the characters one would expect to be bad were actually helping the good guys. With different factions of angels and fallen angels, I might have run through the political explanation of the situation faster than I should have to fully understand the sides of the war. I could have also been muddled by the cross pollination of ideas from… wait, no Supernatural references. My head is a jumble of angel mythology from different sources. Other readers might find the background easier to pick up and keep straight.
Read more of our review for Devil's Hand at Working for the Mandroid
Trent is your standard fallen hero, except midway through the book you suddenly realize he’s turned into an awesome badass. As the unofficial guardian of the weird teenage girl who is being chased after by the big bad, he’s dropped into the middle of all the crazy and he rises to the occasion. Trent starts off as an unemployable, pathetic mess, who loves his wife but doesn’t have much else going for him. The change into a hero is subtle and happens naturally without any big blinking arrows pointing at him, saying “HE’S A HERO NOW!” A giant shadow monster begins chasing him, two giant blonde guys keep showing up to threaten him, and then of course, there’s the weird teenage girl who seems to have magical powers over the ice and snow. Yet through it all, he manages to keep a mostly level head and to take everything in as it happens without falling apart, including a high stakes poker game with a table full of demons.
To be honest, by the time I reached the demon poker game, I got a very American Gods feel to the entire thing. Trent was a very similar hero figure to Shadow, making similar sacrifices, discovering similar supernatural qualities in the world at large, and fighting something much bigger than him. Having chatty angels and demons around, most of who were not clearly defined as good or evil, added to the feel. Don’t get me wrong – a comparison to American Gods coming from me is a huge compliment – Devil’s Hand is very much its own story; it just had a similar feel to it with two very different worlds colliding and causing chaos in the life of a seemingly ordinary man.
The big bad is housed in the body of an old homeless man named Salvatore, who doesn’t realize he’s possessed by evil. When the bad guy, a fallen angel, comes out to play, he’s after all of his children – seemingly mortal kids that might have special powers. He’s a menacing character, but he’s most interesting in the way he affects Celia after initially coming into contact with her. Despite being a devastated thirteen-year-old, she is strong, mysterious and the most interesting of all the characters. Her background remains a little fuzzy and a little bit of handwaving seems to happen to explain what she’s capable of, but it doesn’t matter – Celia is pretty awesome and the type of adolescent character I like reading.
While there’s a lot of mythology within the angelic culture of Devil’s Hand, I wasn’t always entirely clear on where the lines were drawn, who was on what side and what they hoped to gain. It didn’t take much away from the story except for my occasional wondering of why so many were on the side of the big bad when the characters one would expect to be bad were actually helping the good guys. With different factions of angels and fallen angels, I might have run through the political explanation of the situation faster than I should have to fully understand the sides of the war. I could have also been muddled by the cross pollination of ideas from… wait, no Supernatural references. My head is a jumble of angel mythology from different sources. Other readers might find the background easier to pick up and keep straight.
Read more of our review for Devil's Hand at Working for the Mandroid
February 5, 2013
There was a point at which I stopped going into bookshops to look for books. The reason why was that no publisher was putting out stuff like Devil's Hand. I don't know if things have changed. I guess they haven't, people keep drawing comparisons in the places I've looked between this and the Dresden Files. If you're going to say that if you liked Dresden then you'll probably like this people would be right. If you want to say the two things have much in common, then you'd be far less right.
Devil's Hand starts out doing things right by not being in the first person. I understand that there's a sort of gumshoe vibe in Dresden but that guy does sometimes come off as a whiner because that's what first person perspective tends to do in long form unless you're clever. Trent Hawkins, the hero of Devil's Hand, is described in the third person and all the better for it. I found it a hell of a lot easier to get on with Trent.
The other two great features of Devil's Hand show a pretty solid understanding of what this series is and what it's about also. One is that it starts a series and has that "television show pilot" vibe about it, but the story contained within its pages is ultimately satisfying in its own right. The other is that its metaphysical set up is laid out for the reader in a pretty clear fashion, giving this urban fantasy thriller a weight that propels it forward and keeps it involving.
