This Forsaken Earth

I was impressed with Kearney's second novel in the Sea Beggars series. He really has a sweeping prose style that brings his fantasy world to life. Rol is a nicely rounded hero, with his share of flaws and humanity. As the plot unfolds we get to see more of what Rol's world is like, and we learn a little more of Rol's past and birthright. I highly recommend this book, and I am eargerly awaiting the third installment.

Another great adventure/fantasy read by Paul Kearney; in fact, I liked it a little more that book 1. The book is well written, has a sense of pace and timing and is absolutely crammed with action, both on the land and sea. But be aware, the writing at times can be very graphic; there are some descriptions of the battle casualties that are not for the faint of heart. As with most good fantasy tales there are elements of love, deceit, betrayal, unexpected friendships and a degree of magic; and this story is no exception. I especially liked Rol's character; this guy is no knight in shining armor and has his share of despicable traits, but he is the "hero" of these stories and there is something about him that gains my grudging admiration. The only minor negatives about this book are that 1.)it's too short (317 pages to be exact) 2.)although there is a map, it is not particularly detailed (at the times it needed to be). It's amazing how quickly you can read a book you like; the pages just seem to fly by. I was sorry to see this captivating tale come to such a quick end; now I can hardly wait for book III. 5 Stars.

Half human and rumored half-deity Rol Cortishane finds a home at sea on his black kassic man of war vessel the Revenant. There the privateer ruthlessly patrols the waters by the pirate cove, Ganesh Ka of Umer. Any Bionari Empire ships that venture in the vicinity is destroyed and their treasures become the booty of him and his crew. However, his harmonious sea life ends when an adversary from his salad days, the King of Thieves Canker, visits Rol with news and a request. Rol prefers either to ignore or feed Canker to the fish, but he knows he cannot as his past that he prefers buried has surfaced. The woman he lusted after, the assassin Rowen, sent her strange bedfellow ally to obtain Rol's support as she militarily backs her claim of Empress of the Bionari Empire. Feeling marked by fate, Rol leaves his beloved sea to go inland to assist Rowen. Few fantasy writers since Gulliver's fourth journey (to the land of Houyhnhnms) can depict the insanity of choosing war as the best option as well as Paul Kearney does in his Sea Beggers' tales (see THE MARK OF RAN). The action-packed story line grips readers even before Canker's request sends Rol on a landlubber adventure and never slows down while Rol and Rowen stir up the empire until the final climax. The battles at sea are incredible (on land they well written but not as magnificent) Readers will appreciate this sword and sorcery thriller and look forward to more tales of yore from Mr. Kearney. Harriet Klausner

Ordinarily, I am very reluctant to begin a series by reading a book out of sequence, however I was pleasantly surprised by Paul Kearney's This Forsaken Earth, Book 2 of The Sea Beggars trilogy. From the opening prologue, I was immediately drawn into the world of Ummer and the lives of Rol Cortishane- ruthless pirate with a shadowy past- and his colorful comrades. The story is well written, with crisp, easy to visualize descriptions of the people and the world they inhabit. Not having read Book 1 (The Mark of Ran) and not knowing very much about the workings of sailing vessls did nothing to diminish my enjoyment of this story, much of which happens on land. The most intriguing- and ultimately frustrating- moments for me occurred in the fantasy threads that are sparsely worked through the storyline. The author is very sparing with everything that he discloses. In the end I felt that he just doesn't give enough detail about Rol and his true nature and destiny. This is understandable, given that this is a 'middle' book and many plot points are left only partially revealed or resolved as this part of the trilogy closes. It also makes sense to keep the readers in anticipation of new revelations. So, Mr. Kearney, I am hooked and eagerly awaiting the publication of Book 3.