The Brotherhood of the Wheel

Brotherhood of the Wheel #1

by R.S. Belcher

A unique new urban fantasy by the author of The Six-Gun Tarot, exploring the haunted byways and truck stops of the U.S. Interstate Highway System.

In 1119 A.D., a group of nine crusaders became known as the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon--a militant monastic order charged with protecting pilgrims and caravans traveling on the roads to and from the Holy Land. In time, the Knights Templar would grow in power and, ultimately, be laid low. But a small offshoot of the Templars endure and have returned to the order's original mission: to defend the roads of the world and guard those who travel on them.

Theirs is a secret line of knights: truckers, bikers, taxi hacks, state troopers, bus drivers, RV gypsies--any of the folks who live and work on the asphalt arteries of America. They call themselves the Brotherhood of the Wheel.

Jimmy Aussapile is one such knight. He's driving a big rig down South when a promise to a ghostly hitchhiker sets him on a quest to find out the terrible truth behind a string of children gone missing all across the country. The road leads him to Lovina Hewitt, a skeptical Louisiana State Police investigator working the same case and, eventually, to a forgotten town that's not on any map--and to the secret behind the eerie Black-Eyed Kids said to prowl the highways.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Horror, Fiction, Audiobook, Paranormal, Thriller

384 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2016

About the author

R.S. (Rod) Belcher is an award-winning newspaper and magazine editor and reporter.  
Rod has been a private investigator, a DJ, a comic book store owner and has degrees in criminal law, psychology and justice and risk administration, from Virginia Commonwealth University.  He's done Masters work in Forensic Science at The George Washington University, and worked  with the Occult Crime Taskforce for the Virginia General Assembly.
He lives in Roanoke Virginia with his children: Jonathan and Emily .

Reviews

[Mogsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2016/03/04/b...

Updated: Book + trucker hat giveaway (US/CAN) 3/4/16-3/14/16 http://bibliosanctum.com/2016/03/04/b...

Urban Fantasy is such an exciting genre right now because of books like The Brotherhood of the Wheel. While mythological creatures and vigilantes have long been a mainstay, R.S. Belcher has shaken up these conventions and breathed new life into UF by looking at a slice of American culture that arguably hasn’t gotten a lot of attention: Truckers. Motorcycle clubs. The U.S. Interstate Highway System.

Meet Jimmie Aussapile, an independent truck driver who lives a double life as a knight of an ancient order, protecting the country’s roads and its travelers from monsters—both the supernatural and the human kind. He and others like him are part of a brethren who call themselves the Brotherhood of the Wheel.

One night, Jimmie picks up a ghostly hitchhiker and follows her message to a number of unsolved missing person cases. Along with his new squire Heck Sinclair, the two men uncover a terrifying situation involving a supernatural serial killer known as the Pagan who has been using the highway system to prey on children since the mid-1900s. Meanwhile, Louisiana cop Lovina Marcou has been conducting her own investigations into a group of missing teenagers, leading her to creepy internet stories about abductions by the inhuman Black-Eyed Kids or BEKs. She eventually crosses paths with Jimmie and Heck, setting in motion a string of events that would pit them against a great evil that has been preparing to make its return into the world.

This is the third book I’ve read by R.S. Belcher, and damn, his storytelling just gets better and better. I found myself really digging the combination of urban fantasy and horror, and I think The Brotherhood of the Wheel would be perfect for readers who love the gritty stylings of Chuck Wendig, or the creepy and otherworldly stories of Joe Hill. I also love the blending of the modern and the ancient. On the one hand, we’re reaching back into history and referencing the Knights Templar to explain the origins of the Brethren, and on the other we’re pulling in elements influenced by internet memes and other online myths that go viral. This fantastic mashup comes together to create a very special kind of magic, bringing a rough and terrible kind of beauty to the places we wouldn’t typically associate with the spiritual or magical—like tunnels, trailer parks, or truck stops.

The characters, especially Jimmie, are really what makes this book stand out. This is the first volume of a new series, but it does take place in the same world as the author’s novel Nightwise, in which Jimmie actually makes his first appearance as a truck driver who gives protagonist Laytham Ballard hitch a ride in his rig. It was a small scene, but for those who have read the book, that intriguing introduction to Jimmie and the Brethren might have made a strong impression. I know it did for me, which was why I was really looking forward The Brotherhood of the Wheel, a novel that would explore his story and his order’s background. Just in case you’re wondering, both books can be indeed be read as standalones, as they’re the openers to two different and separate series, but I still thought it was really neat to read both and catch all the easter eggs and references they make to each other.

Anyway, as it turns out, Jimmie is quite a remarkable man. He’s a reminder that a hero can come in many shapes and sizes, even in the form of a gruff truck driver with a potbelly and bad, tobacco-stained teeth, wearing a hideous Squidbillies mesh baseball cap. By day, he’s a humble worker and a loving husband and father to his wife, daughter, and another baby on the way. Off the books, he’s chasing down murderers, sexual predators, and paranormal beasties that go bump in the night, often putting his job in jeopardy when he misses delivery schedules or deadlines. Unlike Laytham Ballard of Nightwise—who wasn’t an entirely likeable guy—Jimmie Aussapile is a completely different kind of protagonist, almost like a Peter Parker-like character who immediately appeals to the reader because he is willing to make personal sacrifices for the greater good. I also loved Heck, Lovina, and Max the Builder researcher who later joins the team, and together the four of them kick some seriously major ass. It’s impossible not to root for them, especially when they’re fighting against a most twisted and depraved antagonist.

This is probably my favorite book by the author so far and I’m intensely excited about the future of this series. It’s clear he has put a lot of careful planning into this world populated by all kinds of heroes and anti-heroes united as one to protect innocents from the malevolent forces of the occult. By combining modern technology, contemporary urban myths, and age-old folkloric legends, Belcher made me see “road magic” in a whole new light, and I can’t wait to see what he does next. The wheel turns, baby!

[Adam Swift · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's like a 13-year-old drank too many monster energy drinks then tried to write a Stephen King novel after watching too much Criminal minds and Sons of Anarchy.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Brotherhood of the Wheel
By: R. S. Belcher
Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

This book is so good and so creepy! The Brotherhood of the Wheel is part of a group of people that fight unnatural forces, and human monsters, that travel the roadways. The Brotherhood could be truckers, police, taxi drivers, and anyone that travels the roads and is in the secret society.

This book follows several different people that seem unrelated to each other but like a perfect puzzle, it all comes together to show the bigger picture. They encounter Black eyed Kids, a Horned being, a town that is not on the map but once in you can't get out, shadow dogs, and more.

The creep factor is definitely a 10! Suspense on almost every page, horror, action, pure terror, and great supernatural events! Definitely going in my favorite folder! Recommend highly! I have book two and plan to start this next!
Narration was excellent!!!

[The Captain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ahoy there me mateys! I heard about this book from Tammy @ booksbonesandbuffy and was very intrigued despite that fact that urban fantasy is not usually me thing. But this book deals with truckers, bikers, and other drivers who help protect the haunted U.S. Interstate Highway System. So cool.

I had previously tried to read this author’s six-gun tarot and never finished it due to pacing but thought the author’s writing was interesting enough to give him another shot. I be very glad that I did. This book was filled with excellent characters, fun world-building, and is what I consider urban fantasy at its best.

This story follows Jimmie Aussapile who is a truck driver who is pudgy and chews tobacco. He is an unassuming guy who does his best to save the world and bring down the bad guys. He is all heart and seriously made the book for me. The other characters were great too. There be Heck Sinclair, a biker who has a bit of PTSD from his tour in Iraq and loves to create mayhem. There is the cop, Lovina Marcou, who is trying to track down missing children nobody else seems to care about. There is also a late addition of Max the Builder who was delightful.

The plot was excellent and I very much enjoyed many of the blended ideas. Ye have internet myths, serial killers, ghosts, secret societies, a town not on any maps, and an ancient evil. Now normally the ancient evil trying to take over the world bores me. But this time there is a nice blend as to why the evil is going to take over and how it wants to do it. The antagonist in this book was rather creepy and I liked how it all played out.

I don’t know if I will read the second book because this one satisfied me rare urban fantasy craving. But I do know that this was an excellent read that I would recommend to all fantasy readers due to the characters and world-building. Arrr!

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The nitty-gritty: Another winner for Belcher, a good versus evil story that will scare and delight in equal measure.

“Jimmie, if what the Pagan said is true, then the universe, at its most fundamental levels, is out of whack and is falling apart. We have to do something before it’s too late.”

“Right,” Jimmie said. “Save the universe. Got it, but first we have to merge into the damned right lane.”

I started this book near the beginning of March, and I fully intended to post a review at that time. But unfortunately, the flu had other plans for me, and it ended up taking me nearly three weeks to finish. During those feverish days in bed, I was only able to read small chunks of the book at a time, and I neglected to take ANY notes at all! I only tell you this to warn you that my memory of the story details may be sketchy, as it is my habit to take notes when I read books for review. But despite my unusual reading circumstances and lack of notes, The Brotherhood of the Wheel was such a vivid story that some of the events are still playing out in my head. The book is described as urban fantasy, but to me it falls firmly in the “horror” category as well. In other words, this book scared the living daylights out of me! Belcher’s books are all a mash-up of more than one genre, something he does really well, and I’m happy to report his latest is a wonderfully unexpected mix of magic, history, truck driver/biker culture, and yes, down-and-dirty scary shit that will give you some sleepless nights.

The premise of the story is that all the highways and main roads in the country are magically connected, and they act as a conduit for both good and bad magic. From the times of the Knights Templar, the roads have been guarded and protected by groups of people, and today these protectors are truckers and bikers who call themselves the Brethren. But evil is also attracted to these roads in the form of serial killers and other murderous types. Jimmie Aussapile is a trucker who patrols the dark highways, using his CB radio to keep in touch with other members who alert each other when trouble is afoot.

When Jimmie encounters a ghostly hitchhiker one night, a young girl who hints that she was the victim of a terrible string of child murders, he knows he won’t rest until the mystery is solved. With the help of a biker named Heck and a state trooper name Lovina, Jimmie is in for one wild—and dangerous—ride, as he must stop a serial killer, rescue some lost college kids who have stumbled into another dimension, stay away from a group of soul-stealing children called the Black Eyed Kids, and still try to make his deliveries in order to pay the mortgage.

This is the fourth Belcher book I’ve read, and I love that his writing and storytelling skills are just getting better and better. (Although my favorite of his books is still Nightwise—it’s going to be tough to beat that!). The Brotherhood of the Wheel is written in multiple points of view, a style that’s often hard to pull off successfully. But Belcher does a fantastic job, as the chapters alternate among several groups of characters: Jimmie, Lovina, Heck and the Blue Jocks, an evil biker with hooves and horns called the Pagan, and a small group of heroes who live in a town called Four Houses, a town that can’t be found on any map. Eventually these disparate groups start to come together, and that’s when the story really takes off. Stephen King is a master at pulling off stories with large casts of characters, and in my opinion Belcher’s story is every bit as good as some of the best King books I’ve read. Belcher has a firm grasp on all his characters and does a fantastic job of giving each of them enough page time so that the reader is never confused or bored.

Jimmie was briefly introduced in Belcher’s last book, Nightwise (you gotta love when authors do cool crossover things like that in their books!), and when I found out he was writing a story around Jimmie and the Brethren, I was ecstatic. Jimmie may not be your typical hero archetype (he’s overweight and chews tobacco), but he’s got a heart of gold and truly cares about saving people. Belcher gives him a loving wife and child (and a baby on the way) to not only make him more lovable, but to set the stakes much higher. Jimmie tries to keep his “other” life a secret from his wife in order to protect her, but that life often keeps him away from his family. It’s a tragic dilemma that added an extra emotional layer to the story.

Belcher’s world-building is so detailed, and he’s done so much research into ancient secret societies, like the Knights Templar, that his “what if” scenario sounded completely plausible. What if the Knights Templar, after being disbanded in 1312 by the Pope, continued on in a secret capacity as protectors? Belcher has taken the stuff of legends and woven a fantastical legend of his own, one I bought into completely.

As for the bad guys, remember I mentioned that this is also a horror story? In the town of Four Houses where a great deal of the action takes place, lost travelers should beware of a diner where they might become part of the menu, and in a dilapidated garage run by the Scode brothers, you're more likely to be tortured than get your car fixed. Luckily, a small group of residents act as protectors to these lost souls, in particular an older woman named Agnes whose house has a great source of power in the basement.

One writing quirk was a bit distracting, and I honestly believe the story could have benefited from some extra editing. Belcher loves to describe exactly what each character in his story is wearing, and so each time a new character was introduced, the story paused just long enough to give the reader a very clear picture of their clothing. I don’t mind brief character descriptions, but this happened so frequently that I started to cringe when someone new made an appearance.

But this personal complaint is certainly a small glitch (for me) in an otherwise stellar story. Belcher’s imagination, pacing and entertainingly gritty characters make this another stand-out book, one I highly recommend.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. The above quote was taken from an uncorrected proof and may differ in the final version of the book.This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy

[Julie Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Knights Templar in big rigs? C'mon! This is begging me to read it!

I found this when looking for Bronson Pinchot's latest narrations on Audible. If I thought I could handle the violence or sex audibly, I'd definitely listen because Pinchot is superb. But I know I'll want to skim or skip those parts. So I chose this for my March book purchase (yes, I'm still trying to limit my book buying ... and mostly it works!)

========

FINAL

The adventure is enjoyable enough but it is ruined by a lack of focus on the mythology. Under the guise of religions and gods being the universe showing us different faces of itself, R.S. Belcher throws in everything except the kitchen sink without much discrimination. This became especially clear when we got to a certain bar in the South and a certain character appeared for no reason other than it was a fun idea. So the story seems all over the place, aside from the mission of saving the good guys and wiping out the bad guys.

The most egregious problem was the use of the Knights Templar without any reference to the reason for their existence. In this case, Christianity is the kitchen sink that missed being added. As Belcher tells it, the original knights were 9 guys who just wanted to protect pilgrims out of the goodness of their hearts. Yes. But why did those knights have any goodness in their hearts or use the cross as their symbol? If you're afraid to use the basic mythos behind your story, then why write it? The symbols become empty, the story hollow.

He would do well to study such classics in the horror/fantasy field as The Stand by Stephen King or Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. None of them are Christian, but all build logically from the mythos they choose as the basis for their story.

It's a shame. It was a good idea, just poorly executed.

[T. K. Elliott (Tiffany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

R.S. Belcher has now been added to my list of Authors I Really Like.

