Mr. Hands

Never liked Gary Braunbeck's earlier endeavers. But this one Oh,baby, this one...its like the movied Pumpkinhead right? But with a completley unique twist all its own...its like a tall glass of Rasberry Ice Crystal Lite and youre like "well, thats not too original." But, ho-ho, try putting in some Chambord in that baby. Thats what this is like. Ronnie is special. He's got the mind of an 11 year-old but he is special. By touching anyone he can seee their hurt and pain and he can end it. Well, by killing them. He absorbs their souls and they are at peace. Now theres Lucy. Doing well for herself but has to come back to her one-horse hometown because dear old dad has been laid off. Yadda-yadda-yadda, she gets pregnant,runs into Ronnie, loses the baby.Ronnie and Lucy have a destiny.Although, Lucy doesnt recognize Ronnie in his later years, he is proudly obedient to serve her in her unbridled rage when her next baby is kidnapped and killed. Oh yeah , she goes off the deep end ,folks. I really dont want to give anything away. Oh,yeah, its kind of like the old Grindhouse pictures because its actually a story being told by another story. Very well done, I might add. I think Joe Lansdale is the only other author Ive read to do this( The Drive-IN). So rejoice in this reading horror fans! The gore factor is pretty high,too.

this was my first Braunbeck novel and I must say that this is story telling at its best! both thought provoking and at times philosophical, MR. HANDS trancendes average horror fiction and takes to literary genious! genuinely disturbing, moody and with more than enough twist and turns, I highly recomend this novel to all horror fans.

Mr. Hands may be the finest work of Gary A. Braunbeck's career, and quite possibly, the best thing he'll ever write. I was absolutely spellbound by the story, characters, and rich mythology he created. I can't recall a horror novel that had me as emotional as this (right up there with Jack Ketchum's THE GIRL NEXT DOOR - both involve the endangerment of children and their helplessness). Besides a few typos (shame, shame, Leisure Books!), I found every chapter, every paragraph, and every sentence infused with such passion, it was hard for me to get the lump out of my throat. As a parent of two young children, this was a difficult book to read, but the message of hope and helping others in need made it easier to get through. I can't recommend this book enough. So far, this is my favorite book of 2007, in horror, or any other genre. Mr. Braunbeck, I feel priviledged to have read such a wonderful and powerful book. Thank you.

I came across this book browsing the local Borders and purchased it expecting an entertaining little book. All I can say it that I got that and more. As an avid reader it takes a lot to keep me awake and reading, but I started this book on Thursday afternoon and finished at 4:00 am Friday morning. I literally could not put it down expect the few times I had to wipe the tears from my eyes. Yes, this is a horror story but it is so much more. The pain and suffering of the children and "Mr. Hands" came across loud and clear. This is a novel of love, redemption and the humanity in us all. A highly entertaining read that I have all ready lent out and recommended to several people.

Braunbeck is a master of the evocative dark fantasy novel. Few authors are as capable of generating as much emotion as he is in a genre that is too often frowned upon for over-the-top gore or simplistic storylines. Braunbeck is willing to take his themes to the max, with no simple solutions or easy answers. In MR. HANDS we are introduced to a young man with psychic abilities who can use his supernatural skills to seek out pain and evil and destroy it. However, those in the greatest pain are children without hope and destined to awful ends, and in providing mercy killings, the young man is dubbed a serial killer. After many years of following his calling, and gathering the ghosts of these children inside himself, his power has grown much stronger. Eventually this mystical power comes in contact with a mother whose missing daughter is feared the victim of a sexual predator. Her rage and pain are able to call upon this energy and give it the face and body of a small wooden doll. It's also given a name. MR. HANDS. Now MR. HANDS is on a mission of vengeance and offers absolutely no mercy to those he is set in motion against. Not even when a mistake is made and an innocent might have to suffer. Braunbeck makes us feel all the driving forces of his characters. The confusion, fear, anger, misunderstandings, and unresolved hurts. His characters are fully human, with all the frailties and faults the rest of us have. His wonderfully imaginative story is gripping, horrifying, and provocative, with enough blood to satisfy the gorehounds but also strengthened by a superior writing style. The fantastical elements in the novel all serve the purpose of underscoring the conflicted nature of the human condition. Serious and thoughtful, this is horror at its best.