The Mark of Ran

by Paul Kearney

Bantam Spectra, 303 pp, $12.00

The Mark of Ran is the first novel of the Sea Beggars series

In a world abandoned by its gods, an elder race had existed with extraordinary powers. Thought of as angels or demons, they were almost extinct. Ordinary people would kill them as witches. It was thus when Rol Cortishane saw his family wiped out by the same remote fishing village where he had lived all his life.. Escaping in a fishing boat, he fled to the brooding tower of Michal Psellos. There he is trained as an assassin by Rowen, another of his race under the thumb of Psellos. It’s no accident that Rowen and Rol were put together but their secret is one they must fight to discover. There is a destiny that separates them. Now Rol must cross the dangerous sea to find a hidden city and his future.

The Mark of Ran begins an epic series where a reluctant Hero and his band of outcasts follow a destiny they can’t control to an unknown future. The action is continual, the characters, both flawed and real are easy to empathize with as we search for meaning in a chaotic and violent world. It was hard to put down, and I look forward to the next volume. It’s a keeper. - Pam Allan