What I Liked
Characters
Jimmie Aussapile is a great main character. I liked him because he doesn't have any special powers: he's just a man doing a job he knows needs to be done, at risk to himself and his family. Fighting evil might save the world, but it's trucking that pays the mortgage. He's also not some young, handsome hunk: he's married with a loving wife he actually talks to, a daughter and a baby on the way. So, in all ways, not your typical urban fantasy MC.

Secondary characters Heck (Hector), Lovina and Max were slightly less well-drawn, but still interesting. There are hints that all of them have depths currently unplumbed - future books will presumably flesh out all three of them.

Plot
To be fair, the plot wasn't what you might call terribly complicated. However, it moved along with sufficient verve, and had enough interesting ideas in it, that I didn't care.

Atmosphere
This is dark urban fantasy! It will probably appeal to fans of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and Craig Schaefer's Daniel Faust and Harmony Black books.

Conclusion
This book didn't quite make it to five stars for me, but it's a very solid four. I'll definitely be reading more of Belcher's books; the next in this series isn't out yet (tentatively titled King of the Road) but he has others, and I shall hunt them down.

[✨Susan✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Templar for the highways is made up of truckers, law enforcement, bikers, RV Gypsies, taxi's and basically anyone that hits the road on a regular basis. They help those that encounter evil while traveling. In this addition there are black eyed children that try to abduct people and take them to a town in another dimension. The demon who creates these scary, sharp teethed minions is sacrificing people abducted from our highways to a higher evil being. If everything goes according to his plan and he times the perfect sacrifices, it will enable him to cause mass destruction in our world. The beginning starts out fast and keeps its pace until the end. I loved the characters and the different offbeat storyline. It's a great one for those that like paranormal/fantasy stories that go toward the dark, spooky side.

[Steve]

DNF at 6%, no rating.

This book is not keeping my interest at all. I'm not sure if it's because I just don't care or if I'm getting burned out on urban fantasy after reading the entire Daniel Faust series.

Either way, I'm putting it on the abandoned books shelf, but I may come back to this one another time.

[Cupcakes & Machetes · Rating 4 out of 5]

She looked over the menu at her daughter. “How about this Ed Gein Bar-B-Que? That sounds good!”
“That name’s familiar,” Paul said. “I think he was a governor or something.”

A diner called Zodiac Lodge with entrees named after serial killers, may be a business venture that R.S. Belcher should look into. There are larger take-aways from this book but this may, perhaps, be my favorite.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Belcher is the master of genre mash-ups. The Brotherhood of the Wheel comes off as a mix of horror, grimdark and urban fantasy. It’s a blend that worked together and in my humble opinion, an ample dosing of horror that should throw him the leagues of King and Koontz.

The United States transportation systems are the perfect hunting ground for all manners of killers. They provide access to victims, hiding places to commit their crimes and dumping grounds galore. Both evil humans and paranormal predators stalk these interstate super highways, leaving death and destruction in their wake.

Where there are horrors, there must also be heroes who lead the fight against evil. That is the purpose of the Brotherhood, a secret organization tasked with protecting the innocent. They are police, taxi drivers, truckers, bikers, etc. They come together from all walks of life to take down serial killers, rapists, and human traffickers.

Something ancient and hungry is working it’s way free into the world, turning children into mindless monsters and using human sacrifices to increase it’s power. It hides away in a hidden town, not on any map. The residents there are captive, they cannot leave to find help and the monster’s minions lurk about, prepared to make their lives a living hell for trying.

A renegade cop, biker, trucker, and a book worm are the only ones on this thing’s tail after looking into multiple missing teenager cases and it may just save all of humanity if they can take him down.

[Niki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was honestly fantastic. It's the exact same flavour as The Lesser Dead, paranormal urban fantasy blended with pitch-black humour (and they both include creepy kids, lol), and needless to say, I loved both.

I love urban fantasy and I especially really, really love stories that blend urban legends into the narrative because they make it seem like the paranormal or magical could be right here, right under our noses, you just have to find the right curtain to peek through and it'll all be right there.... but do you REALLY want to expose yourself to unimaginable horrors? Bet not!

All that, and I've said nothing about The Brotherhood of the Wheel specifically. Plot-wise, it's a "let's stop that serial killer" story, blended with "We kinda gotta save the world in the process", which isn't particularly fresh, but it's a nice, straightforward foundation for the author to base everything else on.

What is 'everything else'? A fantastic cast of characters, all consistent, well written and well developed, even the villains (!) or characters we barely get a glimpse of, like Jimmie's family. No one talks the same or acts the same or has the same motivations (they merely align at opportune moments), they all feel like actual people you could meet (or have met? Wink wink) and you're not constantly aware of the author wearing different masks and pulling all the strings. There are no ridiculous asspulls for characters to achieve things, or get out of bad situations, they struggle and get their asses kicked but they still get up and kick ass themselves at the end.

Also, an awesome blend of several urban legends and paranormal elements. Black Eyed Kids, shadow people, ghost hitchhikers, Elvis being alive, Wiccan gods [which were handled respectfully, as far as I could tell, but I'm not a practitioner], magical highways, lost cities, shapeshifters, and secret, incredibly well connected, societies

Lastly, don't get me wrong, I did call the plot straightforward, but it's still very well written, keeps you guessing, and easily holds your attention the entire time. There are several threads, especially in the beginning while the cast of characters is essentially assembling, but everything comes together beautifully. Like I said before: no asspulls. Nothing is handed to the characters on a platter, and following them while they figure everything out is an absolute blast.

Thank you to R.S. Belcher, I think TBOTW will be one of my all time favourite reads from now on.

[Kara-karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an awesome, gritty urban fantasy, peeps!


R.S. Belcher is an unknown to me author, but I remember that Six-Gun Tarot did get really good reviews from the blogs I trust, so I decided to give this book a go. In many ways it's UF at its purest: hard-driven, packed with elements of horror and really rich on details. God, at some point it reminded me of Buffy so much!


Jimmy is a slightly overweight, middle-aged tracker. An average man who is also a Paladin entrusted to keep the roads of America safe. He drives a rig to pay the bills, but from time to time misses his pick up and drop off times because he needs to stop a serial killer or bring a ghost of a hitchhiker back home. When aforementioned ghost leaves him with a cryptic message and a plea to stop The Deer Man, he gets involved into an investigation which spans across US and involves multiple disappearances of kids.


At some point he is joined by Heck, a young MC member whose destiny is to become his Squire, and who has his own secret powers; Lavina, a fiery state trooper, who tries to find a missing child; and Max (an equivalent of Watcher to Jimmy's Paladin) who looks like a bookish librarian, but totally kicks butt with her mad knowledge skills. *grinning maniacally*


The villain in The Brotherhood of The Wheel is superbly done. He is pure evil, and even the way he talks in the audio version makes you shiver. By the way, great narrator! Really well done.


The whole book is rich with great characters, breathtaking races and fantastic fights. The atmosphere is also terrific.I am totally fascinated by the world-building and will be reading next instalment in this series. This is my type of urban fantasy. Recommended.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry here. I really wanted to like this book. In fact I wanted to like it so much I may...later....try it again, but I doubt it.

I am (as I've noted elsewhere) a Christian and I'm always looking for GOOD Christian fiction. Sadly quite often books that are overtly Christian seem not to be quite as good as their secular brethren. The idea here is an excellent one. A brotherhood of Goodguys of the road, truckers, motorcyclists, and others who live and work on the highways in service to goodness and facing evils both secular and supernatural.

Again (and I've seem this very often before) this is a case of a good idea with less than great execution. Maybe you should try this one yourself as other do like it more than I and I really wanted to like it.

So, I'm a little sad over this one.

[Kdawg91 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want more of this series..like yesterday.

Urban fantasy done absolutely 130 percent correctly, tons of action, fun, great characters I cared about, and a world that hinted at much deeper (which by God, he better go back to)

This tale rocked pretty much from top to bottom, seriously took me about 2 days to read. My issues are few, I only docked it one star, this was mainly due to how things wrapped up. The final act was a bit too tidy and clean, but considering I hope this is a new series, it's easily forgiven.


go buy this and buy Nightwise too, pay Mr. Belcher so he can feed my jones with new stuff.

[Chadwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a serviceably written contemporary dark fantasy that is saved from its occasional cool-guy posturing by some very fun ideas. Elvis Presley as a Lich King presiding over an exclusive nightclub on an island in the river outside of Memphis. Serial killer hunting lodges disguised as down market diners. Templar truck drivers versus the biker Wild Hunt. It's a fun, easy read. Mostly pretty predictable, and some of the characters are a little thin, but it goes fast enough to be forgivable.

My biggest gripe is probably a petty one. Almost every scene in the book is given a pop soundtrack, with explicit mention given to what the characters are listening to or what's on the jukebox. Nothing makes me feel less interested in a cool-guy antihero than being given his Hot Topic iPod playlist.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really 3 and 1/2 stars. Urban fantasy/supernatural mystery about a modern-day offshoot of the Knights Templar, whose members are made of truckers, state troopers, bikers, bus drivers and the like. Their job is to protect the people who travel the U.S. interstate system from evil - both earthly evil ( i.e. serial killers) and the supernatural kind (i.e. demons).

A highly original take on a familiar fantasy trope. The plot focuses on a large group of missing children and finding the person - or thing - behind it. The book has some great intense action scenes. I took off 1/2 star because the author put almost too many supernatural elements into the story. The "info dumps" about them also slowed the pace down at times. Even so, I do recommend this original entertaining book.

[H James · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only crime in this novel worth investigating is the one the author has committed against the English language. Nicholas Sparks and Dan Brown look like modern-day Melvilles when viewed alongside this R.S. Belcher fellow.

Readers with (even loose) standards with regards to prose are advised to stay far, far away from this stinking pile of refuse.

Readers with absolutely no standards whatsoever are advised to consult a different review.

[Lynn Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2019/04/16/th...
I loved this book. Great urban fantasy that just so happened to give me a serious case of the hebejebes! Why didn’t anyone tell me to pick this up before now? Okay, so maybe you did tell me to pick it up but I’m plain stubborn – sometimes I need more of a shove than a nudge. Urban fantasy with a good dose of horror mashed in for good measure, this is a world that involves all sorts of nightmares, ghosts and ancient creatures. Fortunately the roads are patrolled by an ancient order of knights – well, here is an excellent description taken from Goodreads that describes this order to a tee:

‘In 1119 A.D., a group of nine crusaders became known as the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon–a militant monastic order charged with protecting pilgrims and caravans traveling on the roads to and from the Holy Land. In time, the Knights Templar would grow in power and, ultimately, be laid low. But a small offshoot of the Templars endure and have returned to the order’s original mission: to defend the roads of the world and guard those who travel on them.’

This is a dark read populated with some real heroes and some hideous villains. The roads and interstates are stalked by much more than depraved serial killers who use this vast network to stay hidden. Older and more ancient evil lurks on these highways just waiting for the right opportunity to cause havoc.

The story fairly bursts out from the starting blocks as we meet Jimmy Aussapile, a trucker and defender of the roads and knight of the Brotherhood of the Wheel. He’s hot on the trail of a serial killer and is closing in. I won’t go further into the detail other than to say that a little later Jimmy picks up an unusual hiker, a ghostly entity with a strange tale that sets him onto the tail of something much bigger and incredibly sinister in nature. The ramifications of what Jimmy is about to uncover are huge and could be even more far reaching than first expected. This is a story that involves over a century’s worth of missing people and it takes urban myths to a whole new level.

What did I really like about this? It’s scary first and foremost. It tackles a whole lot of nasty, things that really could and do happen and that is frightening enough in itself, but then rope in a whole bunch of creepy myths, a town that can’t be found on any map and some seriously creepy, black eyed kids and you can consider me hooked to the pages. Now just to be clear, because obviously I don’t want to put potential readers off. This is UF meets horror but I wouldn’t call this gory. It’s not particularly visceral. I’m not really making myself very clear to be honest because I don’t want to put people off who think this might be too much. It is dark and scary but at the same time I’m something of a wimp – so there is that.

On top of the scary this is seriously a good story. I have to applaud an author who gives me the goosebumps but this isn’t just about the fear factor. This is a very well told story and it’s positively gripping.

The characters. Jimmy is very easy to like. He’s a great character and relatable. He wants to do the right thing and in fact puts himself, his job and his livelihood at risk in order to do so. He looks at the bigger picture and his actions go down the route of whatsoever will be better for the greater good. I know that I’m really liking a character when I actually want to hold them back out of danger. Yes, I wanted him to rush in all guns blazing but at the same time I didn’t want him to get hurt. Ohh the dilemma.

Along the way Jimmy finds himself with a squire – I loved that for an old fashioned concept. Heck is a character with a complicated past that I don’t believe we’ve fully got to the bottom of just yet and discovering his secrets is something that I’m looking forward to. The story also crosses paths with a police investigator, working a suspiciously similar case, named Lovina Hewitt. I simply have to applaud Belcher for coming up with such good characters – these aren’t the only ones that we meet and they all feel well rounded and easy to picture.

The setting – well, as if the highways themselves wasn’t such a great idea we also have the town of Four Houses. Oh my. What can I even tell you, where to begin. This is just deliciously spooky and dark. A town that can’t be found and once it is found can’t easily be undiscovered. Houses of power. And, much more. Just read the book. Don’t do a ‘me’ and leave this languishing on a dusty wishlist. Pick yourself up a copy and read it. If you needed any more motivation I can tell you I have the second book already lined up and I’m excited to begin. I think this could be the start of an excellent series and one that I could easily fall for. I hope for lots more instalments.

Where I picked up a copy: I bought the audio version of the Brotherhood of the Wheel from Audible.

[Tim Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast-paced and enjoyable urban fantasy, this was a good melding of some of the elements that make up the TV series _Supernatural_, Neil Gaiman’s _American Gods_, Sarah Beth Durst’s _The Lost_, and Dyrk Ashton’s _Paternus_ series. Maybe a little also of the 1996 movie _From Dusk till Dawn_ as well. Also _The X-Files_ too, as well as the The Checquy Files series by Daniel O’Malley. Basically it brings to mind a lot of the urban fantasy (and horror, definitely horror) novels, movies, and TV series I enjoy, where behind the modern world of cell phones and the internet is a smorgasbord of evil creatures and people as well as some very strange places you can’t reach by normal methods, the monsters hunted by a few people or secret organizations, all for the benefit of an unaware and disbelieving public.

The novel had a great and readily grasped premise, that a secret organization called the Brotherhood, its members called the Brethren (or individually a Brother), owing its origins to the Knights Templar, guards the roads of the United States. Or rather, the Road, as the Interstate Highway System and those roads that feed into it is a mystical thing, a zone almost unto itself, sort of like the idea that crossroads possess mystical energy (and where one can summon a devil, as in the TV series _Supernatural_ and in other legends), only writ large. Some of this mystical energy the reader finds in the book is deliberate, that there were manufactured elements in the Interstate Highway System that brought the Road into being. Other magical or supernatural elements are simply attracted to the Road, creatures that Go Bump In the Night, like vampires and ghosts and shadow creatures, drawing power from the Road and finding it a rich hunting ground.

Also plenty of just mundane evil is attracted to the Interstate Highway System, individual and organized groups of serial killers; hunting one in a riveting opening chapter is where we meet the central protagonist of the book, trucker Jimmie Aussapile, who while driving his big rig down America’s highways and byways also hunts, whether it is a monster, lone serial killers, or secret serial killer clubs. The opening story had an excellent pace and introduced the reader to a secret network of Brethren members, be they truck drivers or taxi drivers or police officers or state troopers or bikers or RV folks, all who respond to a fellow member in need and do all they can to fight the human and literal monsters of the Road and keep the Road safe for everyone.

A good premise, the story revolves around Jimmie, who tries to balance a paycheck-to-paycheck life as a trucker with a family and a baby on the way, training the son of his best friend in being a Brother, biker Hector “Heck” Sinclair, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and needing to advance in the Brotherhood in order to defend his biker club from an unsavory individual trying to take over the club (and take it into evil directions) after the death of Hector’s adoptive father, and Louisiana cop Lovina Marcou, obsessed with missing children’s cases, chasing them wherever the leads take her, despite working very much unofficially, her investigations causing her to cross paths with Jimmie and Hector. There are other characters that become part of the central narrative, but these are the three main characters that drive the action in the book.

I really liked the Interstate Highway aspect of the setting, that not only is the setting one in which the protagonists have to travel from one city or town (or the middle of nowhere) to another distant area in their quest to fight evil, but the highway system itself, the world of truckers, the very road and its creation, is a core part of the setting. That I have not seen done before.

I also like how the book could have been very male-oriented, centering at first on a trucker and a biker, in a world I often think of as masculine, but in addition to Lovina a number of very strong female characters become part of the story, women not around just to be rescued but very active opponents of evil.

Belcher can definitely write some action scenes, they felt cinematic and in a relatively short amount of text vividly portrayed a fight. Also his descriptive text is quite good, a very interesting balance of not sounding too flowery or poetic when describing say a truck stop or a diner, but when showing an ancient evil using descriptive prose that is perfect and sometimes quite haunting.

Downsides aren’t too much. Sometimes the author seemed to try early on a little too hard to sound cool and biker/trucker-ish, that it could have been toned down just a tad, but that is just my opinion. I had an issue with the trying-too-hard type of writing a little also in Discount Armageddon (InCryptid #1) by Seanan McGuire, another book this one reminds me of (in that case the central character Verity Price was always “on,” always quippy, to the point it seemed like she was trying to hard, though it was otherwise a very enjoyable book and if you liked that you would like _The Brotherhood of the Wheel_ and vice versa, though the feel of the two books could be quite different at times).

The only thing that really irritated me was every single time a song was playing in a bar, a diner, a restaurant, in someone’s car, in a scratchy radio in a garage, every time, the author would name the title and the performer. Sometimes a conversation would go on long enough two or three songs would be named. At first I sort of liked it, a way to give a short hand way to describe a scene or character, but after a while it just seemed sort of random, that the songs seemed I don’t know, less special, less unique to the setting, maybe something rather random or too appropriate even, an obvious song one might see used and used again in movie trailers. Once I noticed the naming of song and artist I couldn’t stop seeing it. I suppose writing “really irritated” is a bit harsh but I do think it was overdone.

Having said that, I really liked it. The pacing was absolutely excellent, I loved the setting where the bad guy set up shop, that was well done, as noted some good writing for some strong women, the Road setting was unique and very interesting, there was some good mildly loose ends at the end of the book that set up future stories, and there is one surprise cameo that I see a few reviews have spoiled but I will not. I also liked the implied past history especially for Jimmie and Heck, leaving the reader wanting to know more about the two characters. Also there are two brother organizations to the um, Brothers, and though we find out some about one there is much left to be known about that one (and not much at all is known about the third to the reader of the first book; I understand there is at least one sequel out now).

[Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a straight-up riot, just so many wonderful characters, some really fabulous dialogue, and the compelling conceit that a member of the brotherhood of knights who defend the road & all who travel on it has to join together with a monster-hunting biker, a Louisiana cop, a kidnapped college student, and an elderly MI6 agent to save the universe.

