Black Dagger Brotherhood

The Black Dagger Brotherhood series is a series of romantic vampire novels by Jessica Bird under the pen name JR Ward. The series mainly revolves around the members of an elite order of the vampire population who work together to defend their race against the threat to the Lesser community , a type of de-soul . The order, as well as most of the vampire population, are located around Caldwell / New York, in the United States .

The plot

The Brotherhood of the Black Dagger is an ancient community of vampire warriors. Founded hundreds of years ago, all members of the Brotherhood pledged to protect their race from the society of the Lesser , the undead servants of Omega , and to fight for their people. The brotherhood is led by Wrath , the king of the vampires and the last pure blood vampire.

In each of the books (in the German translation each original volume was divided into two parts) the story of a brother or an ally of the brotherhood is told. The main focus of the books is thus directed towards the love story of a warrior and his future wife. However, in every book the overall plot, i.e. the common thread of the story, is advanced. Topics like love , passion , violence and sex are covered in every book.

Books

The English original volumes were each divided into two individual volumes during the translation.

• Dark Lover (September 2005) - Wrath & Beth - Night Hunt (Part 1) and Blood Sacrifice (Part 2)
• Lover Eternal (March 2006) - Rhage & Mary - Eternal Love (Part 1) and Fratricidal War (Part 2)
• Lover Awakened (September 2006) - Zsadist & Bella - Moon Trail (Part 1) and Dark Awakening (Part 2)
• Lover Revealed (March 2007) - Butch / Dhestroyer & Marissa - Human Child (Part 1) and Vampire Heart (Part 2)
• Lover Unbound (September 2007) Vishous & Jane - Soul Hunters (Part 1) and Killing Curse (Part 2)
• Lover Enshrined (June 2008) - Phury & Cormia - Bloodlines (Part 1) and Vampire Dreams (Part 2)
• Lover Avenged (April 2009) - Rehvenge & Ehlena - Revenge Angel (Part 1) and Blind King (Part 2)
• Lover Mine (April 2010) - John Matthew / Tehrror & Xhexania - Vampire Soul (Part 1) and Moon Oath (Part 2, February 2011)
• Lover Unleashed (March 2011) - Payne & Manuel 'Manny' Manello - Vampire Oath (Part 1) and Night Soul (Part 2)
• Lover Reborn (March 2012) - Tohrment & Autumn - Liebesmond (Part 1, November 2012) and Shadow Dream (Part 2, February 2013)
• Lover At Last (March 2013) - Qhuinn & Blaylock - Prince of Souls (Part 1, October 2013) and Son of Darkness (Part 2, March 2014)
• The King (April 2014) - Wrath & Beth - Night Heart (Part 1, November 2014) and Royal Blood (Part 2, February 2015)
• The Shadows (March 2015) - Trez & Selena - Trapped Heart (Part 1, November 2015) and Unleashed Heart (Part 2, March 2016)
• The Beast (2016) - Rhage & Mary - Warriors in the Shadows (Part 1, October 2016) and Forever Loved (Part 2, March 2017)
• The Chosen (2017) - Xcor & Layla - The Chosen One (Part 1, December 2017) and The Outcast (Part 2, March 2018)
• The Thief (2018) Assail & Marisol "Sola" Morte - The Thief (Part 1, January 2019) and The Spy (Part 2, March 2019)
• The Savior (2019) Murhder & Sarah - The Redeemer (complete volume)
• The Sinner (2020) Syn & Jo Early - No German title available yet

Furthermore, a special volume on the world of vampires in general and the brotherhood of the Black Dagger in particular has been published:

• The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide (October 2008) - The Black Dagger Brotherhood: A Guide to the World of JR Ward's BLACK DAGGER Plus the novel: Zsadist and Bella Return! (This novella should be read between vampire dreams and avenging angels)

There is now also the Black Dagger Legacy series, which revolves around the students in the new training program. The Black Dagger or a member of the estate is also told from the perspective of a brother.

