Review this Book   Kindle Edition Download to your Nook (eBook) Download from Apple iTunes (eBook) Download from Smashwords (eBook) Amazon Barnes & Noble.com Everand Kobo Category:  Science Fiction Publisher: Warriors of Justice ltd. Type: Fiction Pages: 322 Copyright: Feb 10, 2024 ISBN-13: 9798879040005 Price: $9.99 (eBook) "Krassy, we’re not to adapt to this corrupt, evil Matrix. We’re destined to shake it to its core, and build a new world out of its ruins." An alien stalker tries to sabotage a daring plan to take down the earthly global elite. Whoever sent Rhein, the gray alien, in the heart of Southeastern Europe, never expected him to encounter the fierce resistance of few local brutes and a half-blind nerd. The nerd's name is Boris, and he has been raised straight into a Balkan hell :school bullies, poverty, strict parents, and failing love affairs. His mysterious dark past connects him with one of the most dangerous terrorists on earth, the enigmatic Tyan Kang We who once raised armies of aliens from the darkest corners of the universe. As if that wasn't enough, Boris finds himself entangled in a love triangle with his former enemy Krassy, the cocky mafia heir Nikolai, and the charming failed artist Maria. It would have been a typical LGBTQ+ enemies to lovers romance if Krassy wasn't Tyan's illegitimate, half-inhumane son as well. Amidst the chaos of his personal life, Boris must also navigate through the dangerous world of the global elite conspiracy, LGBTQ+ relationships, school bullying, mafia revenge, and Kang We's secret genetic experiments. Will Boris be able to achieve his dream of creating a better world? Find out in this thrilling and emotional tale of revolution, love, and revenge. "Krassy, we’re not to adapt to this corrupt, evil Matrix. We’re destined to shake it to its core, and build a new world order out of its ruins." If you enjoyed books like "The Hunger Games" and "Divergent," then you'll love "Black Hand." Buy now before the price changes and join Boris on his journey to change the world.    Excerpt Prologue 12th May 1999 A squad of masked men stormed inside the “Princess Margaret Hospital” in the Kwai Chung district of the former British colony of Hong Kong. They took the entire pediatric ward hostage. Their target, however, seemed to be only one of the little patients – the 7-year-old Chong Kang We, who had been admitted two days earlier as a survivor of a severe bomb explosion downtown. The patient spoke Chinese Mandarin with an accent that resembled the refined speech of Taiwanese businessmen who visited Hong Kong regularly. Whenever a Mandarin phrase slipped the child’s mind, he would turn to Russian or another bizarre Slavic language. The ward’s only Russian-speaking nurse, an immigrant from the Vladivostok area, could converse freely with the patient. Nurse Novikova admired his fine literary Moscovite pronunciation, which she deemed far superior to her own Far-Eastern dialect. The bright trilingual Chong Kang We had been diagnosed with permanent eyeball damage. It was caused by metal particles caught in his unfortunate eyes during the devastating bomb attack against his family two days ago. (...) It looked as though forces from another world had come crashing down the stormy skies to wage war on Rhein’s crew. ‘We have to get out of here, boys,’ Rhein said in flawless English to his masked companions.’ We stand no chance alone against what’s coming at us. Take the child and retreat! The retreating crew was attacked from all sides in the narrow hallways of the ward. Infant patients cried hysterically at the sight of the bizarre creatures that had come to their rescue. These seemed to have stepped out of a lunatic’s nightmares: large teeth, elongated canine heads, dexterous limbs, and the incredible ability to stand on two feet whenever the alien individual decided to use any firearm or tool. No one in Special Forces training units had prepared Rhein’s crew for this vicious adversary. (...) Boris took a deep breath once he had closed the heavy iron door of the concrete apartment building behind him. With his heart pounding heavily inside his chest, he dragged himself up through dark, mosaic-floored stairs to a narrow, old-school elevator that smelled of rotten wood and urine. He started pressing the white button nervously. It took him almost a minute of futile effort to realize that the elevator had stayed on his floor the whole time. Borko pulled the door open with a trembling hand, looked around like a frightened rabbit, and stepped into the narrow room. “You damned bully, how could you follow me to my place to interrogate me like some criminal! No, this guy needs to become a cop so he can stop messing with my private life!’ the black-haired boy thought with a racing heart. He pressed hard a yellowish number button that was burnt at its narrow frame. It indicated the fifth floor. The elevator went up with a loud rattle. The boy took a deep breath in a futile attempt to suppress his heart’s wild pounding. The elevator door cracked open with an irritating creak, and Boris hurried out of this stuffy and smelly cabin. He unlocked the apartment’s front door and crossed the threshold of his home for the first time with joyful relief in his soul. The lad slotted into the toilet and remained there for a while, stuck onto the toilet seat with his head buried in his hands. He felt exhausted, and his fever was getting worse. He dragged himself with anguish to his bed and crept beneath the sheets with his clothes on. “After all, if we have a lunatic like that in my military organization, he’ll drive both intelligence agencies and cops crazy. Ultimately, I’ll mobilize Nikolai. He’s gonna make it big, and do humanity an invaluable service with his quick wit and intrusive curiosity. He’s wasting his enormous potential on petty schemes…and me.” Borko chuckled ironically and closed his eyes. He drifted off almost instantly into a deep sleep, undisturbed by any nightmares with Nikolai as the main protagonist.

Nikolai Milkin, Goodreads blogger, Queensland Australia
expected a simple school romance with some dubious plot twists and aliens thrown in for God-knows-what reason. I was outright skeptical. This prejudice of mine couldn't be further away from the truth.
I like to put my ducks in a row, so let's dive in :
1) They started off with a really ambitious battle scene : the one when a bunch of special force operatives kidnap the wounded grandson of the most dangerous man on Earth. Only that one of those operatives turned out to be a gray alien in disguise : a very unscrupulous fellow. It was a beginning worth remembering. I wanted to know what happened to the poor Boris (the child) so badly that I went on reading.
2) Boris pops up - an outsider, a nerd, an a poor boy inside the damned Balkans. The worst place to put a character who presumably wants to achieve something great. Boris' dreams are big, but he's just a boy bullied by some classmates. Only that failing artist, Maria (forced to become a call girl) believes firmly in his vision for a better world. In fact, she's the co-creator of that vision. I expected a romance between them.
3) Another plot twist : the Asian bully Krassy (speaks very lousy English, I presume, not the most well-read street urchin), Maria's ex, happened to one of the illegitimate sons of a the half-human, half-alien man whose grandson Boris also is. I'd call that the darkest past any person could wish for. But Krassy became a friend to Boris, his supporter, his almost-lover (polygamy's the name of the game as far as the Asian bucko is concerned), his right-hand man...and heck, the most memorable character out there.
4) The obsessed bully Nikolai, Krassy's friend...frankly, I thought he would be the antagonist. Nope. His obsession for Boris goes way beyond any normal human logic. He's the one to turn their bold vision into a reality. He's a charismatic character...but his step-dad Volodymyr (yep, like Ukraine's current president) is even cooler.
5) The alien is the true antagonist who stalks them all along. Honestly, only Krassy ever managed to take glimpse of Rhein. I'd like to see this alien's development further in the series. He's so creepy, cunning and yet funny that I'd hail him as my all-time-favorite antagonist.

Can't wait for Part II!