Customer Reviews

The Brotherhood of the Rose

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

You can check all of my other reviews, none is labeled 'all time favorite' except this one. I first read this book over 15 years ago and have gone back and re-read it numerous times.

If you like great characters, involved plots, and tight suspense then this book is a must. The characters are painted so vividly that you feel as though you have always known them. The plot involves a great scenario set up in with a great degree of credibility. You believe that spy organizations like this exist, and that the Abelard sanctions really exist.

David is known for his attention to detail and this book is no exception. The detail of the operations is astounding, he glosses over no part of the spy game he describes with a detail that makes it all seem real. Many authors just have the 'spy' put on a wet suit, dive under the boat with C4 and blow it up. David shows so much detail that it's like you are in the planning meetings and you know all the finer points of the craft.

Everyone will enjoy this book. Whomever you are you should give it a shot.

Saul and Chris were orphans raised in a Philadelphia boys school, bonded by everything they'd shared in their youth and by a man named Eliot, who educated them. By his side they learned world history, current events, several styles of self-defense and the fine art of assassination.

Then, when they were ready, Eliot used them as spies in many perilous places. However, this last assignment he's given them may just be too much for the boys.

Morrell is an exciting writer who draws you into his world of spies and counterspies and makes you believe. Five stars from me for Morrell because I was captured and captivated throughout the whole book.

Reviewed by Vesta Irene

The Brotherhood of the Rose is a spectacular effort! David Morrell is a master and this book attests to his gift of making stories that are thoroughly riveting. The plot and pace of this book is a standout in itself among Morrell's novels. The characters and story grip you right from the start and you will soon know what the term "unputdownable" really means. I read this novel many years ago and gave it to my cousin. Since then, no action novel I've read has surpassed this book in terms of plot and excitement.

To enjoy this book, you will need to accept the ridiculous concept of the Abelard Sanction. That is, the world's intelligence community got together (allies and enemies alike) and set up a system of safe houses where any operative could go and be protected from harm by any other operatives. Sure, it's hard to believe, but it is a key part of a very interesting story. It involves the familiar concept of teacher vs. student with some original twists thrown in. With each side trying to out-guess the other, you never know what is going to happen next.
Character development and dialog are not the strong points of this book. You do get a little background on how the characters became who they are, but the book is really all about action and intrigue. And it delivers on that.
... This is not great literature here, but it is a pretty good spy novel.

Not the most realistic assassin thriller novel ever written, but definitely one of the most entertaining. You would be looking for a long time to come across better written main characters as well. If you get the Mortalis published version there is also a dossier called Stepfathers and Sons (an afterword written in 2009) by David Morrell where he tells us his original ending that was rejected by the publishers as well as tells us a bit about his own childhood and stepfather that wanted his mother but not him. Brotherhood of the Rose incidentally was written in 1984.

Basic plot of Brotherhood of the Rose is about two orphan boys, Chris and Saul, who were taken under the wing of a man named Eliot who trained them from a young age to become top assassins. Eliot was pretty much the only person to ever display to these boys any love and they are fiercely loyal to this man. Whatever he says, they do. The only other person they have a stronger bond with is each other. Today as adults they are both the best of the best in the world of espionage assassination. However Eliot has decided Saul's usefulness has come to end, and his death is more useful to Eliot's ambitions. Only problem is he trained Saul to well and Saul is proving hard to dispose of and even to find.

Over recent years Chris has been having conscious issues, has spent time in monastery, and now after avenging a friend has breached the Abelard Sanction (killed someone in a safe house where spies can take refuge and a break from others wanting to kill them), thereby every secret organisation in the world is on the lookout for him and will kill him on site just to uphold the sanction. He is suicidal and just wants to end it all but wants to do so in seclusion and in a way Eliot or Saul will never find out. Eliot knows that now that Saul is aware of his betrayal the only real way to create a trap for him is through Eliot, but he's got to find him first!

This is a very fast action paced novel. A few elements of the storyline are a little dated, like non carry on baggage onto an airline isn't checked but these sorts of things are a reminded while reading of the time period the book is set in so that reminder adds a slight realism to the storyline. The Abelard Sanction is the sticking out unrealistic part of the story though, especially the existence of safe houses and resorts where no matter what someone has done they are safe from reprisal from any organisation while within the walls. However its inclusion is necessary for the story to work.

This book has a sequel called The League of Night and Fog but before you grab that one you should read The Fraternity of the Stone which although that book's storyline has nothing to do with the characters or anything in this novel, The League of Night and Fog is also a sequel to it, too. A main character from both this book and Fraternity are main characters in League.

Morrell is a master of the spy/suspense/thriller and this is one of his finest. The story of Saul and Chris aka Romulus and Remus will keep you hooked from page one. If you are a fan of ACTION!! This is THE BOOK. I also highly recommend the rest of the trilogy THE FRATERNITY OF THE STONE AND THE LEAGUE OF NIGHT AND FOG. These are all incredibly gripping. 10++++

I haven't read any other books by David Morrell, so Brotherhood of the Rose was my introduction to him. This is a tight, suspenseful tale set in the Cold War days, but is a cut above the usual fare of this sort. The characters are well drawn and the plot has an unusual twist that moved the action right along and kept me guessing as to how the story would end.

The quality of Morrell's writing is quite high and his pacing is steady. I also thought he paid a good deal of attention to details of setting and place, which I appreciate in any sort of novel, but especially in a page turner, as appropriate details add depth to a book that might otherwise be too focused on plot.

If you're looking for a solid thriller that will hold your attention during a boring commute or a long plane ride, this is a good choice.

I first read this book 20 years ago and I still think of parts of it today. I long ago lost or gave away my copy so I am rebuying at to do what I rarely do, re-read a novel.

I am currently reading Morrell's Extreme Denial and have read most of his other works of art.

I hope he is still writing because he has to be considered one of the best ever.

Brotherhood of the Rose is my personal favorite.

THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROSE may be the finest of David Morrell's many topnotch thrillers. The life story of Saul and Chris, two orphaned boys who become wards of the mysterious "Uncle Elliot,"

BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROSE introduces us to a plethora of familiar Morrell elements including his seeming favorite of the agent who renounces the world just to discover that the past can never be evaded.

Morrell admits that he enjoyed the elements of BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROSE so much that he recreated Chris as Drew in THE FRATERNITY OF THE STONE (with which it forms a loose trilogy including THE LEAGUE OF NIGHT AND FOG).

Of the three books, this is the best by far, like the others almost impossible to put down, tensely written, and unpredictable in its twists and turns. As this is the earliest book of the trilogy, Morrell is not writing to any previous standards, and, oddly enough, his standards were highest here in then-as-yet unfamiliar territory.

A definitive winner!

YES IT IS! I know this really isn't a review because there are plenty of them; this is just praise. I have bought this book and many of his other books many times over because I go back and read it again and again and never seem to get bored. Even the hard covers are worn out. I have even hooked many non-fiction only readers onto Davids' books by loaning them Brotherhood of the Rose. This should be in everyone book case. It's in mine (hard and soft cover) and I just bought it for the Kindle.