The Tales of Durand trilogy, by David Keck begins with this first book of the collection, In The Eye of Heaven. Believable, gritty, genuine adherence to an age of old world combined with the fanciful world of magic. Watch this author, he will join the ranks of Fantasy’s elite authors.

This book doesn't give much of an intro into the people, place, land, or setting, I also struggled to discern who was talking at times and what they were talking about. I had hopes for the book but sadly had them dashed. Thank you for giving me a chance with this book.

One sentence review: A realistic portrayal of the Middle Ages that meanders a bit too much for my taste.

I have decided to forego the “quick summary” section. The story travels so many paths, I cannot provide an adequate or meaningful summary.

is a gritty novel which shows Keck’s outstanding wealth of knowledge regarding the Middle Ages. The glamour of sleep arrangements filled with nits and fleas and in the impossibilities of upward socio-economic movement for a second son, and the interference of gods. (It is a fantasy, after all.)

The reader is captivated by the world Keck has created. It is dark, and the lore is fascinating. It is one of the most well-developed worlds I have visited in a while; it feels as real as our own.

However.

Keck seems to have written several stories and combined them to create a book that is not entirely cohesive. The glue which holds the tales together is lengthy bits of tiresome prose. As a Steven Erikson reader, I am used to a certain level of side paths and questions left unsolved for several novels. However, Erikson always pushes his stories forward in a unified direction. The plot pushes ever onward until the merging point is reached at last. Keck has not figured out the recipe to connect the action with a central goal. This lack of overarching focus, mixed with uncompromisingly cruel pacing, left me disappointed and tired. At times, reading this novel feels like a punishment.

Once again, I have encountered a book that leaves me confused. Rather than decide if this is an enjoyable read or a problematic march through quicksand in the rain, I will allow myself the joy of the world and the disappointment of the storyline. Yet, perhaps that is Keck’s intention. Rarely (read “never”) is life a straightforward march of clear purpose or reason. Maybe the difficulties I encountered are intentional to allow the reader to entertain the idea that Durand is a real knight that we have forgotten. I just prefer my reality to be a mess of confusing plot points and my fantasy novels to have intention and direction.

Additionally, I did not like the main character enough to spend time with him more than necessary. He felt shallow and flat. This made it even more difficult for me to enjoy the – at times – random sequence of events.

I think those who enjoy high fantasy and detailed-works can have a lot of fun with this novel. Perhaps, this is even better appreciated slowly, revisited between other books. While this is a gritty novel, it is not the kind of story most grim-dark readers tend to seek out. The characters are just not well-developed in the way of Abercrombie, Lawrence, Spark-Smith, etc.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a platform from which I was able to receive an eARC of the rerelease from Tor-Forge Books and David Keck.

In The Eye of Heaven is something that has been on my reading list for a few years now that I've never seem to found the time to actually read. So when I found out that the last book in the trilogy was going to be releasing later this year and that the first two books were getting reissued in trade paperback I knew it was the perfect time to finally read it. It honestly took me a little while to actually get into the book but once I did I loved almost everything about it and spent my entire day off laying in bed reading it and mentally berating myself for waiting so long to do so.

David Keck is a great author and there was a lot that I enjoyed about this book, but I there were two things that really stood out about if for me. First, In The Eye of Heaven has one of the most realistic and believable worlds I've read about in a long time now. I can't even imagine that amount of time the author had to put into creating to be able to describe in such great detail. Normally I think getting into the grimy details of a world can bog down a story, I think it gives the world some verisimilitude. I didn't have any problems picturing the world or the people in my mind at all.

The other thing that I think really made this book stand out was what a fantastic protagonist it had. Durand is a good man in a world of corruption and greed who wants nothing more than to be a good knight who can make a difference in that world. I felt like at every turn of the story there was someone or something there to knock Durand on his ass and to get in the way of his goals and every time it happened Durand managed to fight his back back  to his feet and show he won't be kept down. I think Durand is probably one of the best characters I've read about so far this year and if he's anything like this in the rest of the series then he's going to easily become one of my all time favorite characters.

The only complaint I really have about In The Eye of Heaven is that I felt like the pacing was a bit off with the story and that the plot would wander off in weird directions occasionally. Things felt a bit dragged out in the beginning and rushed in the end, but happily I don't think that really affected how much I enjoyed the book. I think the amazing world and its characters more than make up for some minor pacing issues.

This is a book that I will definitely be recommending to anyone looking for a new fantasy series to read. I cant wait to find out what happens next in the series and can't decide now whether I want to get the ebook or wait for the trade paperback if and when they reissue it.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

in the eye of heaven (David Keck)
Title: in the eye of heaven
Author: David Keck
Publisher: Macmillian-Tor/Forge
Publication Date: TODAY! (paperback/e-book)
ISBN: 978-1250172525
Source: NetGalley

I really wanted to like this debut fantasy novel. It was compared to Glen Cook and the adjectives "gritty" and "medieval" were used. One of me favourite author's, Tamora Pierce, gave it a four-star review on Goodreads and read it twice. Hence its appeal. But this one just did not float me boat. Instead I had to abandon ship and watch it sink to the watery depths never to be seen again. I just found the writing style to be dense and confusing. I would have liked the plot to be more focused. Also I found the main character, Durand, to be rather flat and not compelling. I thought I was going to get a character that I didn't necessarily find admirable but would root for almost despite meself. Some of me crew members are highly enjoying this one but the little bit that I read was less than stellar.

So lastly . . .
Thank you Macmillian-Tor/Forge!

NetGalley has this to say about the novel:

In the Eye of Heaven is book one of David Keck's acclaimed and gritty epic fantasy Eye of Heaven trilogy.
Durand is simply a good squire trying to become a good knight in a harsh and unforgiving world.
After fourteen years of grueling training, Durand's knighthood and inheritance, the lordship of a small village in his father's duchy, seemed assured. However, Fate saw otherwise. When the long lost son of the knight of that village unexpectedly returns, Durand must forge his own name and fortune.

Disgraced sons, treacherous dukes, plots of murder, and banished monsters—what begins as a young man’s journey to self-discovery quickly turns into a quest to save the World of Man.

To visit the author’s website go to:
David Keck - Author

To buy the novel please visit:
in the eye of heaven - Book

To add to Goodreads go to:
Yer Ports for Plunder List

I thought this book started out really promising, but then it got too weird for me, which made me lose interest. This one wasn't for me, unfortunately.

I really enjoyed this novel, it was not a very typical high fantasy novel, where magic does exist in some shape but the book focuses more on the coming and goings of knights. It had a very strong feel of an Arthurian tale where the good knights fought off the bad. One critique I have is for newer readers of this genre this book might be confusing there is not a lot of background detail given and one must put the pieces together for themselves.

This is a very stabby book of darkness. So obviously I got along with it JUST FINE.
This book follows a man name Durand as he travels across an Arthurian fantasy kingdom that has gone oh so horribly wrong, first in search of employment and then in search of redemption. Which is where the plot thickens of course.

One thing that worries me about reading adult fantasy is if it'll fall into the "and then cometh she from the mists of the Harth Tree" or WHATEVER (like I totally made that up just then). #NO I do not handle that style. But In The Eye of Heaven mixed in sass and short punchy sentences and kept my little heart alive.

and yes, this is dark. It's gritty and fantastic and I enjoyed the medieval element a lot.

Having not read any of David Keck's previous work, I was not aware when I picked up "In the Eye of Heaven" that this was, in fact, a re-release of a 2007 publication. That said, it's a fairly straightforward foray into the epic fantasy genre, replete with knights and squires and village politics. Keck has a deft hand with folklore, and adapts existing modes and tropes freely to suit his world, and he frames them within a relatively realistic (relatively, as there are ... well, fantasy elements) depiction of the life and times and general experiences of being a mercenary knight in pseudo-Medieval times. This is not a book which reinvents the Medieval Fantasy wheel, but it's a solid entry and does not disappoint when it comes to plot and characterization.