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The Hammer Commission #1
The Hammer Commission
Mark Levin is an investigator for one of the oldest organizations in Europe, the Catholic Church's secret 'Hammer Commission'. Founded by Pope Pius the Third in the fifteen century the members of the Commission work to hunt down devils, demons, and other evil creatures as well as the people who summon them to Earth. After centuries of hard and often deadly work the Commission members have begun to believe that this particular battle in the never ending war between Heaven and Hell might finally be won, until Mark and his partner are ambushed at a warehouse in Paris by a devil thought too big and too powerful to be summoned in these modern times.
Suddenly things are no longer as they were, other teams are being attacked and even killed, devils are appearing in places thought impossible, and they all seem to have a goal in common: killing Mark. And to make matters worse Mark is starting to lose faith in his own organization, whom he thinks may also want him dead, and from which he has been keeping his own secrets.
Suddenly things are no longer as they were, other teams are being attacked and even killed, devils are appearing in places thought impossible, and they all seem to have a goal in common: killing Mark. And to make matters worse Mark is starting to lose faith in his own organization, whom he thinks may also want him dead, and from which he has been keeping his own secrets.
ebook
First published April 16, 2013
72 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
About the author
John Van Stry
49 books364 followersI've had a very varied life. I grew up in New York, on Long Island.
I went to school to become an Engineer, then joined the Air Force.
After that I worked first in Robotics, then in Aerospace as a Flight Test Engineer. I moved into the medical fields, then into more Technical markets working for a number of high tech companies where I became a Contractor.
I used to own and raise big cats. I love motorcycles and old cars. I'm a pilot and former martial arts instructor. I'm a fan of the Reno Air Races.
Then there's the stuff I'm not supposed to talk about, but that's another story.
I've seen a lot of interesting stuff go by, met a lot of interesting, wonderful, strange, or sometimes just psychotic people. I've had the opportunity to work on some truly game changing technologies. And while I've had some very bad things happen to me in my life, I've never let it stop me.
Keep smiling.
-John
I went to school to become an Engineer, then joined the Air Force.
After that I worked first in Robotics, then in Aerospace as a Flight Test Engineer. I moved into the medical fields, then into more Technical markets working for a number of high tech companies where I became a Contractor.
I used to own and raise big cats. I love motorcycles and old cars. I'm a pilot and former martial arts instructor. I'm a fan of the Reno Air Races.
Then there's the stuff I'm not supposed to talk about, but that's another story.
I've seen a lot of interesting stuff go by, met a lot of interesting, wonderful, strange, or sometimes just psychotic people. I've had the opportunity to work on some truly game changing technologies. And while I've had some very bad things happen to me in my life, I've never let it stop me.
Keep smiling.
-John
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 10, 2022
Starts clunky, develops slowly, but ends well
This is a pretty clean book for John Van Stry. This book is more like the Dresden Files than any other book by Van Stry, or Jan Stryvant. Seems like one of the first books he wrote. published in 2013, but inspired by a dream he had in 2001.
The MC is a demon hunter for the Catholic church, he also has a secret... Well, more than one.
The story doesn't flow very well. The plot is convoluted but the "Who done it" is painfully obvious. There are several points in the book where it seems like the author is setting up the perfect one liner, and the MC just does not deliver. Example: The MC got clawed up by devils the day before, now he takes off his bandages and the skin is pink and new. His rookie trainee says "That's not natural!". BOOM! right there is the perfect spot for MC to look over and say "No, it's supernatural" Yeah, baby. But instead we get 'well that depends on your definition of natural' Sigh, just one of many wasted opportunities in the book that never comes together until the very end.
On the plus side, The MC is a likeable enough guy, the characters are interesting, and it does come together in the end.
One big ass gripe is this series is named after the Malleus Maleficarum (the witches hammer), one of the most evil books ever written in human history. This book is evil like Mine Kampf is evil and may have killed as many innocent people. Malleus Maleficarum was as how-to guide for getting false confessions out of innocent people through trickery and intimidation. It's disreputable tactics are still being used by despotic regimes, and crooked prosecutors around the world. Boo Mr. Van Stry! Booo! you do not get to say your organization is based from that despicable book and then say it had no connection with the inquisition.
This is a pretty clean book for John Van Stry. This book is more like the Dresden Files than any other book by Van Stry, or Jan Stryvant. Seems like one of the first books he wrote. published in 2013, but inspired by a dream he had in 2001.
