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Khalada Stone #2
A Brother's Bond
Johsala, the once powerful stronghold of Husam al-Din, has faded, its influence over the desert tribes long since replaced by the towering minarets of Sira’an.
Yet creeping in the dark catacombs beneath Sira’an are those who seek to undermine its authority, men who desire to reclaim Johsala’s throne. Promises of power have been made, but they have all been deceived, their ambitions twisted by Na’ilah, blood heir to the mind of Husam al-Din.
Unaware that their presence alone could tear Sira’an apart, Ohrl and Faerl slip quietly into the city. Now their desperate escape from the Brotherhood serves only one purpose, to break the bonds of those who govern Sira’an, and once more bring war upon the desert tribes.
Allegiances will be formed, and blood must be spilled before a new leader can rise, but hidden from all remains a darker foe, an ancient power long forgotten within the sunken forests of the mighty Ji’ruk.
A Brother’s Bond is the second of four epic fantasy novels, following the lives of two brothers in their quest against the rightful heir to the mind of Husam al-Din.
Yet creeping in the dark catacombs beneath Sira’an are those who seek to undermine its authority, men who desire to reclaim Johsala’s throne. Promises of power have been made, but they have all been deceived, their ambitions twisted by Na’ilah, blood heir to the mind of Husam al-Din.
Unaware that their presence alone could tear Sira’an apart, Ohrl and Faerl slip quietly into the city. Now their desperate escape from the Brotherhood serves only one purpose, to break the bonds of those who govern Sira’an, and once more bring war upon the desert tribes.
Allegiances will be formed, and blood must be spilled before a new leader can rise, but hidden from all remains a darker foe, an ancient power long forgotten within the sunken forests of the mighty Ji’ruk.
A Brother’s Bond is the second of four epic fantasy novels, following the lives of two brothers in their quest against the rightful heir to the mind of Husam al-Din.
Paperback
First published April 1, 2014
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75 people want to read
About the author
Russell Meek
6 books44 followersI am a commercial photographer from New Zealand. Always looking to fantasy as an escape, I created the Khalada Stone series after spending time in the Middle East, North Africa and Central America. Not having the budgets to satisfy my ideas in a visual sense, I turned to writing, and in 2007 the series began to develop. Since then, with the help of film studios in New Zealand, I have looked to develop the idea as a TV series. This process gave birth to script writing. A development sci-fi screenplay went into production through Tenth Planet in the UK in 2025, and the screenplay for Remember Charlie Willows was written in conjunction with the novel.
When not writing, you'll find me at the beach.
When not writing, you'll find me at the beach.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 15, 2014
Exciting and got my heart racing at some points! Very well written and a hard to put down adventure with great hero's (or maybe they aren't hero's...we will see) and great villan's! Looking forward to reading the next book already.
May 12, 2014
Wow! Incredible! This book literally takes my breath away. A thrilling sequel to the excellent "the madness of Hallen" I was hooked right up till the last page and I can't wait for the next book. It reminds me a little bit of the sci-fi classic Dune but is also sparkling in it's originality. It contains tons of double-crossing, dirty deeds, magic, mystery and adventure. Highly recommended to all epic fantasy fans!
November 22, 2018
Continues on from the first book but moves into new geographical areas. On the positive side, I enjoyed the camaraderie and relationship between the brothers. There are a couple of fascinating world building bits here that were very enjoyable to read for a fantasy lover, and there is a satisfying conclusion and plot progression throughout. The characters are again complex and neither good nor bad - very satisfying. However, again the plot is slow and feels bulkier than it needs to be which makes it a quite hard read. Requires a bit of work to get through.
May 17, 2020
While the story itself was interesting enough the number of grammatical errors was astounding and disappointing. Should get someone to check what's been written before publishing. Certainly lowered my reading experience.
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November 4, 2020Gosh the adventure continued, and we got to see more of this world that Russell created. The brothers have had to face so much and still somewhat in the dark of so much. I enjoyed the Spires. The only thing that slowed the story for me was a names of areas and the people.
June 30, 2020
A good read. So deep full of culture, love it
August 27, 2024
Two brothers set out to collect the 'stones', will they be able to stay together long enough to find them.
July 22, 2019
A Brother's Bond is a chunky fantasy read, with a slow-moving and intensely detailed plot, a vast cast of characters, and a compelling sibling relationship between the two leads.
It took me a few weeks to get through, as it has been a whiiiiile since I read the first book and there is a lot going on in this series. It's high fantasy -- very Lord of The Rings-y, that follows brothers Ohrl and Faerl as they journey through the desert, searching for some magic stone things and meeting many people...most with ulterior motives.
The plot of the book lowkey reminded me of the plot of Avengers: Infinity War. Everyone's racing to find these magic stones that are super powerful and all that. They hold the ability to control an army of the dead or something. It was a little hard to follow.
The relationship between Ohrl and Faerl is what carries this book. It is the heart of the story, and I love seeing the sibling bond at the forefront. There's nuance to it as well, with Ohrl slowly being consumed by the rage that dwells in his mind (because of ancient spirits and stuff) and Faerl having his own desires and plans (also to do with ancient spirits and stuff). My favourite moments of the book are all related to the brother's bond. Hah, title. Noice.
I also loved the action sequences. They were few and far between, but they were always thrilling and dramatic. Some got pretty gory, and it was glorious. I hope there are more to come in the next books! I'm looking forward to picking up A Dark Heart Rises soon.
It took me a few weeks to get through, as it has been a whiiiiile since I read the first book and there is a lot going on in this series. It's high fantasy -- very Lord of The Rings-y, that follows brothers Ohrl and Faerl as they journey through the desert, searching for some magic stone things and meeting many people...most with ulterior motives.
The plot of the book lowkey reminded me of the plot of Avengers: Infinity War. Everyone's racing to find these magic stones that are super powerful and all that. They hold the ability to control an army of the dead or something. It was a little hard to follow.
The relationship between Ohrl and Faerl is what carries this book. It is the heart of the story, and I love seeing the sibling bond at the forefront. There's nuance to it as well, with Ohrl slowly being consumed by the rage that dwells in his mind (because of ancient spirits and stuff) and Faerl having his own desires and plans (also to do with ancient spirits and stuff). My favourite moments of the book are all related to the brother's bond. Hah, title. Noice.
I also loved the action sequences. They were few and far between, but they were always thrilling and dramatic. Some got pretty gory, and it was glorious. I hope there are more to come in the next books! I'm looking forward to picking up A Dark Heart Rises soon.
May 22, 2019
I reviewed the first book so I will review this one as well.
I love the premise of the story and I like the characters. again their dialogue is a bit too formal, the two main characters are brothers but they talk like they hardly know each other, or that is what it feels like at times. At the same time they are far too trusting of people around them to make it believable, they are supposed to be on this super secret mission, but they tell just about everyone they meet. The reason for this I think is because of the biggest flaw the books have, which is the pacing, I had the same issue with the first book, and I find it even more evident in this one. The pacing is all over the place, he spends too much time in some areas where he could spend less, and in some areas he brushes over it so quickly you hardly realize what is happening. Like i said in the beginning of the review I love the premise and the story is interesting enough to keep going on with the next novel when it comes out. I just hope he gets better at pacing his story.
I love the premise of the story and I like the characters. again their dialogue is a bit too formal, the two main characters are brothers but they talk like they hardly know each other, or that is what it feels like at times. At the same time they are far too trusting of people around them to make it believable, they are supposed to be on this super secret mission, but they tell just about everyone they meet. The reason for this I think is because of the biggest flaw the books have, which is the pacing, I had the same issue with the first book, and I find it even more evident in this one. The pacing is all over the place, he spends too much time in some areas where he could spend less, and in some areas he brushes over it so quickly you hardly realize what is happening. Like i said in the beginning of the review I love the premise and the story is interesting enough to keep going on with the next novel when it comes out. I just hope he gets better at pacing his story.
January 18, 2016
Another epic can't put it down book! Again drawn into the story as if part of it. The way Russell writes astounds me. Love it.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews