What do you think?
Rate this book
Deathgrip
His touch can heal or harm. His fate is solitary. His agony belongs to us all…
He was born on a day of pain: November 22, 1963. He came of age in agony: that moment of tragedy when fun-loving rock-and-roll deejay Paul Handler discovered the inexplicable power in his own hands.
It is the power to make the wounded whole again. The power to make the lame walk and to heal the sick. It is a power that will sap his soul and plunge him into the world of a famous faith healer. It is a power that can turn to rage, even murder. It is a gift that makes Paul Handler a living, breathing human sacrifice.
For thousands of years, a secret cabal has guarded the lineage to which Paul is heir — scapegoats who have been forced to bear humanity's anguish upon themselves. Now, while the cabal searches for him, and one man seeks to destroy him, Paul makes a lonely, frightening journey to the core of his identity and to his destiny … to all the pain his soul can bear, to all the redemption he can give, to the freedom that is death.
He was born on a day of pain: November 22, 1963. He came of age in agony: that moment of tragedy when fun-loving rock-and-roll deejay Paul Handler discovered the inexplicable power in his own hands.
It is the power to make the wounded whole again. The power to make the lame walk and to heal the sick. It is a power that will sap his soul and plunge him into the world of a famous faith healer. It is a power that can turn to rage, even murder. It is a gift that makes Paul Handler a living, breathing human sacrifice.
For thousands of years, a secret cabal has guarded the lineage to which Paul is heir — scapegoats who have been forced to bear humanity's anguish upon themselves. Now, while the cabal searches for him, and one man seeks to destroy him, Paul makes a lonely, frightening journey to the core of his identity and to his destiny … to all the pain his soul can bear, to all the redemption he can give, to the freedom that is death.
496 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
9 people are currently reading
298 people want to read
About the author
Brian Hodge
150 books462 followersBrian Hodge, called “a writer of spectacularly unflinching gifts” by Peter Straub, is the award-winning author of ten novels of horror and crime/noir. He’s also written well over 100 short stories, novelettes, and novellas, and four full-length collections. His first collection, The Convulsion Factory, was ranked by critic Stanley Wiater as among the 113 best books of modern horror.
He lives in Colorado, where he also dabbles in music and photography; loves everything about organic gardening except the thieving squirrels; and trains in Krav Maga, grappling, and kickboxing, which are of no use at all against the squirrels.
He lives in Colorado, where he also dabbles in music and photography; loves everything about organic gardening except the thieving squirrels; and trains in Krav Maga, grappling, and kickboxing, which are of no use at all against the squirrels.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 24, 2018
I'm surprised that I haven't read more of Hodge's books; I really enjoy them and they are pleasantly surprising. And judging by the lack of reviews on Amazon, there aren't currently tons of people reading his books. On the plus side, I have a bunch of his books on my "to be read" stack so I will get to enjoy more of his works soon enough. But back to DEATHGRIP. Similar to MAD DOGS, the story didn't quite go where I expected. This time though the story was more serious with less hilarity and craziness.
Paul Handler is a DJ in St. Louis and has a pretty good life. He likes his job. He's single but has a not-so-secret crush on a co-worker. He's happy getting drunk with his friends. But one day while on a remote site for a store opening, life changes drastically as someone crashes their car into the crowd, killing and seriously injuring many. Through some weird but logical steps, Paul realizes that he can heal people and he helps the victims from that day. Then he realizes there is a balance and that he can take lives as well as save them. With the new knowledge, Paul leaves his old life to try to do good at Donny Dawson Ministries, a popular televangelist. There are a few more twists and depth to the story as the source of the power is revealed to be centuries old. At the end, the story is complex and detailed.
As I mentioned, the story goes in directions that I didn't predict. It very easily could have followed three totally different directions. Instead Hodge does a masterful job of blending all three potential stories into one single tale with more punch to it then expected. The emotional punches at the end were direct and subtle but most importantly powerful. The book could have ended before the last two chapters, but the redemption that they provided was the perfect ending. Very satisfying and highly recommended.
Paul Handler is a DJ in St. Louis and has a pretty good life. He likes his job. He's single but has a not-so-secret crush on a co-worker. He's happy getting drunk with his friends. But one day while on a remote site for a store opening, life changes drastically as someone crashes their car into the crowd, killing and seriously injuring many. Through some weird but logical steps, Paul realizes that he can heal people and he helps the victims from that day. Then he realizes there is a balance and that he can take lives as well as save them. With the new knowledge, Paul leaves his old life to try to do good at Donny Dawson Ministries, a popular televangelist. There are a few more twists and depth to the story as the source of the power is revealed to be centuries old. At the end, the story is complex and detailed.
As I mentioned, the story goes in directions that I didn't predict. It very easily could have followed three totally different directions. Instead Hodge does a masterful job of blending all three potential stories into one single tale with more punch to it then expected. The emotional punches at the end were direct and subtle but most importantly powerful. The book could have ended before the last two chapters, but the redemption that they provided was the perfect ending. Very satisfying and highly recommended.
January 10, 2021
A curiously compelling read by Hodge on many different levels. Deathgrip tells the story of Paul, a DJ in St. Louis, but it is much more than that. The story starts off in ancient Sumaria-- the world's first empire-- through the eyes of a priest of one of the many gods there. Four people are lead out of the city gates to be chained to the outer wall as sacrifices (scapegoats) to appease the gods. Yet, it seems the gods have an odd sense of humor or spite. After a horrific sandstorm, the priest goes out to check on the four and finds them unblemished; leading the crowd, he demands they leave forever, outcasts. Something happened to the four, giving them the gift of both healing and its opposite. Although we are never sure how, the 'gift' is passed on to others when they die. What does this have to do with a DJ in St. Louis? We eventually get there!
Deathgrip has two narrative threads-- one being Paul the DJ and one chronicling the four gifted ones though history. Hodge really has done his homework here, especially regarding the crusades. While we follow the day to day life of Paul, we often switch back to the historical account. During the second crusade, some English knights found four people in the basement of a castle they stormed. Try as they might, the knights could not kill them, and eventually brought them back to England. After an exchange with the Pope, a new, secret order was formed to keep track of the four, who were allowed to go free. Very early on in the book, one of the four (in 1963) fled his keepers and jumped in front of a train. Who got the gift? The secret order has been looking for almost three decades.
Clearly, Paul is the 'lost' gifted one, but he never knew it. One day, clowning around at the station, he laid hands on a fellow DJ to cure him of his cold, and by golly it worked! Paul experiments with his gift and finds he can kill as easily as he can heal. Beset by angst, Paul seeks out a faith healer along the lines of Swaggart-- maybe he can help him with his gift...
I opened with curiously compelling because this novel is a real slow burn with detailed character development. Hodge's fiction is definitely character driven and often shows a just a detailed probing into the human condition. Laced with philosophy and history, Deathgrip gives the reader more of an intellectual workout then you would expect from genre fiction to be sure. Hume, Spinoza, Hegel all find their way into the novel! My biggest complaint is that this could use some serious editing as it is a long read. 3.5 stars, rounding up.
Deathgrip has two narrative threads-- one being Paul the DJ and one chronicling the four gifted ones though history. Hodge really has done his homework here, especially regarding the crusades. While we follow the day to day life of Paul, we often switch back to the historical account. During the second crusade, some English knights found four people in the basement of a castle they stormed. Try as they might, the knights could not kill them, and eventually brought them back to England. After an exchange with the Pope, a new, secret order was formed to keep track of the four, who were allowed to go free. Very early on in the book, one of the four (in 1963) fled his keepers and jumped in front of a train. Who got the gift? The secret order has been looking for almost three decades.
Clearly, Paul is the 'lost' gifted one, but he never knew it. One day, clowning around at the station, he laid hands on a fellow DJ to cure him of his cold, and by golly it worked! Paul experiments with his gift and finds he can kill as easily as he can heal. Beset by angst, Paul seeks out a faith healer along the lines of Swaggart-- maybe he can help him with his gift...
I opened with curiously compelling because this novel is a real slow burn with detailed character development. Hodge's fiction is definitely character driven and often shows a just a detailed probing into the human condition. Laced with philosophy and history, Deathgrip gives the reader more of an intellectual workout then you would expect from genre fiction to be sure. Hume, Spinoza, Hegel all find their way into the novel! My biggest complaint is that this could use some serious editing as it is a long read. 3.5 stars, rounding up.
March 18, 2021
The power to heal comes with a price.
This is the story of Paul, a radio disk jockey that has discovered he has a special power to heal. Also a story of a faith healer who has resorted to parlor tricks to keep the money flowing into his church. Their worlds collide and healing is not all that Paul’s hand do.
A very interesting tale of two opposites as they get woven and intertwined. Quite a thrill ride but I think it was a bit long and it took a bit to get rolling although the characters keep it interesting even when there isn’t any action
This is the story of Paul, a radio disk jockey that has discovered he has a special power to heal. Also a story of a faith healer who has resorted to parlor tricks to keep the money flowing into his church. Their worlds collide and healing is not all that Paul’s hand do.
A very interesting tale of two opposites as they get woven and intertwined. Quite a thrill ride but I think it was a bit long and it took a bit to get rolling although the characters keep it interesting even when there isn’t any action
July 19, 2011
First book I've read by Hodge and I was quite impressed. His style is very wordy, sort of the antithesis of the lean, mean prose that is found often in genre writing. The book felt a little long, could of had some extra fat trimmed off to make for a faster read. Overall, though, Hodge is a brilliant writer, effortlessly combining deep moral questions with cutting social commentary and even good old blood and guts. I look forward to reading more of his stuff.
September 24, 2018
Paul Handler, a DJ in St. Louis, learns that he has the ability to heal people after witnessing a horrible act of violence on a remote broadcast. After discreetly performing healings all over St. Louis, he discovers that his gift has a dark side, as random moments of anger reveal that he can also do harm to people. Struggling with the morality of such an ability, he seeks out the advice of a faith healer to help him manage what he can do. Instead, he finds a hidden cabal that has been looking for someone like Paul for a long time.
Like Hodge's other works, Deathgrip shines due to its characterization. He creates believable characters (though the antagonist here is a little overblown), and it helps keep the reader moving along. That's good, because Deathgrip doesn't have the punch of Nightlife or other works of his.
The story feels a little disjointed, partly because Hodge has his main character give up one life to pursue another. By the time we're invested in the first life, we're uprooted and taken to the next one, with all previous characters dropped and forgotten for the new ones. If that were the point of the novel, it might have been easier to accept, but the point is Paul's abilities, and it didn't feel like a natural progression of the plot.
It also doesn't help that Hodge creates a lengthy backstory to explain why Paul has these healing abilities. To his credit, Hodge doesn't make it an info-dump, but breaks it apart over parts of the book so we're not taken too far out of Paul's life to see what happens. Instead, though, the explanation doesn't seem necessary. That Paul has the ability seems to be reason enough, but without that, then the character of Gabe doesn't make much sense. Besides all that, the explanation doesn't feel sufficient. It works well enough, but it's not like it's some clever revelation that will amaze the readers; it just feels pedestrian.
I like Hodge well enough, and I think his style is natural and compelling, but Deathgrip doesn't have a lot of OOMPH behind it. For an Abyss book, it's above average, but it doesn't have the same kind of profound effect Tem, Koja, or even Tuttle bring to the imprint. Deathgrip just feels like a trunk novel, which is even more unfortunate when you realize this is his fourth novel.
Like Hodge's other works, Deathgrip shines due to its characterization. He creates believable characters (though the antagonist here is a little overblown), and it helps keep the reader moving along. That's good, because Deathgrip doesn't have the punch of Nightlife or other works of his.
The story feels a little disjointed, partly because Hodge has his main character give up one life to pursue another. By the time we're invested in the first life, we're uprooted and taken to the next one, with all previous characters dropped and forgotten for the new ones. If that were the point of the novel, it might have been easier to accept, but the point is Paul's abilities, and it didn't feel like a natural progression of the plot.
It also doesn't help that Hodge creates a lengthy backstory to explain why Paul has these healing abilities. To his credit, Hodge doesn't make it an info-dump, but breaks it apart over parts of the book so we're not taken too far out of Paul's life to see what happens. Instead, though, the explanation doesn't seem necessary. That Paul has the ability seems to be reason enough, but without that, then the character of Gabe doesn't make much sense. Besides all that, the explanation doesn't feel sufficient. It works well enough, but it's not like it's some clever revelation that will amaze the readers; it just feels pedestrian.
I like Hodge well enough, and I think his style is natural and compelling, but Deathgrip doesn't have a lot of OOMPH behind it. For an Abyss book, it's above average, but it doesn't have the same kind of profound effect Tem, Koja, or even Tuttle bring to the imprint. Deathgrip just feels like a trunk novel, which is even more unfortunate when you realize this is his fourth novel.
September 15, 2013
Picked up at random from my to read pile. Haven't read anything by Hodge before.
There is some deeply twisted stuff in this book. Basically it follows a similar arc of inevitable tragedy as certain Stephen King books where the protagonist has a supernatural power. Hodge tries to make the too-fanciful premise feel more real by dressing it up with real-world details - just like King does - but I feel it is still too much of a stretch for my suspension of disbelief. The characters are generally well-drawn and nuanced, although I was at times very annoyed at the doomed-from-the-start protagonist. Why on Earth would he think he'd get any answers from the mealy-mouthed faith healer, and why did he not see him immediately for the fraud he was? Obviously we wouldn't have a story (or this story, at least) if he had had more sense. But this story has been told before, although I did enjoy this iteration.
There is some deeply twisted stuff in this book. Basically it follows a similar arc of inevitable tragedy as certain Stephen King books where the protagonist has a supernatural power. Hodge tries to make the too-fanciful premise feel more real by dressing it up with real-world details - just like King does - but I feel it is still too much of a stretch for my suspension of disbelief. The characters are generally well-drawn and nuanced, although I was at times very annoyed at the doomed-from-the-start protagonist. Why on Earth would he think he'd get any answers from the mealy-mouthed faith healer, and why did he not see him immediately for the fraud he was? Obviously we wouldn't have a story (or this story, at least) if he had had more sense. But this story has been told before, although I did enjoy this iteration.
September 17, 2024
I made it to about 15% of DeathGrip before I had to throw in the towel. The characters are painfully flat, and their (im)personal struggles drag on for pages. The tiny bit of action that’s happened so far (a car crashing into a crowd) was so rushed and dull that it barely registered amidst the general boredom. Now, we’re diving into a tedious explanation about the Sumerians, and that was the final straw for me. Reading is supposed to be enjoyable, not an endurance test.
April 11, 2024
Brian Hodge has this thing where his books start to lull a bit in the middle. I think he does this on purpose because it makes the payoff so much more impactful at the end. I almost jumped out of my chair and started cheering when the mayhem started (I'm a weirdo who cheers for fictional mayhem). This book was excellent.
March 30, 2025
Surprisingly overlooked horror novel. Likely because of its title and cover art/blurb lol. Its a solid piece of genre fiction that drifts, stylistically, into a bit of late 80s Clive Barker territory with a dash of cheesy john Shirley tossed in there.
October 24, 2023
Couldn't get into it. So 2 stars for (incomplete review)
Want to read
July 21, 2011Stephen King endorsed the entire Dell Abyss Horror line. Here is his blurb:
"Thank you for introducing me to the remarkable line of novels currently being issued under Dell's Abyss imprint. I have given a great many blurbs over the last twelve years or so, but this one marks two firsts: first unsolicited blurb (I called you) and the first time I have blurbed a whole line of books. In terms of quality, production, and plain old story-telling reliability (that's the bottom line, isn't it), Dell's new line is amazingly satisfying...a rare and wonderful bargain for readers. I hope to be looking into the Abyss for a long time to come."
"Thank you for introducing me to the remarkable line of novels currently being issued under Dell's Abyss imprint. I have given a great many blurbs over the last twelve years or so, but this one marks two firsts: first unsolicited blurb (I called you) and the first time I have blurbed a whole line of books. In terms of quality, production, and plain old story-telling reliability (that's the bottom line, isn't it), Dell's new line is amazingly satisfying...a rare and wonderful bargain for readers. I hope to be looking into the Abyss for a long time to come."
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews