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Tales of Durand #2
In a Time of Treason
David Keck continues the gripping story of Durand Col, a man at the heart of a nation divided.
Fighting under the banner of Lord Lamoric, Durand and his companions thwarted a mad duke's ambition and saved the crown. They have spent the winter counting their last pennies in their master's gloomy hall and wondering what the coming season will bring.
One thing seems certain: the peace they forged cannot hold. Too many barons have plotted against the king, too many strongrooms are empty, and no one truly believes that a simple vote will long deter the brooding Duke of Yrlac.
With the advent of spring, the king rails against traitors and flings mad edicts across the land. There is open rebellion in the North. And, the Duke of Yrlac steps over the border of Lamoric's homeland.
Even as Durand fights at Lamoric's side, his loyalties are increasingly torn. As a knight of Lamoric's household, he cannot stray far from his master's wife—the one woman he can neither have nor forget—while siege and sorcery conspire to bring him closer to treason.
Can his loyalties survive his divided heart? Can the land of his birth survive the forces that tear it asunder? Can love and loyalty endure in a time of treason?
Fighting under the banner of Lord Lamoric, Durand and his companions thwarted a mad duke's ambition and saved the crown. They have spent the winter counting their last pennies in their master's gloomy hall and wondering what the coming season will bring.
One thing seems certain: the peace they forged cannot hold. Too many barons have plotted against the king, too many strongrooms are empty, and no one truly believes that a simple vote will long deter the brooding Duke of Yrlac.
With the advent of spring, the king rails against traitors and flings mad edicts across the land. There is open rebellion in the North. And, the Duke of Yrlac steps over the border of Lamoric's homeland.
Even as Durand fights at Lamoric's side, his loyalties are increasingly torn. As a knight of Lamoric's household, he cannot stray far from his master's wife—the one woman he can neither have nor forget—while siege and sorcery conspire to bring him closer to treason.
Can his loyalties survive his divided heart? Can the land of his birth survive the forces that tear it asunder? Can love and loyalty endure in a time of treason?
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
8 people are currently reading
250 people want to read
About the author
David Keck
14 books47 followersDavid Keck is a New York based writer and teacher who grew up in Winnipeg, Canada.
His novels are published by Tor.
On long winter evenings, he filled pads of newsprint with drawings, cartoons, and stories. His mother made him write on both sides.
After completing degrees in English Literature/History and Education in Winnipeg, he traveled to Britain’s University of Sussex where he earned an MA in creative writing and indulged his taste for exploring the medieval and the Neolithic.
Over the years, he has had the chance to climb through countless castles, cathedrals, tombs, and henges from the South of France to the Orkney Islands. There is something about really being in these places--getting chased by the farmer's dog--that brings the past to life.
David loves to dig up stories that show traces of earlier ways of thinking. He’s endlessly curious about how people actually lived in other times and places, and he wants his readers to join him in an older, stranger world.
In 2004, he moved to New York to marry editor and author Anne Groell. They met in Montreal at the World Fantasy Convention in 2001, and now have an intrepid young daughter together.
For twelve years, he has been teaching English at a public middle school in Washington Heights. He tries to bring his drawings and his imagination to every class, and has become a great proponent of educational technology.
From the streets around the school, you can often see the tower of The Met Cloisters museum, with its medieval treasures, peeking out above the trees. The past is never far away.
David recently fulfilled his childhood ambition of getting his cartoons into print, placing work with The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Analog Magazine, and Random House’s Suvudu website, before it became Unbound Worlds. He currently enjoys populating snapshots of New York's subways, streets, and secret forests with pop-eyed monsters. But, in his fiction, a reader will find the darker side of his imagination.
His novels are published by Tor.
On long winter evenings, he filled pads of newsprint with drawings, cartoons, and stories. His mother made him write on both sides.
After completing degrees in English Literature/History and Education in Winnipeg, he traveled to Britain’s University of Sussex where he earned an MA in creative writing and indulged his taste for exploring the medieval and the Neolithic.
Over the years, he has had the chance to climb through countless castles, cathedrals, tombs, and henges from the South of France to the Orkney Islands. There is something about really being in these places--getting chased by the farmer's dog--that brings the past to life.
David loves to dig up stories that show traces of earlier ways of thinking. He’s endlessly curious about how people actually lived in other times and places, and he wants his readers to join him in an older, stranger world.
In 2004, he moved to New York to marry editor and author Anne Groell. They met in Montreal at the World Fantasy Convention in 2001, and now have an intrepid young daughter together.