As for the plot, the blurb tells you most of what you want to know. The one thing a blurb cannot help to make clear is just how well acquainted Mr Patterson has made him with the apocryphal (as in actually from the apocrypha, not in the metaphorical sense) source of his mythos. I have found that when it comes to contemporary fantasy aimed at adults authors do have a tendency to think that they can half-bake something and let it loose. I have often left these works feeling, somehow, poorer than I came in. Devil's Hand displays the author's research and knowledge in a plot appropriate manner, hence, it enriches even as it thrills and excites.
Not that this is a perfect score card. There is a little flab that could have used some revision. There's too much fighting between the main protagonist and the main antagonist in the first half. There's a character who at first appears a bit thin, then appears to be a cheap motivational device and later proves to be a set up for something down the line; the whole matter is clumsily handled.
These minor problems, however, do not detract from the fact that the overall impact, once the story is done, is a resounding success. I think that some people would say it's an unqualified good that you can get to the end, turn back and see how deftly the players have been introduced and the set up going forward will give room for surprises and drama. I would say that this kind of dramatic coyness, meaning that you can only really see where you were going when you've got to your destination, risks losing a small number of less patient readers along the way.
None of the problems are fatal. I really enjoyed the book and, crucially, am really intrigued to read the follow up and further volumes in the series. Next time I have a gap in my leisure reading schedule (holiday or such) M.E. Patterson's oeuvre will be one of the places I'm going to go looking for another encounter with the fascinating cast of angelic hosts and demonic hordes.
Devil's Hand starts out doing things right by not being in the first person. I understand that there's a sort of gumshoe vibe in Dresden but that guy does sometimes come off as a whiner because that's what first person perspective tends to do in long form unless you're clever. Trent Hawkins, the hero of Devil's Hand, is described in the third person and all the better for it. I found it a hell of a lot easier to get on with Trent.
The other two great features of Devil's Hand show a pretty solid understanding of what this series is and what it's about also. One is that it starts a series and has that "television show pilot" vibe about it, but the story contained within its pages is ultimately satisfying in its own right. The other is that its metaphysical set up is laid out for the reader in a pretty clear fashion, giving this urban fantasy thriller a weight that propels it forward and keeps it involving.
As for the plot, the blurb tells you most of what you want to know. The one thing a blurb cannot help to make clear is just how well acquainted Mr Patterson has made him with the apocryphal (as in actually from the apocrypha, not in the metaphorical sense) source of his mythos. I have found that when it comes to contemporary fantasy aimed at adults authors do have a tendency to think that they can half-bake something and let it loose. I have often left these works feeling, somehow, poorer than I came in. Devil's Hand displays the author's research and knowledge in a plot appropriate manner, hence, it enriches even as it thrills and excites.
Not that this is a perfect score card. There is a little flab that could have used some revision. There's too much fighting between the main protagonist and the main antagonist in the first half. There's a character who at first appears a bit thin, then appears to be a cheap motivational device and later proves to be a set up for something down the line; the whole matter is clumsily handled.
These minor problems, however, do not detract from the fact that the overall impact, once the story is done, is a resounding success. I think that some people would say it's an unqualified good that you can get to the end, turn back and see how deftly the players have been introduced and the set up going forward will give room for surprises and drama. I would say that this kind of dramatic coyness, meaning that you can only really see where you were going when you've got to your destination, risks losing a small number of less patient readers along the way.
None of the problems are fatal. I really enjoyed the book and, crucially, am really intrigued to read the follow up and further volumes in the series. Next time I have a gap in my leisure reading schedule (holiday or such) M.E. Patterson's oeuvre will be one of the places I'm going to go looking for another encounter with the fascinating cast of angelic hosts and demonic hordes.
