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Cedar Hill #3
Mr. Hands
Includes The Bonus Novella Kiss of The Mudman
It was an odd doll, carved out of wood, with stubby legs but long arms and huge hands. So little Sarah named it Mr. Hands. She loved that doll. . . until the day she was murdered. Now her mother, Lucy, has discovered something amazing about her daughter's doll - it allows her to control another Mr. Hands. But this one is no doll. He's a living, terrifying being with horrendous power.
Mr. Hands's deadly power is at Lucy's command. He will do whatever she tells him - even kill. To Lucy this is a rare opportunity, a chance to see that justice is done. Her justice. She decides who will live and who will suffer a horrible death, and Mr. Hands carries out the sentence without mercy. But once Mr. Hands is unleashed, will anyone be able to stop him?
It was an odd doll, carved out of wood, with stubby legs but long arms and huge hands. So little Sarah named it Mr. Hands. She loved that doll. . . until the day she was murdered. Now her mother, Lucy, has discovered something amazing about her daughter's doll - it allows her to control another Mr. Hands. But this one is no doll. He's a living, terrifying being with horrendous power.
Mr. Hands's deadly power is at Lucy's command. He will do whatever she tells him - even kill. To Lucy this is a rare opportunity, a chance to see that justice is done. Her justice. She decides who will live and who will suffer a horrible death, and Mr. Hands carries out the sentence without mercy. But once Mr. Hands is unleashed, will anyone be able to stop him?
354 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 31, 2007
6 people are currently reading
645 people want to read
About the author
Gary A. Braunbeck
219Ìýbooks231ÌýfollowersGary A. Braunbeck is a prolific author who writes mysteries, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mainstream literature. He is the author of 19 books; his fiction has been translated into Japanese, French, Italian, Russian and German. Nearly 200 of his short stories have appeared in various publications.
His fiction has received several awards, including the Bram Stoker Award in 2003 for "Duty" and in 2005 for "We Now Pause for Station Identification"; his book Destinations Unknown won a Stoker in 2006. His novella "Kiss of the Mudman" received the International Horror Guild Award in 2005."
His fiction has received several awards, including the Bram Stoker Award in 2003 for "Duty" and in 2005 for "We Now Pause for Station Identification"; his book Destinations Unknown won a Stoker in 2006. His novella "Kiss of the Mudman" received the International Horror Guild Award in 2005."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
January 27, 2016
I've owned this one years; finally read during a buddy/group read with Horror Aficiandos group.
It's been years since I've dived into a world weaved by Braunbeck - I remember him as serious, sobering, and depressing. I also remember him as creative with his plot structure, hard to put down, and good with blending dark-fantasy horror. This book fits my memory of his others - a complex story that isn't merely about a killer figurine as I figured. In fact, the back cover is so vague based on what the story is really about (who writes these lazy blurbs?)
I won't fill review space laying out all the plot here, I'll let you find out yourself if you read this one, but let's just say there are different structures that tie together about midway through. Not really a straight protagonist to follow, this one has grey characters who are bordering on black most of the way through. Tragedy forms their motivations and and downfall, for they're tainted by cruelties of the world that aren't fun to read about. Child abuse, child neglect and abandonment, isolation in grief, all sobering stuff. Mr. Hands makes the point of getting a sort of vigilante justice that goes upside down on the misled crusaders.
Pacing stays focused and the story never grows boring. I especially liked the bar where certain characters gather - the shelf with the objects that all hold stories was a nice touch. I got a small fairy tale vibe from this story, from Mr Hands and the man at the carnival, to childlike wishes for very adult situations, to mystical ways of solving things. Bleak but interesting. Braunbeck writes well and spends plenty of time in the characters heads with effective inner monologue, even if sometimes the characters can seem a little straight-forward and simple in their thought processes.
It's certainly not a tale that exists to use shock value, violence for violence sake, and senseless gore. It's an emotional punch wrapped around an intriguing story, not a simple horror tale, but a sobering one of the sad realities of the world of which there is no right or wrong solution.
It's been years since I've dived into a world weaved by Braunbeck - I remember him as serious, sobering, and depressing. I also remember him as creative with his plot structure, hard to put down, and good with blending dark-fantasy horror. This book fits my memory of his others - a complex story that isn't merely about a killer figurine as I figured. In fact, the back cover is so vague based on what the story is really about (who writes these lazy blurbs?)
I won't fill review space laying out all the plot here, I'll let you find out yourself if you read this one, but let's just say there are different structures that tie together about midway through. Not really a straight protagonist to follow, this one has grey characters who are bordering on black most of the way through. Tragedy forms their motivations and and downfall, for they're tainted by cruelties of the world that aren't fun to read about. Child abuse, child neglect and abandonment, isolation in grief, all sobering stuff. Mr. Hands makes the point of getting a sort of vigilante justice that goes upside down on the misled crusaders.
Pacing stays focused and the story never grows boring. I especially liked the bar where certain characters gather - the shelf with the objects that all hold stories was a nice touch. I got a small fairy tale vibe from this story, from Mr Hands and the man at the carnival, to childlike wishes for very adult situations, to mystical ways of solving things. Bleak but interesting. Braunbeck writes well and spends plenty of time in the characters heads with effective inner monologue, even if sometimes the characters can seem a little straight-forward and simple in their thought processes.
It's certainly not a tale that exists to use shock value, violence for violence sake, and senseless gore. It's an emotional punch wrapped around an intriguing story, not a simple horror tale, but a sobering one of the sad realities of the world of which there is no right or wrong solution.
August 27, 2016
The unique beauty of this tale has to share the spotlight with the rich emotions the author stirred in, to make it as believable as possible. While reading this I often wondered how personal any of this could have been for him and for the sake of anyone's sanity I hope they never get to experience these events in person.
Mr. Hands starts off as three separate events that come together to form a tight and haunting ending. It all begins with a little boy who was born not out of an act of love but by what his father called - a mistake. He was loved by his weak mother and he was abused by the father, harvesting special powers that helped him seek out children who suffered the same way he did. His mental scars never let him grow pas his eleventh year while his body grew into that of a man, a man on a mission to end child abuse and to inflict punishment, not revenge on the parents who did it to them. Ronnie, for that was his name, ran into Lucy Thompson, another main character, when he was a few years old and left her with what he thought of as a gift. In reality his actions started a chain of events that would some day conclude in cataclysmic proportions in the small, sleepy town of Cedar Hill. Much happens in between, mostly bad things that are best not spoiled to the reader. Years later they meet again but under much darker circumstances, where a creature of death and blind justice is born, making monsters out of those who wants to do good by helping to kill others. This was part horror and part supernatural with a dose of gray morality threw into the mix.
The book is a very fast read and the author does a great job of describing everything in an immaculate detail. After reading it I am still haunted by the pain and suffering the kids endured, especially since that kind of abuse happens in real life, and the ice pick feeling of sheer fear in throats of their parents, those who genuinely loved and missed them was more than real. The element of cruel punishment inflicted on the guilty was satisfying but it came with a hefty price tag to those who administered it.
- Kasia S.