• Blood Kiss (2015) - Craeg & Paradise (Butch & Marissa) - The Twilight Kiss (May 2016)
• Blood Vow (2016) - Ax & Elise (Rhage & Mary) - Dance of the Blood (July 2017)
• Blood Fury (2018) - Peyton & Novo (Saxton & Ruhn) - Wrath of the Beloved (June 2018)
• Blood Truth (2019) - Boone & Helaine - The Warrior's Oath (June 2020)

Brotherhood members

• Butch aka Brian O'Neal aka Dhestroyer Ex-Cop, Wrath's cousin. Butch was born human. His mother had a brief affair with a vampire from which Butch was born, but never went into the transition (change to a vampire). Through the Brotherhood and with Vishou's help, he was subsequently changed and is now Omega's chosen “destroyer”. Butch's chosen Shellan is the aristocrat Marissa.
• Darius is the father of Beth (Shellan von Wrath), dies in the first book due to an attack by the main Lesser Mr. X, is reborn as John Matthew.
• Lassiter , is a fallen angel. He brings Tohrment back to the Brotherhood and looks after him there. He is not very popular with the Brotherhood because of his cheeky manner. Even so, he eventually becomes a member of the Brotherhood.
• Muhr, the son of a vampire who was saved by Vishous. He leaves the Brotherhood after learning that Xhex is a half-sympathetic woman and has lived near Charleston as Eliahu Rathboone ever since.
• Payne , is Vishou's twin sister and daughter of the Virgin of the Scriptures. In contrast to Vishous, the virgin kept her hidden from the world until she broke away from her mother and disappeared into the world of brotherhood. She becomes Manuel Manello's Shellan.
• Phury is Zsadist's twin brother. It was Phury who had freed Zsadist from the clutches of slavery. Since then he has been living in self-imposed celibacy. Phury takes on the office of primate in his self-sacrificing manner. His Shellan becomes the Chosen Cormia.
• Qhuinn is one of the young vampires and the youngest member of the brotherhood. He comes from a good family and has two different eye colors from birth, which is why he is rejected by his family in the course of the book series. As John's bodyguard, he proved time and again that he would sacrifice his life for the Brotherhood. Therefore, it was unanimously decided to accept him into the brotherhood, which ends his activity as John Matthews bodyguard. This is normally only granted to the sons of a brother and an elect. Qhuinn is bisexual but refuses to admit his feelings for his best friend Blaylock. Ultimately, however, he overcomes himself and becomes Blaylock's Hellren.
• Rhage is the strongest warrior. He is the handsome guy in the group and everyone calls him "Hollywood". In addition, he is initially referred to as a "sex legend" among vampires. However, there is a curse on him. When Rhage, as a young warrior, killed an owl in his arrogance, the Virgin of Scripture imposed a curse on him, so that if he cannot relieve an inner tension, he turns into a monster and thus represents a danger to his brothers. Mary Luce is the only person who can calm the monster because, like Rhage, it has fallen in love with Mary. She becomes his shellan.
• Tohrment is the steadfast, calm of the brothers. Tohrment loses his beloved Shellan Wellsie in the course of the book series and then disappears, but returns thanks to the angel Lassiter. Tohrment manages to find love again, despite all adversities, and connects with Xhex's mother No'One (she later changes her name to Autumn, as the name No'One is no longer appropriate), who for many years was completely cut off from the Outside world lived in the realm of the Virgin of Scripture.
• Vishous is the most intelligent member of the order and is also the son of the Virgin of the Scriptures. Vishous can see into the future, but cannot steer these visions. He also carries his mother's "glow" in his right hand and can cause great harm with it, which is why he always wears a black leather glove over it. His shellan becomes the doctor Jane Whitcomb.
• Wrath is the last pure blood vampire and the king of the vampire race. He is almost blind and goes completely blind in the book of the Blind King . His Shellan becomes the half-vampire Beth Randall.
• Zsadist is the most dangerous of the brothers. Marked by his past as a blood slave, the scars of a hundred years of torture can be found on his body. His Shellan becomes the vampire Bella, with whom he gives birth to little Nalla in the course of the book series.
• John Matthew is the reincarnation of Darius. John is accepted by Tohrment and his Shellan Wellsie and introduced to the Brotherhood. When Wellsie dies and Tohr disappears, John moves into the brotherhood's villa and is treated there as Darius' son and thus as Beth's half-brother. John is mute and can only express himself through sign language. His Shellan becomes the half sympathetic Xhex.

Source:

The Brothers Shellans

• Autumn , previously NO'One, before Rosalhynda, mother of Xhexania and new Shellan des Tohrment. A fallen chosen one who after her suicide served the Virgin of the Scriptures on the other side and now lives in the house of the brotherhood.
• Bella is Rehvenge's sister and a vampire from a good family. She is captured by the Lesser Mr. O and eventually rescued by the Brotherhood. Bella falls in love with Zsadist and helps him break away from his dire past. Together with Zsadist, she gives birth to little Nalla.
• Cormia is a chosen one. Cormia was initially to become Vishous' first mate when the Virgin of the Scriptures made him a primal. When Phury Vishous steps down, Cormia becomes his first partner. The two eventually fall in love and together change the old traditions.
• Elizabeth 'Beth' Randall is the daughter of Darius. Beth is about to change, which is why Darius asks Wrath to help her through this time. After Darius dies, Wrath decides to do the same. Beth becomes Queen of the Vampires after marrying Wrath. They later have their son Wrath.
• Jane Whitcomb is a human and emergency surgeon. She is the one who saves Vishous's life in an emergency operating room after he was shot. Jane falls in love with Vishous, but is shot by a lesser towards the end of 'Killing Curse'. Vishous then tries to sever his right hand, but is stopped by the Virgin of the Book and his brothers. Jane is sent back as a ghost and can be with Vishous as she is able to take on solid form.
• Manuel 'Manny' Manello , is Jane Whitcomb's former chief executive officer at St. Francis Medical Center in Caldwell. He is a half brother of Butch and becomes the Hellren of Payne.
• Marissa is an aristocrat and initially Wrath's Shellan. When Wrath falls in love with Beth, she breaks this union. Marissa, on the other hand, who fought for Wrath's love for decades, now feels lost until she gets to know and love Butch O'Neal. Together with Vishous, she helps him survive his transition.
• Mary Madonna Luce is human and has leukemia. She falls in love with the warrior Rhage and is healed of her deadly disease with the help of the Virgin of the Book. In return for this (to maintain the universal balance), Rhage takes on the original bicentenary curse of sharing one's body with a dragon-like creature for an indefinite period. She later adopted 13-year-old Bitty with Rhage.
• Wellessandra , called Wellsie, pregnant Shellan des Thorment, adoptive mother of John Matthew. She dies with her child from the bullet of the Lesser (Mister O, David Ormund) who caught Bella.
• Xhexania , called Xhex, daughter of No'One (Autumn / Rosalhynda) and Shellan of John Matthew, half-vampire and half-sympathy.

The youth

• Blaylock comes from a good family and is the best friend of Qhuinn and John Matthew. He is the first of the trio to transition. Blaylock is gay and in love with Qhuinn. In John Matthew's book, he begins a relationship with Qhuinn's cousin Saxton, which Qhuinn himself doesn't like.
• Bitty is the adopted daughter of Rhage and Mary. After her mother died and her abusive father was murdered by the brothers, the two adopt her.
• Lash is Omega's biological son. After harassing and torturing John in the training center shower, Qhuinn kills him. Only after his death does it become clear who Lash really is, when Omega raises him from the dead and he thus becomes the ruler of the Lesser society (in the 'normal world'). After a while, however, Lash is removed from his post as leader of the Lesser. In addition, since his transformation into a Lesser, he has been transforming himself more and more into an image of his father, Omega.
• Lyric is the daughter of Layla and Qhuinn, and the twin sister of Rhampage. After Layla got into her lust, she asked Qhuinn to serve her. He agreed and fathered the twins with her. It was named after Blaylock's mother.
• Nalla is the daughter of Bella and Zsadist. Since birth, all vampires have made sure that there are no weapons lying around.
• Rhampage (Rhamp) is the son of Layla and Qhuinn, and the twin brother of Lyric. After Layla got into her lust, she asked Qhuinn to serve her. He agreed and fathered the twins with her.
• Wrath Jr. (Little Wrath, LW) is the only son of Beth and Wrath. Except for the color of his eyes, he is the image of his father.

The warriors of the Bloodletters

• Throe . To avenge the death of his sister, Throe joins the mercenary group around Xcor.
• Xcor . After Bloodletter's death, he takes over the leadership of the mercenary troops and longs for the king's throne. He falls in love with the chosen one Layla. It is also she who tries to dissuade him from the dark plans.
• Cypher
• Siphon . Assassin of the group who carried out the attack on Wrath's life.
• Balthazar

Other characters

• Assail aristocrat of Glymera, who takes his place after Revenge's withdrawal from the drug business and also does business with Lessern. He meets the human woman Marisol Morte (called Sola), with whom he falls in love.
• Ehlena is a nurse at Havers Clinic. She lives with her mentally ill father, excluded from the Glymera (nobility of the vampires) and falls in love with the half sympathetic Rehvenge.
• Fritz (Fritzgelder Perlmutter) is the soul of the house, formerly mastiffs in Sampsone's house and later mastiffs in Darius' house and has served the entire brotherhood since his death.
• Havers is Marissa's brother and vampire doctor.
• iAm Latimer is a shadow and the twin brother of Trez. He was sent to his brother's side early on. He eventually takes over the Sal's restaurant from Rehvenge. He later befriends Beth's cat, Boo. He has a closer, almost friendly relationship with Beth
• Layla is a chosen one who decided to live on earth. She serves some brothers with her blood as some cannot drink the blood of their shellans. She is expecting twins from Qhuinn and is magically drawn to the warrior Xcor.
• Maichen is the new queen of shadows. According to the prophecies of the stars, she should bond with Trez. It later turns out that the prophecy was falsified and that it was actually meant in truth. The two fall in love
• Marisol Morte is a human master thief who is initially assigned to keep an eye on the drug dealer Assail. When she wants to take revenge on her employer - because he did not pay her and withdrew from the case early without explanation, she is kidnapped by him. She was able to break free and found shelter with Assail. However, she also fled from there because she wanted to end her criminal career.
• Rehvenge is not a warrior. He's half symphath and half vampire and the owner of ZeroSum and IronMask (two clubs in Caldwell) and Sal's. His Shellan becomes the nurse Ehlena. He also becomes king of the symphathic colony.
• Saxton cousin of Qhuinn, is the ex-lover of Blaylock. He becomes Wrath's attorney. Current partner is Rune.
• Selena a chosen one who decided to live on earth. During Layla's pregnancy, she serves some brothers with her blood because they cannot drink the blood of their shellans. She feels drawn to Trez.
• Trez Latimer is a shadow and twin brother of iAm. Even before he was born, his parents sold him to the s'Hisbe royal family. After Rehvenge's resignation, he becomes the club owner of the IronMask. He eventually bonds with the chosen one, Selena.

Deities

• The Virgin of Scripture is the deity of the vampires and mother of Vishous and Payne.
• Omega is the brother and evil counterpart to the Virgin of the Scriptures. He is the ruler of Lesser society and Lash's father.

Web links

• JR Wards Official Website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ JR Ward - The Brothers ( Memento of the original from May 15, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.