March 18, 2013
M. E. Patterson appeared on my radar completely by happenstance. He was one of those random Twitter adds that you can never remember after the fact. Either he added me based on the other people I follow, or I saw him mentioned in a Twitter post and checked his profile out myself. I was immediately intrigued by the description of his first novel, The Devil's Hand. I used to play a bit of online poker for real money, and was actually beating the game. So an Urban Fantasy novel where the protagonist is a poker player appealed to me.
It took me a while to get around to reading it. I always seem to have either more books than I can handle at a time, or less money than I want to spend on them. Somewhere there exists a happy medium, but I haven't found it. I finally got around to it last week, and I'm pretty glad I did.
Trent Hawkins is the so-called Luckiest Man Alive. After surviving a horrific plane crash, he goes on to capitalize on his luck in Vegas. Not unexpectedly, casino bosses and the Gaming Commission take a dim view before long. He and his wife leave Vegas, broke and blacklisted. That's where we come in. Trent and his wife are headed back to Vegas so she can take a dream job. Things immediately begin to get weird.
A rain of fish and a hail storm herald the couple's arrival in Las Vegas. Odd things are happening in the shop of an old friend of the family. And when a vagrant preacher comes to the children's hospital where Susan works to try to capture a girl to whom he has no connection, the ride really begins.
Along the way, questions are answered, like "why is Trent so lucky?." Others are raised. We're left with a sense of closure on the current story, but an impression of what else may be to come. The Devil's Hand is the first book in a series called Drawing Thin, and I plan to keep reading.
The writing in Devil's Hand is evocative and sturdy. The storyline is face paced and stays interesting. The forces moving behind the scenes turn out to be familiar fare for urban fantasy and horror readers, but in an interesting permutation that's similar to but not quite the same as many others I've read.
The book's big stumbling block, like many other indy offerings is in editing. There were a few places where misspellings and the like made it into the final version of the book, and one notable instance where the declared outcome of an important hand of poker was different from that described by the action. To Patterson's credit, when I mentioned this on Twitter he owned up to it and sent me a link to the material that had been erroneously cut, and which will be added back in the second edition.
All told, I give The Devil's Hand 4 out of 5 stars for engaging action, well realized characters, and a refreshing take on familiar supernatural elements.
It took me a while to get around to reading it. I always seem to have either more books than I can handle at a time, or less money than I want to spend on them. Somewhere there exists a happy medium, but I haven't found it. I finally got around to it last week, and I'm pretty glad I did.
Trent Hawkins is the so-called Luckiest Man Alive. After surviving a horrific plane crash, he goes on to capitalize on his luck in Vegas. Not unexpectedly, casino bosses and the Gaming Commission take a dim view before long. He and his wife leave Vegas, broke and blacklisted. That's where we come in. Trent and his wife are headed back to Vegas so she can take a dream job. Things immediately begin to get weird.
A rain of fish and a hail storm herald the couple's arrival in Las Vegas. Odd things are happening in the shop of an old friend of the family. And when a vagrant preacher comes to the children's hospital where Susan works to try to capture a girl to whom he has no connection, the ride really begins.
Along the way, questions are answered, like "why is Trent so lucky?." Others are raised. We're left with a sense of closure on the current story, but an impression of what else may be to come. The Devil's Hand is the first book in a series called Drawing Thin, and I plan to keep reading.
The writing in Devil's Hand is evocative and sturdy. The storyline is face paced and stays interesting. The forces moving behind the scenes turn out to be familiar fare for urban fantasy and horror readers, but in an interesting permutation that's similar to but not quite the same as many others I've read.
The book's big stumbling block, like many other indy offerings is in editing. There were a few places where misspellings and the like made it into the final version of the book, and one notable instance where the declared outcome of an important hand of poker was different from that described by the action. To Patterson's credit, when I mentioned this on Twitter he owned up to it and sent me a link to the material that had been erroneously cut, and which will be added back in the second edition.