Mr. Hands starts off as three separate events that come together to form a tight and haunting ending. It all begins with a little boy who was born not out of an act of love but by what his father called - a mistake. He was loved by his weak mother and he was abused by the father, harvesting special powers that helped him seek out children who suffered the same way he did. His mental scars never let him grow pas his eleventh year while his body grew into that of a man, a man on a mission to end child abuse and to inflict punishment, not revenge on the parents who did it to them. Ronnie, for that was his name, ran into Lucy Thompson, another main character, when he was a few years old and left her with what he thought of as a gift. In reality his actions started a chain of events that would some day conclude in cataclysmic proportions in the small, sleepy town of Cedar Hill. Much happens in between, mostly bad things that are best not spoiled to the reader. Years later they meet again but under much darker circumstances, where a creature of death and blind justice is born, making monsters out of those who wants to do good by helping to kill others. This was part horror and part supernatural with a dose of gray morality threw into the mix.
The book is a very fast read and the author does a great job of describing everything in an immaculate detail. After reading it I am still haunted by the pain and suffering the kids endured, especially since that kind of abuse happens in real life, and the ice pick feeling of sheer fear in throats of their parents, those who genuinely loved and missed them was more than real. The element of cruel punishment inflicted on the guilty was satisfying but it came with a hefty price tag to those who administered it.
- Kasia S.
March 17, 2015
Reading Mr. Hands reminds me of the title of the Clint Eastwood spaghetti western - The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. This book has all three and it reads pretty much in that order. Lets start with the good. This is my first read of Braunbeck's material. Haing lived in central Ohio for fifteen years of my life and also hearing good reviews of his work, I was excited to dive into Mr. Hands. It starts off well enough. A strange man sitting at the end of the bar has a story to tell to the bartender, the sherriff, and a reverend. OK. It kind of reminds me of Straub's Ghost Story meets the Twilight Zone. You've got my interest, Braunbeck. Where do we go from here? Well, from there, he unwinds a story about Ronald James Williamson. a young boy who may be a little slow but has the unique gift of being able to predict a child's future on whether it will be filled with happiness or misery. Based on what he detects, ala shades of The Dead Zone, determines what course of action Ronnie takes. Happiness equals smiling and moving on. But if Ronnie detects a future fulfilled with misery and abuse for the child, he becomes judge, jury and executioner. Nobody expects the slow kid, right?
Braunbeck's writing style is fast paced and enjoyable. I'm buying into all of it up to this point. Then, at somewere around the 2/3 mark, he shifts gears and does a hard turn. He introduces us to Mr. Hands, brings back a character from the beginning of the book, and gives us a scene almost directly out of the movie Pumpkinhead. My suspension of disbelief was thrown into a headlock and beat up pretty good. I tried to get back on track to a story I was enjoying and wanted to enjoy again. I was hoping that this sudden shift would make sense and tie it all together in an A HA moment. No dice. This was the bad. Now for the ugly.
For the last 1/3 of the book, Braunbeck tells a tale of revenge that becomes more and more unbelievable with every turn of the page. He introduces us to characters and kills them off not pages later, but paragraphs later. Every character introduced is paper thin. There is no development to either like or dispise them before they are offed. Add that to the fact that the story is getting more and more hokey as we race to the finish line. At this point, I'm only turning pages out of obligation to see if there's a rhyme or reason to this mess, not because I'm enjoying it anymore. No such luck. The character of the six-year old boy is so unbelievable that I'm scoffing at every page. I have a son around his age and there is no way him or any of his peers would say or do 90% of what Braunbeck's character is doing in this one. That, my friends, is the ugly.
Its been a long time since I've been this disappointed in a book and my disappointment isn't because its a bad story. I've read plenty of stories that were worse than this one that I've rated higher and it's because they were consistently weak all the way through. This one seemed like it was going somewhere and then it completely derailed and crashed down a mountain ravine. At one point, I thought Braunbeck suffered a stroke while he was writing this and the last 1/3 was post stroke. Sigh. So disappointed. I will read another Braunbeck in the future. I haven't sworn him off. I really want to read something of his that is at the level that I think he's capable of. I'm rooting for Mr. Hands to be an anomoly and not the rule.
2 stars out of 5
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
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TWITTER - @KenMcKinley5
Braunbeck's writing style is fast paced and enjoyable. I'm buying into all of it up to this point. Then, at somewere around the 2/3 mark, he shifts gears and does a hard turn. He introduces us to Mr. Hands, brings back a character from the beginning of the book, and gives us a scene almost directly out of the movie Pumpkinhead. My suspension of disbelief was thrown into a headlock and beat up pretty good. I tried to get back on track to a story I was enjoying and wanted to enjoy again. I was hoping that this sudden shift would make sense and tie it all together in an A HA moment. No dice. This was the bad. Now for the ugly.
For the last 1/3 of the book, Braunbeck tells a tale of revenge that becomes more and more unbelievable with every turn of the page. He introduces us to characters and kills them off not pages later, but paragraphs later. Every character introduced is paper thin. There is no development to either like or dispise them before they are offed. Add that to the fact that the story is getting more and more hokey as we race to the finish line. At this point, I'm only turning pages out of obligation to see if there's a rhyme or reason to this mess, not because I'm enjoying it anymore. No such luck. The character of the six-year old boy is so unbelievable that I'm scoffing at every page. I have a son around his age and there is no way him or any of his peers would say or do 90% of what Braunbeck's character is doing in this one. That, my friends, is the ugly.
Its been a long time since I've been this disappointed in a book and my disappointment isn't because its a bad story. I've read plenty of stories that were worse than this one that I've rated higher and it's because they were consistently weak all the way through. This one seemed like it was going somewhere and then it completely derailed and crashed down a mountain ravine. At one point, I thought Braunbeck suffered a stroke while he was writing this and the last 1/3 was post stroke. Sigh. So disappointed. I will read another Braunbeck in the future. I haven't sworn him off. I really want to read something of his that is at the level that I think he's capable of. I'm rooting for Mr. Hands to be an anomoly and not the rule.
2 stars out of 5
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
/user/show/5...
TWITTER - @KenMcKinley5
June 28, 2011
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.
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.
June 9, 2011
Hooboy, does this book look stupid.
I pride myself in not caring what people see me read. I would proudly display each and every cover of Brian Lumley's Necroscope series (although I'll put myself on record as saying I thought those covers really kicked ass), but to quote the Tragically Hip in Thugs, "Everyone has their breaking point", and with me it was this cover and title.
But, this is Gary Braunbeck, so I knew this was going to be pretty good. Actually, the first 100 pages or so were excellent, and just the type of writing I was expecting from him: poignant, suspensful, and a protagonist you can care for.
I loved the opening, where a stranger walks into a bar in a small town (where "weird shit happens", and tells his tale to a couple of interested locals. This is the perfect setup to a scary story.
Now, the story doesn't get to where the title and cover of the novel suggests for over a 100 pages, but this the part of the story where Braunbeck excels. Once the tale takes the expected supernatural turn, his writing still maintains the same quality, but for me, I much prefered Ronnie's story over where Mr. Hands comes in.
Overall, it was a fine read, and Braunbeck continues to be an author on my 'A' list. I'm looking forward to more of the "weird shit" that happens in Cedar Hill.
I pride myself in not caring what people see me read. I would proudly display each and every cover of Brian Lumley's Necroscope series (although I'll put myself on record as saying I thought those covers really kicked ass), but to quote the Tragically Hip in Thugs, "Everyone has their breaking point", and with me it was this cover and title.