For twelve years, he has been teaching English at a public middle school in Washington Heights. He tries to bring his drawings and his imagination to every class, and has become a great proponent of educational technology.
From the streets around the school, you can often see the tower of The Met Cloisters museum, with its medieval treasures, peeking out above the trees. The past is never far away.
David recently fulfilled his childhood ambition of getting his cartoons into print, placing work with The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Analog Magazine, and Random House’s Suvudu website, before it became Unbound Worlds. He currently enjoys populating snapshots of New York's subways, streets, and secret forests with pop-eyed monsters. But, in his fiction, a reader will find the darker side of his imagination.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 9, 2011
OK. I just didn't like the book. I didn't realize it was a sequel when I bought it. But I decided to read anyway.
Some good ideas in the book and some decent scenes. If not for the things below, this could have been a good book. I liked some concepts but felt like the book was a patchwork of predictable and generic characters with many unexplained events, which could have been done with better development or some reason to tie them in. Lots of deus ex machina and mysterious recoveries from deaths door. I would almost have thought it satire but it's clearly not meant to be.
Spoilers below. spoiler alert.
First, the writing style really became difficult to follow. Many scenes and parts of scenes confused me until I read further and kind of filled in the blanks. Not a fun thing when it's the events happening and you cannot tell who is doing what or where they are.
Second, some of the events that occur don't really make sense or maybe have heavy foreshadowing for future books that I won't read.
Third, like many fantasy books today, several scenes show massive carnage but the heroes all make it through. And, though regularly living through events killing others, the heroes, whose injuries are exhaustingly described, somehow are able to jump into action and speak as though no injury existed. Including the hero carrying on conversations with a broken jaw. Very distracting when a hero fights a battle for several days, then swims a lake twice that killed a man crossing it once, fights another battle with little rest injured and at deaths door. Then he cannot move for a couple of days with broken bones. Receives some minor treatment. Then rides several days where even turning is very painful but can still fight and, of course, carry on his affair with the woman who somehow always finds him even when he's braving serious danger to himself. She never gets touched by the danger that keeps him nearly dead. He must have a massive sex drive too as he carries on with her in one scene with broken ribs, an injured shoulder, broken jaw and about three days after nearly freezing to death.
Most irritating. The heroes affair. Somehow, through implausible events, the hero is frequently placed with his love interest, his lords wife. The reader is beaten over the head with it. The constant threat of discovery is also noted but the characters manage to constantly be with each other and, despite massive injury to the hero, he still manages to have passionate trysts. Further it seems that none of the other people, especially the heroes lord, notice the affair, except one guy who's watching them It is so distracting that it is offensive to the readers intelligence. Totally removes you from the story and really makes the book unpleasant.
I did like some of the scenes and some of the ideas. However, the characters seemed formulaic and indestructible. The book was very hard to follow at times and the authors hand was visible in many scenes, especially in the affair, which felt like every scene.
Reading the official review it is really off
UGH!
Some good ideas in the book and some decent scenes. If not for the things below, this could have been a good book. I liked some concepts but felt like the book was a patchwork of predictable and generic characters with many unexplained events, which could have been done with better development or some reason to tie them in. Lots of deus ex machina and mysterious recoveries from deaths door. I would almost have thought it satire but it's clearly not meant to be.
Spoilers below. spoiler alert.
First, the writing style really became difficult to follow. Many scenes and parts of scenes confused me until I read further and kind of filled in the blanks. Not a fun thing when it's the events happening and you cannot tell who is doing what or where they are.
Second, some of the events that occur don't really make sense or maybe have heavy foreshadowing for future books that I won't read.
Third, like many fantasy books today, several scenes show massive carnage but the heroes all make it through. And, though regularly living through events killing others, the heroes, whose injuries are exhaustingly described, somehow are able to jump into action and speak as though no injury existed. Including the hero carrying on conversations with a broken jaw. Very distracting when a hero fights a battle for several days, then swims a lake twice that killed a man crossing it once, fights another battle with little rest injured and at deaths door. Then he cannot move for a couple of days with broken bones. Receives some minor treatment. Then rides several days where even turning is very painful but can still fight and, of course, carry on his affair with the woman who somehow always finds him even when he's braving serious danger to himself. She never gets touched by the danger that keeps him nearly dead. He must have a massive sex drive too as he carries on with her in one scene with broken ribs, an injured shoulder, broken jaw and about three days after nearly freezing to death.
Most irritating. The heroes affair. Somehow, through implausible events, the hero is frequently placed with his love interest, his lords wife. The reader is beaten over the head with it. The constant threat of discovery is also noted but the characters manage to constantly be with each other and, despite massive injury to the hero, he still manages to have passionate trysts. Further it seems that none of the other people, especially the heroes lord, notice the affair, except one guy who's watching them It is so distracting that it is offensive to the readers intelligence. Totally removes you from the story and really makes the book unpleasant.
I did like some of the scenes and some of the ideas. However, the characters seemed formulaic and indestructible. The book was very hard to follow at times and the authors hand was visible in many scenes, especially in the affair, which felt like every scene.
Reading the official review it is really off
UGH!
June 8, 2009
Same as Eye of Heaven but the story deepens and Durand finds love, purpose and more
August 13, 2018
Durand and his team of loyal friends have already saved the crown once, at a very high personal cost. But the kingdom's situation is far from peaceful. With numerous people of power willing to rebel against the king, and the monarch himself being a threat to his own kingdom, what can Durand do in order to maintain the peace?
In a Time of Treason is an exceptionally well written book. The plot flows easily, making this a very interesting and attention-grasping story for the reader. The characters were well constructed, and the story straight-forward. Durand is a very interesting character to follow along his adventures, and he never disappoints.
This was a very good book. As it is part of a series, I would suggest reading the first of the series before you pick up In a Time of Treason, as that will enhance your reading experience. Definitely recommended for fans of the fantasy genre.
In a Time of Treason is an exceptionally well written book. The plot flows easily, making this a very interesting and attention-grasping story for the reader. The characters were well constructed, and the story straight-forward. Durand is a very interesting character to follow along his adventures, and he never disappoints.
This was a very good book. As it is part of a series, I would suggest reading the first of the series before you pick up In a Time of Treason, as that will enhance your reading experience. Definitely recommended for fans of the fantasy genre.
May 8, 2019
Senior Grade Fantasy
This series, the writing, the trials and tribulations of Durand is not for the faint of heart. This writing style was not done to appease the masses. I mentioned it when I reviewed book one, this is very much a throwback Fantasy. Through the miasma of darkness that surrounds the story, you have to pierce the author's intentions.
Two books in I can safely say this is a story about passion - the MC’s lust for another’s wife, a sons quest for his fathers love, a husbands rage against a faithless spouse and the ties that bind them to a realm.
It is said that a great man’s children learn jealousy at their mother’s breast.
This all makes for good reading if you are in the mood to read it. During several points, I had to put the book to the side and find lighter stories before diving back in. A good series I hope book 3 really provides the payoff that I’m looking for.
Favorite Line: It is said that a great man’s children learn jealousy at their mother’s breast.
This series, the writing, the trials and tribulations of Durand is not for the faint of heart. This writing style was not done to appease the masses. I mentioned it when I reviewed book one, this is very much a throwback Fantasy. Through the miasma of darkness that surrounds the story, you have to pierce the author's intentions.
Two books in I can safely say this is a story about passion - the MC’s lust for another’s wife, a sons quest for his fathers love, a husbands rage against a faithless spouse and the ties that bind them to a realm.
It is said that a great man’s children learn jealousy at their mother’s breast.
This all makes for good reading if you are in the mood to read it. During several points, I had to put the book to the side and find lighter stories before diving back in. A good series I hope book 3 really provides the payoff that I’m looking for.
Favorite Line: It is said that a great man’s children learn jealousy at their mother’s breast.
December 30, 2018
I really, really wanted to love this book. I just can't, the middle 3rd of the book drug on badly for me. Now I will say that it is most likely my own mindset that made this a difficult read.
Durand was constantly brooding over his betrayal of the lord he served by banging his wife. All the while still bending her over when nobody was looking. I found myself hoping that she would die so that he could experience some character progression. The last 3rd of the book finally picked up but it just wasn't enough to push my rating beyond 3.5*.
On to book 3, hopefully he will stop his brooding and just live with his decision to stick it in his lords wife. Own it Durand!
Durand was constantly brooding over his betrayal of the lord he served by banging his wife. All the while still bending her over when nobody was looking. I found myself hoping that she would die so that he could experience some character progression. The last 3rd of the book finally picked up but it just wasn't enough to push my rating beyond 3.5*.
On to book 3, hopefully he will stop his brooding and just live with his decision to stick it in his lords wife. Own it Durand!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2018
I am enjoying this fantasy trilogy and can’t wait for the third one to be available.
February 2, 2019
So intense and so different, you can’t help but love this book.
April 27, 2012
FORMER Winnipegger David Keck returns to the rich fantasy world he created for his 2006 debut novel, In the Eye of Heaven, with an aptly titled tale of court politics and rebellion.
There are no stereotypical quests in Keck's story; the main characters are driven by politics, love, financial need, desire for honour -- and they must fight for all of it.
This is fantasy for grown-ups à la Guy Gavriel Kay and Stephen R. Donaldson.
Keck's hero, the brave knight Durand Col, is still in the service of the heavily indebted Sir Lamoric, second -- and ignored -- son of the Duke of Gireth. Durand also fancies Lamoric's wife Deorwen, and the feeling is mutual.
"There was no way forward for him and Deorwen," he broods, "and a wound didn't heal with the blade still in. He had to go." But Durand, a landless second son himself, cannot leave.
His former lord, Duke Radomor of Yrlac, whose previous attempt to overthrow the king was thwarted by Durand and Lamoric, looms large.
That king puts the screws to his dukes, rebellious or not -- kidnapping their heirs, he holds them hostage against the dukes' loyalty. Lamoric, sent by his older brother, narrowly escapes with Durand's help.
The sociopathic Radomor, flanked by two sorcerous monks called Rooks, makes a play for Gireth and ultimately the crown. Lamoric and his family bear the brunt of his aggression, and as always, loyal Durand steps between his master and the oncoming strike
Themes of loyalty and betrayal course through the story -- Durand's cuckolding a lord he repeatedly saves from death; the king's mistrust of his lords; Radomor's rebellion; and the presence of a traitor among Lamoric's men.
It's fairly grim going, and Keck's vivid style puts the reader in the soldiers' boots. "Torrents of scalding water and great stones shuddered down from the battlements. The street seethed, and Lamoric's men staggered for footing on the flesh and bones of their fallen comrades."
He also illuminates the psychological effects of the siege that quickly engulfs the characters. When Radomor offers to let everyone go free if they surrender Lamoric and his father, it's an open question what people driven to fear and starvation will do.
Magic and sorcery are handled subtly, though their effects on the characters is clear. Even battle-hardened knights are superstitious about sleeping outside during certain phases of the moon. And monstrosities like Radomor's Champion -- a rotting giant encased in armour -- drive chaos and fear into his enemies.
If there's any fault with this fast-moving, tightly written fantasy, it's that Durand remains a bit of a cipher.
Despite his motivations -- guilt over his affair, hunger to prove himself -- we actually get to know Lamoric better: the striving son who must seize the responsibility his father won't grant, and who dredges up strength from his people they didn't know they had.
Keck lives in New York City with his wife, an editor and writer, whom he met at a science fiction convention.
He has built a firm foundation for a climactic third volume. He delivers a satisfying end to the novel which rings true -- a victory tainted by loss -- but it's clear that as the heroes have been wrangling with Radomor, other powers have been left unchecked.
David Jón Fuller is a Free Press copy editor.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 2, 2008
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/hist...
There are no stereotypical quests in Keck's story; the main characters are driven by politics, love, financial need, desire for honour -- and they must fight for all of it.
This is fantasy for grown-ups à la Guy Gavriel Kay and Stephen R. Donaldson.
Keck's hero, the brave knight Durand Col, is still in the service of the heavily indebted Sir Lamoric, second -- and ignored -- son of the Duke of Gireth. Durand also fancies Lamoric's wife Deorwen, and the feeling is mutual.
"There was no way forward for him and Deorwen," he broods, "and a wound didn't heal with the blade still in. He had to go." But Durand, a landless second son himself, cannot leave.
His former lord, Duke Radomor of Yrlac, whose previous attempt to overthrow the king was thwarted by Durand and Lamoric, looms large.
That king puts the screws to his dukes, rebellious or not -- kidnapping their heirs, he holds them hostage against the dukes' loyalty. Lamoric, sent by his older brother, narrowly escapes with Durand's help.
The sociopathic Radomor, flanked by two sorcerous monks called Rooks, makes a play for Gireth and ultimately the crown. Lamoric and his family bear the brunt of his aggression, and as always, loyal Durand steps between his master and the oncoming strike
Themes of loyalty and betrayal course through the story -- Durand's cuckolding a lord he repeatedly saves from death; the king's mistrust of his lords; Radomor's rebellion; and the presence of a traitor among Lamoric's men.
It's fairly grim going, and Keck's vivid style puts the reader in the soldiers' boots. "Torrents of scalding water and great stones shuddered down from the battlements. The street seethed, and Lamoric's men staggered for footing on the flesh and bones of their fallen comrades."
He also illuminates the psychological effects of the siege that quickly engulfs the characters. When Radomor offers to let everyone go free if they surrender Lamoric and his father, it's an open question what people driven to fear and starvation will do.
