The Mark of the Bear Clan

When the cold hand reaches southward,

reaches with its frozen fingers,

comes a child into the Northland,

all the clans to bring together.

The child is Ulla, a green-eyed girl from a hardscrabble village in Iron-Age Finland. Mauled by a bear, she is healed by the famous wizard Väinämöinen, but walks away with a striking scar that evokes an ancient prophecy. Hundreds of miles away, Prince Egan is thrust into power when his father is killed by a horrific shade from Hell.

The lives of the two young heroes intertwine as they battle Löhi, a powerful sorceress and the Far Northern Land's ancient enemy. For Egan, this means overcoming the skepticism of his own people and the hidden self-doubt that gnaws at him deep inside. Torn from everyone she ever knew, Ulla embarks on a desperate search for love and belonging, and takes the first steps to becoming a wizard herself.

The Mark of the Bear Clan, Book I of the Far Northern Land Saga, goes where no epic fantasy series has ever gone before-Finnish mythology and the world of the Kalevala, where legendary heroes like the wizard Väinämöinen mix with original characters like Ulla and Egan to create a unique mosaic wholly new to fantasy literature.

About the Author
Schlaefer, David Allen: - David Allen Schlaefer is a diplomat, author, and globetrotter who started his life in tropical south Texas at the Mexican border and wound up 10,000 miles away in the snowy wonderland of Finland. Along the way, he's lived in Hong Kong and Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Bucharest, Kiev and Mexico, and served alongside the 3rd Brigade Combat Team in Iraq where he won a Commander's Award for Civilian Service. David's interest in all things Finnish began at a young age when he discovered the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic, and its stories about shamans, witches, warriors, and magic. He jumped at the opportunity to work at the US Embassy in Helsinki and study Finnish language and culture for almost five years. A member of the Kalevala Society and author of articles on the influence of the Finnish language and Kalevala on J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, David turned to the Far Northern Land Saga to bring Finnish myths to life for a new generation of fantasy fans.