Final Destination 4: Dead Man's Hand

Final Destination #4

by Steven A. Roman

More chilling suspense inspired by the smash hit movie series. When Annie Goodwin travels to the desert oasis of Las Vegas, she hopes to turn her life around for the better in the casinos. Life's dealt her a rotten hand and her current luck seems to be no different. But when Annie has a premonition of a terrible accident in which she and her husband Tom will die, she takes steps to stop it from happening. Annie, Tom and three other people survive the ordeal and cheat Death. But in a town where the odds are always in the house's favour, can Annie hope to beat the Reaper in this game when she's drawn the Dead Man's Hand?

The glitz and glamour of Las Vegas plays host to the Grim Reaper-and his routine will slay them all

Genres: Horror

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

STEVEN A. ROMAN is the bestselling author of the novels Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1, X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy, and Final Destination: Dead Man’s Hand. His writing has garnered praise from such authors as World Fantasy Award–winner Charles de Lint, Bram Stoker Award–winner Elizabeth Massie, and fantasist and crime fiction novelist Neal Barrett Jr.

His short fiction has appeared in the anthologies The Best New Zombie Tales 2, The Dead Walk Again!, Doctor Who: Short Trips: Farewells, If I Were an Evil Overlord, Tales of the Shadowmen 4: Lords of Terror, The Ultimate Hulk, and Untold Tales of Spider-Man. He also wrote the graphic novels Lorelei: Building the Perfect Beast, Stan Lee’s Alexa, and Sunn, and co-wrote the direct-to-DVD animated short X-Men: Darktide.

In addition to writing Steve worked as a fiction editor, then later as Editor-in-Chief, for ibooks, inc., a New York–based publishing company. Among the many titles he edited during his tenure were: original licensed novels based on Terminator 2, The Transformers, Witchblade, Spider-Man, and Ghostbusters; the fantasies Dragonkin, Moebius’ Arzach, and The Orc’s Treasure; the science fiction series Isaac Asimov’s Robot Mysteries; and the Young Adult SF spoof Britney Spears is a Three-Headed Alien!

Steve’s current writing projects include the Saga of Pandora Zwieback novel series.

Reviews

[Kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have done without the homophobia, sexism and barf details lmao
And the ending???? Bruuuhhhhh

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Begin scene:
Author: OMG, I have such bad writer’s block! I’m 175 pages into this book and I have no idea where the characters are going!
*phone rings*
Author: Hello?
Agent: Hey, I’ve had a call from the Final Destination guys, they need another book written in the Final Destination series, and they need it yesterday. Are you interested?
Author: Ummmm OK, what would the book have to be about?
Agent: It needs to have a character/s having a premonition, because, you know, it’s the Final Destination series. It needs some inventive deaths and characters you really don’t give a damn about killing off.
Author: I think I can make that work. I’ll have the first draft to you soon.
*insert scene of fingers flying over the keyboard*
End scene.

Or something to that effect. You catch my drift. This story did come across like someone who had these characters in his head but had no clue what to do with them or how the “story” would end. So a prologue and a premonition were shoehorned in and BANG, you’ve got another book in the Final Destination series to go.

I thought the last book was bad, with how late the premonition occurred. The lead up to the premonition didn’t even begin to kick in until page 200 and then, discounting the preview of another book, this is only 408 pages. I guess we’re so used to the film premonitions occurring within the first few minutes, that this was shockingly late.

There were less characters in this one, so less deaths to cover in a scant amount of pages. There was quite a lot of development covered in the characters, but not enough to really make you care about them. More so, you’re rooting for them to be killed off. Plus, it plays out the same as the other books, with similar deaths - a street sign? Again? I’m guessing I should be grateful that it’s not another train crash. The deaths are very brief, but still violent and gruesome at the same time.

The Vegas Strip was described incredibly well, so well in fact, that I could see, hear and smell it all around me while reading this. I’ve only ever seen it on screen and I could see the bright lights, but the grime of Downtown once you moved away. The author did well in that sense.

This is the last book in the series that I can read. Death Of The Senses is impossible to find and is probably now out of print. So unless there is a resurgence of interest/reboot/someone looking to make a quick buck out of this sucker, I will putting this series to bed.

