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Richard's Reviews > The Hand of God
The Hand of God (Dark Legacies, #1)
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DISCLAIMER - I received a free copy of this book to review for the 2023 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC).
The Hand of God is the first book in Yuval Kordov’s series, Dark Legacies. Dark is a huge understatement. I’ve read quite a number of dystopian and apocalyptic novels but Cordon has, literally, put hell on earth.
This book takes place hundreds of years after the earth has been devastated by nuclear war. The dependents of the surviving humans have formed new clusters of civilization and are trying to survive in an inhospitable world. Each independent group has their own rules, mythology, and religion and are struggling to survive with technology gone, food scarce, and danger ever present.
As the title suggests, there is a lot about god and religion in this book. As the surviving humans stumble around the devastation they are focused on the hope that god will forgive them for destroying the earth. The war has not only left large swarths of land desolate but has lead to the evolution of hellish demons due to the lingering radiation.
The book shifts around quite a bit as the various groups and important players are introduced. The book is divided into different sections as new characters and surviving groups are introduced. With the introduction of these different parts of the new world order the storyline becomes more complicated but also more interwoven. In retrospect I might have had an easier time with the story if I had kept a score card of sects, groups, and individuals.
In the Afterword, Yuval Kordov explains that this series grew out of guide books he had started writing back in 2004 for Dark Legacies, a d20 role-playing game system. As he explains, “finding meaning beyond basic survival after the apocalypse” is the core of both the game and the books.
It took me a bit to warm up to this book as I struggled to understand the plot and storyline. As the various plots, subplots, groups, and individuals emerged I got a better sense of the world Kordov had created. By the time I got to the last page, I was well entrenched and pondering when I could find time to read All of Our Sins, the second book in the Dark Legacies series.
The Hand of God is the first book in Yuval Kordov’s series, Dark Legacies. Dark is a huge understatement. I’ve read quite a number of dystopian and apocalyptic novels but Cordon has, literally, put hell on earth.
This book takes place hundreds of years after the earth has been devastated by nuclear war. The dependents of the surviving humans have formed new clusters of civilization and are trying to survive in an inhospitable world. Each independent group has their own rules, mythology, and religion and are struggling to survive with technology gone, food scarce, and danger ever present.
As the title suggests, there is a lot about god and religion in this book. As the surviving humans stumble around the devastation they are focused on the hope that god will forgive them for destroying the earth. The war has not only left large swarths of land desolate but has lead to the evolution of hellish demons due to the lingering radiation.
The book shifts around quite a bit as the various groups and important players are introduced. The book is divided into different sections as new characters and surviving groups are introduced. With the introduction of these different parts of the new world order the storyline becomes more complicated but also more interwoven. In retrospect I might have had an easier time with the story if I had kept a score card of sects, groups, and individuals.
In the Afterword, Yuval Kordov explains that this series grew out of guide books he had started writing back in 2004 for Dark Legacies, a d20 role-playing game system. As he explains, “finding meaning beyond basic survival after the apocalypse” is the core of both the game and the books.
It took me a bit to warm up to this book as I struggled to understand the plot and storyline. As the various plots, subplots, groups, and individuals emerged I got a better sense of the world Kordov had created. By the time I got to the last page, I was well entrenched and pondering when I could find time to read All of Our Sins, the second book in the Dark Legacies series.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
January 28, 2024
–
Started Reading
February 1, 2024
–
Finished Reading
February 4, 2024
– Shelved
