The Mark of Ran

October 3, 2005
In this gritty fantasy swashbuckler from Kearney (Hawkwood's Voyage
), the first in a new series, the inhabitants of Umer, a world forsaken by its creator, live passionately, with no hope of life after death. Legends speak of an elder race, the Weren, whose blood lives on in the mutated Urmen, "shattered travesties of humanity," and in young Rol Cortishane, raised on stories of those ancient days by his grandfather Ardisan. When an angry mob turns on the old man, accusing him of witchcraft, Ardisan urges Rol to sail to the city of Gascar to seek the mysterious Michal Psellos. In Gascar, Rol learns about his Weren heritage, gains a magic scimitar and falls desperately in love with Rowen, an assassin trained by Psellos. Kearney's crisp, often lyrical writing shines brightest when his characters take to the sea. Readers who fancy the creak of ship's timbers and the flash of live steel, the taint of dark magic and the lure of long-buried secrets, will gladly sail away with Kearney's latest novel. Agent, John McLaughlin.

November 15, 2005
According to tradition, the world of Umer was abandoned by its creator, and all things have since decayed. Traditions also speak of an ancient, powerful race, the Weren, whom some believed to be angels, and others, demons. Young Rol Cortishane, brought up by his grandfather in a remote fishing village, is of Weren blood. Forced to flee for his life at 15, he takes the first of his voyages involving discovery, in this case both of the coasts of Umer and of himself, and he finds danger, friendship, and bittersweet love. Kearney constructs a solid plot that is awash with maritime detail (its sordid sexual sequences could have been trimmed, however). If the characters are archetypes, they work well enough for the story so far, and since this book inaugurates a series, the Sea Beggars, they may develop less typically later. As is, it will certainly be appreciated by maritime fantasy fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)