Rating: 
Summary: Much better than the first book
Review: After reading The Runelords, I wasn't sure I was going to continue on to the next book in the series or not. The writing was so-so, and the plot left something to be desired. But I was sucked into the extremely unique ideas Farland was developing, so I went ahead and read Brotherhood anyway, and was pleasantly surprised. The writing has improved, and the characters begin to take some real dimension. The unique ideas of the first book are built upon as well - making this a much more fascinating read. If you enjoyed the premise of The Runelords, and wasn't turned off by the writing, then I recommend giving this one a shot. At least it's not the same-old fantasy story that turns up in most books.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: The first book in this series wasn't marvelous, but was pretty good, and interesting. I hoped that this second book would improve on the subject matter.Boy, was I disappointed. This whole book seemed very vague, with the main hero dissolving into confusion, and dragging his readers with him. The other characters are poorly portrayed, and the whole book leads to a massive battle scene at the end - which fizzles out with almost no punch. The conclusion of the book seems to be more because the author ran out of intelligent things to say than because the story was finished.
Rating: 
Summary: Not my shtick
Review: I have read the second volume of the Runelords saga and as hard as I try, I cannot warm up to the story. True enough, it has an elaborate plot, plenty of action, shining heroes like Prince Gaborn, the unforgiving Reavers, madman Raj Ahtan & basically enough ideas and world-building to satisfy any SF/F buff. So where is the problem ? Well, there's at least a couple of them. First and most important: The characters don't ring true - and this across the whole cast ! As a rule, behavioral patterns seem odd & forced, given external circumstances. Or simple: Generally the characters do not behave like real people would, especially in situations when they are under stress. Farland is very competent at building his world, but his character-sketching skills are way below par. Unfortunately, this provides for a very flat & superficialized read. The second point ends up amplifying the first: The magical system of attribute transfer is simply unwholesome, as if Nietzsche had invented D&D. Hard to root for that. Also, the mathematics of the system seem weirdly off tilt. Some people have almost super powers by absorbing only one or two attributes - where does that leave somebody like Raj Ahtan who swallowed them up in the ten-thousands ? E.g. technically, he should have gone utterly mad from self-adulation, if you consider how many glamour attributes he has. You see, somehow it just doesn't gel... All in all, it's not necessarily a bad read, but I do not really look forward to Volume III. Sparrowhawk
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: After reading the first book of the series, I was eager to get my hands on the second. Though I was expecting another brilliant book, this was still above my expectations. Farland has written another excellent book which, in my opinion, overshadows even the first in the series. He introduces new characters and plots into the story and the result is a book which you do not want to miss. This book will leave you eagerly anticipating the next in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the 1st
Review: The second installment of the Runelords is better than the first. Farland did not have to take the time explaining his premise so he was able to take tome to develop his characters. I felt for Gaborn. He is a young man who is trying to understand his new powers. He is torn between being the earth king and wanting to avenge his fathers death. He is torn with saving mankind, which requires the assistance of Raj Ahten, and his insatiable desire for revenge. The story was exhilarating. It developed to a crescendo so that I found it difficult to put it down. Many middle books in series have anticlimactic endings. This book did not have this problem. The endgame was grand. I look forward to the next installment.
Rating:
Summary: very good
Review: I firmly agree with the critics, this series is the first one in a long while that has the potential to compete with robert jordon. if you thought the first book was good wait till you get your hands on the second!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Hackneyed
Review: If you don't want anything new from your fantasy reading, this book is for you. You will find ripoffs of many other concepts, including those from D&D and other role playing games, Stephen R. Donaldson's Reavers and all your standard fantasy tropes. Farland is a second or third class writer, unable to match the vision and verbiage of Robert Jordan or the excitement of Terry Goodkind. This book is not worth reading at all in my opinion, but if you don't mind reading the same stuff you find in other novels, at least spare yourself the expense and buy it in paperback. My library doesn't carry it, which should tell you something.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty darned good--no matter WHAT anyone else says
Review: On a whim, I actually wrote to David Farland to ask him WHY I should read 'The Runelords'. Believe it or not, he wrote me back--that very day. I was taken by surprise to say the least, and honored that he would take the time to encourage me to read his stuff. Well, long story short, I DID read 'The Runelords' and enjoyed it VERY much. I was completely enthralled with the magic that Farland had developed in 'The Runelords'. To actually be able to transfer wit, brawn, sight and metabolism from one person to another was an incredibly gifted and original idea for a fantasy series. It was all that and more, a LOT more. Once you accept these particular benefits from another person, it sometimes leaves them barely able to breathe on their own, you MUST take care of them, for if THEY die, you lose that attribute. They become your dedicates. Now we find that our villain, Raj Ahten has the attributes of a good number of people...maybe as many as 20,000 of them. What it basically means is that Raj is one baaad dude. As close to being impossible to defeat as a human can get. Although he loses a battle at the end of 'The Runelords' he is far from giving up, nor is he even close to being defeated. In 'Brotherhood' Farland introduces us to several new characters (my favorite being the Reavers and the Green woman) and gives us yet another problem rarely (if ever) broached in this particular genre: The good guys AND the bad guys have another potentially BIGGER fish to fry and worry about, The Reavers. Now these boys are realllllly baaaaad. Newly crowned Earth King, Gaborn Val Orden sees the ONLY way to prevail against the Reavers is to band together with Raj Ahten...a prospect that Raj isn't too happy about agreeing with...even if it means his ENTIRE army being totally decimated. What to do, what to do...? Farland handles the story with finesse and brings us along for the ride with a truly original fantasy world that is every bit as fun as anything else in print today (it might not be as intellectual as George R.R. Martins series right now, but then again, NOBODY is close to him in THAT respect). I look for an enjoyable ride when I hop aboard the fantasy train, and I am happy to say that David Farland's 2nd foray into the world of fantasy is every bit as fun as the 1st. Don't let the bad reviews hinder you from a truly original storyline that is as fun as it is exciting. Farland has written us the gift, and all we need to do is pick it up, unwrap it and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: A decent book worth your time
Review: i read this book around a year ago, when it had first came out and i found the whole concept of taken endowments to be quite interesting. David Farland really came up with a great new idea for a different form of magic. Instead of the old school fireballs and flying, he has created superhumans though a different concept. I would suggest this book to anyone who would like a fresh breeze away from the old stale ways.
Rating:
Summary: Second book better than the first
Review: I have read most of the reviews of the first book and they all seem disappointed. Farland does a good job with innovating new ideas, but doesn't execute well. Comments are made about the characters being flat, and the world under developed. The Second book works towards fixing a lot of the issues that made the first book OK, but not great. While I would still rank Farland below the talent of George Martin, Robert Jordan, etc... he has improved his concept in Brotherhood of the wolf enough to merit a positive review. His characters seem more defined, and more real. The most improved being the knight the young prince sends out into the world on an impossible mission. The world is more richly detailed, although there is still room to improve here. The good news is that what Farland did right in the first book he does again in this one. If you managed to make it through the first book, I would recommend reading the second.
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