Original, Thoughtful and BeautifulI read a lot of science fiction, so naturally I've come across my share of "dystopias" over the years. I suppose we could try and categorize it that way, but The Brothers of Redemption is much more than its category, or genre. This is one of the best novels I've read this year, or in *several* years.In this book, our current world is "The Before." Before something happened that caused a huge disruption in the 2060s. We don't know, in the course of the book, EXACTLY what it was, it didn't wipe out all of humanity and indeed, a lot of infrastructure is intact in 2165-66 when the events take place. But the population seems much reduced. What's left of "civilization" is controlled by The Council, an overpowering bureaucracy, and the elite of the Council are the "Brothers."With that as background, this is no-spoilers review, and I won't go in to details about the events in the book. Jed and Max Kleer are Brothers, and the main viewpoint characters through much of the book. Other important characters are "settlers," who live in small communities outside the cities. The web of relationships between Brothers, other government functionaries and settlers is complex, and fascinating. In fact, one of the author's great strength is her well-drawn characters and especially, their relationships.Another is her vivid, photographic places. Traveling around a partially intact New York City, to the former New Jersey, up the Hudson River--all beautifully described and made so easy to see in the mind's eye. Recognizable yet eerily different and somehow *right*. And then later, the deserts of the Southwest, the many *different* deserts in their uniqueness. Murray has one of the best eyes for landscapes I've read.People you care about, settings you can see, human relationships, little adventures and a haunting mystery...in whatever genre, this is a wonderful book. The moment I finished it, I bough the sequel, A Daughter of Her People. You can take that as a high recommend for The Brothers of Redemption.2