[Siona Adams]

I remember why I DNFed this book the first time. The first chapter is soooo interesting and then the next one is just so cringey to me. I really really love Belcher’s Golgotha series and would go so far to say that it’s one of my all time favorites, and I would recommend that in a heart beat. This series has a lot of potential for me, enough that after I DNF’ed it the first time I kept thinking about it and rebought the book to give it a second chance. Which says something, I suppose.

[Gillian Murrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Urban Fantasy/Supernatural/Horror which at times made me think twice about opening the door is someone knocks at night. Jimmie Aussapile the truck driver who seems to spend more time chasing bad guys than he does picking up loads, is joined by Heck the some what off the rails bikie and Louisiana cop Lovina Marcou. Together they set out to solve a mystery involving missing children only to discover a heap of B.E.K (black eyed kids) The story is creepy and then in walks Elvis wtf so thats where he got to.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

So here's the deal with this book. It falls into the pile of books that I think of as emotionally good, but technically bad.

The story is phenomenal. It's a fun and rowdy and energetic plot that keeps you engaged. I love the characters that go through it, and their own struggles that they're dealing with as they try and wrestle with the larger plot problems the book takes on. I went through it very quickly not because it was an easy read (it actually has some nice and complicated stuff it works with), but because it was so engaging and entertaining.

The writing though? It's pretty close to shit. I was pretty stupefied when I found out this wasn't some piece of KDP trash that was self-edited. There are loads of punctuation issues, things like hanging quotes, run on sentences, and far far far too much comma use. The language use itself is also not great -- there are many instances where the author just needed to crack out the thesaurus and get some new words in a few sections. Characters names are spelled wrong. At one point, a character *clicks* open a lock, then *clicks* open the door, then *clicks* on their flash light. Come on -- there are way better words to use so that you don't wind up with such a clunky paragraph.

All in all, it's a cheap and dirty beach read. Take it entirely at surface level and don't expect it to be a masterfully written piece of urban literature -- because that for sure, it ain't.

[Jeff Suwak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I've enjoyed a fiction book this much in probably five years, and I read a lot. The opening line is just absolutely killer, and the book just kept drawing me in from there. The story itself is terrific, but what is possibly even more enjoyable in this age of homogenous prose is the author's stylistic proficiency and flare. Dude can just straight-up write. Every single character is recognizable and feels "real," which goes a long way in making the fantastical elements of the story seem natural and believable.

I got this from the library and am going to buy a copy. I have spent so much money on books that I decided to only buy them if I am thoroughly impressed from reading at the library. From the first chapter of this book, I thought, "I'm buying this thing." I'm going to read it again, both as a writer to learn from Belcher, and then again as a reader, just to flat out enjoy it.

I've been ranting about this book to all my reader-friends. I absolutely love it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.bookwormblues.net/2016/02/...

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️
One of the most entertaining and enjoyable modern or urban fantasies I’ve read in awhile. Don’t know why I haven’t read any of this series before.

I’m a sucker for secret societies and this one has a red neck trucker who also is part of a brotherhood who protects travelers on the worlds roads and highways.

I thought it was great and I already picked up the next book in the series.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When this book came out I added it to my maybe shelf. The description intrigued me, but I just didn't make an effort to read it. Then in the last week it showed up as the daily deal at audible and I grabbed it and looked forward to listening to it.

The first part was confusing, there were 3 separate things going on, but they didn't seem connected. It was only as Jimmy, Hector and Lovina met up that things started to come together. Part of it was the characters being together, part was that Jimmy was forced to explain to the other two.

I love the idea of the Brotherhood, random guys taking care of the evil that so often shows up in our world. Of course this being fiction there was a paranormal bent. The whole idea of black eyed kids creeped me out, as did being stuck in 4 Houses. All the action at the end was a bit crazy, but I loved that all the good guys were ordinary people, people that stepped up to do what was right, right for them to get back to the world and right for the rest of the world.

I look forward to reading more in this series, to see what else the road brings and how the Brotherhood steps up.

[Nick Spacek · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could have been an absolute winner, but Belcher repeatedly shot himself in the foot. Be it his need to constantly mention what song by what artist is playing, like a freshman creative writing major trying to create a sense of place, or his overly-expository dialogue, it seems like the author doesn't trust in his writing -- or his readers -- enough to just let characters and plot roll on and get shit accomplished. When Belcher stops trying and lets the story get going, it's fun as fuck. There are parts of The Brotherhood of the Wheel which rank up there as some of the coolest imagery and story ideas I've heard in a while. Combining Lovecraft with Creepypasta and making it stick? Good on him, but Belcher wastes so much time creating mythos and setting up the inevitable sequel that this book doesn't get the proper attention it deserves. Stop looking down the road, dude: focus on the car you're driving.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another work of brilliance from R.S. Belcher. I loved this book - its story, its characters, its setting. The way Belcher begins with numerous narratives and weaves them together is so well done, and it feels like you are immersed in the world he has created. My only complaint is that there is a great deal of violence and at times it felt gratuitous. But overall this was a fantastic read and I can't wait for more Belcher!

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very very very good, please read