But, this is Gary Braunbeck, so I knew this was going to be pretty good. Actually, the first 100 pages or so were excellent, and just the type of writing I was expecting from him: poignant, suspensful, and a protagonist you can care for.
I loved the opening, where a stranger walks into a bar in a small town (where "weird shit happens", and tells his tale to a couple of interested locals. This is the perfect setup to a scary story.
Now, the story doesn't get to where the title and cover of the novel suggests for over a 100 pages, but this the part of the story where Braunbeck excels. Once the tale takes the expected supernatural turn, his writing still maintains the same quality, but for me, I much prefered Ronnie's story over where Mr. Hands comes in.
Overall, it was a fine read, and Braunbeck continues to be an author on my 'A' list. I'm looking forward to more of the "weird shit" that happens in Cedar Hill.
April 9, 2015
The first thing that attracted me to this book was it's very creepy and cool cover, and the name 'Mr Hands'. It just sounded so good and the blurb was intriguing and exciting! Sadly this book turned out to be a case of don't judge a book by its cover.
I expected this to be a novel where this creepy creature Mr Hands goes around torturing and killing people in a Nightmare on Elm Street type way. Jeez was I ever let down! In the prologue we get a couple of people under threat from Mr Hands. Then we jump to chapter one and it all goes downhill from there. A man in a pub starts telling a story which is meant to be about his dealings with Mr Hands but instead we get a rambling story about the mentally challenged Ronnie, a human with a power of death who uses it to kill bad people or end the suffering of good people. We see Ronnie helping a woman miscarry a baby that could ruin her life, his miserable home life, ending up in the social care system, hunting a child abuser who attacks a few of his friends, communicating with all the dead souls he helped, his big mistake...and go to the woman who miscarried to see her story. Her upbringing in a small town, her first date getting her pregnant and shaming her family, the miscarrying event, her life after that, the fate of the one who got her pregnant, her plans for the future...
WHERE IS MR HANDS??? For 116 pages we get a back and forth between Ronnie and Lucy and their lives and I was so bored it was unreal. What did any of this have to do with the creepy Mr Hands? By the time Lucy was talking about her new husband and second baby, I was wondering if the demon was ever going to show and I got tired of waiting for him. This book was dull, bland and lacking the story that I bought it for. A huge big fat let down!
According to other reviews, we don't get to see Mr Hands until the last third of the book. So why is this marketed as Mr Hands and a revenge story when none of that happens until the book is nearly ending? I hate being deliberatly misled and won't be reading anything else by this author. I feel cheated!!!
I expected this to be a novel where this creepy creature Mr Hands goes around torturing and killing people in a Nightmare on Elm Street type way. Jeez was I ever let down! In the prologue we get a couple of people under threat from Mr Hands. Then we jump to chapter one and it all goes downhill from there. A man in a pub starts telling a story which is meant to be about his dealings with Mr Hands but instead we get a rambling story about the mentally challenged Ronnie, a human with a power of death who uses it to kill bad people or end the suffering of good people. We see Ronnie helping a woman miscarry a baby that could ruin her life, his miserable home life, ending up in the social care system, hunting a child abuser who attacks a few of his friends, communicating with all the dead souls he helped, his big mistake...and go to the woman who miscarried to see her story. Her upbringing in a small town, her first date getting her pregnant and shaming her family, the miscarrying event, her life after that, the fate of the one who got her pregnant, her plans for the future...
WHERE IS MR HANDS??? For 116 pages we get a back and forth between Ronnie and Lucy and their lives and I was so bored it was unreal. What did any of this have to do with the creepy Mr Hands? By the time Lucy was talking about her new husband and second baby, I was wondering if the demon was ever going to show and I got tired of waiting for him. This book was dull, bland and lacking the story that I bought it for. A huge big fat let down!
According to other reviews, we don't get to see Mr Hands until the last third of the book. So why is this marketed as Mr Hands and a revenge story when none of that happens until the book is nearly ending? I hate being deliberatly misled and won't be reading anything else by this author. I feel cheated!!!
August 13, 2007
This is a revision and expansion of Braunbeck's novella from "Cemetery Dance" which was also included in THINGS LEFT BEHIND. The new material meshes seamlessly, and only serves to enhance the original story and the Cedar Hill universe as a whole. Also included is his award-winning novella, "Kiss of the Mudman," a rock'n'roll masterpiece.
July 6, 2008
This really was an incredible book and now i'm actually saddned I waited so long to read it. It sat on my shelf staring at me for months but I did finally get to it.
And was it ever worth it! It takes a story and makes you question your own personal ethics and morals and the way you look at life and death, crimes against children and pushes it to a limit.
The story ends with a quote saying that in your fight to stop monsters, make sure you don't become one. Based on the contents of this book, that line alone could some up much of it, but the details of the live of the people contained within the cedart hill universe are quite intricate and this book was one hell of a read.
Read in one sitting, I couldn't stop nor pull myself away from the incredible writing stylings.. Do read.
And was it ever worth it! It takes a story and makes you question your own personal ethics and morals and the way you look at life and death, crimes against children and pushes it to a limit.
The story ends with a quote saying that in your fight to stop monsters, make sure you don't become one. Based on the contents of this book, that line alone could some up much of it, but the details of the live of the people contained within the cedart hill universe are quite intricate and this book was one hell of a read.
Read in one sitting, I couldn't stop nor pull myself away from the incredible writing stylings.. Do read.
June 7, 2022
3.5 of 5 rating
Gives you a feeling that you glimpse something out of the side of your eye. When you turn to see what it is, your rewarded with a tendril of fear creeping along your neck.
Mr. Hands is a cerebral horror. It takes reality twists, chops and mixes it with an unbalanced mental perspective and there you have it. Then of course throws in a head chomping monster.
I liked the development of Mr. Hands and POV of the characters and why Mr. Hands was. It was a great story told and I look forward to more from Gary A. Braunbeck.
Gives you a feeling that you glimpse something out of the side of your eye. When you turn to see what it is, your rewarded with a tendril of fear creeping along your neck.
Mr. Hands is a cerebral horror. It takes reality twists, chops and mixes it with an unbalanced mental perspective and there you have it. Then of course throws in a head chomping monster.
I liked the development of Mr. Hands and POV of the characters and why Mr. Hands was. It was a great story told and I look forward to more from Gary A. Braunbeck.
April 1, 2015
Ahhh...started off wonderfully...good character development, intriquing, unique story, interwoven plot...really a fine job of a horror book. For me, however, it seemed to suffer from the one flaw in most horror books..an ending that left thinking, thats it ? This book grabbed me from the beginning with great writing, but slowly crept downhill. Still, better than most in a genre that yields great ideas but so-so endings....Ah well, on to the next..
November 12, 2010
Welcome to Cedar Hill, Ohio. Small town where very strange things happen. Braunbeck sets a lot of his stories there, so expect to come across the same characters. However, thus far I find that his books also hold up well as stand alones.
August 20, 2008
I was not in a hurry to read this book, the title just seemed so� Dumb, but I let Rosco (the family sheepdog) pick my most recent read and this is what he came up with (mainly by sniffing this cover first out of the stack of 100 or so books stacked neatly on the floor). I was surprised that I enjoyed this as much as I did. I wasn’t a huge fan of “Coffin County� but I do remember that I enjoyed 9/10ths of the book, so I did have a flicker of hope.
Short synopsis: The tale is told by a mystery man in a bar, he tells the story of a child who is a killer of children, and a woman who has lost her child, and slowly the three stories weave together into the story of Mr. Hands.
This is a tale of vengeance, pity, and monsters� not the creeping around under the bed, or hidden in the sewer grates monsters� people who are monsters - child abusers, neglectors, and killers� and those who have to cope with living in the same world as them. The title story in the book is 269 pages, with a short novella in the back titled “The Mudmen� to bring it up to the standard 330 page Leisure Fiction length. I know that this is a horror story, but it really never FELT like a horror storey. Rather than scaring me, terrifying me or disgusting me� I felt pity, remorse, and a bit of loathing at what Braunbeck points out. Being a parent, the concept of losing a child and the damage it would do not only to me, but to my relationships and my sanity was all too real. Now should that actually happen, and someone hand me the tool in which to gain vengeance, not just for my child, but for all children that have been brutally murdered and abused� and I am not sure that I would be strong enough to turn that away. When seeking vengeance it is all too easy to become what we hate most� a monster ourselves, and that is exactly what Braunbeck points out in this novel.
For the most part this novel is well written and keeps your attention. What drove me completely insane though is the use of run-on sentences that never ended. Page 102 in the paperback is all one sentence� and it runs on to the next page. It never occurred to me what effect run-on sentences like that would have on a reader� but it made my head hurt a little, like I wasn’t able to stop and regroup to let the previous sentence sink in. These run-on sentences occur throughout the book, though none stuck out so blatantly in my mind as that one. I’m a bit disappointed in his editor for letting that one slide by. Also the combination of the cover and the title make this a hard book to take seriously and really get excited to read. The good news is that it reads fast, takes place in the familiar territory of Coffin County and seems to have a pretty good resolution to it all (which was my issue with the book “Coffin County�). This book is not at all scary though you will find yourself reading from beginning to end, and there is quite a bit to think about, particularly if you are a parent.
The three star rating is due mainly to the typos and run-on sentences in the book. There is nothing worse than reading a book and suddenly your mind slams on the e-brake because of a typo or bad grammar. You are pulled completely out of the story as your brain tries to process the bad data. Still, it’s an entertaining read if you can get past that.
Short synopsis: The tale is told by a mystery man in a bar, he tells the story of a child who is a killer of children, and a woman who has lost her child, and slowly the three stories weave together into the story of Mr. Hands.
This is a tale of vengeance, pity, and monsters� not the creeping around under the bed, or hidden in the sewer grates monsters� people who are monsters - child abusers, neglectors, and killers� and those who have to cope with living in the same world as them. The title story in the book is 269 pages, with a short novella in the back titled “The Mudmen� to bring it up to the standard 330 page Leisure Fiction length. I know that this is a horror story, but it really never FELT like a horror storey. Rather than scaring me, terrifying me or disgusting me� I felt pity, remorse, and a bit of loathing at what Braunbeck points out. Being a parent, the concept of losing a child and the damage it would do not only to me, but to my relationships and my sanity was all too real. Now should that actually happen, and someone hand me the tool in which to gain vengeance, not just for my child, but for all children that have been brutally murdered and abused� and I am not sure that I would be strong enough to turn that away. When seeking vengeance it is all too easy to become what we hate most� a monster ourselves, and that is exactly what Braunbeck points out in this novel.
For the most part this novel is well written and keeps your attention. What drove me completely insane though is the use of run-on sentences that never ended. Page 102 in the paperback is all one sentence� and it runs on to the next page. It never occurred to me what effect run-on sentences like that would have on a reader� but it made my head hurt a little, like I wasn’t able to stop and regroup to let the previous sentence sink in. These run-on sentences occur throughout the book, though none stuck out so blatantly in my mind as that one. I’m a bit disappointed in his editor for letting that one slide by. Also the combination of the cover and the title make this a hard book to take seriously and really get excited to read. The good news is that it reads fast, takes place in the familiar territory of Coffin County and seems to have a pretty good resolution to it all (which was my issue with the book “Coffin County�). This book is not at all scary though you will find yourself reading from beginning to end, and there is quite a bit to think about, particularly if you are a parent.
The three star rating is due mainly to the typos and run-on sentences in the book. There is nothing worse than reading a book and suddenly your mind slams on the e-brake because of a typo or bad grammar. You are pulled completely out of the story as your brain tries to process the bad data. Still, it’s an entertaining read if you can get past that.
July 28, 2014
They say that you can’t judge a book by its cover. That’s true. But what is equally untrue is saying that you can’t judge a book by its title. You can in fact judge a book by its title and if title is the medium with which we judge the quality of books then we find that Mr. Hands is severely lacking; the title puts into mind all of the wonderful and terrible things that can be done with ones hands and that statement holds true for most of the book and even as I think on such profound morbid obsessions that Mr. Braunbeck has with the saving or the ending of a life that can both be done with either hand, my hands begin to shake with the momentousness implied by such a statement of higher intellectual capacity (this guy must have been seriously abused as a child). In short I would describe this book as at first being fed by spoon a mouthful of sweets and then the person giving you the sweets stabs the spoon downward at your throat and then you choke; it tastes good in that first instance but your throat is left sore and parched. This explicit stuffing of a theme down the reader’s throat is the kind of thing that triggers my gag reflex, over and over and over again.
If you’ve read In Silent Graves then let this be a warning, ‘this book is not anywhere near on the same level!â€� Whereas In Silent Graves was innovative and intellectual, I found Mr. Hands to be weak and pretentious and nothing more than classic horror disguised to look literary under the cloak of a repetitive theme. A number of readers here on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ speak of how emotional this book is (as if emotion alone could make a book great) which is true but the problem is that the author is reliant on this emotion to hold readers attention and thus literary techniques are not being used adeptly since there’s not much build up towards these moments. I admit I was feeling the story at first but it didn’t take long for the plot to feel really repetitive and stupid as the same point about children needing to be protected from abuse and danger gets hammered into the reader’s brain again and again. Oh God! Make it stop please!
When I read horror books by Dan Simmons I feel terror and suspense; I did not feel that here. When I read Robin Hobb I feel highly emotional but that impact is felt after reading hundreds and hundreds of pages of buildup which there wasn’t much room for here. Braunbeck has potentiality to be a great author but his repertoire is simply too limited and his storytelling to self serving to utter his name in the pantheon of the greats. Emotion and other rants aside, the writing was for the most part good but there were some scenes in which Braunbeck started writing in this ridiculously pretentious prose style that I think was meant to look poetic but didn’t come across that way. I think there was an entire sentence that went on for over a page at one point.
If you’ve read In Silent Graves then let this be a warning, ‘this book is not anywhere near on the same level!â€� Whereas In Silent Graves was innovative and intellectual, I found Mr. Hands to be weak and pretentious and nothing more than classic horror disguised to look literary under the cloak of a repetitive theme. A number of readers here on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ speak of how emotional this book is (as if emotion alone could make a book great) which is true but the problem is that the author is reliant on this emotion to hold readers attention and thus literary techniques are not being used adeptly since there’s not much build up towards these moments. I admit I was feeling the story at first but it didn’t take long for the plot to feel really repetitive and stupid as the same point about children needing to be protected from abuse and danger gets hammered into the reader’s brain again and again. Oh God! Make it stop please!