Magic and sorcery are handled subtly, though their effects on the characters is clear. Even battle-hardened knights are superstitious about sleeping outside during certain phases of the moon. And monstrosities like Radomor's Champion -- a rotting giant encased in armour -- drive chaos and fear into his enemies.
If there's any fault with this fast-moving, tightly written fantasy, it's that Durand remains a bit of a cipher.
Despite his motivations -- guilt over his affair, hunger to prove himself -- we actually get to know Lamoric better: the striving son who must seize the responsibility his father won't grant, and who dredges up strength from his people they didn't know they had.
Keck lives in New York City with his wife, an editor and writer, whom he met at a science fiction convention.
He has built a firm foundation for a climactic third volume. He delivers a satisfying end to the novel which rings true -- a victory tainted by loss -- but it's clear that as the heroes have been wrangling with Radomor, other powers have been left unchecked.
David Jón Fuller is a Free Press copy editor.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 2, 2008
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/hist...
March 29, 2019
David Keck does it again. I thoroughly enjoyed "In the Eye of Heaven," the first book in what I fear is only a duology. Keck's fantasy setting is thoroughly grounded in the medieval. There are no false modern conceits here--no one cares about the peasants and what they do. Life is knights and tourneys and kings and politics.
But it's written from an absolutely grounded place. Our hero joined the retinue of his lord to earn the land and wealth he was deprived of at home. But honor still matters--in the form of loyalty and guilt. Keck weaves a tale of a man torn between his head, his heart, and his honor, but Durand never stops being believable.
The setting feels fully-realized without rubbing your nose in it. The characters are consistent and three-dimensional. The magic feels, well, magical and not like another system of physics. When we see a ghost, it feels haunting. When Durand faces ancient evil, it feels ancient and evil. And the dogs ... well, the dogs are just freaking scary as is the inspired and bizarre way Durand deals with them. And he gives us one of the best sieges I've ever read.
Keck has grown more comfortable with his style as well. He writes suggestively, not always describing events as much as implying them. Two moments stand out--one involving a portcullis and one the absence of a sound. In each case, mountains of detail (physical, logistical, emotional) are conveyed in a single terse sentence or two.
Of all the writers I've found, Keck reminds me most of Glen Cook and he is the only one who scratches that same itch. I cannot recommend him enough, although you should make sure you read "In the Eye of Heaven" first.
But it's written from an absolutely grounded place. Our hero joined the retinue of his lord to earn the land and wealth he was deprived of at home. But honor still matters--in the form of loyalty and guilt. Keck weaves a tale of a man torn between his head, his heart, and his honor, but Durand never stops being believable.
The setting feels fully-realized without rubbing your nose in it. The characters are consistent and three-dimensional. The magic feels, well, magical and not like another system of physics. When we see a ghost, it feels haunting. When Durand faces ancient evil, it feels ancient and evil. And the dogs ... well, the dogs are just freaking scary as is the inspired and bizarre way Durand deals with them. And he gives us one of the best sieges I've ever read.
Keck has grown more comfortable with his style as well. He writes suggestively, not always describing events as much as implying them. Two moments stand out--one involving a portcullis and one the absence of a sound. In each case, mountains of detail (physical, logistical, emotional) are conveyed in a single terse sentence or two.
Of all the writers I've found, Keck reminds me most of Glen Cook and he is the only one who scratches that same itch. I cannot recommend him enough, although you should make sure you read "In the Eye of Heaven" first.
May 15, 2008
This sequel to In the Eye of Heaven continues the tale of Durand of Col who is a knight for Lamoric, the younger son of a Duke and their fight with the Duke of Yrlac. An all around very good book, but you really need to read the first book to understand Durand's problems and their fight against the fiendish Duke of Yrlac.
Fans of swordsmen, medieval sieges and battles will find much to like in this novel.
Fans of swordsmen, medieval sieges and battles will find much to like in this novel.
Read
July 29, 2009See my review at http://mindingmyownbeeswax.blogspot.c...
May 20, 2010
Nearly breathlessly paced. The main character, Durand, never gets a break. I would gladly read more books in this series, but sadly thus far there appear to be only the two.
Read
June 13, 2010Great Summer reading a couple of years ago
August 26, 2013
Couldn't finish it. The prose just drove me nuts. Things seemed awkwardly phrased at times, then at other times too much dialogue or too much liberty given to reader assumptions. Just not for me.
October 4, 2023
Loved this book, and it's an amazing sequel! Keck's writing reminds me of CJ Cherryh's style in The Dreaming Tree duology.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews