Written in Red (The Others, #1)

by Anne Bishop

Enter the world of the Others in the first novel in New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop’s thrilling fantasy series: a place where unearthly entities—vampires and shape-shifters among them—rule the Earth and prey on the human race.

As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others.

Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.

• ISBN10: 0451417909
• ISBN13: 9780451417909
• Publish Date: 4 March 2014 (first published 1 March 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Ace Books
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 512
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451417909

Reviews

[Linda]

Oh wow! Written in Red is astounding - and I feel like I've missed out a bit not having read it until now. At the same time, though, now I can binge-read.
Meg, Simon, Tess, Sam, Nathan, Henry and the others (pun intended) were all multi faceted characters. They had flaws. But they grew.
The story itself was captivating, and the world building was extremely well done.

[EBookObsessed]

I would highly recommend giving Anne Bishop and her The Others series a try. Such fascinating world building, appealing characters and just a hint of romance to spice it up.

The Cassandra Sangue or blood prophet known as Cs759 has escaped and from now on she intends to be called Meg Corbyn. But Meg was barely lucky enough to escape and trudging through a snowstorm with nothing more than jeans, sneakers, T-shirt, and light jacket won’t stop her from freezing to death before she can truly get free. With nowhere to go, Meg stumbles upon the Courtyard which is the land within the human city of Lakeside which belongs to the terra indigene–the Others or “earth natives”–who are not even close to human no matter what face they are wearing. As a blood prophet, Meg is the valuable property of the Controller and if he finds her, she will end up back at the compound forever locked away. So the two signs in the window of the bookstore can make all the difference to Meg, “Help Wanted” and “Human Laws Don’t Apply.” If she can get the job as the Human Liaison with the terra indigene, she will not have to fear being returned to the Controller. She will be safe, unless the Wolfgard or the one of the Sangiunati decide to eat her.

The Crowgard are finding their new liaison very entertaining and most of the terra indigene are intrigued by the human who shows kindness and respect to the inhabitants of the Courtyard. And the some of the residents are starting to think of the humans as more than just intelligent meat, or as they derogatorily refer to humans as “monkeys.”

Meg is winning over some of the terra indigene, but the turning point for all is when the leader of the Courtyard, Simon Wolfgard, leaves her in charge of his traumatized nephew when he has to leave for an emergency meeting. It is Meg who coaxes the young wolf out of a cage and into the sunshine for the first time in two years. That will earn her the loyalty of most of the terra indigene, but there are still others that see her “buddy-line” solution as nothing more than a Wolf on a leash and want to see her dead for the insult.

If Meg doesn’t have the protection of the Courtyard and from human laws, she won’t last long on the streets of Lakeside. Then again, the man who wants his property back has no use for laws, whether they are human or Other. He knows where Meg has been hiding and he is tired of waiting. If he can’t get the beasts to return her willingly, he will destroy the entire courtyard if necessary to get her back. Will the terra indigene turn Meg over to save their own, or do they now consider Meg to be one of their own?

Now that I have read this first book in the original series, I can see the similarities in the storylines between Written in Red and Lake Silence of a human who, through respect, wins the trust and loyalty of the very deadly locals. Just because they are both similar, doesn’t lessen the fact that both are really enjoyable stories.

I really like the fact that where most shifter/paranormal romances involve men and women who turn from human into animals, here the Wolfgard, Beargard, Crowgard, etc. are more animals who have learned to shift to resemble humans. Simon Wolfgard is the leader and often threatens to eat annoying humans. I thought it was funny when Simon invites Meg to watch a movie with him and his nephew, she hears a hesitency in his voice and wants to know if he doesn’t really want her to come over. But his reluctance isn’t about spending time with Meg, it is that just like how most women want to get home and take off their annoying bras at the end of the day, Simon wants to shed his human skin when he gets home so he can relax in his natural wolf form and he doesn’t think Meg can deal with seeing his wolf form.

There is no real romance to this story but as the story goes on we see Simon wanting to spend more and more time with Meg and sometimes uses excuses to himself to justify why he has to see her.

The only thing I find disturbing is the cutting of the blood prophets, which is how they prophesize. It makes me think of the real world young girls who cut themselves to relieve stress. The cassandra sangue experience pain in the cutting and the prophesies but also a euphoria that is almost sexual. I hope that no one finds that this story glorifies cutting.

I enjoyed this story so much that I purchased a kindle copy as well and used the whispersync feature to bounce between reading and listening so I could keep going with the story. I have already started Book 2, Murder of Crows. While I got a hint of what happens as this series progresses after reading Lake Silence, I am looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds.

See more at EBookObsessed.com

[Berls]

One of the best books I've read in a while! I love the Others - they are so complex as species and characters. And I just love the complicated way Meg becomes part of them and changes the way the relate to each other and humans. Lots of tension as things developed, which explains why I read 70% of the book in 2 days! Can't wait to pick up the next one!

[nitzan_schwarz]

2015 tbr challenge

JUST POSTED ON MY BLOG

I'm not even sure if I have enough words to describe the amazingness of this book.  But I'm sure going to try to, anyways. Don't ever say I don't love you!

Have you ever read a book so good you just... want to re-read it the moment you finish it? Like, you know you've got other books that need your attention, but you want to go back to these characters and world you almost don't care? You just crave to be there again? Written in Red is literally THAT book. I applaud my self discipline for not re-reading it again immediately. I did, however, re-read it a couple of months later. And just copying this review to Afterwords is making me itch to read it again this very moment.

Edit: I did end up re-reading the book after typing this... 

The world in Written in Red is so intricate and beyond incredible, both in the way it's built up throughout the book and the way it just is. It's all constructed slowly, sometimes between the lines, and so believably and seamlessly; from the mythology and the creation story, to the dynamics and the multiple povs.

A lot of books change the nature of the supernatural - they make them nice, cuddley pets. Vegetarians, or pacifist, or cultured and ethical, saying they're nothing like the legends to make the readers feel alright for liking them, for loving them even. I don't mind that, but it was incredibly refreshing to read a book that un-romanticizes the supernatural. 

That's right. Written in Red doesn't gloss over the reality of The Others. That is, they're the predators... and we're the prey. You're going to see your favorite characters kill, and they never hesitate about it. They never second guess. They never show remorse. And it's not going to make you love them less. If anything, you'll love them more for being so blatantly what they are. 

That said, they do... soften, throughout the book... thanks to Meg.

Meg's the girl on the cover--though that's hardly how I imagine her. She's the human that starts to change things. She's running from something (and trust me, it's way creepy and way worth discovering on your own when you read it), and to escape, she applies for the job of the human Liaison at the Lakeside courtyard, where human laws do not apply.

Throughout her stay, she wins over both the humans and Others at the courtyard, with her kindness and innocence that kind of clash with her spunk and bravery (which she shows even in the face of the Big Bad Wolves). And she just may be the bridge to create a different world. Already, the Others who have met her start to show more... consideration to the useful humans they don't plan to eat.

Others like Simon, Meg's surly boss and the leader of the courtyard; Vlad (can you guess what creature he is?),Sam (cutest cub ever), Tess, Winter, Jester.... And all of these characters, while being so Other, are also so very lovable. I adore each and every one of them--even when they murder in cold blood!

And while I can't categorize this book as romance, there is a big enough hint of it to LET THE SHIPPING BEGIN!

Luckily, I'm pretty sure my ship is going to be cannon, and I am going to have SO much fun seeing it come to life!

And finally, I could not stop reading this book. Like, for reals. It's been a long time since a book managed to hold me prisoner like that--and it's not like the book was filled with excitement all the time (a huge part of it is day-to-day life). It didn't need that to keep me interested.

My message to you? Read this book. RIGHT NOW. Go, do it! you're not going to be sorry!

October 12 to 13, 2016:
Re-read number four in how many years, exactly? haha #sorrynotsorry

December 3 to 4, 2015:
Re-Read number three in 2015 alone... #sorrynotsorry

[lisacee]

This book started slow for me. I was afraid this was not the first book in this series as little was explained up front.

But the characters and their relationships kept me listening and caring about what might happen to them.

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

5 ★ Audiobook⎮ *jumps on couch* I love this book!
*flails on floor* I LOVE this book!
*yells from rooftop* I LOVE THIS BOOK!

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I can tell you exactly why I love this book. Ugh, where to even begin? I listened to almost an hour of it a few months ago and then stopped. I’m not really sure why. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right “place” for it at that time. Whatever the reason, I sure am glad that I decided to pick it back up again. This story was so addicting that I found myself thinking about it all the time. I almost literally could not stop listening. This is one of those books that completely de-rails your TBR and forces you to rearrange your life around listening to it. I missed a social function because of this book. The writing is so enveloping. It swallowed me up like a black hole. There may have been (actually, there probably were) some problematic points in the storyline, but those barely registered with me. If I had looked closely and really scrutinized, I’m sure I could have spotted them, but I was far too consumed with enjoying the story to even bother. I realize this review is more of me “gushing” than reviewing, but I’m not even sorry. I just love this story-world so much. The attention to detail is impeccable and so original. The world is very thoroughly built and “fleshed-out”, but I never felt that it was at the expense of the story’s progression. The story had a wonderful pace and never felt rushed or stagnant. I was surprised after finishing it to realize that the audiobook was over 18 hours long. I honestly didn’t realize it was that lengthy of a story. I was enthralled with it every single second.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a good urban fantasy story and this one reminded me of why it’s my favorite genre. For a while there, I was reading so much fantasy that I got burnt out, but this novel has rekindled my love for it. One of my favorite feelings in the entire world is discovering a new series to obsess over. Especially that moment when you feel yourself becoming hooked by a new story and realize that there are several more installments just waiting to be downloaded. That, that’s the best. After finishing this installment, I sped through the second one (review to come shortly) and have already begun the third. It should be noted that this series is definitely not, I repeat, NOT for youngsters. It bluntly discusses numerous things that are of a mature nature. And I do mean bluntly. There’s no way any of it could slide past the noticing of a teen/pre-teen. As an adult, I found it both humorous and refreshing, but there’s no way I would consider recommending it to anyone under the age of 17 or so.

[liz089]

Read more about this review and others on my blog Freyja Eats Books

STANDALONE or SERIES.
This is the first part in The Others series, the fourth will be out this March ! So hopefully I’ll be up to date when it comes !

WHY this book.
I got it for Christmas from my parents, and I was really curious about it. It has such high ratings and positive reviews !

FIRST THOUGHTS.
I just ate it all up. I was free the last couple of days, and I just spent my last free days enjoying this book. There was nothing else I wanted to do, and when I was forced to step back into the life of the living I could not wait to get back and kept fantasising about it !! It was one of the best Urban Fantasies I’ve ever read.

PLOT.
The story is about Meg Corbyn, an escaped blood-prophet and the people surrounding her. She has lived (until now) in captivity and almost everything is new to her. She has seen a lot in pictures and instruction movies.. but she had never lived her own life. When escaping she finds refugee in Lakeside Courtyard, were the Others live and rule. Humans and Others don’t go well together and had a lot of trouble in the past, but are currently trying to live peacefully. Which does not mean that they trust each other.. Not at all. But some are trying. Meanwhile she hides with them, and she really grows on them. They find out why she is there, and they help protecting her from her Controller, who tries to get his property back. And so the battle begins..

I loved how this book had multiple narrators, not just Meg and Simon, but a lot of others as well. It really completed the story and gave different views of parts of the story. I also liked the pace, it just really got you into the world and how things are done.

ROMANCE.
If you LOVE romance and NEED romance in a book, then this is not for you. It has little romance in it... BUT !! This fitted perfectly with the story. Our main character Meg has never lived in the real world, never dealt with feelings, so it would not be right for the character to get all hot and steamy right away. That would make no sense at all. So luckily they kept the romance on the background, and let the story unfold itself. Though, there was some flirting and a lot of potential for something to happen in the future.. so really looking forward to how that will develop !!

SETTING.
The setting is just amazing !! A different world, were we humans are not the only thing at the top of the food chain and we all know about it. The Others have always existed and are part of the world, not only that, but they are more powerful and stronger then we are.
You have all kinds of Others, the “normal” ones we all know, like vampires and shifters, only they are shaped kind of differently than we are used to, and the even scarier ones with much more power that keep in the background. Like the Elementals such as Winter, Air, Summer, Fire etc. Super cool !! And don’t forget the ponies, how they surprised me !!!
I also liked the kind of creepy setting that ran through it all so to say.. A bit spooky.. with the legends of past and stuff.. LOVED IT.
I also really like how the Courtyard is shaped, and how visual she made it for me. Of course, there was a map at the beginning of the book, but apart from that, the way she described it made me feel like I was there with them.

CHARACTERS.
We have a lot of different characters in this book, and I’m sorry, but I’m not in the mood to describe all of them.. Just know that they are all awesome in their own way and mainly because all of them are narrators you get to know them quite personally.

FAVORITE.
Tess !! I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding her, and what kind of Other she is. I would love to know more about her, how she got there in the Courtyard.. what she has been through. I love that she is so independent, but tries to form friendships as well.

LEAST FAVORITE.
Asia !! I really hated her.. what she did and why she did it. I could just not feel sorry for her and was happy she got what she deserved !

THE BAD.
It had some slow parts, that I liked mostly.. but also got to a point where I thought she should move on and get the action going again. It did make the story more real, more complete.. but it could bore some people.

FAVORITE QUOTES.
“The other package has pieces of dried stag stick. The pups like chewing on those."
"What's a stag stick?" Meg asked, taking the packages.
He stared at her for a moment. Then he put a fist below his belt and popped out a thumb.
"Oh," Meg said. "Oh.”
.
“Is there some kind of rule for when Sam should be a boy and when he's a Wolf?"
"A Wolf lifts his leg and yellows up the snow. A boy has to use the toilet."
"And that will work?"
"Only if he needs to pee.”
.
“Henry studied Merri Lee, then Meg. “Humans don’t like mice?” “Not in the building!” Meg said. “And not around food,” Merri Lee added. The three terra indigene looked baffled. “But it’s fresh meat,” the brown-haired woman finally said.”

FINAL THOUGHTS.
I completely loved this story, it has been a while since I’ve read such a captivating Urban Fantasy as this one. I loved that it had multiple narrators, it really added something extra and I started the next one right away ! I would really recommend this book, especially if you’re an Urban Fantasy lover !! So I would like to give this one 5 Freyja’s !!!

[wyvernfriend]

I did enjoy this one, a story of a world like ours where humans aren't the top of the food chain, but Others are. Casually keeping humans around because they have some uses, still most Others barely tolerate humans. Into the world of Simon Wolfgard, in charge of a Courtyard, a place operated by Others that Humans can come to, he meets Meg Corbyn, who interests him and wants to work as human liason, well it's a job, her "owners" can't take her from the courtyard, it's out of their jurisdiction. There's also a human policeman starting, a man who is trying to be fair to all sides but keeps bumping into the fact that to many of the others he's just meat.

In the background there's also something causing humans to go beserk and Simon's nephew is almost catatonic from experiencing his mother's death.

I like the world and want more. Nowish.

[littleread1]

Some of this story is great, and some of it was stupid. Since I already have the next one on audio I will listen to it too, but I think I'd like it better if I read it versus the narration. Maybe that is what is stupid? It is not the best narration I've heard lately.

The story follows Meg, an escapee of ... something. That something is slowly revealed as the story progresses, as does her seeming ignorance of people, Others, and basic functions like cleaning and cooking for herself. She ends up getting a job working for The Others - a name given to anything not human.

In this world, The Others are in charge, though they sometimes let the humans think they have more control than they really do. This becomes apparent near the end, when that control is taken away very forcefully and without much effort on the part of The Others.

One of the things I had a difficult time grasping was the world building. It is our world ... but it isn't. My mind kept grasping onto the fact that while there is a day of the week called Wednesday, there is also Firesday, Moonsday, and Earthday. I kept hanging onto the fact that I still don't know what order the days go in. The same with places, the ocean is the Atlantik, but since I was listening on audio I couldn't tell the difference, and the country was Theasia, but there was a Jersey, but I am pretty sure it is on the west coast?

Plus the narrator, while she does a decent job overall and for Meg's voice, she can't do a believable man's voice. They are either super fake, super growly, or just weird. By the end I finally got used to the narrator, but I should enjoy narration, not just get used to it.

And finally, there was something off about the POV switches. I am not sure if it reads that way or if the narration made it seem weird, but there seemed no reason to switch POV's all the time, and some of the people we read from IMO were not necessary.

All in all, this has all the things I need for a good story, but for some reason it just ... wasn't my favorite. First book syndrome? Maybe. Will I give the second book a try? Yes. For one, I already bought it on audio. For two, the story itself kept me entertained and I am curious to know where things go from here.

[jnikkir]

YES JUST YES EVERYONE GO READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW. Awesome characters, awesome worldbuilding, just... amazing.

Real review coming later, but... yeah. This is a seriously good book.