The MC is a demon hunter for the Catholic church, he also has a secret... Well, more than one.
The story doesn't flow very well. The plot is convoluted but the "Who done it" is painfully obvious. There are several points in the book where it seems like the author is setting up the perfect one liner, and the MC just does not deliver. Example: The MC got clawed up by devils the day before, now he takes off his bandages and the skin is pink and new. His rookie trainee says "That's not natural!". BOOM! right there is the perfect spot for MC to look over and say "No, it's supernatural" Yeah, baby. But instead we get 'well that depends on your definition of natural' Sigh, just one of many wasted opportunities in the book that never comes together until the very end.
On the plus side, The MC is a likeable enough guy, the characters are interesting, and it does come together in the end.
One big ass gripe is this series is named after the Malleus Maleficarum (the witches hammer), one of the most evil books ever written in human history. This book is evil like Mine Kampf is evil and may have killed as many innocent people. Malleus Maleficarum was as how-to guide for getting false confessions out of innocent people through trickery and intimidation. It's disreputable tactics are still being used by despotic regimes, and crooked prosecutors around the world. Boo Mr. Van Stry! Booo! you do not get to say your organization is based from that despicable book and then say it had no connection with the inquisition.
April 25, 2013
I liked this one. It reminded me of Supernatural, the tv-show (which I love) and also of Da Vinci code, mostly because of the Catholic Church.
Story itself was captivating and really kept me interested throughout the book.
Story itself was captivating and really kept me interested throughout the book.
June 26, 2015
Genre monster hunters for vatican
I was surprised by real feel of Catholic
believing layman attitude with well thought out, s.piritual benefits of fantasy job
I was surprised by real feel of Catholic
believing layman attitude with well thought out, s.piritual benefits of fantasy job
January 11, 2020
This was one of Stryvant’s more convincing novels. Set in a world very much like our own, this is the story of an agent of The Hammer Commission—a centuries old department of the Catholic Church dedicated to protecting the world from demons, devils and other evil creatures. Unfortunately, someone (or something) is taking out the field agents of the Commission and that means our hero is a marked man. It doesn’t help that he and his boss don’t get along and that the distrust between them gets him shut out of the investigation.
There’s a lot to like about this story. I enjoyed the worldbuilding and would like to see more about how the supernatural elements of this world work. A few of the characters (such as the King of Las Vegas) were particularly intriguing. In addition there are a few nicely sprung surprises which kept the story very interesting. On the other hand, I knew who the big bad guy was the first time I met him and I don’t think Stryvant intended me to identify him quite that quickly.
The single best part of the novel is the ending. This was well set up and I found it extremely satisfying. I’m looking forward to reading more books in this series.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
There’s a lot to like about this story. I enjoyed the worldbuilding and would like to see more about how the supernatural elements of this world work. A few of the characters (such as the King of Las Vegas) were particularly intriguing. In addition there are a few nicely sprung surprises which kept the story very interesting. On the other hand, I knew who the big bad guy was the first time I met him and I don’t think Stryvant intended me to identify him quite that quickly.
The single best part of the novel is the ending. This was well set up and I found it extremely satisfying. I’m looking forward to reading more books in this series.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
January 31, 2017
Interesting
A solid successful first book in an established genre. The plot ticks all the major points, tickles lesser points, and the characters are open for expansion. The editing is also well done, which is always welcome (and consistent for this author). I'm going to follow it - seems like fun.
A solid successful first book in an established genre. The plot ticks all the major points, tickles lesser points, and the characters are open for expansion. The editing is also well done, which is always welcome (and consistent for this author). I'm going to follow it - seems like fun.
November 4, 2016
I.
LOVED. This. Book.
It is quite rare when I read a book, and love the premise so much that I wish there was twelve more books already written to follow.
Unfortunately, this is not the case!
Please, please Mr. Van Stry, get writing!!!!! In THIS series, that is.
LOVED. This. Book.
It is quite rare when I read a book, and love the premise so much that I wish there was twelve more books already written to follow.
Unfortunately, this is not the case!
Please, please Mr. Van Stry, get writing!!!!! In THIS series, that is.
August 25, 2016
Great easy to read tale
I enjoyed this quite a bit. Hard hitting, easy to follow and enough twists to keep your attention. Excellent story!!!
I enjoyed this quite a bit. Hard hitting, easy to follow and enough twists to keep your attention. Excellent story!!!
May 11, 2019
Slow start but glad I kept reading
The story started very slowly so much in fact I thought to put the book down and move on to something else, but I trusted John from his other books to continue. Seemed like a run of the mill church based demon hunting team story which I was not feeling like reading. It picked up soon after we find out the MC is not entirely human, and his back story is told little by little in between chapters. To be honest I found the back story more compelling than the main story for a many chapters, and kind of wished it was the main story. The second half of the book was so hard to put down that I read it in one long session. Enjoyable read and I will definitely give the rest of the series a read.
The story started very slowly so much in fact I thought to put the book down and move on to something else, but I trusted John from his other books to continue. Seemed like a run of the mill church based demon hunting team story which I was not feeling like reading. It picked up soon after we find out the MC is not entirely human, and his back story is told little by little in between chapters. To be honest I found the back story more compelling than the main story for a many chapters, and kind of wished it was the main story. The second half of the book was so hard to put down that I read it in one long session. Enjoyable read and I will definitely give the rest of the series a read.
October 13, 2022
Good story, I like the way the author created this universe, the mythologi in it, and the main religious doctrine, I am sure there is an interesting concept to develop here, and hope the author has some more to say about this world. Altough I find curious how MC considers himself a 'monster' given that his wife and children are the same as him, and he clearely showed not such a distinction to them.
February 10, 2017
Spelling. Punctuation. Grammar.
This isn't a book. It's a draft. There are spelling errors on nearly every page, as well as easily fixed punctuation mistakes. Whoever published this book as a finished work ought to be ashamed of themselves.
This isn't a book. It's a draft. There are spelling errors on nearly every page, as well as easily fixed punctuation mistakes. Whoever published this book as a finished work ought to be ashamed of themselves.
June 26, 2018
Loved it
Fast paced page turner with characters that you instantly root for. This author is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I will definitely be getting the rest of the books in the series. Highly recommended it
Fast paced page turner with characters that you instantly root for. This author is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I will definitely be getting the rest of the books in the series. Highly recommended it
April 18, 2022
Battles in and for the church
A very different tale about those who battle " monsters" on behalf of the church. At first the story can be confusing but it resolves into a nice mixture of intrigue and magic.
A very different tale about those who battle " monsters" on behalf of the church. At first the story can be confusing but it resolves into a nice mixture of intrigue and magic.
December 29, 2022
Certainly a unique concept, evil in the info age
What a concept, weres working with the church to fight the forces of darkness. Of course, politics, which is human interactions, rears its ugly head when the wicked have clout.
What a concept, weres working with the church to fight the forces of darkness. Of course, politics, which is human interactions, rears its ugly head when the wicked have clout.
January 28, 2018
The most polished and well rounded self published book I have read in the fantasy/magic realm. If you enjoy the Dresden Files you should enjoy this.
October 15, 2018
Cool story
This is a really cool story that has demons, devils, vampires, were’s, and the people who fight them. I am going onto the next book in the series
This is a really cool story that has demons, devils, vampires, were’s, and the people who fight them. I am going onto the next book in the series
October 26, 2018
interesting.. I can totally see this getting made into a 40 min movie in netflix
January 17, 2019
loved it cant wait to get the next one started but that will have to wait until I have a bit more time /
September 11, 2020
Not bad
This was the hardest one of Johns books for me to get into. It wasn’t bad nor was it great. Hoping he finds his footing again in book number two!
This was the hardest one of Johns books for me to get into. It wasn’t bad nor was it great. Hoping he finds his footing again in book number two!
September 30, 2020
Good
Good book. I finally got around to trying this series and I’m glad I did. It has a great MC and quite a bit of action. I’m looking forward to the second book
Good book. I finally got around to trying this series and I’m glad I did. It has a great MC and quite a bit of action. I’m looking forward to the second book
October 2, 2020
Good tale
Excellent world building, characters that are well written and a tale with meaning. I look forward to seeing more. I really enjoyed this!!
Excellent world building, characters that are well written and a tale with meaning. I look forward to seeing more. I really enjoyed this!!
November 2, 2021
Fast paced, action packed story, great for a quick read. Not entirely sure I am sold on the explanation on what is going on. I like some aspects, but find another weird (although that might be the result of a somebody not knowing the exact rules of magic making an off-hand comment that put me on the wrong foot). Without going into spoilers it is hard to explain, but for the story at large it does not matter. Just something that leaves me wondering at the end and it might be just a personal thing.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews