The Lost Brigade

by Paul Kelly

THE LOST BRIGADE
Vic De Mharburg has lost his entire family in one brief and terrible second.
His sister Gillian has been murdered... and his brother Richard is responsible.
Vic wants answers, and he wants revenge. But by following Richard, Vic reaches one terrible and final conclusion – that there is still one more murder Richard intends to commit...
Set against the background of a world similar and yet different to our own, THE LOST BRIGADE is a dramatic tale of the nature of good and evil, life and what comes after. Richard De Mharburg is not merely a murderer – he is the architect of a glorious resurrection, the stage manager of a long prophesised, long feared return. He is the direct descendant of a man deliberately deleted from history, a man known in his time by many names, but most simply as Eustace the Evil. And Eustace the Evil has long been planning his triumphant reappearance. At his beck and call stand a gang of long dead killers, misfits, traitors and fiends known only as the Lost Brigade. They swore, centuries ago, to return at their master’s call, and to remake the world as he sees fit.
But Richard and Eustace have reckoned without one thing. Just like their ancestor, Vic and Gillian have found a way to exist beyond death. And they’ve found a whole host of allies determined to put a stop to their brother’s plans.
Will they succeed? Or will Richard stand by and watch the creation of a new age, a second Eustacian Terror... the dark and final victory of the Lost Brigade?

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 29, 2011

About the author

I've been reading and writing books since as long as I can remember, although this is the first book I've ever managed to bring to publication. In my other life I work as a School Cover Supervisor. The Lost Brigade is the first in a series of three books, the original idea of which came from a dream (or perhaps nightmare is a better description!)

Reviews

[Peter Vialls · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lost Brigade is an effective and different fantasy novel, set in a keenly-realised and unusual world. At first glance Vic de Mharburg's world is not unlike ours, but the differences begin to become apparent as he discovers his sister has been murdered... by his brother. Vic's own death follows swiftly – at which stage the plot really begins. Vic does not simply depart upon his death – instead, he becomes a revenant, one of a group who will remain to try to prevent the rise of darkness.

The novel effectively paints the rise of the villains, and in particular the lost brigade of the title, and the efforts of the heroes to confront them as they gather more people to aid them and learn the abilities that their state imbues them with. The characters are well-drawn, and sympathetic, but by no means perfect.

There is a good mixture of action and characterisation, and an intriguing structure for the afterlife that is unlike anything I have seen before. I enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone who likes a different type of fantasy.

[Steve Wawman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable book, with a good story and plenty of interesting characters. Does suffer a little from an over-complicated obsession with the ancestry and inter-relationships between the characters, which I found a little confusing, but this is not a serious flaw. Some will find this attention to detail satisfying.
The story revolves around the efforts of the recently deceased Vic as he attempts to thwart the plans of his brother, Richard, who is being influenced by an ancestor as a means of achieving world domination.
Death, afterlife, death again, revenge, justice and good versus evil. What more do you need?!