The Hand of the Necromancer, Brad Strickland
The Hand of the Necromancer, Brad Strickland
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The Hand of the Necromancer

Author: Brad Strickland, John Bellairs

Narrator: Johnny Heller

Unabridged: 3 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/14/2023

Synopsis

In a Massachusetts town, an evil wizard is about to come back from the dead and a young hero must fight to stop himIn the days of the Salem witch trials, the sleepy hamlet of Duston Heights had just one practitioner of the dark arts: the notorious necromancer Esdrias Blackleach. As the fever for witch hunting reached its terrible peak, Blackleach was accused of using powerful black magic against his fellow townsfolk. But just before he could be brought to trial, he dropped dead, escaping justice forever. Or so it seemed …Fast forward to the 1950s, the inquisitive young sleuth Johnny Dixon and his mentor Professor Childermass are getting ready to donate a box of Blackleach artifacts to the local museum when a descendant of the sorcerer shows up and attempts to steal his ancestor’s wooden hand. He has a fiendish plan to raise the old necromancer from the dead, and only Johnny and the professor can stop him and make the town safe from black magic forever.

About Brad Strickland

Brad Strickland was born in New Holland, Georgia, in 1947 and has written over seventy-five books in the intervening years. He is also a professor of English at the University of Georgia in Gainsville, about six miles from where he was born. He and his wife, Barbara, have two grown children, both of whom have artistic careers of their own. Their nest is not empty, however, as they have three cats and two dogs, which is enough to keep them busy.

About John Bellairs

John Bellairs (1938–1991) was beloved as a master of Gothic young adult and fantasy novels. His stand-alone novel The Face in the Frost is regarded as a fantasy classic. He published more than twenty novels in the Anthony Monday, Johnny Dixon, and Lewis Barnavelt series.

About Johnny Heller

Johnny Heller, winner of numerous Earphones and Audie Awards, was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. He has been a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award winner from 2008 through 2013 and he has been named a top voice of 2008 and 2009 and selected as one of the Top 50 Narrators of the Twentieth Century by AudioFile magazine.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Justin

The central concept of Hand of the Necromancer is somewhat less interesting than that of other Bellairs books. The image of the wooden hand seems rather mundane in a series that has a consistent streak of subtle weirdness. Strickland executes the plot well, however, with some good tension and jeopar......more

Goodreads review by Zero

Not that interesting, only really able to understand if you read the series from John Bellairs’ series before you can go onto this one, way too much commitment for me just to read a book about necromancers.......more

Goodreads review by Greg

Strickland's first solo outing in the Johnny Dixon series, already one major change has occurred: there's a principal female character, and a hero at that. Bellairs certainly wasn't a misogynist or a chauvinist- two of the main heroes in his parallel Lewis Barnavelt series are women- but the Dixon s......more

Goodreads review by Mel Hauser

Having missed the boat on Strickland's assuming of the Bellairs' Estate mantle the first time around, my first read of his work felt a lot like catching up with an old college pal after years of distance. The cadence and the nostalgic warmth are familiar, but there's quirks and growth that you're ex......more

Quotes

“Strickland, in his first solo work featuring the characters created by John Bellairs, leads readers on an entertaining frolic. There are enough well-placed frissons to keep readers flipping those pages, even those who know that, in keeping with series formula, all nefarious plans will be nixed.” Kirkus Reviews

“Sophisticated notions on the nature of good and evil, nuanced storytelling, and expert world-building.” AV Club, praise for the series

“There’s suspense and action aplenty…Perfect for the pre-Stephen King set.” Booklist, praise for the series

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