The Brotherhood of the Rose: A Novel

My favorite book from one of my favorite authors. A masterpiece of the action/spy story. Very little of the formulaic stuff so prevalent with other tales within the genre. The fate of the world isn't at stake...just a story about a few people, extremely well told.

This is my favorite book...whenever i need something to read and i can't find anything new. I will always pick this one up. it never gets boring no matter how many times I read it. (going on 20 now)
it is about two boys (Chris and Saul) who met in a school for boys(orphanage) and develop a friendship that would best be described as if they were twins. they are looked after by a government offical who trains them to be assassins, however now he is trying to find a way to have them killed. And the Chris and Saul have to find out why the man they thought of as a father is trying to kill them.
this book is thrilling and fast, it plays with the idea of who is smarter the teacher or the student and what it is like to face the one you love and to decide to drestroy them.

An interesting way to present a story. Recruiting two children out of an orphanage and training them to be assasins. The story of Chris and Saul was a very compelling story. Each phase of their training was quite interesting. It was well humorous how they interacted with their karate training. Some of their assigments show that they had indeed become well trained killers. When his brother Chris was killed the method that Saul used to gain vengance was very original. The book of course ended with Saul avenging his brother's death. A very interesting read. Be sure to read the "League of Night and Fog". It picks uip right where this book leaves off.

Once again David Morrell did not dissapoint me. I have been trying to obtain this book for awhile now and finally got my hands on it and I finished it in one reading. That is rare for me but in the case of Morrell I have done that with 4 other of his books. This book had me most interested. The character development was great. The story was great as it got more interesting as it went along. You really wanted to see the main characters get their revenge. The ending was great as well as the rest. This was great as I wanted to find out why this had to happen throughout the whole book and the end was shocking and I would have been mad myself. Morrell delivers. He is great. This will go down as one of the best books ever written in years to come.

A very interesting and well written book. This book tells of two boys in an orphanage who are taken under wing by a father figure and trained to be professional killers. The boys,Chris and Saul become very good at what they do. It is especially interesting the way Morrell describes their karate training. After reading of their killings on behalf of the CIA it is evident that the two young men are good at what they do. They find out that their mentor Elliot has turned on them and betrayed them. Elliot is sucessful in killing Chris. Saul uses some interesting methods to avenge the killing of Chris. This is without question a very good book. Saul is portrayed as an interesting character. Be sure to read "The League of Night and Fog". It is an excellent followup to this fine book.

This book drags me along like a little girl drags a rag doll down the street. The doll ain't getting away. Sometimes the girl shakes the doll or pulls it through the mud. Maybe a dog tries to wrench it away from her, but she wins the tug of war. Likewise, this book pulls me through a rocky adventure. I'm happy to be dragged along.

Roger Weston, author of The Golden Catch

Oh, another Morrell book that was amazing. I was not going to review anymore of his books, I already stated how awesome they were. I read Laurens review and had to write again. Lauren, I totally respect your opinion, that is what this is all about. but this book was written in 1984-way before the action stuff of Hollywood these days. I watch movies and say, they must have copied Morrell.

Again, why is David Morrell not a more recognizable name-people say who? I say he wrote Rambo, and they go, oh!

I was entranced in this story from the very start. It was well written with solid characters and plenty of twist and turns. The attention to detail is exceptional. It moves along at a very fast pace with plenty of action.

Some language and sex takes place but not detailed.

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.

My brother first recommended this book to me after he read it twice. I began to read it and couldn't put it down! Since then I too have read it twice. Morrell has inspired me to be a writer and his charecter "Saul Grisman" is a charecter I hope to be able to create and use so well as Morrell has. The Brotherhood of the Rose is by far THE best book I have ever read. I ONLY read Morrell since the first book of his that I read (Blood Oath! Read that also!) So I hope that my words will inspire you to also purchase one of many David Morrell books! So please buy The Brotherhood of the Rose and tell others about it!
P.S-Thanks Morrell! Like you, I hope that one day I can write "To David Morrell. Dear friend, you have accomplished the one thing every writer dreams of...to change someones life."
like you did! Thanx...And buy this book!
Blake Boyd

My brother first recommended this book to me after he read it twice. I began to read it and couldn't put it down! Since then I too have read it twice. Morrell has inspired me to be a writer and his charecter "Saul Grisman" is a charecter I hope to be able to create and use so well as Morrell has. The Brotherhood of the Rose is by far THE best book I have ever read. I ONLY read Morrell since the first book of his that I read (Blood Oath! Read that also!) So I hope that my words will inspire you to also purchase one of many David Morrell books! So please buy The Brotherhood of the Rose and tell others about it!
P.S-Thanks Morrell! Like you, I hope that one day I can write "To David Morrell. Dear friend, you have accomplished the one thing every writer dreams of...to change someones life."
like you did! Thanx...And buy this book!
Blake Boyd

David Morrell wrote with such extreme detail that you would have thought he was Saul. He described every little manner of the specialists in such graphic ways that you could see the assasins stalking Saul at the hotel, the way the walked crouched over. The way they had built their silencers with such everday things as washers and pipe.

David Morrell is by far one of the premiere writers of action/thrillers of all time. He grabs you from the first page, makes you care about the characters, and you end up saving all his books to read over and over again. Like they say: "Don't start this book before going to bed 'cause you can't put it down!"

What a great book...Morrell turned an otherwise completely unbelievable story with less believable characters into a truly exciting story, which I found myself completely immersed. Suddenly the story was not so unbelievable, and the characters became real also. This was non-stop action and I did not want to put it down.

David Morrell is the master of the fiction-espionage/thriller, for sure. There's no need to read any other author's books once you've encountered Morrell. I recommend strongly "The Fifth Profession" and "The League Of Night and Fog" also ...

Several years after reading this book, I remember many passages and the story as it is active, sublime in the art of action thriller. What a class! David Morrell is a great writer of thrillers adding a clear thoroughness to psychological characters.
What a giant!

This book... this author... flawless. I can't begin to explain the fun I had reading this book. The plot, action, characters, setting. It is all perfect. This book definately ranks high on my top 10 book list. Along with this book, I reccomend reading The Fraternity of the Stone, and then reading The League of Night and Fog, both by David Morrell. Basically, if you do not have this book... stop reading these reviews and buy it, get it from the library, get it from a friend, steal it, whatever... JUST READ IT!

I've read several David Morrell books now and none have lived up to the first one I read..."Long Lost".

"Brotherhood" was just "ok" for me. It's hard for me to put my finger on it, but I guess the writing style was what bothered me. I don't think the characters were developed very well either. The plot was not very believable and as far as action packed... I didn't think so. I did finish it, but I'm not sure I'll read another Morrell book for a while. I noticed it has a nearly 5 star rating here on the store, but it sure didn't do that for me.

While waiting for new works from my favorite authors, I'll venture out with new ones. That is how I came across this book. I'm a big fan of Vince Flynn (God rest), David Baldacci, Brad Thor and the like. Compared to them, this was more hammy than gritty.

Morrell defines non stop action in this book. A story of intrigue and manipulation, ultimate trust and ultimate betrayel. It was both entertaining and original. This book is a must read and keeps you guessing all the way until the end. With many plot twists and startling revalations. I recomend this book to anyone who likes thrillers and suspense novels.

David Morrell delivers! This is the story of two orphans, Chris and Saul, who are trained by a mysterious man called Eliot to become assassins. Chris and Saul become bloodbrothers and succeed at being the best in performing sanctions. Soon they learn that they have been betrayed by Eliot. And now they seek revenge against a man they learned to respect and love like a father. "A lean, tense thriller..." "Riveting..."

This Novel should stand proudly next to any all time greats. It currently stands proudly on my bookshelf in between The Godfather and Kane&Abel. If you haven't read this yet I strongly recommend it. If you're into high action oriented novels with twists and turns and novels that chronicles the protagonist's life as a child and how he became the way he is (Assassins) then this is a must.

Trust me. You won't regret it.

I couldn't finish it. Morrell is good at creating lots of fast action but he can not develop his characters beyond one dimension. If you like Dan Brown i.e. "Da Vinci Code" etc., you'll love this book.. If you like the spy genre, you've likely already read John LeCarre; Morrell can't hold a candle to LeCarre.