In the Eye of Heaven by David Keck

I've been really disappointed by supposedly good fantasy novels lately. Maybe I was just buying too much into the hype, but I expected this book (and the next one, which I also happened to acquire) to be exciting and engaging. In the Eye of Heaven is definitely something. Engaging is not it.

The protagonist, Durand, doesn't get the land inheritance he was expecting, so he travels around, meeting mysterious hermits, being set upon by spirits, and taking odd chevalier jobs where he can get them.

It was like a cross between Jacqueline Carey's Sunderer duology and Dennis L. McKiernan's Faery Series, both in plot and in tone. And I like those two series, for very different reasons. But the problem with this novel is that Keck wrote it the way typical teen boys talk about things. He left out emotion. He left out introspection. There's very little opportunity to connect with Durand or any of the other characters because there's not that emotional connection that you really need to get invested in the plot of a book.

This is written very well and the plot is compelling. To Keck's credit, you do get a ton of dialogue and action, right off the bat. But ultimately, without that emotional connection…It was tough to slog through this one.

~5/10~