When I read horror books by Dan Simmons I feel terror and suspense; I did not feel that here. When I read Robin Hobb I feel highly emotional but that impact is felt after reading hundreds and hundreds of pages of buildup which there wasn’t much room for here. Braunbeck has potentiality to be a great author but his repertoire is simply too limited and his storytelling to self serving to utter his name in the pantheon of the greats. Emotion and other rants aside, the writing was for the most part good but there were some scenes in which Braunbeck started writing in this ridiculously pretentious prose style that I think was meant to look poetic but didn’t come across that way. I think there was an entire sentence that went on for over a page at one point.
October 7, 2010
Gary A. Braunbeck, Mr. Hands (Leisure, 2007)
Ìý
Understand, first, that the horror of Gary Braunbeck is not the horror of the splatterpunks, or of Stephen King, or of Clive Barker, or of Dean Koontz. If I had to compare Braunbeck's writing to anyone's, it would be that of Charles L. Grant, except that Braunbeck's writing is far more immediate than Grant's ever was. Things may jump out of the dark at you in a Braunbeck story, but any disembowelling is probably going to happen offstage. The horror, also, comes less from the monster involved than it does from the characters; hell, as Jean-Paul Sartre so memorably remarked, really is other people, and Gary Braunbeck gets that. I'm not sure why it took me over twenty years after I first heard Braunbeck's name to finally get round to reading one of his books. It will certainly not take me another twenty years to get to the second.
Ìý
Two stories here. The title piece is the longer of them, about a serial killer who acts out of the goodness of his heart. I know, I know, you've heard that before, but our Ronnie is kind of touched in the head, as well as supernaturally gifted; when he looks into someone's face, he can see all the pain they suffer. Thus, what he sees himself as doing is freeing these kids from bondage, right? But because he's touched in the head, sometimes he mixes things up. All well and good, and the serial killer is finally wounded in turn, and then goes off to die... until being resurrected in the form of Mr. Hands, a scary doll who is one of the beloved playthings of a child gone missing, and whose mother is consumed with a desire for revenge. Once the power of Mr. Hands is unleashed, though, sometimes he mixes things up... Second story, “The Mudman�, will probably remind you a decent amount of King's “You Know They Got a Hell of a Band�, though with added mudman goodness.
Ìý
Braunbeck is a solid writer. In less skilled hands, “Mr. Hands� could have come off as a Lifetime Original Movie script with an added supernatural element. (For that matter, “The Mudman�, which takes place in a church shelter, isn't that far off the path, either.) But Braunbeck resists the temptations for easy answers and soundbite-style lines. Maybe if Japan had a Lifetime Movie Network, and Kiyoshi Kurosawa directed movies for it, something like “Mr. Hands� may have popped up at some point. In any case, as long as you don't go into this expecting the ultra-fast-paced gore novels that have become more popular of late, it's a good'un indeed. ****
Ìý
Understand, first, that the horror of Gary Braunbeck is not the horror of the splatterpunks, or of Stephen King, or of Clive Barker, or of Dean Koontz. If I had to compare Braunbeck's writing to anyone's, it would be that of Charles L. Grant, except that Braunbeck's writing is far more immediate than Grant's ever was. Things may jump out of the dark at you in a Braunbeck story, but any disembowelling is probably going to happen offstage. The horror, also, comes less from the monster involved than it does from the characters; hell, as Jean-Paul Sartre so memorably remarked, really is other people, and Gary Braunbeck gets that. I'm not sure why it took me over twenty years after I first heard Braunbeck's name to finally get round to reading one of his books. It will certainly not take me another twenty years to get to the second.
Ìý
Two stories here. The title piece is the longer of them, about a serial killer who acts out of the goodness of his heart. I know, I know, you've heard that before, but our Ronnie is kind of touched in the head, as well as supernaturally gifted; when he looks into someone's face, he can see all the pain they suffer. Thus, what he sees himself as doing is freeing these kids from bondage, right? But because he's touched in the head, sometimes he mixes things up. All well and good, and the serial killer is finally wounded in turn, and then goes off to die... until being resurrected in the form of Mr. Hands, a scary doll who is one of the beloved playthings of a child gone missing, and whose mother is consumed with a desire for revenge. Once the power of Mr. Hands is unleashed, though, sometimes he mixes things up... Second story, “The Mudman�, will probably remind you a decent amount of King's “You Know They Got a Hell of a Band�, though with added mudman goodness.
Ìý
Braunbeck is a solid writer. In less skilled hands, “Mr. Hands� could have come off as a Lifetime Original Movie script with an added supernatural element. (For that matter, “The Mudman�, which takes place in a church shelter, isn't that far off the path, either.) But Braunbeck resists the temptations for easy answers and soundbite-style lines. Maybe if Japan had a Lifetime Movie Network, and Kiyoshi Kurosawa directed movies for it, something like “Mr. Hands� may have popped up at some point. In any case, as long as you don't go into this expecting the ultra-fast-paced gore novels that have become more popular of late, it's a good'un indeed. ****
September 9, 2012
Rating: 4 of 5
Mr. Hands was my first experience with Braunbeck, and I wasn't disappointed. My favorite aspect was the old-fashioned feel of a mysterious stranger spinnin' his yarn around a fire (or, in this case, a bar) whilst the "normal" folks listen and figure out whether he's dangerous, in trouble, or just full of it. The novel's structure was integral to its success; had the story been told in a linear style, I'm not sure it would've been quite as exciting or suspenseful. While neither the premise nor the delivery were original, I enjoyed both very much and never thought, "I've heard this one before." When I arrived at page 269, I didn't want the story to end.
More than entertainment, this one will make you think if you let it.
One aspect that may disturb some readers: the entire story involved the pain and suffering of children at the hands of their parents or other adults. So there's graphic violence, but most was implied.
Note: I have not yet read the novella, "Kiss of the Mudman," included in this edition.
Mr. Hands was my first experience with Braunbeck, and I wasn't disappointed. My favorite aspect was the old-fashioned feel of a mysterious stranger spinnin' his yarn around a fire (or, in this case, a bar) whilst the "normal" folks listen and figure out whether he's dangerous, in trouble, or just full of it. The novel's structure was integral to its success; had the story been told in a linear style, I'm not sure it would've been quite as exciting or suspenseful. While neither the premise nor the delivery were original, I enjoyed both very much and never thought, "I've heard this one before." When I arrived at page 269, I didn't want the story to end.
More than entertainment, this one will make you think if you let it.
One aspect that may disturb some readers: the entire story involved the pain and suffering of children at the hands of their parents or other adults. So there's graphic violence, but most was implied.
Note: I have not yet read the novella, "Kiss of the Mudman," included in this edition.
September 20, 2010
This book ends with one of my favorite quotes: "Whoever fights monsters, should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster."
Dolls are creepy little things, aren't they? Neither one of my kids played with dolls. They were scared of them. And it wasn't just because I told them that dolls come to life at night when their tiny little owners are sleeping.