Would I go back and revisit these? Quite possibly. Along with the films and Fifty Shades, they will remain a guilty pleasure, to be picked up and dusted off, every so often. I don’t think any of the authors have truly written a great book or encapsulated the feel of the films in these yet and I do wish there were others available. I think Natasha Rhodes did the best book in the series. The rest never really shine and really aren’t that memorable. Much like the fourth and fifth films.

Oh, by the way guys, it may be worthwhile not reading pages 380-382 of this book, if you ever want your partner to give you head again and feel safe. Even I crossed my legs, and I don’t have your equipment!

[Geo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book but slow to follow through with it because this book was the only book from the Final Destination spin-off books that I was able to get my hands on physically. This book review also mentions spoilers from Final Destination 2. When Annie Goodwin travels to the desert oasis of Las Vegas, she hopes to turn her luck around. Life's dealt her a bad hand and her current luck seems to be no different. But when Annie has a premonition of a terrible accident, she takes steps to stop it from happening. Annie and four other people survive the ordeal and cheat Death. In a town where the odds are always in the house's favour, can Annie hope to beat the Reaper in this game when she's drawn the Dead Man's Hand? I loved the setting of Las Vegas. I was glad that the foreshadowing to the main disaster in this book was done better than in the previous book that I read in this series, Final Destination: Looks Could Kill. In my opinion, the prologue sets the tone for the novel, but it could have easily been cut out of the story and nothing would have changed. There was a mention of two characters falling for each other on a rollercoaster, and the character briefly thinks about how it must be rare for two people’s lives to be changed while on a rollercoaster. I like to think that this was a cheeky reference to Final Destination 3. I found that this book was slow to start, and it took too long to get to the main disaster. This was similar to another book in the series, Final Destination: End of the Line, however, unlike that book, this book didn’t spend that time making me care for the main cast of characters as much. I appreciate the attempt at a change in formula, but by having the main disaster occur halfway through the book, this book felt like it was meandering for the first 200 pages and then rushed to the end in the back half of the story. I think that this book proves that the main disaster should shape the entire main plot, and that that is the only part of the Final Destination formula that should remain untouched when writing these stories. I think the author did a decent job at introducing these characters, but I wasn’t as compelled or interested by them as other Final Destination casts in previous stories, especially since these characters didn’t shine enough to justify focusing on them for 200 pages before the main disaster. I think the most egregious mistake that this book makes is having the survivors die out of order and different from the order they should have died with no explanation as to why that is. There was an opportunity to do something similar to Final Destination 2’s change in formula with the order of deaths occurring in reverse order to how they should have died in the accident (which was Death’s way of tying up loose ends caused by the butterfly effect created by the survivors from the first Final Destination), which was one of my favorite new ideas in the whole franchise, but no attempt was made to explain or justify this change in formula here. The deaths weren’t very creative in this book, and I found that the HIV death was inaccurate and weak. Even for the time that this book was released, HIV wasn’t a death sentence, and overall, it just didn’t fit in with Final Destination as a franchise. I think the idea of a protagonist or final character contracting a deadly virus and slowly dying and being unable to take their own life is an interesting concept, but using HIV as that virus was just ineffective and in poor taste in this novel. Overall, the first half of this book dragged on too long and the ending was too weak. This might be my least favorite entry in the book side of the Final Destination franchise, which makes me sad because it is the only book in the series that I physically own.

[Geoffrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book but slow to follow through with it because this book was the only book from the Final Destination spin-off books that I was able to get my hands on physically. This book review also mentions spoilers from Final Destination 2. When Annie Goodwin travels to the desert oasis of Las Vegas, she hopes to turn her luck around. Life's dealt her a bad hand and her current luck seems to be no different. But when Annie has a premonition of a terrible accident, she takes steps to stop it from happening. Annie and four other people survive the ordeal and cheat Death. In a town where the odds are always in the house's favour, can Annie hope to beat the Reaper in this game when she's drawn the Dead Man's Hand? I loved the setting of Las Vegas. I was glad that the foreshadowing to the main disaster in this book was done better than in the previous book that I read in this series, Final Destination: Looks Could Kill. In my opinion, the prologue sets the tone for the novel, but it could have easily been cut out of the story and nothing would have changed. There was a mention of two characters falling for each other on a rollercoaster, and the character briefly thinks about how it must be rare for two people’s lives to be changed while on a rollercoaster. I like to think that this was a cheeky reference to Final Destination 3. I found that this book was slow to start, and it took too long to get to the main disaster. This was similar to another book in the series, Final Destination: End of the Line, however, unlike that book, this book didn’t spend that time making me care for the main cast of characters as much. I appreciate the attempt at a change in formula, but by having the main disaster occur halfway through the book, this book felt like it was meandering for the first 200 pages and then rushed to the end in the back half of the story. I think that this book proves that the main disaster should shape the entire main plot, and that that is the only part of the Final Destination formula that should remain untouched when writing these stories. I think the author did a decent job at introducing these characters, but I wasn’t as compelled or interested by them as other Final Destination casts in previous stories, especially since these characters didn’t shine enough to justify focusing on them for 200 pages before the main disaster. I think the most egregious mistake that this book makes is having the survivors die out of order and different from the order they should have died with no explanation as to why that is. There was an opportunity to do something similar to Final Destination 2’s change in formula with the order of deaths occurring in reverse order to how they should have died in the accident (which was Death’s way of tying up loose ends caused by the butterfly effect created by the survivors from the first Final Destination), which was one of my favorite new ideas in the whole franchise, but no attempt was made to explain or justify this change in formula here. The deaths weren’t very creative in this book, and I found that the HIV death was inaccurate and weak. Even for the time that this book was released, HIV wasn’t a death sentence, and overall, it just didn’t fit in with Final Destination as a franchise. I think the idea of a protagonist or final character contracting a deadly virus and slowly dying and being unable to take their own life is an interesting concept, but using HIV as that virus was just ineffective and in poor taste in this novel. Overall, the first half of this book dragged on too long and the ending was too weak. This might be my least favorite entry in the book side of the Final Destination franchise, which makes me sad because it is the only book in the series that I physically own.

[Jasmine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite Final Destination novel by a long shot. I thought another reviewer was exaggerating when they said it took way too long to get to the premonition but after 150 pages of almost unnecessary exposition, I realized they were absolutely right. The deaths are interesting enough, however they lack so much of the detail and eloquently described chain reactions we get in the other books. As quick as the death scenes come to pass the chapters upon chapters of exposition seem pointless.
Normally the books lead you into the premonition scene early on in the book, and give a little exposition for each character before they pass. Granted much more exposition for the main character.

The order of deaths in this book really perplexed me and didn’t follow the format we know and love. It’s not unlike the books to suggest new ideas we haven’t seen in the cinematic franchise, but this book very much felt like it was written by someone who had never watched a Final Destination film. Much of it lacked sense and left much to be desired. Very disappointing considering it takes place in one of the wildest cities in the U.S. The author could have done so much more.

If you’re considering reading a Final Destination book, this is not the one I would recommend. Consider Death of the Senses or Looks Could Kill instead. You’ll be far less disappointed.

[kylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

(2.5/5)

okay, so this one definitely follows in the second book’s footstep by being pretty forgettable and by making a truly strange decision for a final destination novel.

what’s this book’s odd decision? well, the big disaster (you know, the one that the main character lives through as a premonition… the one that’s literally the inciting incident of the entire story) occurs at the HALFWAY point of the book. at the 50% marker exactly, according to my kindle. NO explanation you can give will ever convince me that we needed half a book of exposition before the final destination book became a final destination book. it’s no surprise that everything after the accident feels rushed & underdeveloped. it’s an unfortunate side effect of that choice.

aside from this, i also didn’t love the weird monologues that followed each character’s death, and i thought that the entire book lacked any real inspiration (especially that forced, lifeless ending. it may genuinely be my least favorite final destination ending from any media). i absolutely ADORE this franchise (as anyone who knows me knows), and this book just feels like a cheap money grab that lacks all of the heart that comes with final destination.

[Emily Van Wyk · Rating 2 out of 5]

I knew going in that this is not most people's favorite FD novel. I think the main issue is that it drags - and I really mean draaaags - towards the premonition, which I found lackluster, and then the main cast is swiftly killed off. The FD franchise regularly has the premonition pretty early on, and then the majority of the story is how the survivors are picked off by death. The fun and the appeal is in the anticipation, waiting to see what death will do to get these people, and how creative death will be trying to get them.

I think elements of this book were good. The author definitely wanted us to feel like we knew the characters and spent a lot of time crafting their personalities for us. Which is why there are 150 pages of us being introduced to them and their lives. But there was a disconnect where, despite that, I didn't really care much for any of them and I was just waiting to see them killed off.

I did see in the wiki that the author had initially drafted this with the intent of the tragedy taking place on the Stratosphere tower rollercoaster, but then FD3 (my love <3) was announced, so they had to change it. That could explain why the premonition felt disjointed and not as intense.

I also noticed that the formula wasn't followed where they die in the order of the premonition. Not sure if that was misstep or the author forgot.

TBH the ending just didn't do it for me .. HIV? That's how our visionary - a very sexually active woman - dies. Slowly from HIV that she got from a cop being sliced in half in front of her and his blood infected her. It felt like a sick punishment for her being promiscuous, not to mention it just wasn't a satisfactory death as far as final destination goes.

[Geoff Battle · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you're expecting a novel true to the Final Destination formula then look elsewhere. What made the Final Destination series so successful was a formula which hooked the viewer and created elaborate deaths as Fate caught up with those that had somehow eluded his grasp. Dead Man's Hand presents the premonition, which allows the characters to avoid death, at half way through the book - this event should shape the entire plot, yet it appears to be an action scene routinely slotted in. Thereafter the characters encounter their doom, although the deaths may be original in their design, there is none of the foreboding that the Final Destination series is famous for. What the reader is left with is an easy to read horror story, light on plot, light on real character interaction, no suspense, and a skewed use of the Final Destination license.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took a long time plodding on to the premonition (which I enjoyed) and then sped up massively until the rather disappointing end (which I didn’t enjoy). The first half was interesting, really building up characters and getting you to care about them. The purpose of this book being a Final Destination novel is, of course, the deaths, and they were rushed and unsatisfying. I very much felt the absence of the “trying to beat Death” element present in the films and other books so I was left a little disappointed by the end, but it was certainly enjoyable enough.

[Bailey Wakeling · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's a shame, I have to say but sadly dead mans hand was not a great book. there was too much time spent with character development that the actual disaster didn't take place to over 200 pages in. now the thing I did like though was some of the kills as the details wrote for them was pretty good and done well. but the ending was weak though I like that we got an epilogue, but this was just not it and it was a little sick to do the end like that

[Jayden de Raat · Rating 3 out of 5]

SHE HAS AIDS

[Martein Joaquim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why people die in Final Destination

[Kayla Greer · Rating 2 out of 5]

never going to gamble again

[Horror Guy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened via 80s Slasher Librarian

[readersparadisereviews · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst one yet

[Brady Milles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holy racism Batman

[Chai LeFaiver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the callback to the first. First half of exposition got me attached. Then they killed them after I got attached. So mad. Low blow, Mr. Roman.

[Robert Thermopolis · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the mid-2000s I ordered this book off of Amazon because I liked the idea of a Final Destination book, but once I was 200 pages in and the inciting disaster still hadn't happened, my preteen self gave up on this. I stuck a bookmark in, tossed it on my shelf, and haven't thought about it in decades.

After watching the trailer for FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES, I couldn't help but feel the idea of a disaster atop a tower sounded oddly familiar. I went over to my bookshelf and, much to my surprise, this little paperback book not only survived close to two decades and multiple moves, but the cover has a tower that looks very similar to the tower in BLOODLINES. Seems like fate, so of course I gave it a read.

I totally understand why my younger self gave up on this book. it's 200+ pages of character development and exposition before we get to the premonition. Turns out it's just an elevator accident on the way to the tower, not the entire tower blowing up. The writing is fine, nothing really memorable. The deaths are merely okay; they lack the suspense of the movies. I don't regret reading this as a way to build up anticipation for the new movie, but I won't be recommending it or diving into the rest of the non-canonical books.

SPOILER ALERT: An HIV-positive diagnosis as the final “death righting its wrongs” feels in poor taste.