The Left-Hand Way

American Craftsmen #2

by Tom Doyle

Poe's Red Death returns, more powerful than ever. Can anyone stop him before he summons an apocalyptic nightmare even worse than himself?

In The Left-Hand Way, the second book of Tom Doyle's contemporary fantasy series, the American craftsmen are scattered like bait overseas. What starts as an ordinary liaison mission to London for Major Michael Endicott becomes a desperate chase across Europe, where Endicott is both hunted and hunter. Reluctantly joining him is his minder from MI13, Commander Grace Marlow, one of Her Majesty's most lethal magician soldiers, whose family has centuries of justified hostility to the Endicotts.

Meanwhile, in Istanbul and Tokyo, Endicott's comrades, Scherie Rezvani and Dale Morton, are caught in their own battles for survival against hired assassins and a ghost-powered doomsday machine. And in Kiev, Roderick Morton, the spider at the center of a global web, plots their destruction and his ultimate apotheosis. After centuries of imprisonment, nothing less than godlike power will satisfy Roderick, whatever the dreadful cost.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Military Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 11, 2015

About the author

Tom Doyle is the author of Border Crosser and the AMERICAN CRAFT trilogy. He writes science fiction and fantasy in Washington, DC. He has won the WSFA Small Press Award.

Reviews

[Melliane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mon avis en Français

My English review

I did read the first volume and had a lot of fun with the story. I confess that I did not remember all the details of the book but that’s why I loved the introduction that the author has added before the first chapter! Oh yes, because it allows us remember what has happened before and the details of the world created. This is not something that we often see in novels, but I found it fantastic to let the reader the opportunity to recall the events.

Let’s go back a little more precisely to the story … We find the characters that we have discovered previously with great pleasure. Yes, we follow alternately Scherie, Endicott and Dale throughout their adventures. We also have some parts from the evil Roderick who reveals his plans over the chapters. It must be said that he is determined to remove and destroy all our protagonists. While the three are trying to uncover him to do the same, they will face many trials. Each in a part of the world, Dale will have to try to manage some ghosts, Scherie faces the spirits that haunt her and so understand a little more about her powers, and finally we also have Endicott. It was a pleasure to discover a bit more about him in this volume. Thus, he meets with a young woman there and we see their relationship evolve at the same time over the chapters.

It was very interesting to discover the actions of each, to see how they would all act in front of the demons that pursue them. The world that Tom Doyle has created is really fascinating to discover and I loved the fact that we found so many places throughout the story. Oh yes, from Istanbul to Tokyo, via Greece, France or Ukraine and the United States, we have a lot of places and events to discover. As I said, we learn a little more about Endicott here, and it was interesting as we had a more chance to see Dale and Scherie before. It was also fascinating to understand Roderick and the plans he was trying to stage.

I will not say much more for fear of revealing too much, but I would recommend this series that we can read with pleasure.

[Gökçe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amerika'ya odaklı olmadığı ve casus romanlarındaki gibi dünyayı gezdiği için daha güzeldi. Başta üç ana karakterin peşinde dolaştığı için yavaştı. Sonrasında açıldı ve güzelleşti. Aslında 4,5'i hakkediyor ama 5 değil. İlk kitaptaki bazı olayları aynen tekrar etmesinden dolayı yarım yıldız kırıyorum.

[Jasper · Rating 5 out of 5]

originally posted at: http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2015...

Last year Tom Doyle surprised me with his debut American Craftsmen a lot. I read this book in the wake of some other military fantasy books and amongst those it really stood out. From the action packed beginning with Dale Morton right down to the whole history of the craftsmen and the betrayals and fights in the end. At the core it was military fantasy with a magical twist but at the periphery there was so much more going on, that made this story a very cool experience. As I said there were some betrayals at the end and this is where The Left-Hand Way picks up.

After the events in American Craftsmen, things should have been settling down. Well they are far from back to ordinary. Tom Doyle kicks off his The Left-Hand Way in a way that it directly sets the right theme for the rest of the book. Because, guess whose back! Yes once again Roderick has managed to survive and come stronger as ever and with a definite taste for vengeance. Dale Morten, a craftsmen from the Morton bloodline is currently abroad, separated from Scherie Rezvani, the Persian craftswomen he met in the first book. Michael Endicott, the puritant from the Endicott bloodline and also a highly accomplished craftsmen is currently en route to the United Kingdom to find a possible mole in their organization. So the "team" is split up and this is precisely the weakness that Roderick need to strike once more. Endicott being on his own in Britian finds this out as first. his pick up from the airport isn't one that really goes that smoothly... He is the first craftsmen that feel the full force of Roderick's stronger powers once again. Luckily for Endicott he isn't on his own, Grace Marlowe a craftswomen currently serving the British arm of the craft enforcement MI13 is caught in between and start to help out Endicott soon enough. But this acceptance isn't without a few hassles as well. With the power that Roderick has and the threat that he forms, there is only one option left and that is to reunite the team of the first book: Dale Morton, Michael Endicott, Scherie Rezvani and the new addition Grace Marlowe. Even though they as a team are much stronger than individual, with Roderick reaching god-like powers, will it be enough to stop him? Well there is only one way to find out...

The story that Tom Doyle tells in The Left-Hand Way, is once again a very clever and detailed one, though the promise of the story might sound not that complicated, it is far from simple, trust me when I say that. As with the first book in the series, Tom Doyle once again tells a intricate story that is linked on many fronts. Even though we have gotten to learn a lot already about craft and the lineages and more, there is still plenty to learn. Not only does Tom Doyle continue to elaborate about craft he also build on the foundation that he has laid down in the first book. In this I mean to say building on the characters. There is nice exposure for every character here.

So for the characters. In the first book, the focus was mostly on Dale Morton as he was the person accused of going left handed and Endicott was chasing him to root out the evil, being the puritan he is. In The Left-Hand Way, the focus this time around is on Michael Endicott. I mentioned in my review of American Craftsmen that by the interaction with Dale I had gotten to see Endicott quite in-depth, however I guess I was wrong. Shifting the narration towards the point of view of Endicott gave a very interesting view on the world. Dale gave a personal touch, and now Endicott does so as well. In the first book you had gotten to learn Endicott as a stiff guy living by the rules, he greatly upholds this in the first half or so of the book, but he is far from that stiff guy. He has been brought up by his parents to be so strict and follow the rules. He can't break a rule even to save some one good. Well all this is about to change for Endicott. There is a very nice transformation of his character from the strict hardass Endicott to the less strict and more free hardass Endicott. All this by the influence of Roderick and partly the interaction that Endicatott has with Grace. Yes the British MI13 agent with which he has joined up forces. Being a Puritan means also not doing other things... This turn of the tables didn't come without a personal "fight" and this is precisely what makes Michael Endicott's change of character a really nice and structured one. Next to Michael Endicott the narration also shift towards Dale, Scherie and the new team member Grace. It does fall to note that the narration this time around is stronger on the main protagonist of the story. In the build up of the momentum of the plot, there are visitations to the other three characters but they don;t feature that strongly as that of Endicott and here I didn't see that great a transformation in their characters. But once they are again reunited they do leave a lasting impression with their action in the storyline.

Just quickly: Roderick also gets some focus, seeing the bad guy think and plot and act. Well with the potential and the power that he holds was awesome. Rodericks is really one of the coolest bad guys I have read about so far.

Where Tom Doyle really hits the right spot in the story is by setting up a storyline full of surprises. Just as with the build up of the story in the first book, The Left-Hand Way is full of surprises and every time you get to meet something new you have to think it over hard whether you can or can't trust them as Roderick's influence is vast. The ending is also once again filled with tight action, guns blazing, swords swinging and magic! I said in the beginning that Roderick is reaching god-like potential and the finale in The Left-Hand Way reflects this very nicely. It's not over in a heartbeat and even though our team of four craftsmen if very powerful, they have their work cut out for them once again.

The Left-Hand Way does true justice to it's predecessor American Craftsmen, Tom Doyle further explores the world of the craftsmen and introduces a whole lot more. With shifting the narration to Michael Endicott, the once enemy of Dale Morton. Gave a very refreshing approach to the story and you really got to see how he thinks and acts. The story can be roughly describes as a big action-reaction story full of vengeance. Roderick is back and planning to change the world once again. It all remains to be seen whether Roderick is completely annihilated once and for all. A great story. There is also a big plus as before ad after Tom Doyle gives a clear explanation of how the story came to be and some extra material.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very happily read and reviewed this novel for the author, Mr. Tom Doyle.

There is an old saying that you can never get enough of a good thing - and this is true of the second installment of Mr. Doyle's American Craftsman series, "The Left-Hand Way."

Once again, Mr. Doyle masterfully pens an exciting tale. Mr. Doyle includes an informative and important prologue which enables any reader to understand what is going on in this series. I really appreciate that, since many times I will read a book that is in a series with no information on the previous events of the series. This is a great assist in the reader's enjoyment of the book.

The novel begins a relatively short period after the ending of the first novel with a very exciting appearance by Roderick, the villain of the series. And what a deliciously evil and fun villain. An well-done action adventure novel screams for a great villain and Roderick is perfect. The rest of the book does not disappoint either.