Mr. Hands is carved out of wood, with stubs for legs and really, really long arms with claws for fingers. Who wouldn't want that under the tree come Christmas morning? Anyway, Sarah loved that doll and it was one of the few things left behind by her murderer. Lucy, Sarah's mom, keeps the doll and discovers she is able to 'set things right' by manipulating the doll's alter ego.
Very creepy. Recommend for camping trips when things are wandering around outside, the wind is blowing and branches are snapping.
Dolls are creepy little things, aren't they? Neither one of my kids played with dolls. They were scared of them. And it wasn't just because I told them that dolls come to life at night when their tiny little owners are sleeping.
Mr. Hands is carved out of wood, with stubs for legs and really, really long arms with claws for fingers. Who wouldn't want that under the tree come Christmas morning? Anyway, Sarah loved that doll and it was one of the few things left behind by her murderer. Lucy, Sarah's mom, keeps the doll and discovers she is able to 'set things right' by manipulating the doll's alter ego.
Very creepy. Recommend for camping trips when things are wandering around outside, the wind is blowing and branches are snapping.
September 17, 2007
This book was a preety good horror outing. It had a nice pace and some original content. For the basic plot- A woman starts taking out child abusers and child killers by controlling a creature called Mr. Hands. Then she makes a whoops.
The book is not a horror novel to frighten you, but more of one to entertain you as a story of vengence and redemption. It clocks in around 268 pages and the rest is an award winnig novela by the author which I have yet to read.
I recomend this book.
The only part that bother'd me is the authors tendency to forget how to write a 7 year old childs dialouge. One moment they talk like they are 7 and the next they talk like a thirty something describing horrible events. Word choice and everything makes you wonder "what reading level is this kid".
The book is not a horror novel to frighten you, but more of one to entertain you as a story of vengence and redemption. It clocks in around 268 pages and the rest is an award winnig novela by the author which I have yet to read.
I recomend this book.
The only part that bother'd me is the authors tendency to forget how to write a 7 year old childs dialouge. One moment they talk like they are 7 and the next they talk like a thirty something describing horrible events. Word choice and everything makes you wonder "what reading level is this kid".
September 23, 2008
I've enjoyed quite a few of Leisure Books' horror novels. They're usually fun, fast reads, but truly outstanding work is rarely found in them (Jack Ketchum's "Peaceable Kingdom" being the exception I can think of off hand). But I will say with absolute honesty that the first 125 pages of Mr. Hands may be the most powerful, emotionally effective writing I've ever read in the horror genre.
The story doesn't hold up as well once the traditional monster arrives (which makes me wish I could give it 4.5 stars), but it almost doesn't matter. Gary Braunbeck created something special here, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror fiction (and even those who don't--the beginning is just that good).
The story doesn't hold up as well once the traditional monster arrives (which makes me wish I could give it 4.5 stars), but it almost doesn't matter. Gary Braunbeck created something special here, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror fiction (and even those who don't--the beginning is just that good).
July 17, 2012
I’ve said for years that Gary Braunbeck is one of the best horror writers working today. And I admit my confidence was a little shaken with KEEPERS, although it still displayed moments of genius. However, my confidence in Braunbeck has officially returned full force after reading his 2007 novel, MR. HANDS. Wow.
This novel isn’t going to be the easiest thing in the world to write a synopsis for, because the timeline in it is so skewed and the plot so complex, but I’ll give it a shot.
“His full name was Ronald James Williamson, and he killed his first child when he was still a child himself--not that killing had been his intention; it never was the INTENTION. It was often his only choice (hence the notes of sincere apology he began leaving on the bodies of his victims); he simply wanted to find a way to make the hurting stop.�
Young Ronnie, or RJ as he desperately wished people would call him, was never going to develop neither emotionally nor mentally beyond the age of 11. And with that limitation in place, nature compensated Ronnie by giving him other special abilities. He could touch someone and know things about them, he could touch children and see all the hurt they’d had inflicted upon them and, more importantly, all the hurt that was still in store for them. To help stop that hurting, Ronnie also had another ability: his touch could draw the life out of people, namely children, and then bring that spirit to live within him where it would join the other spirits and finally find some peace and happiness.
One night Ronnie wakes up from a dream in which he’s realized a huge mistake he’s made; the first child he “helped� wasn’t in danger. He wasn’t seeing that child’s future hurt, he was seeing the hurt that child was supposed to stop from happening to his eventual little sister. Only with the unborn baby never having been born, young Sarah didn’t have a big brother to protect her, to stop her from being abducted at the parking lot carnival. And so, seeing his mistake, Ronnie rushes back home to Cedar Hill, OH, hoping to be in time to stop anything from happening to Sarah.
He doesn’t make it, though, and, in a fit of despair, Ronnie kills himself. Several years later, Lucy, Sarah’s mother, through some mysterious connection to Ronnie, is able to resurrect his body and create the perfect killing machine, which she sends out into the world to kill any parent she finds endangering a child. No mercy will be granted. Only, Lucy makes a mistake one time and tells Mr. Hands, the giant creature she’s created, not to kill Randy Patterson who, at only 6 years old, didn’t mean to burn his little sister to death. Only Mr. Hands reminds her, no mercy will be granted. Under no circumstances.
Um, okay, that actually is the gist of the story, but in Braunbeck’s hands, the way he lets this story unfold, the choices he makes in how he tells it, it’s really so much more complex than that. He allows the story to unfold in bits and pieces, a chunk of Ronnie’s story here, then Lucy for a while before returning to Ronnie again, letting the reader really become invested in one character before turning to the other until the two stories finally come together. And what a story.
MR. HANDS is the life and times of Ronnie Williamson and it’s obvious Braunbeck has put a lot of time and effort into the details, both in establishing Ronnie’s character and the events of his life, but also in how those events would contribute to how this story unfolded. Reading one of his novels is worth a dozen writing classes. MR. HANDS is an education in itself.
While I found the prose in KEEPERS to be sloppy and over-written in places, MR. HANDS is perfectly crisp and poetic, just as I’d come to expect from him after IN SILENT GRAVES. I detect bits of Bradbury in his descriptions and his sentence structure, and in my opinion there’s no one better to draw from.
Gary Braunbeck continues to amaze me with his mountain of talent. I’d be happy growing up to be half the master he is. Not only are his ideas great, but his prose, his plotting, his execution . . . it’s everything; Gary Braunbeck is the total package, he’s THE horror novelist to beat. And MR. HANDS is, simply put, one of the best-written novels I’ve read.
The novel comes with a back-up novella, “Kiss of the Mudman�, which was another story right up my alley. Set in a homeless shelter alluded to in MR. HANDS’s wrap-around story, “Mudman� tells of a forgotten rock star who shows up after 15 years missing, and he’s not alone. The spirits of several other rock icons join him, including Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Keith Moon. The thing I liked about this story was, not only the passion it conveys for music, but also the idea that the right notes, played in the right order at the right tempo, could open a doorway and let loose some evil thing. I love stories like that, where something mundane we take for granted every day could possibly be the key to our undoing. Clive Barker excels at that kind of story. Braunbeck’s story perfectly illustrates that idea as well, and I loved it.
While not necessarily a frightening read, MR. HANDS was still an excellent one and will forever be on my recommended reads list. Along with, I’m suspecting, the rest of Gary Braunbeck’s work. This one’s definitely worth tracking down.
This novel isn’t going to be the easiest thing in the world to write a synopsis for, because the timeline in it is so skewed and the plot so complex, but I’ll give it a shot.
“His full name was Ronald James Williamson, and he killed his first child when he was still a child himself--not that killing had been his intention; it never was the INTENTION. It was often his only choice (hence the notes of sincere apology he began leaving on the bodies of his victims); he simply wanted to find a way to make the hurting stop.�
Young Ronnie, or RJ as he desperately wished people would call him, was never going to develop neither emotionally nor mentally beyond the age of 11. And with that limitation in place, nature compensated Ronnie by giving him other special abilities. He could touch someone and know things about them, he could touch children and see all the hurt they’d had inflicted upon them and, more importantly, all the hurt that was still in store for them. To help stop that hurting, Ronnie also had another ability: his touch could draw the life out of people, namely children, and then bring that spirit to live within him where it would join the other spirits and finally find some peace and happiness.
One night Ronnie wakes up from a dream in which he’s realized a huge mistake he’s made; the first child he “helped� wasn’t in danger. He wasn’t seeing that child’s future hurt, he was seeing the hurt that child was supposed to stop from happening to his eventual little sister. Only with the unborn baby never having been born, young Sarah didn’t have a big brother to protect her, to stop her from being abducted at the parking lot carnival. And so, seeing his mistake, Ronnie rushes back home to Cedar Hill, OH, hoping to be in time to stop anything from happening to Sarah.
He doesn’t make it, though, and, in a fit of despair, Ronnie kills himself. Several years later, Lucy, Sarah’s mother, through some mysterious connection to Ronnie, is able to resurrect his body and create the perfect killing machine, which she sends out into the world to kill any parent she finds endangering a child. No mercy will be granted. Only, Lucy makes a mistake one time and tells Mr. Hands, the giant creature she’s created, not to kill Randy Patterson who, at only 6 years old, didn’t mean to burn his little sister to death. Only Mr. Hands reminds her, no mercy will be granted. Under no circumstances.
Um, okay, that actually is the gist of the story, but in Braunbeck’s hands, the way he lets this story unfold, the choices he makes in how he tells it, it’s really so much more complex than that. He allows the story to unfold in bits and pieces, a chunk of Ronnie’s story here, then Lucy for a while before returning to Ronnie again, letting the reader really become invested in one character before turning to the other until the two stories finally come together. And what a story.
MR. HANDS is the life and times of Ronnie Williamson and it’s obvious Braunbeck has put a lot of time and effort into the details, both in establishing Ronnie’s character and the events of his life, but also in how those events would contribute to how this story unfolded. Reading one of his novels is worth a dozen writing classes. MR. HANDS is an education in itself.
While I found the prose in KEEPERS to be sloppy and over-written in places, MR. HANDS is perfectly crisp and poetic, just as I’d come to expect from him after IN SILENT GRAVES. I detect bits of Bradbury in his descriptions and his sentence structure, and in my opinion there’s no one better to draw from.
Gary Braunbeck continues to amaze me with his mountain of talent. I’d be happy growing up to be half the master he is. Not only are his ideas great, but his prose, his plotting, his execution . . . it’s everything; Gary Braunbeck is the total package, he’s THE horror novelist to beat. And MR. HANDS is, simply put, one of the best-written novels I’ve read.
The novel comes with a back-up novella, “Kiss of the Mudman�, which was another story right up my alley. Set in a homeless shelter alluded to in MR. HANDS’s wrap-around story, “Mudman� tells of a forgotten rock star who shows up after 15 years missing, and he’s not alone. The spirits of several other rock icons join him, including Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Keith Moon. The thing I liked about this story was, not only the passion it conveys for music, but also the idea that the right notes, played in the right order at the right tempo, could open a doorway and let loose some evil thing. I love stories like that, where something mundane we take for granted every day could possibly be the key to our undoing. Clive Barker excels at that kind of story. Braunbeck’s story perfectly illustrates that idea as well, and I loved it.
While not necessarily a frightening read, MR. HANDS was still an excellent one and will forever be on my recommended reads list. Along with, I’m suspecting, the rest of Gary Braunbeck’s work. This one’s definitely worth tracking down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2020
3.8 stars!
Heart based emotional revenge horror. Something like a liberal Pumpkinhead. Most horror authors lead with their mind or instincts. Not Braunbeck. He writes, dipping his pen into his bleeding heart. Passionate prose with a thorn covered rose hued ax to grind. If you've read Braunbeck books, perhaps you've noticed the intensity spilling across the page, championing the handicapped, shielding children from drooling pedophiles.
The upside? Fast paced, original horror that steers clear of horror trope potholes. The downside? Once the revenge carnage commences, rich characterizations get tossed out the window in favor of one dimensional, wooden villains, knocked over like so many bowling pins. Braunbeck demonizes and one-dimensionalizes his enemies. We all do it. Think "Orange Man Bad". That said, Braunbeck provides a refreshing change of pace from the usual horror fare.
Welcome addition to any serious horror collection.
Heart based emotional revenge horror. Something like a liberal Pumpkinhead. Most horror authors lead with their mind or instincts. Not Braunbeck. He writes, dipping his pen into his bleeding heart. Passionate prose with a thorn covered rose hued ax to grind. If you've read Braunbeck books, perhaps you've noticed the intensity spilling across the page, championing the handicapped, shielding children from drooling pedophiles.
The upside? Fast paced, original horror that steers clear of horror trope potholes. The downside? Once the revenge carnage commences, rich characterizations get tossed out the window in favor of one dimensional, wooden villains, knocked over like so many bowling pins. Braunbeck demonizes and one-dimensionalizes his enemies. We all do it. Think "Orange Man Bad". That said, Braunbeck provides a refreshing change of pace from the usual horror fare.
Welcome addition to any serious horror collection.
November 11, 2015
I feel it is necessary to begin by stating that this is the first Gary Braunbeck novel I have read, but it certainly won't be the last. The synopsis on the back cover would have you believe that this is a tale about Mr. Hands himself, but in reality the story more centers around how Mr. Hands came into being and he himself does not make an appearance until towards the very end of the novel. Although that may seem strange, it works well, as the build up beforehand is where the best parts of the story are.
I feel I should warn readers, however, that much of the story does revolve around child abuse. There are a few scenes that were quite difficult to read, but they did have a clear purpose in forwarding the story and were not present for mere shock value as some authors may use them for.
Overall, this was an incredible read that went by very quickly and makes you want more. It ends with a novella set in the same town that gives a back story to a separate event that's mentioned in the actual novel. It was a nice way of rewarding the reader and does not disappoint.
I feel I should warn readers, however, that much of the story does revolve around child abuse. There are a few scenes that were quite difficult to read, but they did have a clear purpose in forwarding the story and were not present for mere shock value as some authors may use them for.
Overall, this was an incredible read that went by very quickly and makes you want more. It ends with a novella set in the same town that gives a back story to a separate event that's mentioned in the actual novel. It was a nice way of rewarding the reader and does not disappoint.
April 6, 2015
I was happy to find this at a local used book shop, as it was a title I'd been searching for for quite some time. Heard good reviews, found the cover interesting, if not a little corny, but with creepy appeal to it. I liked the concept of the story, however I feel it would be better served as a movie (like on SyFy channel for example). Overall I was disappointed.
