Book Review: Lord of Order

My first completed read of 2022 is Lord of Order by Brett Riley and it was a fantastic read that I could not put down so I’m happy it was my first book of the year, although with its dystopian premise hopefully that’s not a sign for the coming year!

Last year I read Comanche by the same author, Brett Riley, and really liked it. However, I like Lord of Order so much more. Comanche was good, but had this supernatural element to it. It was not scary, but had this eeriness to it that I liken to Stephen King. It’s hard for me to put the feeling into words, but it’s got that creepy feel that makes you feel unsettled if that makes sense. Lord of Order is not supernatural at all, but is a dystopian novel of some future America. I don’t think the exact year was ever stated in the novel, but it takes place sometime in the future and what we know now in the United States (think cell phones, airplanes, cars, electricity) are all gone. The country, or what is left of it, is divided into two main groups – the Crusaders and the Troublers.

The Crusaders are in power in Washington and believe that the country needed to be cleansed of all the “bad” people who were sinners and didn’t put God first. The Troublers are the rebels who didn’t want to follow the Crusade. They are not necessarily non-religious, but they refused to follow the Crusade’s belief that only their beliefs were the “right” way.

The novel is told from multiple perspectives, but I want to say the main protagonist is the Lord of Order of New Orleans, Gabriel Troy, because he kind of gets the ball rolling with the storyline and the story is told more often from his perspective I think. So, a Lord of Order basically runs the principality they live in. He has deputies that work for him and oversee different areas such as Ford who is the chief hunter gatherer, Long – the chief weaponsmith, etc. They make sure things are running smoothly, give orders, punish the Troublers who may try to come to the area, etc. When Royster, a higher up from Washington, comes to town with some of his henchmen with new orders from the Supreme Crusader, Matthew Rook, Troy begins to question things. A wall is ordered to be built around New Orleans, all weapons and munitions are to be counted, and more. A prominent Troubler, Lynn Stransky, is captured early on in the novel and says they are all sheep who don’t even know they’re all being led to their deaths. Matthew Rook is planning a purge and all of New Orleans is going to die.

Troy doesn’t want to believe Stransky. Why would he believe a Troubler? But, the more orders he’s given that don’t add up and seem fishy, the more he thinks maybe she is telling the truth.

With his most trusted friends, Troy, plans a way to save their home from a purge. The novel is a great look at questioning what we’re told and raised to believe and the lengths we will go to to save our homes, families, and souls.

The novel kept me so interested and engaged. I couldn’t stop reading. I was able to read the 400+ book in just days! It is violent and has some descriptive gruesome scenes, but they didn’t bother me. I definitely had my face scrunched up when reading some of the bloody parts thinking “ewww”, but I was able to read it and I’m a bit squeamish at times.

The novel ends with an open ending which gives me hope that there will be a sequel to show us what happens next!

If you’re a fan of adult dystopian novels, definitely check this out.

*This book was sent to me complimentary, but all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.*