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Basilisk (The Korsak Brothers #2)

by Rob Thurman (Goodreads Author)

4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 · rating details · 550 ratings · 66 reviews

Stefan Korsak and his genetically-altered brother have evaded the Institute for three years. When they learn the new location of the secret lab, they plan to break in and save the remaining children there. But one of the little ones doesn't want to leave. She wants to kill...

Paperback, 352 pages

Published August 2nd 2011 by Roc

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Can't Wait Sci-Fi/Fantasy of 2011

7th out of 22 books — 34 voters

Books with sweet M/M relationships (bromance and more)

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Oct 14, 2011 Rane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, keeper

I can always count on Rob to give me, the reader, action-packed books with lots of humor and at the heart two brothers who will move heaven and earth for each other in truly dire situations.

In Chimera we follow along from Stefan Korsak view as he finds after 10+ years his brother whose been genetically-altered to be the perfect superhuman assassin, killing with a single touch. Finally breaking free from the institute that experimented on Misha (Michael) and other children, the brothers seem t...more
I can always count on Rob to give me, the reader, action-packed books with lots of humor and at the heart two brothers who will move heaven and earth for each other in truly dire situations.

In Chimera we follow along from Stefan Korsak view as he finds after 10+ years his brother whose been genetically-altered to be the perfect superhuman assassin, killing with a single touch. Finally breaking free from the institute that experimented on Misha (Michael) and other children, the brothers seem to have loosen the hold the institute had.
Basilisk picks up three years later and from Misha view as those who the brothers been hiding from find them, dragging them from their hard won peace. But now the ones who were the experiments are running the show, and it's once again up to Misha and Stefan to find a way to stop them before the bring complete death to the world.

It was refreshing to have Misha view to the story this time around, from the scary kid we first met, Masha has grown to be a great young guy, whose still dealing with the world (and his hate for LOLcats) showing the emotional insecurity of dealing with his brother ,feelings and life in general. This was one of the highlights of the book for me because even if he's pretty much an genius and superhuman powerhouse, he still has doubts, which makes him all to human.
RT leads us on a merry chase through a few states as the Brothers track down the other Chimera and one scary little girl by the name of Wendy who can kill anyone with a thought. Cue the gore! The story does take a little time to get into with Misha bouncing around from one thought to another, but quickly picks up as the brother's leave the place they've called home and pick up Saul with his eye popping wardrobe. The batter between Saul and Misha has me rolling with laughter, and poor Stefan having to deal with his crazy genius brother is heartwarming cause you know he wouldn't change him. Because he's his brother.

Clues and omissions by Misha give the reader a few pauses as you wonder what he's been hiding, and Rob wraps it up nicely with alot of surprises along the way.

Entertaining and just plain fun the Chimera series is shaping up to be a great series and maybe giving the Leandros brothers a run for their money!

"It was five months later that I finally admitted defeat, finishing what I'd started more than half a year ago, and was at my laptop, hacking into Lolcats, crashing the site, and removing any mention of it from the Net. It was evil and had to go."

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Aug 17, 2012 Dangerous Romance Book Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Publisher Description: Stefan Korsak and his genetically-altered brother have evaded the Institute for three years. When they learn the new location of the secret lab, they plan to break in and save the remaining children there. But one of the little ones doesn't want to leave. She wants to kill...

Lukas Korsak was stolen as a child and taken to an institute where he was trained and raised to kill without remorse and taught how to do it with just one touch. He was rescued in book one of the Korsa...more Publisher Description: Stefan Korsak and his genetically-altered brother have evaded the Institute for three years. When they learn the new location of the secret lab, they plan to break in and save the remaining children there. But one of the little ones doesn't want to leave. She wants to kill...

Lukas Korsak was stolen as a child and taken to an institute where he was trained and raised to kill without remorse and taught how to do it with just one touch. He was rescued in book one of the Korsak Brothers series by his older brother Stefan, a former Mob enforcer, who is dedicated to protecting his younger brother and hiding him from the men who wish to either use Lukas (now known as Mischa) as a killing machine again, or to do away with him all together. This book has the brothers being found out by a government agency that wants to clean up the mess and kill them both, and so they are on the run. Mischa wants to break into the institute and save/rescue any of the children that could be saved, but when the brothers arrive at the institute they find all the keepers dead and by watching the video of the children's escape, they realize that there are two of the children who like to kill and who will continue to so so unless stopped. The brothers have to out run the agency trying to kill them, while they track down the escaped children and try to find a way to rescue the children who are being forced to kill from the two who are evil.

Rob Thurman is the author of the Leandros Brothers Series and the Korsak Brothers series. Both feature an older brother whose younger brother disappeared/was kidnapped for a time and bad things happened to him, for which on some level the older brother feels guilty about. I wish I could say the similarities end there, but they don't.

Cal Leandros is the wise cracking younger brother who does things he shouldn't that draw attention to them. He sometimes surprises Niko by having an ace up his sleeve and a head on his shoulder. He acts immature at times but wishes his brother would recognize he is a man. No matter how much his brother loves him, would die for him, he still thinks of himself as a monster.

Mischa Korsak of Chimera and Basilisk is the younger brother who was kidnapped and taken away from his protective older brother. He is "learning" to crack wise with pop culture since he was basically a prisoner his entire childhood. So we get lots of him making jokes and trying them out. He sometimes hides his plans from his brother because he knows he wouldn't approve. He knows his brother would die for him, and he is trying his best to not be a monster.

Niko and Stefan are the more normal older brothers who try to keep their younger brothers out of trouble while keeping them under the radar of those who are looking for their younger brothers to do them harm. They have spent the recent past of their lives on the run, so they could hide and protect their younger siblings, they sacrifice everything for them. Niko and Stefan are both incredibly good at fighting and while they are violent men they wish they could be peaceful and leave the violence in the past, but will do anything to protect their younger siblings. I could go on and on.

The world is different. Somewhat. In the Leandros world, there are magical beings that the normals don't know about, like Pucks, and Peri's, however Cal is a killing machine who is only tempered by his brother's restraint. In the Korsak world there is the institute that took Mischa and made him into a killing machine which he can do with just a touch, and the humanity of his brother Stefan teaches him to be more careful and show restraint.

Look...am I the only person who thinks this is odd for an author to basically re-create the same story all over again with just a few changes? Even the little tiny nod to the slightest wisp of a romance turns out to be with a psychopath for both Cal and Mischa.

The books of this series (which is ending at two I believe, with Chimera being from Stefan's point of view and Chimera being from Mischa's) are as always...well written. Thurman writes tight prose, great action, and as with the Leandros series, the love between the brothers is believeable and heartwarming. Mischa is smart and funny, the violence is sudden and brutal, and the two brothers work together nearly seamlessly as a team to bring down the bad guys.

If you read Basilisk and liked it, you should love this book. If you like the Leandros brothers and can't wait for the next addition, this should certainly tide you over. But I can't help but wonder how when this series was pitched someone didn't say..."This sounds amazingly familiar." I still would have found it too similar if it had been two sisters or a Mother/Daughter or a Father/Son, but at least it wouldn't have been identical.
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Nov 24, 2011 Tina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, sff-science-fiction

Hmmm...what to say? What to say?

Mainly I did not enjoy this one as much as I did the first one. It had a repetitive, almost tedious quality. This book was told from Michale's first person POV, whereas the first book was told from Stefan's POV. Although I love Mischa, his introspective, almost navel-gazey musings somewhat de-railed the book. Stefan really is the heavy lifter of the series and I enjoyed his sharper take on events much that Micheal's more emo view.

I loved how unrelentingly evil lit...more

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Oct 10, 2011 Sarah rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: unfinished, urban-fantasy

Oh, Rob. Oh Rob.

I tried. I tried to read past the awful emo that topped anything that Cal and Niko ever had to offer. I tried to get past the awful dialogue and expository repetition, telling myself that yeah, while the book could probably in fact, be done in 40 pages, surely there was something in here to keep me reading.

I even tried to explain away the awful ignorance displayed about domesticated ferret behavior. Biting *all the time* to draw blood? Er, terribly abused. Really. Beyond anythi...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Nicola Taylor rated it 5 of 5 stars

Guns are for boys, High explosives are for men.
In the case of Basilisk, true words as Micheal "Misha" tries to show that at nineteen, he is a man.
After waiting an agonisingly long wait after Chimera Rob Thurman gives us an action-packed second edition to the Korsak Brothers.

It starts with the discovery of Anton Korsak's (Daddy Korsak) death and from there on the plot is engaging, fast and very intriguing. Basilisk shows how far the Korask brothers will go to keep each other alive. Stefan will ki...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Coaxial Creature rated it 5 of 5 stars

God, I loved this novel. I have to admit, it's been so long since I've read the first Korsak brothers novel that I had to go back to the ending of that one - I remembered the twist, but I knew there was an important detail that I was forgetting. (Two small but important details as it turns out. I cried when I reread the scene that reveals them, and I had sense of deja vu. I don't cry a lot, but I'm pretty sure I did when I first read that scene.)

So, now I ask something of Rob Thurman that I know...more God, I loved this novel. I have to admit, it's been so long since I've read the first Korsak brothers novel that I had to go back to the ending of that one - I remembered the twist, but I knew there was an important detail that I was forgetting. (Two small but important details as it turns out. I cried when I reread the scene that reveals them, and I had sense of deja vu. I don't cry a lot, but I'm pretty sure I did when I first read that scene.)

So, now I ask something of Rob Thurman that I know she can't really answer because I'm pretty sure it isn't personal.

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Now, I realize there might not be a third because she has more interest in her Cal series, or simply enjoys writing it more, or is contractually obliged to pump out those before she can start on a third of these. All three are logical reasons (and the first three I could think of so not a full list of potential reasons there isn't a third out in this series), not meant to torture me, but... Torture me it does. I have three of the Cal series - the first, and two later novels - but I'm having trouble getting as into them as I have gotten into the Korsak brother series. I want a third. Badly. She leaves us with one hell of a cliffhanger at the end.

I sped through this. There was action, snarkiness, a slight expansion of the world building that Thurman set up so extensively in the first novel that it didn't need anything too massive here, and added new characters all the while tending to the characters introduced in the first of the series, developing them and their relationships quite nicely. And that doesn't even cover the way the chimeras up the ante in this novel.

Misha and Stefan are living a nice, quiet life before they find out that Setfan's father has been brutally murdered. It turns into a spine-chilling revelation, as they discover they're not quite as safe as they're allowed themselves to believe. This leads to a quickly unfolding plot that pits them against renegade chimeras, a man who has ties to the Institute, but works for the government, and a possible romantic interest for Misha.

Everything, from Misha's budding powers, to his new friend, Ariel, to the man following them, ties into the rather explosive ending. Everything leading up to that event tests the bond between Misha and Stefan, with Saul a grumbling, cranky observer for a good deal of the ride. Still, the main focus remains on Misha and Stefan, who have both become comfortable with their roles as little and big brother respectively, and everything tends to revolve around them - in a charmingly natural way.

Everything ties up nicely, with only one rather obvious lose end - the cliffhanger I spoke of. (A cliffhanger, by the way, that I wouldn't mind if only I knew that Thurman planned on a third of the series at all. So far, no luck in Googling any quotes that she does even plan on writing a third. If anyone knows, I'll beg for you to pass the information along if that'll work.)(less)

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Aug 27, 2011 Cathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, twitter-author, fiction, read-in-2011

Quite a ride. Everything that I kept thinking all along, "Yeah, but what about..." was totally addressed in the end to my complete satisfaction. I can't say too much without spoiling things, but she does a great job of doling out the story and making it all make sense in the end. But as usual, it was the wry humor and heartfelt emotion that was the best past of the book. Rob's a master of sarcasm without meanness, always making me feel in on the joke. And I'm not sure what makes her write so man...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Kaje Harper rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This is the second series by Rob Thurman I've read and both times I loved the first book, reread it several times, but found the second (and beyond) less satisfying. This book is written in the first-person voice of Michael. the younger brother who was rescued from his scientist creators and captivity in Chimera. The previous book was his brother Stefan's narrative. Thurman has a distinctive writing voice, and in this case I felt it was not as good a fit for the character. For both Stefan, and C...more

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Aug 08, 2011 Lin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, sci-fi

Seq to Chimera. This series is shaping up to be as good as the Cal Leandros series (and is very similar in themes - ie brothers (view spoiler)) especially now that Misha takes the hot seat. He's part Cal, part Zeke (from Trick of the Light), sweet, witty, awkward and slightly evil in a good way. Plus his hatred of Lolcats is hilarious.
Ariel was a definite boost as well (view spoiler)...more Seq to Chimera. This series is shaping up to be as good as the Cal Leandros series (and is very similar in themes - ie brothers (view spoiler)) especially now that Misha takes the hot seat. He's part Cal, part Zeke (from Trick of the Light), sweet, witty, awkward and slightly evil in a good way. Plus his hatred of Lolcats is hilarious.
Ariel was a definite boost as well (view spoiler)

"That damn kid.... he was a miracle"

"Being smart meant you had to try extra hard to see the fantasy in the world - the magic. And what was a world without those things?"

"One was an immovable object; one was an irresistible force, like Stefan and I emotionally."

"Life: Expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised. My life in the past day: Expect the worst and find out how lacking in imagination you really are."

"That was why I hadn't picked a philosophy or religion yet. I wanted to check out all my options and find the one with the most loopholes combined with the least amount of time consumption."

"Things are never as easy as they appear on the Net or in instructional videos. I blamed an imperfect world for that. I was a genius - I wasn't blaming myself, because it obviously was not my fault."

"Beside, it was not my fault. I didn't create the often-inconvenient laws of physics."

"Drug-dealer, pilot, ex-assassin-in-training, genius, geek, and hot. Can you claim to have that many talents."

"And you said never- never means at least once if not always."

"That Disney guy had been an excessively cruel man."

"You're special and brilliant and quirky and one of the most amazing people I've ever known, but if you try to shut me up on more time, the next kick will be at your face. It's a pretty face too. I especially like your eyes... fox green, but a fox that would never eat a chicken or clean out a hen house. You have nice teeth too, probably a killer smile. Try not to make me kick you in it."

"He'd given up the memories of sun, wind and horses to warm me in a place as cold as death itself."

"It was five months later that I finally admitted defeat, finishing what I'd started more than half a year ago, and was at my laptop, hacking into Lolcats, crashing the site, and removing any mention of it from the Net. It was evil and had to go."

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Feb 04, 2012 Cheryl rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

There are big spoilers for Chimera in this review. Skip it if you haven’t read the first book.

Basilisk picks up almost three years after Chimera. Stefan and Michael, or Misha as he likes to be called, are living in a small town in Oregon, holding down normal jobs while they plan their raid on the Institute to rescue the remaining chimeras. While not all of them are enthusiastic killers, none are like Misha who has a working conscience and an aversion to killing, even to save himself, so he’s wor...more There are big spoilers for Chimera in this review. Skip it if you haven’t read the first book.

Basilisk picks up almost three years after Chimera. Stefan and Michael, or Misha as he likes to be called, are living in a small town in Oregon, holding down normal jobs while they plan their raid on the Institute to rescue the remaining chimeras. While not all of them are enthusiastic killers, none are like Misha who has a working conscience and an aversion to killing, even to save himself, so he’s worked on developing a cure.

Not long into the book they learn that someone is coming after them and have to pull up stakes quickly, and with some property damage. Which means they have to put into motion their attack on the Institute immediately, which means they bring in Saul, Stefan’s criminal acquaintance who does occasional work for him at an exorbitant fee (he’s really Stefan’s friend but has a bit of a hard time admitting it).

I’m not going to go into the rest of what happens because I don’t want to give anything away, but I loved this book. It was told from Misha’s POV and it’s definitely different than Stefan’s which, I know some will disagree, is a good thing. In Chimera we didn’t know what was going on in the super smart head of his, but in Basilisk we find what he thought then and how he has developed in the three years since. There was a lot of internal and external dialogue about what he was capable of doing and what he would do, of things he learned at the Institute and since he was free, but I liked it. It gives the reader insight into the Misha and the other kids who were raised there, why they are the way they are and how amazing it is that Misha isn't a sociopathic nut job and how much Stefan had to do with that.

Some other reviewers have said that if you didn’t see a couple of things coming you either never read a book, saw a movie, or whatever. Well, I admit it, I didn’t see a couple of little twists with characters coming, but, like I’ve said, I’m just smart enough to know how dumb I am, so sue me. Even if I had figured everything out, I still would’ve enjoyed the book just as much. For me, this series isn’t a whodunit, we know who the bad guys are, it doesn’t matter which one is the worst. I love the relationship between Stefan and Misha, especially since we know they aren’t actually related by blood. And yes, in terms of the relationship between the two main characters, who are brothers who will do anything for the other, it’s very similar to Thurman’s Cal Leandros series. Again, don’t care.

I keep saying this in reviews of her books, but I don’t know how Thurman writes her characters with so much emotion and all that other touchy-feely stuff without making me want to hurl, but she does. I was ready to give this one five stars after reading the freaking prologue and I can’t wait for the next book in this series.
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Oct 25, 2012 Aivel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Officially the Korzak brothers will join the Winchester and Leandros boys in my heart. Again as in the previous book I was pleasantly surprised with Basilisk. One of the review I read claimed that Misha's voice is boring and does not fit the character. Actually for me at least, Basilisk is funnier than Chimera. Michael's evil-genius persona is hilarious. I was literally laughing out aloud on the scenes wherein he is calmly telling Stefan their escape plan 'all theoretically speaking of course' h...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Clover rated it 5 of 5 stars

Chimera blew me away and Basilisk is even better. Where Chimera was written in Stefan's point of view, this one is in Micheal's and his though processes, how he views himself and his brother is genuine and truly his own personality.

I think that is Rob Thurman's strength in being able to craft wholly unique people. Not one of her characters is the same as another. Then again, her plots are brilliant, action divine, emotion is so involved in every aspect that I read holding my breath. Okay, forget...more

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Aug 17, 2011 Jaime rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

Chimera had so much potential that I was excited when I learned it was the start of a series, rather than the stand alone I expected it to be. Basilisk exceeded that potential and then some! The story started off slow, but became a real page turner rather quickly. First, I love the characters. Stefan and Misha (and Saul) are a LOT like Niko and Cal (and Robin) from the author’s urban fantasy series. Stefan is the older brother who is wicked deadly and overprotective, and Misha is his younger bro...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Stonemagpie rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 03, 2012 Kristin rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review contains spoilers from the first book, Chimera.

If I could marry Rob Thurman’s characters, I would. However, that would probably require magic and moving to Utah, and I can’t do one and have no desire to do the other.

It’s been three years since Stefan broke Michael out of the hell hole that was the Institute and during that time the younger Korsak, because despite not being related by blood, they really are brothers, has been learning how to be a normal teenager, or at least as normal...more This review contains spoilers from the first book, Chimera.

If I could marry Rob Thurman’s characters, I would. However, that would probably require magic and moving to Utah, and I can’t do one and have no desire to do the other.

It’s been three years since Stefan broke Michael out of the hell hole that was the Institute and during that time the younger Korsak, because despite not being related by blood, they really are brothers, has been learning how to be a normal teenager, or at least as normal as an assassin who’s been trained since birth can be. The brothers have settled in Cascade Falls, Oregon, where Misha’s been trying to find a cure to deactivate the killer gene that’s in all of the Institute’s children. To do this, he’s been studying biochemistry and neurology at a PhD level and has been assisted by a 22-year-old genius in New York City named Ariel, who’s a researcher at the Weill Cornell Medical College who, of course, doesn’t really know who she’s helping or what she’s helping him do.

However, you know that the mostly idyllic life they’ve built for themselves cannot go on forever, particularly when they realize that they not only have to deal with Marcus Belluci, who’s still out there, but another shady government agent named Raynor has been hunting for Michael as well.

There really isn’t too much else to tell. The plot is fairly simple and straightforward, but I can’t talk about it without giving too much away because, as with all of Thurman’s books, there are twists and turns in the story that you didn’t see coming, though some you can guess.

I liked how this book was from Misha’s point of view. His take on everyday things is laugh-out-loud funny (lolcats anyone?) as are his continued attempts to be a normal teenager and to convince Stefan that his is not, in fact, a kid. And I love that Godzilla and Saul were back. Saul had a much bigger part in the second book than he did in the first and I loved it. The way he severely antagonized Misha, sometimes even unwittingly, was hilarious. And we find more things out about the Institute and what they were up to outside of its walls that is a bit terrifying and that, coupled with some things that happened at the end, should ensure that Thurman will have plenty of more books to write.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, writes guys, particularly brothers, better than Thurman. She gives them heart without making them sappy wimps. Her trademark sarcastic, witty banter between characters is present, as are great action scenes and a thrilling plot with healthy doses of tension and gut-wrenching drama thrown in.

Fans of the first book should eat up this one up, as it’s just as good as the first in the series. There’s no mention of third installment, but I don’t see how her publishers can’t be clamoring for one, I know I am.
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Sep 08, 2012 Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, action-adventure, adult, fantasy-sci-fi

3.5 stars
I didn't realize it was the second in a series. It stood alone fine, but probably would have been even better if I had read the other one first.

Michael was rescued from "The Institute" by his brother. Michael had been kidnapped at the age of 7 and rescued 10 years later. During his time at the Institute, he was turned into a killer, with special powers and abilities. Michael and Stefan intend to go back to rescue all the other children who had to be left behind, but their plans take a t...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Jacinta rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved It.
Jam packed with all the things I love in books guns, action, brothers and a ferret! Had me on my toes to the end of the book and then became sad as I realised that I had finished and may have to wait a while before the next book. sigh.
Anyways I recommend that you read the first book to this series (before this one most obviously) which is called "Chimera" cause it may clear things up for you a little so you kinda then get the flow of this book.
If you enjoyed the first series of Rob's w...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

The second book in the Chimera series is just as fast paced and interesting as the first one. This time around we get Misha's perspective on the situation and he's really grown in the three years since the end of Chimera; at least he's certain he has. The big bad of the book (The Institute and its 'children') are as creepy as ever and the action sequences are fantastic. My favorite aspect of the book is the interaction between the brothers Stefan and Misha as Misha comes to realizes that maybe h...more

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Jan 25, 2012 Serene rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: dnf-did-not-finish

I didn't like it. I like some of Rob's books, but.. I think I can only deal with one pair of dysfunctional co-dependant brothers. At the point where the lead character was thinking what an awesome lethal, smart guy he was and the ferret was biting his brother again, I just decided I'd had enough. It wasn't funny, cute or entertaining, just kind of hokey. I'm also not really into the mafia hitguy stuff. If you have to tell yourself your smart, and a lethal weapon, chances are you are really not a...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Miss Clark rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, modern-presentday, paranormal, fairytale-fantasy-sci-fi-mythology

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 3.5 at times

Sequel to Chimera. The brothers have been on the run for three years, free from the mob and the Institute, first in Bolivia and now in a small town in the Pacific northwest. Michael is your average teen working at the local coffee-shop. Stefan a painter and jack-of-all-trades. Life is good. they have a home. Stefan is content. Michael is working to find a cure for the others so they can be freed. They had Saul track down the new location and they are just waiting for a break-through....more

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Mar 24, 2013 Jesse rated it 5 of 5 stars

The action, suspense, breakneck plot twists, and emotional wild ride continues as brothers Stefan and Michael Korsak find themselves still wrapped up in the Institute's evil doings. The rest of the "students" are still out there...like Wendy, whose powers are stronger than almost everyone else's. Whereas the rest of the chimeras need to have physical contact with a victim to harm them, Wendy can do it with a mere thought. And she does.

The second installment in the series finds Stefan and Michael...more The action, suspense, breakneck plot twists, and emotional wild ride continues as brothers Stefan and Michael Korsak find themselves still wrapped up in the Institute's evil doings. The rest of the "students" are still out there...like Wendy, whose powers are stronger than almost everyone else's. Whereas the rest of the chimeras need to have physical contact with a victim to harm them, Wendy can do it with a mere thought. And she does.

The second installment in the series finds Stefan and Michael in a small, quiet town, which may seem a bit too idyllic to some, but I actually thought it was kind of sweet (though neither of the brothers would use that word to describe it, of course). But it's that chance to give the characters a normal, happy life, one that I, as a reader, wanted for them, because they are such good guys. It's kind of like the one flashback sequence in Terminator II: Judgement Day where you see Sarah Connor as she might have been with baby John...happier, more carefree. All that. The good news is, though, Michael and Stefan's happiness is a bit more long-lived than that...at least at first.

So. Jericho may have been killed in the first book, but the Institute, its students, its ideas, still live on. And Michael and Stefan want to put an end to that. This time around, the story is told from Michael's point of view--an interesting change from Chimera which was all from Stefan's point of view. It was an interesting change, and it works well, though there was something about living the story from Stefan's POV in the first installment that really drove it home. Lost, fallen from grace bad-guy-who-has-a-heart-of-gold-but-would-never-admit-it -- Stefan -- pining away for the brother he'd lost as a child was really good, really emotional in all the right ways. And while this story was excellent, the first one was just a very little bit more excellent. There is something about the chase, the discovery of Michael, in the first book, that no sequel could rival. And the story doesn't try to do that, so it's all good. Because this is different. The first story was about Stefan rescuing Michael. Older brother saving the life of younger brother (though that salvation went both ways). This time...three years have past. Michael is growing up, and wants to be treated like an equal partner, instead of the "little brother." And so Michael starts to take the lead in some situations...with interesting results.

There is lots of excitement, lots of "going places" (I'm always a fan of stories where they cover a lot of ground, probably because I love covering a lot of ground myself) and a few surprises I didn't see coming at all. This was a really good read, and I am hoping very much that there is more to come.(less)

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Apr 21, 2013 Rozarka rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Druhý díl ze série o bratrech Korsakových. V Institutu došlo ke vzpouře a 13 chimér, včetně smrtící Wendy, která dokáže vraždit pouhým pohledem (myšleno doslova), je na útěku. Michael a Stephan je musí najít a zastavit dřív, než z nudy vyvraždí půl Ameriky.

Navzdory poměrně slušnému ratingu, který Basilisk na goodreads má, je to pro mě nejslabší Robina kniha. Slibovaná akční zápletka zabírá sotva třetinu knihy, zbytek jsou sáhodlouhé vnitřní monology a pitvání se v citech a pocitech hlavního hrdi...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy, favorites, epic-snark

First: if you're into classic Koontz or Crichton, or Stephen King minus gore plus Michael-Bay-type explosions, these will be right up your alley. If you like vaguely scientific medical/genetic thrillers (emphasis on the THRILLER), pick these books up.
Second: The Korsak Brothers books are amazing. Flat-out, in-your-face, rock-your-socks-without-apology awesome. I have a hard time with 3rd person POVs, and it's probably because I put so much emphasis on the voice of the narrator - it's a make or...more

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Sep 17, 2011 Kathy Davie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, urban

Second in the Korsak Brothers urban fantasy series about a younger brother rescued from an illegal experiments lab tinkering and torturing children.

The Story
Damn, just when things had gotten comfortable in Cascade Falls, Misha and Stefan are on the run again. Who is this Raynor guy and how did he learn about Misha?

Michael/Misha/Parker/Lukas is Stefan's younger brother kidnapped when he was 7. For ten years, Misha has been brainwashed to perform as an assassin until Stefan was able to rescue him....more

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Aug 07, 2011 Ami rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: detective-mystery-thriller

3.5 stars
Three years after his brother, Stefan, took him out from The Institute, Michael "Misha" Korsak has learned a lot to try to blend in, to be "normal". Currently residing in a small town, with different names, their life takes a drastic change when their father, Anatoly is murdered, and they are now on the run from both the government and ruthless killers in the form of Chimera kids from the Institute, who break free and ready to take the human world as their killing Playground.

The first b...more

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Aug 07, 2011 David rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, urban-fantasy

Needs to quit trying so hard to be clever. Yes, family is important, I'm not going to forget this central theme to the book from page to page. Also, we could use some different characters. Misha/Stefan/Cal are all functionally the same character with their reptative not terribly wise cracks, the overcompensating focus on junk food, their so gosh, golly, good hearted badassness. Which is all too bad, these are interesting ideas just weighted down with the flavor which winds up overwhelming the st...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, favorite-covers

I loved it so much! This series has made it onto my favorites list. I definitely like this one better then first one although I did really like the first one. I can't wait for the next one!

****SPOILER WARNING******
We know by the end that Ariel is alive, but I think Wendy is alive as well. If Ariel survived that fall, which I figured she would, Wendy survived it. Even though she was shot, she wasn't shot in the head, which is the only way to kill a chimera. I'm very excited and can't wait to see...more

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Aug 15, 2011 Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is another fantastic book by Rob Thurman in her Korsak brothers series. I really like that this book is set in the head of Misha instead of Stephan like the first one. It provided a really important viewpoint for the storyline and for character development. It also gave Thurman that chance to throw in some limited viewpoint plot twists that drove toward some powerful final scenes.
I love books by this lady, and she didn't disappoint at all in this story.

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Dec 05, 2011 Sasha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: funny, science-fiction

Saying "love it!" gets old after a while, so I'll just say it once. Love it!! It was funny and beautiful and sweet with RT's signature fast-paced plot. I thought it was great and I look forward to more in the series.

Oh! I think it's worth mentioning that the relationship between the brothers is so beautiful to watch/experience. I adored the strong bond that they share despite not being related by blood. That part of the story deserves 5 stars all round.

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Sep 23, 2011 Jayda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: keeper-shelf, mainstream-reads

Going to review this and its big brother Chimera when I have the time... for now, just marking it as TOTALLY living up to its predecessor and actually, exceeding my expectations. Another intelligent, dark, action-packed, gritty AND witty read written by the snark-tastic Rob Thurman!

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About Rob Thurman

Rob Thurman is currently writing three series for Penguin Putnam's imprint ROC FANTASY, as well as a brand-new mainstream series for Simon & Schuster's POCKET BOOKS.
Rob has also written for a Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner Anthology, WOLFSBANE AND MISTLETOE. This year, Rob contributed a post-apocalyptic, "grim" faerie tale Western to the anthology, COURTS OF THE FEY.

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Quotes from Basilisk

“No, you're not like me. You're better. A better person, a better goddamn everything. Now, eat your breakfast. And if you open your mouth to say you aren't everything I know you are, I'll stuff that bagel in it. Plain. Without cream cheese.

Healthy food--the ultimate threat.” — 13 people liked it

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Basilisk (The Korsak Brothers #2)

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