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The Lost Mark #2
Road to Death
The epic Eberron trilogy The Lost Mark continues!
The dark and mysterious world of Eberron continues to expand through RPG products and novels. This is the sixth novel set in the Eberron world.
Matt Forbeck has written and designed games for more than 14 years, for which he has garnered several awards. His most recent title for Wizards of the Coast, Inc. was Marked for Death, the kickoff novel for The Lost Mark trilogy.
The dark and mysterious world of Eberron continues to expand through RPG products and novels. This is the sixth novel set in the Eberron world.
Matt Forbeck has written and designed games for more than 14 years, for which he has garnered several awards. His most recent title for Wizards of the Coast, Inc. was Marked for Death, the kickoff novel for The Lost Mark trilogy.
375 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 10, 2006
3 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
About the author
Matt Forbeck
211 books314 followersI'm an award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author and game designer and happily married father of five, including a set of quadruplets. For more on my work, see Forbeck.com.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 26, 2011
I really enjoyed this book and found it to be even better than the first book in the series. This was filled with adventure and has a very interesting storyline. I really liked the author's fast-paced style.
As I mentioned in my review of the first book (Marked for Death) the premise on which this series is based is extremely interesting and in my opinion pretty original. In Eberron there are twelve Dragonmarked Houses. Select members of these houses develop dragonmarks, which are tattoo-like runes on their bodies that grant spell-like abilities. There was once thirteen dragonmarks but only twelve remain. It was believed that the thirteenth dragonmark was destroyed along with the house that bore it. The premise of the series is that the lost thirteenth mark, The Mark of Death, has returned.
In this second book in the series the characters really start to come into their own. By this I mean that they really start to develop into multidimentional characters rather than cookie-cutter staples of fantasy fiction. I don't want to give any spoilers, but in this book there are a number of interesting conflicts faced by some of the main characters. One struggles to come to grips with her powers, while others struggle with their relationships and how they stand with the group. I found these developments quite interesting and well done.
As in the first book, the author does an excellent job of incorporating a lot of Eberron-specific content into the story without overwhelming the reader. In this series you can clearly see the difference between Eberron and other fantasy settings, which is refreshing.
On a whole, this series is well thought out and filled with all the action and adventure you might expect from a fantasy novel. This book has a number of battle scenes that were well written and the author manages to capture some of the confusion and tension that I would expect in battle.
Overall, I would recommend this book to fans of Eberron, role playing games, and fans of fantasy in general.
As I mentioned in my review of the first book (Marked for Death) the premise on which this series is based is extremely interesting and in my opinion pretty original. In Eberron there are twelve Dragonmarked Houses. Select members of these houses develop dragonmarks, which are tattoo-like runes on their bodies that grant spell-like abilities. There was once thirteen dragonmarks but only twelve remain. It was believed that the thirteenth dragonmark was destroyed along with the house that bore it. The premise of the series is that the lost thirteenth mark, The Mark of Death, has returned.
In this second book in the series the characters really start to come into their own. By this I mean that they really start to develop into multidimentional characters rather than cookie-cutter staples of fantasy fiction. I don't want to give any spoilers, but in this book there are a number of interesting conflicts faced by some of the main characters. One struggles to come to grips with her powers, while others struggle with their relationships and how they stand with the group. I found these developments quite interesting and well done.
As in the first book, the author does an excellent job of incorporating a lot of Eberron-specific content into the story without overwhelming the reader. In this series you can clearly see the difference between Eberron and other fantasy settings, which is refreshing.
On a whole, this series is well thought out and filled with all the action and adventure you might expect from a fantasy novel. This book has a number of battle scenes that were well written and the author manages to capture some of the confusion and tension that I would expect in battle.
Overall, I would recommend this book to fans of Eberron, role playing games, and fans of fantasy in general.
May 26, 2016
An improvement over part 1. There are some truly entertaining moments throughout the story, but it does also still suffer from some occasional character action inconsistencies, typos, and grammatical errors. Having finished two of the three books in the series now, I can see that this is going to be part of what defines this story. It's got some great ideas, but it's a series that unfortunately badly needs a solid editing pass to polish into something that I could easily recommend. Still worth a read to anyone who is interested in the world of Ebberon and can overlook the lack of strong editing and polish.
August 21, 2020
The Road To Death is another solid chapter to this story, but it definitely feels like the middle one.
The Road To Death is the second novel in the Lost Mark trilogy of Eberron books, and it continues the story of Kandler the justicar and his party of adventurers questing to save his daughter Espre (again). Espre is the only known living being with the Mark of Death, a dragonmark that denotes powerful magical power. In this book, Espre has been captured by the changeling Te'Oma once more, and Kandler and his friends are again after them. The pair find themselves in Fort Bones after their airship crashes, and Kandler's party meet a band of halfling warriors who help them find the changeling and Espre. From Fort Bones, Espre is once again kidnapped, this time by the evil Ibrido, whose true identity is a fun surprise. The novel ends in a climactic battle against a massive, acid-spewing dragon atop a couple of airships.
