This Forsaken Earth

October 9, 2006
At the start of Kearney's rousing sequel to The Mark of Ran
(2005), Rol Cortishane, the youthful captain of the privateer Revenant
, captures a slaver and frees its chained slaves. Back in the harbor of Ganesh Ka in the land of Umer, Rol encounters an untrustworthy acquaintance he hasn't seen in years, Canker, a former king of thieves, who urges Rol to join in the fight to save Rowen, a darkly beautiful queen, whose throne is at risk in mountainous Bionar. That Rowen is Rol's half-sister for whom he has lusted in the past doesn't make Rol's decision to help an easy one. If as in The Mark of Ran
the action is more lively at sea than on land, Kearney's solid storytelling and nautical detail worthy of C.S. Forester or Patrick O'Brian will keep readers turning the pages.

November 15, 2006
Notorious pirate Rol Cortishane travels the seas of Umer preying on ships of the Bionari military. But when a figure from his past reappears, Rol returns to a life he thought he had left behind and to a sister as beautiful and troubled as himself. This time Rol might be just the one to save his world. This sequel to "The Mark of Ran" continues the larger-than-life adventures of a man whose loves and passions often put him in conflict with his love of the sea. With a dark grittiness reminiscent of Glen Cook's "Black Company" novels and a seafaring savvy comparable to Patrick O'Brian's "Jack Aubrey" sea novels, Kearney's latest novel belongs in most fantasy collections.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2006
The sequel to " The Mark of Ran" (2005) finds heroic young Rol Cortishane grown to be a much-feared sea captain. Deciding to ignore his mysterious past, he spends his energy on ship and crew. He is still an outlaw, however, and the only port he can call home is Ganesh Ka, the endangered city of exiles. When word comes from Rowan, his half-sister, asking him to fight on her behalf, he must weigh the safety of Ganesh Ka against Rowan's treachery in the past. Finally persuaded to aid Rowan, he learns more of betrayal and his heritage in the ensuing battles than he had wanted to know. Kearney's characters are much better developed here than they were in " The Mark of Ran," and since the book tells a single story, the plot is tighter. Moreover, because almost all the action transpires in the here and now, the sequel can be read without reference to the predecessor. Since it ends hanging on a particularly bloody cliff, expect to see more of Kearney's excellent maritime fantasy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)