"Fine opening fantasy"
The nobles' younger sons from another land wanting their
own territory and titles settled the kingdom of Outremer.
Although the king is the nominal ruler of the land it is
four city-states and one, Surayon, that is magically closed
and invisible to all outsiders. In addition to the secular
army, the order of the Knights Ransomer, the military
branch of the church, protects the borders and weeds out
heretics from within. The heart of this order lives in
Ancial in the stronghold of the Roq de Rancom. Julienne, the daughter of the king's shadow, journeys to
meet her future husband when circumstances force her to
take refuge in the Roq de Rancom. She meets Marron, who
arrived just recently to serve as a member of the order.
There he meets the knight Sieur Anton d'Esanivey who seeks
redemption within the harsh walls of the fortress. Marron
sees the cruelties and barbaric practices that are part of
the church, but when the nomadic tribes try to take the Roq
de Rancom by force, he and Sieur Anton risk their lives to
save the residents. THE DEVIL IN THE DUST is the first novel in a six book
series and though, it is a stand-alone book, it lays the
groundwork for future installments in the series. Marron
is the heart of this novel, a hero courageous enough to act
on his ethics. He always takes the moral high ground even
when it means going against the order's rules and risking
severe punishment for his transgressions. It will be
interesting to see what happens to the characters in future
books. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted May 3, 2003
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