Review of Initiate Brother by Sean Russell

The past fifteen years, poked and prodded by social movements, have seen myriad books emerge with Oriental and Oriental-esque settings and motifs. Before that time, however, such books were inconspicuous. Readers interested in non-Medieval European settings had to dig deep on genre bookshelves to find material. Occasionally they were rewarded. Dig far enough and it was possible—and still possible today—to find Sean Russell's high fantasy gem Initiate Brother (1991).

Initiate Brother is set in a world called Wah which strongly echoes feudal Japan/China*. Wah is ruled by an Emperor who has consolidated power through a loyal group of advisers, generals, and houses paying fiefs, but is paranoid of the more powerful houses in his empire, the largest of which is House Shonto. Lord Shonto, despite his power, is loyal to the Emperor, and guides and rules his house through patience, long-term strategies, and intelligent alliances, including the monks of the botahari religion. At the outset of Initiate Brother he takes one of their brightest young minds, a monk named Shuyun, as his new spiritual advisor. Little does he know the implications of this decision on the future of Wah.

Despite the title of the book being a reference to the young monk, the majority of Initiate Brother focuses on a handful of characters in the Shonto and Imperial retinues, and the court drama enveloping them. The reader experiences Wah through the eyes of Jaku Katta, the Emperor's tiger-eyed general and would-be suitor to Shonto's intelligent daughter, Lady Nishima. Lord Kashigawa, a young but clever leader in a house loyal to Lord Shonto. Through Otaru, a concubine to the Emperor who believes she is falling out of favor. And Shonto and the Empror's eyes, as well. Through these the reader experiences the tea times, cabals, musical performances, councils, secret trysts, hearings, emergency notifications, grand canal trips, and other scenes that feed a brewing civil war.

I've read comparisons of Initiate Brother to A Game of Thrones. Pshaw, and pshaw again. There's little common between the two. Better analogs are James Clavell's Shogun, Daniel Abraham's Long Price quartet, and Guy Gavriel Kay's Under Heaven and River of Stars. The size and scope of Martin's world is simply not there, not to mention Initiate Brother is Oriental to the marrow, not European. Russell does rotate through points of view, but the number of main characters is significantly smaller—Goldilocks-sized for the story being told. And finally, Russell's vision for his book is clear. He knows the story he wants to tell and resists the temptation to let the plot grow legs and wander away. It's a decidedly more contained experience.

For readers hoping for big, splashy, Oriental magic, don't look here. There are no demons, zen levitationists, or elemental wizards. Rather, Russell's story is 98% realist with light touches of magic. It's effective court drama spiced by a bit of the uncanny that is almost exclusively related to, for lack of a better term, old school kung fu. Feats of strength with zero visible effort. Concentration and focus above and beyond mortal human. The deepest understanding of human physics. It rewards readers who appreciate subtlety in their fantastika.

It should be noted, Initiate Brother is one half of a duology split in two for the same reason Tolkien's Lord of the Rings was split into three volumes: too much material for a single book. To put this more clearly, the end of Initiate Brother is more a convenient pause in story than cliffhanger or contained event. In fact, it creates more threads—ropes to be precise—than it ties off. If the reader finds themselves enjoying Initiate Brother part way through, just go buy Gatherer of Clouds, second half of the duology, so you can continue directly. The two are joined at the hip, and Gatherer of Clouds only takes the story to the next level, not to mention delivers a worthy, satisfying ending.

A few notes on technique. Russell's style is largely workaday with an eye to scene building and dialogue. It's quietly competent. The story possesses just enough detail to set a scene or describe bits of action. It doesn't dwell on worldbuilding. Rather, the characters, their conversations, their shifting positions on the proverbial chess-board and the implications thereof are where most content lies. Russell's prose will not wow, but its pace is subtly excellent, and by the end of the novel novel readers can be in appreciation of the patient, brick-by-brick way in which the story is constructed.

If there are challenges to the novel, one may be the general lack of description. I didn't find it necessary, but there will be readers looking for more ornate descriptions of Oriental luxury, or blow-by-blow battle scenes and fights. As stated, Russell provides only enough to watercolor not etch a scene.

Another potential challenge may be the relatively abrupt transitions between scenes. If readers are unaware of the subtle undercurrents to dialogue and character interaction, then it's possible it will feel as though there isn't enough space between scenes—here now suddenly there. Guy Gavriel Kay, for example, does this sort of thing well. But to repeat, character conversations have a natural flow which subtly flag they are coming to an end, no overt signpost needed.

The final potential challenge is character depth. Russell's cast is Tolkienian in nature. The characters occupy roles more archetypal than nuanced. They are presented with strains of humanity, but do not have a full 3D helix. To be clear, they do not occupy slots in the plot with predetermined destinations; most main characters have agency, only that readers will not see their full souls.

In the end, Initiate Brother is an undeservingly overlooked novel. Published ~35 years ago, it's a lightly fantastical Oriental drama that holds up to today's standards. Russell's style may be too austere for some readers, but it matches well the minimalist, Oriental tale being told, in turn allowing the key details to emerge by contrast. If a detail is mentioned, it is worth mentioning. Due to the fact the novel is the first half of a duology there will be some readers who walk away disappointed the ending did not have more fireworks. But like Fellowship of the Ring, it can really only be considered in conjunction with the remainder of its tale.

*Note: the cultural aspects of Initiate Brother are Japanese in nature while the geographical elements are Chinese. I'm aware many things the West considers Japanese are actually Chinese in origin, therefore take that distinction with several grains of salt and forgive my simplistic distinction. The novel has zero political or social justice pretense.