The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

Hart Ralston is a demigod who was born to a human mother and a god. At the outset of the novel, he does not know which god is his father. His pale, colorless gray eyes mark his status as a demigod, and he is tall and handsome, with shaggy blond hair. His mother died when he was 16, after which he joined the Tanrian marshal and met his mentor and father figure, Bill, who trained him. Bill was killed by drudges when Hart was 19 years old. After that, Hart partnered with Alma Maguire, his closest friend, who has since taken a desk job and has become his boss. He has been unable to keep a partner until Alma assigns him Pen Duckers, a new apprentice.

Hart is one of the novel’s two protagonists and point-of-view characters. He is taciturn, curmudgeonly, and bitter. He does not make friends easily, and even those who have known him for many years find him difficult to handle. He is rude to Mercy during their first meeting, and this poor start leads to four years of feuding and animosity. In a moment of private emotional vulnerability, he writes an anonymous letter to “a friend,” and when the postal messengers take it upon themselves to deliver this letter to Mercy, the anonymous pen pal friendship between the two protagonists begins.