All told, I give The Devil's Hand 4 out of 5 stars for engaging action, well realized characters, and a refreshing take on familiar supernatural elements.
November 2, 2011
Trent Hawkins is the only survivor of a tragic plane crash. After the crash, he mysteriously began a streak of luck that made him famous, then hated in the Las Vegas poker circles. Before long he’s cast out and blacklisted. After leaving town for several years, he comes back when his wife is offered a job at a hospital.
They aren’t even to their new home before trouble starts. Softball sized hail, fish raining from the sky… why the heck didn’t they turn around and RUN? I would have.
The next day, Trent and his wife Susan find themselves wrapped up in a rescue of a girl, with a demon chasing them around the city. Soon he discovers himself in a fallen angel’s plot to cleanse Sin City with an unholy blizzard.
From page one, Patterson sucks you in fast and never lets up. I started reading right before bed and after a few chapters I thought, “Now how the heck do I sleep after reading THAT?” I wasn’t sure what I expected when I agreed to read and review this book. I wasn’t expecting what lies in between the covers of this one. For some reason I expected a soft thriller of sorts, but this book is anything but. It’s an exciting ride that doesn’t let up. The entire time I was reading I kept thinking it would make a great movie.
If your a fan of thrillers, action, the supernatural, suspense, poker… or just reading, this is a book you should definitely pick up!
You can visit the website at http://www.devils-hand.com/.
**I did this review for Pump Up Your Book and was kindly given the book to read. My review was my own. Positive or negative. I wasn’t paid or bribed in any way to give this review. I wasn’t even offered a cookie. *this is the cover yourself stuff laws were made about*- if I don’t put this here (well you know what happens when you cut the tag off your mattress right?) … now back to your regular reading, if your not reading, go buy a book and save an author from starvation. **
They aren’t even to their new home before trouble starts. Softball sized hail, fish raining from the sky… why the heck didn’t they turn around and RUN? I would have.
The next day, Trent and his wife Susan find themselves wrapped up in a rescue of a girl, with a demon chasing them around the city. Soon he discovers himself in a fallen angel’s plot to cleanse Sin City with an unholy blizzard.
From page one, Patterson sucks you in fast and never lets up. I started reading right before bed and after a few chapters I thought, “Now how the heck do I sleep after reading THAT?” I wasn’t sure what I expected when I agreed to read and review this book. I wasn’t expecting what lies in between the covers of this one. For some reason I expected a soft thriller of sorts, but this book is anything but. It’s an exciting ride that doesn’t let up. The entire time I was reading I kept thinking it would make a great movie.
If your a fan of thrillers, action, the supernatural, suspense, poker… or just reading, this is a book you should definitely pick up!
You can visit the website at http://www.devils-hand.com/.
**I did this review for Pump Up Your Book and was kindly given the book to read. My review was my own. Positive or negative. I wasn’t paid or bribed in any way to give this review. I wasn’t even offered a cookie. *this is the cover yourself stuff laws were made about*- if I don’t put this here (well you know what happens when you cut the tag off your mattress right?) … now back to your regular reading, if your not reading, go buy a book and save an author from starvation. **
October 17, 2011
Devil's Hand grabbed me early on and drew me in with a rousing mixture of action, horror, and mystery. The vividly described action sequences are fast paced and compelling. The supernatural creatures that Trent, Susan and Celia encounter are awesome, particularly the Render. The horrific situations are frightening and realistic without being overly gory or distasteful. Elements of mystery are intricately woven throughout the book and are well thought out and intriguing. It's obvious Patterson did his homework, adding a fresh take on some familiar ideas about angels, demons and the creatures in between. It’s the balanced combination of all three of these elements that kept me turning the pages.
