Lord of Order: A Novel

"Those who like their dystopias especially gritty will want to take a look.”―Publishers Weekly The Purge is here. New Orleans must die. Long after the destruction of all electronic technology, the Bright Crusade rules the world as a fundamentalist Christian theocracy. Gabriel Troy is Lord of Order for the New Orleans Principality. For years, he and his deputies have fought to keep their city safe from the attacks of the Crusade’s relentless enemies, the Troublers―heretical guerillas who reject the Crusade’s rule and the church’s strict doctrines. As their crowning achievement, Troy’s forces capture the Troublers’ local leader. The city has never been more secure. Alarming intelligence leaks from Washington: Supreme Crusader Matthew Rook plans to enact a Purge―the mass annihilation of everyone deemed a threat to the Crusade. Rook orders his forces to round up all but the blindly loyal and march them to New Orleans. Once the prisoners have been chained inside, the Crusaders will wall off the city and destroy the levees. The resulting deluge, reenacting the Biblical deluge of Noah’s time and the city’s devastation during Hurricane Katrina, will kill everyone inside. Forced to choose between the Crusade and the city he has sworn to protect, Troy and five other conflicted conspirators gird for battle, fully aware that the looming apocalypse will demand horrific choices, test their faith, and require them to join forces with their sworn enemies.

David Pitt, Booklist Magazine

"With the one-two punch of Comanche and Lord of Order, Riley has established himself as an ambitious and versatile writer, and SF fans, especially those with a dystopian bent, will certainly love this one."

Kyle Holl, HorrorBuzz.com

“The character development is expertly handled and believable. Troy and his deputies are deeply fleshed out and palpably conflicted, and the thematic dive into faith and the corruption of trusted institutions is pretty powerful stuff.”

Tom Shippey, The Wall Street Journal

"Mr. Riley, an experienced screenwriter, knows how to keep the action rolling."

Publishers Weekly

“Riley presents a convincingly bleak vision of the future in his latest. Riley has a facility for fast-paced action that keeps the pages turning. There’s plenty to keep readers’ attention and enough questions are left open to make a sequel welcome. Those who like their dystopias especially gritty will want to take a look.”

Midwest Book Review

“A deftly crafted and inherently compelling page-turner of a read, Lord of Order is a simply riveting."

Stephen Scott Whitaker, co-editor of The Broadkill Review, and member of the National Book Critics Circle

“The past is future in this sweaty, swampy, gun-slinging first cousin to dystopian classics like The Handmaid’s Tale and Fahrenheit 451."

Paul Eberly, PaulEberly.com,

“The resonance engendered by Atwood, Pullman, and now, conspicuously, Brett Riley. They are prophets of the terrible could-be. I was blown away by this book, and I want you to read it.”

Lee Doughty, Grimdark Magazine

“Lord of Order is a thrillingly violent, dark and brutal story of conspiracy and rebellion. Set in a post-apocalyptic dystopian North America of the future, it is part spaghetti western and part thriller, mixed and painted onto a religiously-themed canvas and influenced by current events."

Douglas Unger, author of Leaving the Land, and Voices from Silence

“Brett Riley writes hard core action that should keep readers turning his pages, his literary point the hypocrisy and perfidy of extremist fundamentalisms that trample all freedom and humanity."

Beth Castrodale, author of In This Ground and Marion Hatley

“Through vivid scenes of battle and quiet moments of reflection, this engrossing novel brings us to the heart of these internal and external struggles and, ultimately, suggests a way toward redemption."

Dieter Moitzi Goodreads.com

“The writing, very to-the-point, without frills or unnecessary ornaments, is really good―tight, straight, charismatic, atmospheric, drawing me in and dragging me along in a relentless pace through the whole book."

A.D. Hopkins, author of The Boys Who Woke Up Early

“To save mankind, people of faith must risk their lives, and their very souls. Lord of Order is a remarkable dystopian novel from the imaginative author of Comanche."

About the Author

Brett Riley is professor of English at the College of Southern Nevada. He grew up in southeastern Arkansas and earned his Ph.D. in contemporary American fiction and film at Louisiana State University. His short fiction has appeared in numerous publications including "Folio," "The Wisconsin Review" and "The Baltimore Review". Riley’s debut novel, "Comanche" was released in September 2020. He has also won numerous awards for screenwriting. Riley lives in Henderson, Nevada.

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