The characters are well developed and likeable, including the secondary characters. The plot is fast paced, twisty and action-filled - a real page turner! The dialogue is believable and fits in well with the personalities of the characters. Nicely written book.

I can't wait to read the third novel. This is an exciting and fun series of books. I hope Mr. Doyle continues to write many more books as fine as this one.

A really Good Read!

[John (JP) · Rating 5 out of 5]

American craftsmen are magicians first and soldiers second. That line from the dust cover and the 2 African Americans on the cover got me to try to read this delightful story that is hard to classify as pure science fiction or fantasy or occult fiction. Unknown to me at the time this book is the second book in the series called American Craftsmen. The author Tom Doyle provides an introduction for new readers. This introduction is critical for understanding the novel.

The story contains elements of Christian Puritan theology mixed seamless with Japanese shinto ritual, and with international politics and espionage . It did this with concise writing . No one in this story has totally clean hands. It is not a simple good versus evil morality play. All the main characters are in danger of either dying or being corrupted. That complexity was refreshing. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Troy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good follow-up

[Trike · Rating 3 out of 5]

All these books that have the same date for the summer of ‘22 are because I was locked out of Goodreads and didn’t note the day I read the books.

[GaiusPrimus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received the eArc from the author in exchange for an honest review. Without further ado, here's what I thought.

The story builds on the world created in the first installment, but with a different main PoV and personally I thought it was a nice change of pace.

I loved the historical prologue at the beginning of the book, expanding your understanding of the world and providing background to the story.

Unfortunately, it leads from there right into the beginning of the book. I don't mean that to sound as bad as it does, but it almost feels like the author hit the breaks. At the same time, not everyone will read the prologue, and the pace of the story quickly picks up and carries you along until the end in a fast pace that made the book hard to put down.

My biggest worry after reading the last book was how Mr. Doyle was going to handle the precognitive side of the story. It's not done properly most of the time and it cheapens the plot when its brought into the equation, cause really, what's the point of getting invested when this Deus Ex Machina. I'm glad to say that Mr. Doyle does a great job of dealing with this and it added to the overall story.

All in all, this was an awesome second installment. Main problem now will be waiting on book 3.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely felt lost at times, but not sure if that was because I was working, or if it was just so much going on and I didn't remember things from the first book.

Moments that make it clear this was written by a man: Having to explain that a 'bodycon' dress means "body consciousness" seriously? How was that even remotely pertinent to the story? You could have said that she was confident in her looks any other possible way without explaining what the definition of a bodycon dress was. Sheesh.

I got annoyed with how one of the actors pronounced Gatwick (it's Gat like Bat not Gate-wick).
I got annoyed with the cram-everything-British-into-Grace's-liniage
I won't even touch on the whole slavery discussions, which were bad research... but then this is an alternate history so sure dude... you can do it your way.

However I did enjoy it, and will listen to the next one.

[Henry Lazarus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tom Doyle continues his tale of Spies and magic in the modern world. Roderick who had been a living head for a century was liberated inadvertently by the agents and American Craftsmen (paper). He follows The Left-Handed Way (hard from Tor) that uses magic to become immortal and as a result he can move into new bodies. He is very powerful and wants to work a magic that will open the door to a world of evil and make him a god. The previous CIA agents, Scherie, her new husband Dale, and their leader Michael Endicot are joined by Mi13 agent Grace Marlow are in a chase that takes from London, Tokyo , Istanbul, and Chernobyl following a trail that leads to Kiev and then back to the US. There are ghosts abounding to both help and attack, guns and magic around every corner. Very exciting.

[Larisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually a series takes a dip in the second book...the darker harder part. Not so with Left-Hand Way. We get a new amazing complex kick-ass heroine and a hero whose recognition of his own foibles make him multi-faceted instead of a cookie-cutter Hero. All the characters, even the supporting cast are nuanced, human.
Ok - except the Villain, who is satisfyingly way over the top Bonkers Evil Master Mind.
Would absolutely love to see these optioned into films, or Netflix series, because the writing already creates a mental cinematic thrilling adventure.

[Jaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book of this series focused on Dale Morton and his struggle against his family's Left-Hand branch. This volume turns to Puritan-descended Michael Endicott. The Left-Hand Mortons are still a threat, and it will take the efforts of Endicott, Dale, Scherie and newcomer Grace Marlow to stop them.

[Chris]

First Line
In Pripyat, the first snow of the year fell early on the deserted city and on the steel arch that hung over the Sarcophagus covering the ruined Chernobyl power plant.

Cannot finish. All of the bad from the first novel is amplified by page 36

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story

Outstanding continued adventures of the Mortons and the Edicotts is a fun and enjoyable time. I look forward to see where the craft families will take us in the future.