By the Hands of Men: Book One: The Old World - Paperback

by Roy M. Griffis (Author)

A Towering Achievement
This book, and the entire By The Hands of Men series, is an incredible achievement by a talented author. It is, by turns, a fascinating look at the early twentieth century, a riveting adventure, an insightful and biting political commentary, and a sweeping romance. The characters are wonderfully and deeply drawn, and I found myself emotionally engaged and borne along by the same set of awful circumstances they faced throughout these wonderful books. This series should be required reading in every high school. I envy those just starting out reading this series... you're in for a rare treat!
-- Amazon Reviewer, 5 stars

MAGNIFICENT STORY!!!
Told with amazing kindness and compassion. It was a gripping, agonizing, heart-rending book that touched my heart on every page. What an author!! Thank you!
-- Amazon Reviewer, 5 stars

Wonderful! Engrossing!
While reading, I just became so fascinated by the characters and the plot that I could barely put my kindle down. While not reading, I couldn't stop thinking about the characters. I read A LOT and yet I seldom write reviews. In fact I'm forcing myself to write this instead of immediately diving into Book Two, which I've purchased and am chafing at the bit to get to. Excellently written, really. Great characterization. And to think I almost didn't read it because I've read SO MUCH about wars in Europe. Yet the perspective of a Russian countess inadvertently caught up in WW1 is so compelling, who could have guessed? And Matron! What a woman! And Ignace! Oh my goodness! And dear Orlando! Read this book. I'm rushing off to start Book Two.
-- Amazon Reviewer, 5 stars

A soldier fights for his soul in the trenches of France. A field hospital nurse battles death every day. When duty and honor are not enough of a reason to go on in the hell of a world at war, love gives purpose to their lives.

A mere mile from the blood-drenched front lines, Russian refugee and nurse Charlotte Braninov encounters English Lieutenant Robert Fitzgerald, who helps her save the life of another soldier. Robert's calm, courtly manner lingers in Charlotte's mind, a comforting memory amid the deluge of suffering that surrounds her when she returns to the hospital.

Wounded during an unauthorized mission of mercy and then demoted to a Medical Supply Officer, Robert Fitzgerald once more meets the brave young Russian nurse. When Charlotte volunteers to help the Lieutenant learn about his duties in this new life of service, a quiet friendship blooms and love grows in that harshest of soils, even as the war rages on. But human cruelty and endemic disease claw at their lives. Can love survive in a world torn by warfare, greed, and deception?

The Old World is the first volume of the epic globe-spanning By the Hands of Men series. From World War I France, it follows Robert and Charlotte through civil-war torn Russia to pre-revolution Shanghai, across the superstition-haunted swamps of the Congo and the timeless deserts of Central Africa, through Paris and London, and into the dream factory of Hollywood in the late 1930s.

Immersive, exciting, and emotionally compelling, By the Hands of Men is a gripping saga of fate, loss, redemption, and undying love.

A literary portrayal of love in a time of brutal warfare
Easily the best book I have read in a decade. A moving portrayal of a tragic time in history. I can't wait to devour the rest of the series.
-- Amazon Reviewer, 5 stars

Author Biography

Roy "Griff" Griffis has written short stories, plays, poetry, novels, and screenplays. He is a member of the Writer's Guild and a former US Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer. His novel Lonesome George will be published in Spring 2014 by Liberty Island Media. The second volume of the "By the Hands of Men" series, entitled To the Colonies and Beyond, will be released in November 2013. He lives in Southern California with his family.