The only struggle I had with Devil’s Hand was that I felt there could have been more character development of the protagonist, Trent. I liked Trent and found him relatable, but wanted to know more about who he was, how he was feeling and what he was thinking. The root of this criticism can likely be traced to the novel’s third person narrative. That said, given the pacing and level of action in the novel, the fact that the reader is able to relate to Trent at all is a testament to Patterson’s storytelling ability. And without the third person narrative we wouldn’t have been treated to the darker chapters focused on Salvatore and Celia, nor the enthralling action sequences with Zamagiel or the Render.
Bottom line: Devil’s Hand, the self-published debut novel by M.E. Patterson, earns a well-deserved A-. Definitely recommended for fans of Butcher and Koontz, or anyone interested in a gritty, fast-paced, action-packed, supernatural thriller. Also worth noting is that digital copies of Devil’s Hand can be purchased on Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com for the very affordable price of $2.99.
The only struggle I had with Devil’s Hand was that I felt there could have been more character development of the protagonist, Trent. I liked Trent and found him relatable, but wanted to know more about who he was, how he was feeling and what he was thinking. The root of this criticism can likely be traced to the novel’s third person narrative. That said, given the pacing and level of action in the novel, the fact that the reader is able to relate to Trent at all is a testament to Patterson’s storytelling ability. And without the third person narrative we wouldn’t have been treated to the darker chapters focused on Salvatore and Celia, nor the enthralling action sequences with Zamagiel or the Render.
Bottom line: Devil’s Hand, the self-published debut novel by M.E. Patterson, earns a well-deserved A-. Definitely recommended for fans of Butcher and Koontz, or anyone interested in a gritty, fast-paced, action-packed, supernatural thriller. Also worth noting is that digital copies of Devil’s Hand can be purchased on Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com for the very affordable price of $2.99.
October 21, 2011
Full of twists, turns and unexpected surprises, Devil's Hand is not for the easily creeped out or easily frightened!
When I began Devil's Hand, I was quickly pulled into the story of Trent - felt great emotions for his loses, heartsick for his traumas and seemingly endless setbacks. Even though he has been deemed as the "world's luckiest man"; his life takes a turn for the nightmarishly worst.
Devil's Hand is full of otherworldly wickedness, demons and fights of good and evil and everything in-between, providing readers with a story that they will not soon forget. Tightly written, M.E. Patterson does an excellent job of pulling together several different avenues of fiction, fantasy and paranormal to create a well-flowing and entertaining story. I loved the characters and how they were brought to life on the pages. I found myself particularly attached to Celia, the young teenage girl who suddenly finds her life turning into a horrific nightmare that she has no control over.
In addition to great storytelling, Mr. Patterson's writing style is well put together and often times thought provoking. One phrase that I enjoyed and thought to be incredibly true for everyone was:
"But I guess that's what life is, he thought. A series of moments that slam into you whether your're expecting them or not. It's a crap shoot, and everyone's just hoping to get lucky."
Devil's Hand is M.E. Patterson's debut novel and promises to be the beginning of a highly promising career for Mr. Patterson. I truly look forward to more of this author's work and highly recommend readers who are looking for a non-stop thrill ride book to snatch this one up as soon as possible!!
When I began Devil's Hand, I was quickly pulled into the story of Trent - felt great emotions for his loses, heartsick for his traumas and seemingly endless setbacks. Even though he has been deemed as the "world's luckiest man"; his life takes a turn for the nightmarishly worst.
Devil's Hand is full of otherworldly wickedness, demons and fights of good and evil and everything in-between, providing readers with a story that they will not soon forget. Tightly written, M.E. Patterson does an excellent job of pulling together several different avenues of fiction, fantasy and paranormal to create a well-flowing and entertaining story. I loved the characters and how they were brought to life on the pages. I found myself particularly attached to Celia, the young teenage girl who suddenly finds her life turning into a horrific nightmare that she has no control over.
In addition to great storytelling, Mr. Patterson's writing style is well put together and often times thought provoking. One phrase that I enjoyed and thought to be incredibly true for everyone was:
"But I guess that's what life is, he thought. A series of moments that slam into you whether your're expecting them or not. It's a crap shoot, and everyone's just hoping to get lucky."
