2001 novel by David Weber and John Ringo
March to the Sea is the second novel in the science fiction series of the Empire of Man by David Weber and John Ringo. It tells the story of Prince Roger MacClintock and his remaining bodyguards of the Empress' Own Regiment who get marooned on the alien planet of Marduk due to an act of sabotage on their ship, and must continue fighting their way towards the planetary space port in order to get back home to Earth. The book appeared on the "New York Times" best seller list.
New Characters Introduced.
Rastar Komas Ta'Norton is the last Prince of the fallen Vasin city of Therdan. A "civan" rider and pistoleer, Rastar is one of those rare Mardukans who are quad-dextrous and can accurately fire 4 pistols simultaneously even under the most intensive combat condition (and the same applies for his use of swords). After the Boman began besieging the city Therdan, his uncle, the king of Therdan, had led a suicidal charge of "civan" to clear a path though the Boman for Rastar and his guards to get the woman and children out of the city. Rastar burns with a desire to avenge the destruction of his homeland yet is not without reason. He and his troops strike up a very close working and personal relationship with Roger and the marines (though their first encounter is less than amicable) and learn a great deal from them throughout their journeys together while he in turn serves as their guide for the new region the marines pass through.
Honal C'Thon Radas is a noble of the Vasin city-state of Sheffan (which was also destroyed by the Boman hordes) and a cousin of Rastar. Characterized by the humans as a "hot spur", Honal is an extremely fierce warrior who often takes insane chances in combat situations to achieve victory. But while he might be a bit crazy he is by no means stupid and possesses an intense love of riding fast animals and longs to try out an even faster human vehicle. His hatred for the Boman and his desire to avenge the destruction of his homeland is even greater than his cousin's which leads him to mercilessly pursue the Boman to their destruction whenever the opportunity arises. Like his cousin, he forms a close relationship with the humans and takes a liking to human jokes (humor rarely translating well across different species).
High-Priest Gratar is the priest-king of the city-state of Diaspra. Considered by most to be a farely decent king and the equivalent of saint in the eyes of the people of Diaspra, Gratar is devout is his belief and his faith in the God of Water which the city worships and seeks to please his God in creating great works for Him so as to prevent his wrath. His devotion however, has caused him to overlook the growing discontent of members of his council who feel the city has remained stagnant for too long and who eventually conspire against him. Despite this inattention, he is a crafty and capable ruler (to a degree) who is willing to embrace uncomfortable and controversial policies when he knows there is little choice.
Bishop Rus From is the Bishop of Artificers and one of the most senior members of the council and an old friend of Gratar. A highly talented, proficient, innovative and intelligent individual (Kosutic equates him to Leonardo da Vinci), From feels the stagnation of Diaspra worse than anyone else as he's forced to deal day after day with the unchallenging tasks of designing the works of the God of Water and "pumps, pumps and more pumps". He becomes the leader of a conspiracy directed against Gratar and seeks the humans' assistance in doing this. For his actions, he is exiled from Diaspra and joins the marines in their journey to K'Vaern's Cove, there he becomes the K'Vaernian Army's chief combat engineer and assists in the design and production of the weapons and devices the humans introduce.
General Bogess is the commander of the Diaspran Army, The Guard of God. One of two water-priests on the city council, Bogess is a highly competent soldier and commander with a dour disposition and a large degree of cynicism. He is one of several members of the ruling council who feel Diaspra is stagnating and who have decided to try and do something about it. Like Rus From, he is forced to leave the city along with the relief force after the Battle of Diaspra to the city of K'Vaern's Cove where his experience in that battle serves him well in training the K'Vaernians for an even greater battle ahead.
Grath Chain is a council member in Diaspra representing certain merchant interests. While manipulative and conniving, Grath is rather inept and incompetent blowing the lid on the conspiracy in the hopes of currying favor with Gratar only to find that Gratar is not blind to his true nature or receptive to his council. During the waiting period before the battle, Grath lobbies for appeasement of the Boman which seriously undermines the marines efforts to get Gratar and the other council member to stand and fight.
Krindi Fain is a Diaspran Laborer of God pressed into military service as a result of the Boman invasion. While initially reluctant to become a soldier (which he and his fellows are forced to do), Fain discovers he is a very good soldier and an even better commander. He distinguishes himself during the Battle of Diaspra, managing to remain calm and in control of his squad of pikemen in the face of thousands of screaming barbarians and later excels in the Battle of Sindi and in the prior skirmishing engagements. He eventually becomes an officer and along with his company, joins the humans in their journey across the sea and into the unknown, swearing allegiance to Prince Roger and the Empire of Man. He forges a close friendship with Sergeant Julian who comments that he has bitten by the "command bug".
