Based on “The Brotherhood of the Rose” by David Morrell, and impeccably cast with Peter Strauss, David Morse, Connie Sellecca and Robert Mitchum, the NBC miniseries “Brotherhood of the Rose” aired on Jan. 22, 1989, following Super Bowl XXIII.
It was the highest rated miniseries of the season.
I had already read the novel and was eagerly awaiting the premiere.
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It was one of the most influential books of my childhood, combining the strongest elements of U.S. and U.K. spy fiction to create a novel that moved the genre forward.
I cut out the advertisement from the newspaper and tacked it to the wall of my bedroom.
Bestselling author Jack Carr says the novel by David Morrell, “Brotherhood of the Rose,” was one of the “most influential books of my childhood, combining the strongest elements of U.S. and U.K. spy fiction to create a novel that moved the genre forward.” Carr is a former Navy SEAL Task Unit commander and sniper whose upcoming nonfiction work, “Targeted: Beirut – The 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing: The Untold True Origin Story of the War on Terror,” written with co-author, military historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist James Scott, will be published in Oct. 2024. (Jack Carr)
On Betamax, I taped the two-part miniseries. I believe that tape is still in a box in my mom’s attic.
Though I have now added a signed first edition to my collection, the original paperback I read in the ’80s is one of my prized possessions.
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I was, and remain, a huge fan of David Morrell — who created the character Rambo in his debut novel, “First Blood,” in 1972.
American actor Sylvester Stallone shown as Rambo on the set of “First Blood,” based on the novel and character by David Morrell and directed by Ted Kotcheff. “First Blood” was Morrell’s debut novel, published in 1972. (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
With a single sentence in “The Brotherhood of the Rose,” Morrell cemented me on my path into the SEAL Teams.
Who remembers watching this miniseries?
(Follow Jack Carr on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jackcarrusa.)
More on David Morrell
Novelist David Morrell writes on his website that he’s “been working on several projects that keep getting longer.”
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During the COVID lockdowns, he said, “I became accustomed to not traveling to conferences, but this year, I’ll return to ThrillerFest (May 29-June 1) in New York City and Bouchercon (August 28-31) in Nashville.”
Morrell, born in 1943, is the award-winning author of “First Blood,” the novel in which Rambo was created.
Novelist David Morrell (on the left) is pictured along with Jack Carr. The award-winning Morrell is the author of over 30 books, including “The Naked Edge,” “Creepers,” and “The Spy Who Came for Christmas.” (David Morrell/Jack Carr)
He was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, according to his website.
In 1960, at age 17, he became a fan of the classic TV series, “Route 66,” about “two young men in a Corvette convertible traveling the United States in search of America and themselves,” as Morrell’s website notes.
From 1970 to 1986, Morrell taught American literature at the University of Iowa.
“The scripts by Stirling Silliphant combined action with ideas and so impressed Morrell that he decided to become a writer,” says his website.
Morrell moved to the U.S. in 1966.
He studied at Penn State, his website indicates, and earned his master’s degree and PhD in American literature.
Sylvester Stallone starred in “First Blood” by David Morrell, playing “a returned Vietnam veteran suffering from post-trauma stress disorder who comes into conflict with a small-town police chief.” (Elisabetta Villa)
While there, he met science-fiction author William Tenn (real name Philip Klass) — who taught him “the basics of fiction writing.”
The result, says Morrell’s website, was “First Blood” — “a groundbreaking novel about a returned Vietnam veteran suffering from post-trauma stress disorder who comes into conflict with a small-town police chief and fights his own version of the Vietnam War.”
That “father” of modern action novels, as the same site notes, was published in 1972 while Morrell was a professor of English at the University of Iowa.
International bestseller Morrell is a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School for wilderness survival as well as the G. Gordon Liddy Academy of Corporate Security. (David Morrell)
From 1970 to 1986, Morrell taught American literature there, at the same time writing additional novels.
Many of them became international bestsellers, including “the classic spy trilogy, ‘The Brotherhood of the Rose’ (the basis for the only television miniseries to premier after a Super Bowl), ‘The Fraternity of the Stone,’ and ‘The League of Night and Fog.’”
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Morrell is the author of over 30 books, including “The Naked Edge,” “Creepers,” and “The Spy Who Came for Christmas” (set in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lives today, his website indicates).
The winner of many awards for his writing, Morrell is a co-founder of the International Thriller Writers organization.
Jack Carr says he had “already read” Morrell’s novel “The Brotherhood of the Rose” and was eagerly awaiting its TV premiere in 1989, right after the Super Bowl that year. It wound up being the highest rated miniseries of the season. (Jack Carr/iStock)
He is a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School for wilderness survival as well as the G. Gordon Liddy Academy of Corporate Security, says his site.
He is also an honorary lifetime member of the Special Operations Association and the Association of Intelligence Officers. He has been trained in firearms, hostage negotiation, assuming identities, executive protection and defensive/offensive driving — “among numerous other action skills that he describes in his novels.”
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There are some 18 million copies of his books in print and his work has been translated into 30 languages.
Fox News Digital staff contributed reporting.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