January 17, 2008
Pretty creative stuff. He could've plumbed the depths of the story a bit more... Highly readable but not quite to the level where it haunts you for days afterward.
May 6, 2013
I can't bring myself to write a review on this...did not really enjoy..and not sure I got the Mr Hands thing...so didn't work for me..and that's all I want to say :((
August 20, 2016
I really liked this book.it got a little Pumpkinhead at the end ..but that is not a bad thing..I will read anything he writes.
October 2, 2017
Interesting story. I could say I quite enjoyed it.
Some things, though, not so much.
On a few occasions I felt that a touch too many settings and Knowing came just out of nowhere and nothing, to become immediately Something. It's OK a couple of times, we all round up or down to keep things neat, but a novel is boundless, so there's no need to save space or cut unnecessary corners. You can just say everything and built taller.
The mythology was quite engaging. With kids even chocolate can be turned into creepy and with children involved everything will turn creepy. It's like an unfair rule, or maybe someone already said it?!
I don't know. But children go well with horror. Which is weird but true.
So it was a good choice to build on the loss of value through the innocent and defenceless.
And I round back to my first impression, there may have been more to say. Not about the deaths and the suffering, but the voices the possibly imaginary guidance from beyond, and other aspects.
But my favourite part is probably the ending. And how the most extraordinary set of events could end up nothing and turning to nothing just by removing the original participants and letting everything get snowed in by the passage of time. I had the same feeling at the end of And The Mountain Echoed.
So much going on to sum up to almost nothing just a generation down the road.
Some things, though, not so much.
On a few occasions I felt that a touch too many settings and Knowing came just out of nowhere and nothing, to become immediately Something. It's OK a couple of times, we all round up or down to keep things neat, but a novel is boundless, so there's no need to save space or cut unnecessary corners. You can just say everything and built taller.
The mythology was quite engaging. With kids even chocolate can be turned into creepy and with children involved everything will turn creepy. It's like an unfair rule, or maybe someone already said it?!
I don't know. But children go well with horror. Which is weird but true.
So it was a good choice to build on the loss of value through the innocent and defenceless.
And I round back to my first impression, there may have been more to say. Not about the deaths and the suffering, but the voices the possibly imaginary guidance from beyond, and other aspects.
But my favourite part is probably the ending. And how the most extraordinary set of events could end up nothing and turning to nothing just by removing the original participants and letting everything get snowed in by the passage of time. I had the same feeling at the end of And The Mountain Echoed.
So much going on to sum up to almost nothing just a generation down the road.
August 20, 2020
For a book marketed as horror fiction, this takes itself awfully seriously. The abusive content was over the top, maudlin and shallow in a way - you can tell the author was going for a more literary approach, but there wasn't any depth in the way multiple abuses were portrayed - arbitrary cruelty and pain happened to good, kind people for no apparent reason. While I'm sure this happens in real life, it rang unrealistic on the page.
I was a bit annoyed at the author's stylistic tendency to write emotionally impacting scenes as two-page rambling run-on sentences.
This was a disappointment, because the concept of the monster doll Mr. Hands was what attracted me, and the prologue bit with the weird guy telling his story in the bar seemed promising. I feel like the author wanted to write something 'serious' but use horror marketing to find readership, and while I'm okay with serious writing when I'm in the right mood, I felt a little cheated because I don't read horror for the purpose of moralizing. There's a lot of preachiness here about the politics of child abduction/abuse and it's done in such a way that the characters are used as mouthpieces, rather than the theme being incorporated in a way that feels organic.
I was a bit annoyed at the author's stylistic tendency to write emotionally impacting scenes as two-page rambling run-on sentences.
This was a disappointment, because the concept of the monster doll Mr. Hands was what attracted me, and the prologue bit with the weird guy telling his story in the bar seemed promising. I feel like the author wanted to write something 'serious' but use horror marketing to find readership, and while I'm okay with serious writing when I'm in the right mood, I felt a little cheated because I don't read horror for the purpose of moralizing. There's a lot of preachiness here about the politics of child abduction/abuse and it's done in such a way that the characters are used as mouthpieces, rather than the theme being incorporated in a way that feels organic.
September 20, 2018
This book was much better than I expected. I really enjoyed the idea of a monster that hunts and kills people who abuse children (and how it was created). And the story is wonderfully constructed. The characters are fascinating, especially Uncle Ronnie, a child killer with a strange ability. You actually feel for him and his inward pain. I'm also glad that a place like the Hangman exists in the fictional world, and that there are more stories about the characters who frequent it, like the novella included after the novel. The novella is kind of goofy with very little conflict, but it's fun, anyway.
I also find it interesting that a portion of the royalties for this book were donated to Protect, an organization that I used to be a part of. They're a lobby group for children's rights, and they worked to close the incest loophole in my state, Illinois. In case you don't know what the "incest loophole" is, it used to be that if you sexually abused a child relative (Andrew Vachss refers to it as "growing your own victims"), you merely get a slap on the wrist. Counseling. So yeah, we're a lot better off without that. Good for Braunbeck to donate.
I also find it interesting that a portion of the royalties for this book were donated to Protect, an organization that I used to be a part of. They're a lobby group for children's rights, and they worked to close the incest loophole in my state, Illinois. In case you don't know what the "incest loophole" is, it used to be that if you sexually abused a child relative (Andrew Vachss refers to it as "growing your own victims"), you merely get a slap on the wrist. Counseling. So yeah, we're a lot better off without that. Good for Braunbeck to donate.
September 11, 2021
This was okay. Mr. Hands could be confused with the film Pumpkinhead if it weren’t for the gut wrenching scenes of child death in this book. Things I liked about this:
A serial killer who kinda isn’t� but is;
A mother’s rage and grief handcrafted into a bogeyman type monster;
Said monster hunting the human variety of monster;
The story is set in autumn mostly.
It’s a quick read and ends a tad abruptly, you could tell the author was rushing that ending, and the characters listening to the tale of Mr. Hands are poorly crafted, although I doubt there’d be a better way to make ‘em more believable so I’ll let it slide. I picked up the preferred text version so it different than the original release, I haven’t a clue as to how that one went. But I can say it’s a tidy tale, if a bit nasty with the child violence.
A serial killer who kinda isn’t� but is;
A mother’s rage and grief handcrafted into a bogeyman type monster;
Said monster hunting the human variety of monster;
The story is set in autumn mostly.
It’s a quick read and ends a tad abruptly, you could tell the author was rushing that ending, and the characters listening to the tale of Mr. Hands are poorly crafted, although I doubt there’d be a better way to make ‘em more believable so I’ll let it slide. I picked up the preferred text version so it different than the original release, I haven’t a clue as to how that one went. But I can say it’s a tidy tale, if a bit nasty with the child violence.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2017
I started months ago and thought it got just absolutely strange about halfway through. I decided to put it down and start reading something else. Even misplaced it for a few weeks without noticing. Yesterday I picked it up again and decided to finish it. There actually wasn't much left to it after all. It got rather interesting too. There's a novella afterwards titled "Kiss of the Mudman" that I almost didn't read. I'm reading it anyway because the characters tie into some mentioned in "Mr. Hands."
So, I think I would read more by Mr. Braunbeck if another novel should fall into my hands.
So, I think I would read more by Mr. Braunbeck if another novel should fall into my hands.
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