Erkum Pol is Krindi Fain's company sergeant. An enormous Mardukan even by his race's standard, Erkum is not overburdened with intelligence (to put it mildly), with limited verbal skills (which he rarely employs) and tends to see things rather simplistically. While an extremely poor marksman (though he refuses to acknowledge this failing) he often displays an uncanny ability to react quickly and effectively in moments of crisis (the humans saying that he's good with his hands). He is also utterly loyal to Krindi Fain whom he constantly shadows (and overshadows) and whose back he always watches.
General Bistem Kar is the General of the Guard of K'Vaern's Cove. Known as "The Kren" (a large water beast) both for his immense size (Roger believes he could bench-press a "flar-ta") as well as his speed and cunning, Kar is one of the most competent Mardukan officers the marines encounter (Pahner believes that he could achieve victory even when handed the most difficult of tactical problems) and highly regarded by his subordinates. Kar is a Guardsman to his heart who habitually wears an armored jerkin and harness of a Guardsman private without all the finery and regalia his rank entitles and it was ceaseless battle to get a decent budget for the Guard, prior to the marines' arrival, that permitted K'Vaern's Cove to repel the Boman's first wave of attacks. Kar, having seen the Diaspran veterans in training, enthusiastically embraces the marines' innovations in warfare and military technology and forces his own troops to do the same, tolerating no form of insubordinate behavior (going so far as executing a highly incompetent commander who endangers the war effort in the middle of a battle).
Tor Flain is Bistem Kar's second-in-command. Flain was born in D'Sley and moved to K'Vaern's Cove as a child, where his family had risen from a tiny fish processing business to a noted provider of luxury goods including a chain of high-end restaurants. Flain did not find a place for himself in the family business as an adult and therefore joined the City Guard, a position that has since helped the family business much. As a result of this success (and the general success of the city) Flain loves K'Vaern's Cove and would happily lay down his life for it.
Turl Kam is Chairman of the Council of K'Vaern's Cove. A former fisherman who lost his leg when a clumsily run line cut it off (and he being hungover at the time), he opted to sell his boat and go into politics. After years of wheeling and dealing he managed to reach the Chairmanship only to have the Boman invade on his watch, which frustrates him to no end. Kam represents the local fishermen and short-haul cargo sailors (essentially the labor class faction) on the Council and is willing to embrace any opportunity to break the siege the Boman have laid around his city. At the same time he is not blind to the possible repercussions of warfare and demands to know if Pahner and the marines really think they can win.
Wes Til is a prominent member of the K'Vaernian Council and the owner of a large shipping business. Representing "old money" and the major businesses in the city, Til sees the opportunity for both military victory and economic gains with the marines' arrival and readily agrees to build the ships the marines need to cross the ocean in exchange for ownership of the ships after the voyage and in getting a lock on a new market and shipbuilding techniques. Til is also a wily and humorous character who is intrigued by the humans on many levels but is clearly an "upperclass" sort of person, openly asking Roger about human sexuality. He has many dealings with O'Casey and embraces her plans for getting the citizenry enthusiastic about taking the war to the Boman and putting the full weight of his status and position behind the war effort.
Dell Mir is a quirky but brilliant K'Vaernian engineer who designs the new weapons and devices the marines envision in the war with the Boman. Mir began his career as an ordinary apprentice smith but has since been recognized as a genius inventor and "a wizard with contraptions" with the war against the Boman bringing out the genius in him. He works closely with Rus From on designing the gunpowder weapons, dropping ideas like rain with a troop of assistants writing down his every word.
Fullea Li'it is the widow of a D'Sley fisherman who organized a sealift to evacuate all the women and children out of the city when it was run over by the Boman. A tough-minded and keen businesswoman (something unheard of in the very patriarchal D'Sley), Li'it had to rebuild her business after her husband was killed at sea and his brother had taken over and run it into the ground. Her business acumine put her in a position to arrange the sea lift that saved most of the city's civilians and she is instrumental in arranging a sea lift back to D'Sley and in providing guides to the city (mostly females) once operations begin.
Kny Camsan is the paramount war leader of the united Boman barbarian tribes. After the first disastrous attempts to take the city of Therdan and the death of the previous paramount war leader, Camsan ascended to the position and led the Boman to an unbroken chain of victories. His long-term plans are much more ambitious as he intends to forge an empire for the Boman tribes in the region of the Tam and Chasten Vallies and has chosen Sindi as his capital. Camsan is devious and ruthless as he orders all the Boman women and children to Sindi "for their protection" while really using them as hostages to control the other tribes. However, his aura of invincibility has begun to fade as the continued siege of K'Vaern's Cove has made the tribes restive and who wish to finish the Cove off and return home.
Mnb Trag is a Boman chieftain and Camsan's closest ally in Sindi. Privy to Camsan's ultimate plans for their people and in complete agreement with him, Trag helps Camsan in navigating the dangerous politics of the Boman tribes where weak leaders always end up dead. He often appears receptive to other people's ideas and needs