Sammyig Reviews: HAND OF CHAOS by @jayhamlet #ChaosTour
Prophet of Chaos
Written by J. Hamlet
Genre(s): Fantasy
Nathaniel is a man of many gifts. First and foremost is the power of Prophecy. Whenever he sleeps, he dreams of triumphs and tragedies alike, and how to either make them happen or prevent them. With that knowledge, he’s thwarted the world-shaking schemes of Angels and Demons alike. Not surprisingly, every elite agent of both Heaven and Hell are always hunting him, wanting to be the one to take down the notorious man known to most as The Prophet. He’s spent most of his life as a homeless drifter: hiding, dreaming, and passing along the intel from his revelations to those who can take actions, be they government agents, freelance wizards, or less savory occult figures.
Recently, he’s been plagued by a series of recurring visions that threaten to force him out of his shadowy life and into the spotlight. He’s seen the world ready to plummet into a new dark ages. A Senator with presidential aspirations is on one side, backed by the most ruthless of Heaven’s forces and seeking to transform the world into a brutal theocracy. A church of Demon-worshipping terrorists also stand ready to launch a bloody revolution through mass murders, demonic possession, and civil war that will literally bring about Hell on earth. Nathaniel stands in the middle, struggling to stop both sides from realizing their chosen versions of humanity’s future with everything in his mystical arsenal. And he can’t do it alone.
Sammyig's Review
Hand of Chaos
Hand of Chaos by J. Hamlet is an interesting urban fantasy that deals with magic, mentalism, supernatural entities, and zombie-esque creatures. Anna Wei is a mage that works for the NSA division that handles magical issues. When we enter the book, we find that Anna and her team are consistently one step behind the necromancer, Ethan Morgan, who has this penchant for leaving death and destruction in his wake.
Some have knocked this for not being a light fantasy story, and I believe the cover is misleading. The author might want to think about re-releasing with different cover art to convey the tone of the book. But, this is also not what I would call “dark fantasy”. Think John Wick mixed with The Magicians and you are likely more on target.
Also, there are elements of high fantasy with heavy use of obscure languages. For me, this took me out of the story because I tend to find high fantasy overwritten. However, the high-paced action scenes helped speed things along, so I didn’t have too much time to dwell on it.
There are a few things that would have moved this into a 5-star book for me. One being another editing round to eliminate passages where characters rehash information. Another is an adjustment of the flow of the first few chapters. These are minor issues though, and could be something relatively easily fixed in another round of edits.
It was nice to read a unique urban fantasy that deals with necromancy.
Hand of Chaos by J. Hamlet is an interesting urban fantasy that deals with magic, mentalism, supernatural entities, and zombie-esque creatures. Anna Wei is a mage that works for the NSA division that handles magical issues. When we enter the book, we find that Anna and her team are consistently one step behind the necromancer, Ethan Morgan, who has this penchant for leaving death and destruction in his wake.
Some have knocked this for not being a light fantasy story, and I believe the cover is misleading. The author might want to think about re-releasing with different cover art to convey the tone of the book. But, this is also not what I would call “dark fantasy”. Think John Wick mixed with The Magicians and you are likely more on target.
Also, there are elements of high fantasy with heavy use of obscure languages. For me, this took me out of the story because I tend to find high fantasy overwritten. However, the high-paced action scenes helped speed things along, so I didn’t have too much time to dwell on it.
There are a few things that would have moved this into a 5-star book for me. One being another editing round to eliminate passages where characters rehash information. Another is an adjustment of the flow of the first few chapters. These are minor issues though, and could be something relatively easily fixed in another round of edits.
It was nice to read a unique urban fantasy that deals with necromancy.
J. Hamlet has made what you might call a career out of being a red tape slinger and beltway bandit and has lived in and around Washington, DC for most of his adult life. Originally from the dirty sands of Chesapeake, VA, he's been writing to pass the time and exorcise his demons since he was a teenager. He wrote many horrible books back then. These are better, at least he hopes so. His writing blends many different genres: spy thriller, supernatural thriller, and philosophy into an intoxicating and original mash. He also enjoys nerding out about food, baking, beer, homebrewing, and taking too many pictures of his dog.
