Another interesting and well-written fantasy from Selby. He has a gift for characterization that’s among the best, and his world-building is solid, but sometimes the story flags just a little bit — each novel improves on the previous one, so I have a feeling he’s going to have a long writing career.

Definitely worth checking out, if you’re looking for a new fantasy read.

This was a very unfortunate DNF for me.

Brother Red was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I will preface and say that I have never read a book my Adrian Selby before. All of the excitement that I had came from the cover and synopsis itself but I could only reach page 100 and that was it for me. I even set it down and gave myself a couple weeks to simmer but I eventually just accepted defeat.

The biggest problem for me was the writing style. It read very disjointed to me and the characters all felt like greyed out mannequins. I could not gravitate toward a single one of them. It does have a very promising plot and world building but I couldn't get far enough to appreciate it. I do still have The Winter Road by him that I want to give a chance but if the writing style is the same, this author just may not be for me.

Rating: 10/10

Brother Red is the exciting, nail-biting, throw-a-spore-bag-and-hope-it-hits new standalone set in the world of Sarun that it shares with Snakewood and The Winter Road before it; a book that carves its own bloody path through the history of the Post, but also brings its story arc from the previous books full-circle. It is a story that takes the other two books in the series, and threads them into a wholesome, complete arc – if you’re a fan of Selby, or gritty, fast-paced fantasy in general, and you also don’t mind a cry, this is certainly a book you don’t want to miss.

In short – and spoiler free – the plot sees Driwna Marghoster, fieldsman in the Post on a journey to discover what’s happening to the Oskoro – the tribe we saw in the Winter Road that had disappeared – and Ososi, as their numbers are dwindling, there’s word of kidnap. A fearsome Ososi cast-out behind it, a mythical Magist rumoured at work and a dead Ososi baby found, with the legendary Flower of Fates sprouted into her brain. While that may not be a great summary, I’ve tried to entice you without ruining any of the plot – trust me, there’s a lot more than that above which you know up front. It’s every bit as mysterious as the last two – and holds its card until right at the end. And even then, there’s a good lot of questions. But that’s the magic. The continuing mystery throughout the entire rise-and-fall-of-the-Post arc is what keeps me coming back to Adrian’s works. Again, there’s well-realised fight scenes, and plenty twists that you only find out when the knife’s in. I’m not afraid to say that – by the end – this series had tears in my eyes.

That last bit is down to how much a master Adrian is when it comes to character relationship. You have to really care about what happens to a character to be moved to tears – something that he’s a dab-hand at. Immediately – with Cal and Driw – you get a feel for the character’s deep-connection within a few lines of shared history. A life well-spent in knowing each other. This start is what scares me the most, because you know that when an author can build that instant connection, in a book like this, it means that it’ll most likely be used against you. But in the most original, unpredictable ways. You just can’t help but care about Driwna and get behind her cause. She’s one of those characters that knows what’s right, knows what she has to do despite everything against her and just gets on with it. I admire her fervour, her steel. She’s formidable, not only in battle. She’s got a strong heart and knows how to pick those who follow her. A character that builds up those around her and loves uncontrollably because that’s what her heart tells her to do.

The fights are always a favourite of mine in Selby novels – they’re a well-oiled machine, a well-rehearsed dance, a visceral, on-the-edge of your seat experience that won’t relent. Won’t let go. It paints a vivid image of fights that are a storm of spore bags flying, kaltrops dropping, swords clashing, bodies falling and much more. And wonderfully described sword forms to say the least.

Fieldbelts and fightbrews are very much an integral part of the fights and are the ‘magic system’ of Sarun – though, not really magic at all. It’s a science of mixed herbs and plants that have differing purposes – some give you night vision, others cripple enemies, there’s all sort of fun. The pinnacle of these are fightbrews, those mixtures whose recipes are closely guarded secrets – the brew of the Post is one that people are tortured and killed for. But the secret remains. These brews afford the user super-human strength. Undeniable, forces of nature. If you can stone the brew, and rise to it properly. The consequences are brutal. ‘Paying the Colour’ is hours of sickness on the comedown which makes for intriguing and unpredictable scenes – if you chose to drop a fightbrew at the wrong time, you might end up on the run from the enemy when you start to come off it. A weaker form of these are ‘dayers’ brews that are weaker but more forgiving. The end all and be all of the flora of Sarun is, of course, the Flower of Fates, a flower that affords the user power above and beyond any brew … at great cost, and I love that Brother Red featured this once more as did the other two.

Now … that epilogue! I mean, wow. This is the part in particular when the series comes full circle and as a fan of the rest of the series, this is what made the entire book worth it. I mean, I absolutely loved the book, but there’s nothing quite like that in a well-loved series. If for anything but the enjoyment of the end of this book, I personally would say read them in publishing order. It makes it all the more emotional ‘coming home.’

Overall, my rating for this book is buy it now, please – the more people we can get that are fans of this series, the more sway we’d have in forcing Adrian to relent and write more and more. But all joking aside, buy this book. It is phenomenal, you won’t be disappointed.

Avid fantasy readers looking for a new dark and thrilling tale may expect Adrian Selby’s Brother Red to follow narratives of other fantasy epics. However, it is clear from the very beginning that it carries so much more than a tale of love, loyalty, and the importance of protecting people in need. With the perfect amount of politics, action, and interpersonal relationships, this novel will entertain readers throughout each and every page.

Brother Red follows the story of Driwna Marghoster, a soldier for a group of merchants called The Post. As she rides with her brothers defending an important trade caravan, the group is attacked by bandits—rendering the caravan almost completely destroyed. However, after Driwna and her comrade Cal bring the bandits to justice, the pair discover something harrowing in a barrel of alcohol—the body of a dead baby girl. From first glance, Driwna knows that this girl is one of the Oskoro, a peaceful group of people surrounded by mystery and tales of the powers they obtain through planting seeds in bodies, essentially becoming one with the most important resources in the novel's world, plants. As Driwna and Cal try to navigate around the mystery of the dead Oskoro girl, the pair find themselves entangled in an even bigger mystery and decide they must get to the bottom of the deceit they keep witnessing at the hands of those in power.

There are many enjoyable aspects to Brother Red, one of them being the character Driwna and watching her develop from the novel’s introduction to its conclusion. From the beginning, it is made clear to readers that Driwna is a fierce young woman who has joined The Post in order make her family proud as well as make a name for herself after her and her family spent much of their time in exile during her youth. Through the way Driwna communicates with those who have more power than her, it is clear that this character is a picture of a woman who is not afraid to speak her mind and to stand up for what is right. In addition, the way Driwna is able to meet and accept the Ososi and Oskoro people for who they are in very important to the development of BROTHER RED as a whole. Through Driwna’s open mind—and a relationship she begins to develop with one of the Ososi—the world of BROTHER RED is able to evolve and change throughout the duration of the novel. Finally, the relationships Driwna creates with people along her journey provide a much-needed lightheartedness while the characters are not politicking and forced into action.

Aside from many of the characters being well-developed and interesting, another aspect that readers may enjoy is the interesting way plants play a major role throughout the story. The Ososi and Oskoro people are known to plant seeds in their bodies where thorns, vines, and bark grows throughout their skin and helps them connect with the Earth as well as assist them in battle. The leaders of the Ososi and Oskoro, whom they call the Master(s) of Flowers, plant a powerful flower called the Flower of Fates in their brain. If this flower grows, the master becomes increasingly more powerful and can even share their blood with others in order to make them stronger in times of battle. In addition to the relationship between plants and the Oskoro and Ososi people, there are many other ways different plants can be used. Some oils extracted from plants can be dripped into a person’s eyes so they have a heightened sense of vision, a mixture of different herbs can heal wounds, and some plants can even make warriors stronger during battle. The interesting ways that many of the characters use these resources throughout keeps the reader interested through the ways plants affect people as well as their overall importance in this world.

Whereas the politicking is necessary throughout the novel in order to understand the importance of Driwna’s storyline and mission, some scenes leave much to be desired. Throughout the amount of detail and information trying to be conveyed through these scenes, it makes it increasingly more difficult for the reader to retain this amount of information. In addition, it would be helpful for readers to have more scenes where characters are just spending downtime together. This would show how deep these interpersonal relationships are between these characters as well as connect the reader to the character’s stories on a deeper level.

Overall, Adrian Selby’s Brother Red proves to be a thrilling fantasy epic about love, loyalty, and the importance of protecting people in need. From the cunning character of Driwna Marghoster to the mystery surrounding the body found in the van, this novel is a true page turner in its entirety.