Devil's Hand is M.E. Patterson's debut novel and promises to be the beginning of a highly promising career for Mr. Patterson. I truly look forward to more of this author's work and highly recommend readers who are looking for a non-stop thrill ride book to snatch this one up as soon as possible!!
April 2, 2012
Ever have that feeling when you pick up a book and within a few chapters, you know exactly how it's going to play out? I hate that feeling, and I didn't have it once while I read "Devil's Hand" by M.E. Patterson.
Honestly, it's hard to surprise me in a supernatural thriller anymore, which typically fall back on the same bad clichés to move the narrative forward and have characters that feel like they are bought from the same store.
But "Devil's Hand" is totally unique. Part paranormal suspense, part action-adventure, the book is impossible to put down. Just when you think ex-gambler and "luckiest man alive" Trent is out of the woods, something new (and worse) comes along. The character himself is well-drawn, and feels more like a modern-day cowboy reluctantly riding into Las Vegas to save the day, with the odds decidedly stacked against him.
The novel's take on angels and demons is refreshingly creative, its twists and turns full of surprises and its finale action-packed and highly satisfying. With his crisp writing and demented imagination, Patterson is clearly an author to watch.
I can't wait for the sequel.
Honestly, it's hard to surprise me in a supernatural thriller anymore, which typically fall back on the same bad clichés to move the narrative forward and have characters that feel like they are bought from the same store.
But "Devil's Hand" is totally unique. Part paranormal suspense, part action-adventure, the book is impossible to put down. Just when you think ex-gambler and "luckiest man alive" Trent is out of the woods, something new (and worse) comes along. The character himself is well-drawn, and feels more like a modern-day cowboy reluctantly riding into Las Vegas to save the day, with the odds decidedly stacked against him.
The novel's take on angels and demons is refreshingly creative, its twists and turns full of surprises and its finale action-packed and highly satisfying. With his crisp writing and demented imagination, Patterson is clearly an author to watch.
I can't wait for the sequel.
August 20, 2012
From the beginning you are drawn into the world he has created. If you like stories with suspense, horror, non stop action and likable heroes you will love this book. For a debut novel it is amazingly well done. You would think he had been publishing for years.
The story drew me in from the beginning and didnt let me go until it was over. Trent is a surprisingly likeable hero that has an uncanny kind of luck. However as he learn more and more, all start to question what kind of luck is it really. He ends up in the middle of a plot to start a modern day Apocalypse. You have an interesting mix of demons, angels, and mixes in between all fighting to be in control. You are pulled along as Trent tries to understand what is happening around him and what his role is in this battle among beings that are not of this world.
This is a great book for fans of all kinds of supernatural fiction, suspense or horror. And it is not one to miss. Following along on Trent's journey is an interesting adventure for all who care to join in. I highly recommend this book for those even just looking for a good story. And I am eagerly looking forward to his next book.
The story drew me in from the beginning and didnt let me go until it was over. Trent is a surprisingly likeable hero that has an uncanny kind of luck. However as he learn more and more, all start to question what kind of luck is it really. He ends up in the middle of a plot to start a modern day Apocalypse. You have an interesting mix of demons, angels, and mixes in between all fighting to be in control. You are pulled along as Trent tries to understand what is happening around him and what his role is in this battle among beings that are not of this world.
This is a great book for fans of all kinds of supernatural fiction, suspense or horror. And it is not one to miss. Following along on Trent's journey is an interesting adventure for all who care to join in. I highly recommend this book for those even just looking for a good story. And I am eagerly looking forward to his next book.
September 3, 2011
Las Vegas is one of those resonant places where you think there must be a thin line between heaven and hell, and this book portrays it in all it's sinister colours. From the opening hail storm and rain of fish, to the gathering snowstorm and ruin of the city, the weather plays a huge part in the story, summoned by demons who we see revealed as the book opens. I enjoyed Trent's journey from the luckiest man alive down on his luck to the Doom bringer who must save the city, and the young girl who is entwined with a quest he never asked for. There are some good monsters, some edge of horror images and a fast paced storyline to keep it moving. I also enjoyed the ambiguity of the supernatural realms - angels are not always good and acting for humans. The story is wrapped up nicely but it is also kept open for a sequel, so very well plotted.
August 11, 2011
Throw fallen angels, the world's luckiest man, and a gigantic blizzard into loss Vegas and what do you get? A very entertaining first novel by M.E. Patterson. I found the book to be a page turner that (unlike many others) didn't skmip on the characterization or details. Patterson expertly layers his take on fallen angels onto a realistically rendered Las Vegas in a way that keeps you turning the pages and which ultimately results in a very good supernateral thriller. The book keeps you guessing, but also provides a satisfying ending that will leave you wanting a follow up. I think this novel compares very favorably to Koontz in his early years, and I got more than a little hint of Hal Duncan as well. I will be eagerly awaiting the follow up.
April 15, 2016
This was a high concept piece, attempting to re-write Xtian myth/religion, but it never does take, this reader, to a new and unusual place. Though the excursion was amusing. There was a lot in this book of Neil Gaiman (specifically 'American Gods') and Supernatural (the TV series) but even with all that I enjoyed the book--nice bit of Indie fiction and for the price you can't go wrong.
If you like high concept fiction which does not offer too many plot challengers or a close interrogation of Xtian ideologies then you may find this book enjoyable...if, occasionally, long winded.
Mild Recommendation.
Though I've already purchased the sequel to this I'm not certain I will be reading it.
If you like high concept fiction which does not offer too many plot challengers or a close interrogation of Xtian ideologies then you may find this book enjoyable...if, occasionally, long winded.
Mild Recommendation.
Though I've already purchased the sequel to this I'm not certain I will be reading it.
September 19, 2013
It's unbelievable that Devil's Hand is the first supernatural thriller for this extremely talented author. We follow Trent Hawkins, a poker player and plane crash survivor on an edge of your seat journey full of twists and turns with many surprises on the way. Set in Las Vegas, where a serial killer is terrorising the city, Trent and Susan, his wife, rescue a thirteen year old girl- and so it all begins. We meet some amazing characters, Demons, Angels, shadow monsters and then there is a terrifying supernatural serial killer.
Be warned, this book is a page turner and once you start you will not want to put it down. Being contacted by Matt on Twitter was the best introduction I could have had to a new, very accomplished and gifted author. I'm sure we will be hearing a lot more of him.
Be warned, this book is a page turner and once you start you will not want to put it down. Being contacted by Matt on Twitter was the best introduction I could have had to a new, very accomplished and gifted author. I'm sure we will be hearing a lot more of him.
November 10, 2011
As a huge fan of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, I immediately jumped at the opportunity to read Devil's Hand. If you're into contemporary science fiction & enjoy a bit of a thriller, this is definitely a must-read. With everything from poker-playing demons to blizzards in Las Vegas, Devil's Hand is a masterpiece & I can't wait for the sequel. Mr.Patterson is an incredibly gifted author and judging by the standard of his debut release, he is bound to become a huge name in his genre & in literature as a whole. Prepare for the ride of your life & make sure you have at least 6 hours of uninterrupted reading time when you start Devil's Hand!
April 12, 2013
Too many times I've bought a book because of a recommendation or because of the blurb on the back of the book and I've been disappointed - but not this time. From the start I was utterly gripped and couldn't put the book down - something I can't say for every book I've read and I've read hundreds of books. The main protagonist and the situation he found himself in was intriguing. A thoroughly enjoyable novel with many colourful characters and an interesting plot - I'll definitely be buying the next novel in the series and I highly recommend to anyone :-)
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