Overall, this book is a lot of fun and a lot more cohesive than the first novel. Neat characters are consistently added to the protagonists' party, sprinkling in more flavour as characters like Monja the halfling and Duro the dwarf tack themselves onto the main party. Similarly to the first novel, this is an extremely good piece of brand-fantasy, and if you liked the first one you'll probably like this one just as much if not more.
The Road To Death is the second novel in the Lost Mark trilogy of Eberron books, and it continues the story of Kandler the justicar and his party of adventurers questing to save his daughter Espre (again). Espre is the only known living being with the Mark of Death, a dragonmark that denotes powerful magical power. In this book, Espre has been captured by the changeling Te'Oma once more, and Kandler and his friends are again after them. The pair find themselves in Fort Bones after their airship crashes, and Kandler's party meet a band of halfling warriors who help them find the changeling and Espre. From Fort Bones, Espre is once again kidnapped, this time by the evil Ibrido, whose true identity is a fun surprise. The novel ends in a climactic battle against a massive, acid-spewing dragon atop a couple of airships.
Overall, this book is a lot of fun and a lot more cohesive than the first novel. Neat characters are consistently added to the protagonists' party, sprinkling in more flavour as characters like Monja the halfling and Duro the dwarf tack themselves onto the main party. Similarly to the first novel, this is an extremely good piece of brand-fantasy, and if you liked the first one you'll probably like this one just as much if not more.
December 4, 2020
It's been years since I read this trilogy. It does read far better than what my memory said.
This book is the middle book... Kandler has been chasing after the people who've kidnapped and keep kidnapping his daughter, chasing across Eberron for them.
The story is mostly a chase, going from one scene to the next. The more I think about it, the more I'd like to have seen more of Nithkorrh. As is, there are more questions than answers.
This book is the middle book... Kandler has been chasing after the people who've kidnapped and keep kidnapping his daughter, chasing across Eberron for them.
The story is mostly a chase, going from one scene to the next. The more I think about it, the more I'd like to have seen more of Nithkorrh. As is, there are more questions than answers.
January 1, 2025
A far better voyage of adventure than it's forebearer in the trilogy, witch characters sparking up more complex and nuanced relationships. I'd recommend this and the one before it to anyone who wants some inspiration as to what Eberron can be like!
March 19, 2020
The chase continues across the Talenta Plains.
The good: halflings, dinos, Fort Bones, the wilds of the Mror Holds.
The bad: More of the same.
The good: halflings, dinos, Fort Bones, the wilds of the Mror Holds.
The bad: More of the same.
October 18, 2025
Great Read
I really enjoy these characters and I like where the trilogy is going. I am excited for the third book.
I really enjoy these characters and I like where the trilogy is going. I am excited for the third book.
December 30, 2016
This second novel in the Lost Mark trilogy is excellent, much better than the first. This book is much less repetitive and less predictable than the previous one, with the plot taking some rather surprising turns. As in the first book, Forbeck's great writing style helps bring this one to life. Exciting fight scenes and interesting looks into the psyches of the characters make for a great book. Additionally, we continue to explore this relatively new world through this book. This is my favorite book so far in the Eberron campaign setting.
The new characters introduced in this book are less than thrilling, but each of the characters from the previous book are greatly improved on. Kandler, Sallah, Xalt, and Espre are made to be very much more lifelike, with often conflicting emotional battles going on within the heroes. A timid love begins to blossom between Kandler and Sallah, making their relationship a lot more interesting and meaningful. Espre is forced to come to grips with her birthright, finally using the power granted by the Mark of Death.
The final sequence of events is incredibly well-done, with a horrid black dragon of incredible power done in amazing detail. You won't be able to put the book down for the forty or so final pages of this book, as the heroes are tried to their limits. Really one of the most exciting final scenes of any book I've read in quite a while. Leaves the story in an excellent place that makes me want to pick up the final book of the trilogy as soon as possible.
Recommended.
The new characters introduced in this book are less than thrilling, but each of the characters from the previous book are greatly improved on. Kandler, Sallah, Xalt, and Espre are made to be very much more lifelike, with often conflicting emotional battles going on within the heroes. A timid love begins to blossom between Kandler and Sallah, making their relationship a lot more interesting and meaningful. Espre is forced to come to grips with her birthright, finally using the power granted by the Mark of Death.
The final sequence of events is incredibly well-done, with a horrid black dragon of incredible power done in amazing detail. You won't be able to put the book down for the forty or so final pages of this book, as the heroes are tried to their limits. Really one of the most exciting final scenes of any book I've read in quite a while. Leaves the story in an excellent place that makes me want to pick up the final book of the trilogy as soon as possible.
Recommended.
October 5, 2007
A great introduction to the world of Eberron. It has all the staples that make up the world as well as a rip roaring adventure told in a way that grabs you and doesn't let go. Matt Forbeck is a great author and I heartily recommend any of his books to fans of fantasy.
August 18, 2014
I really feel like I had to slog through this one. Don't know if it was cause it's the middle book in the trilogy or not, but it was really slow for me and didn't pick up 'til the last few chapters. I enjoyed it, but still feel like it took forever to read and get to the good stuff.
August 22, 2007
A continuation of a decent Eberron series.
December 14, 2018
[REVIEW TO COME LATER UPON RE-READ.]
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews