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The Deathless Dark
A chance encounter at a campfire convinces Captain Daverell Kain he can end the war by walking away from it.
There is a child, a boy who may be the prophesied hero they need. Daverell must find him, persuade his mother of her son’s true nature, and bring him to the legendary sword. A powerful weapon only the boy can wield that lies on the other side of a desolate, war-torn frontier full of enemy invaders, devious swordslingers, and worse.
Pellary, a novitiate of a holy sisterhood with the ability to see through the eyes of others, is called to a destination from which none have returned. This journey brings her face to face with an ancient evil, the Church’s darkest sin and secret. She is given a dangerous mission at the center of the war and a much older battle.
Faith of the blind, a mother’s love, and a quest for redemption will collide in a desperate struggle to kill the unkillable and save a nation.
There is a child, a boy who may be the prophesied hero they need. Daverell must find him, persuade his mother of her son’s true nature, and bring him to the legendary sword. A powerful weapon only the boy can wield that lies on the other side of a desolate, war-torn frontier full of enemy invaders, devious swordslingers, and worse.
Pellary, a novitiate of a holy sisterhood with the ability to see through the eyes of others, is called to a destination from which none have returned. This journey brings her face to face with an ancient evil, the Church’s darkest sin and secret. She is given a dangerous mission at the center of the war and a much older battle.
Faith of the blind, a mother’s love, and a quest for redemption will collide in a desperate struggle to kill the unkillable and save a nation.
376 pages, Paperback
Published December 18, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 19, 2025
“As the son of an imperfect but good mother, knowing you are—or were once—powerfully loved can do much. Even when all else fails.”
This book is fantasy meets Western meets horror, which is a combination I personally have never come across. It takes place in a land called Threya, where demons and ghosts still roam the frontier. In this story, we meet Daverell Kain, a battle-weary captain who might have the solution to ending the war, leaving it to find a mother and her son who may be the very help Threya needs most.
There is also Pellary, a novitiate of a holy sisterhood, who finds herself face to face with an ancient evil that the Church has been keeping secret for centuries. From there, we see how these stories intertwine to meet the challenge of killing something that is unkillable and finding way to bring their land from the brink of destruction.
This book is a lot of fun to read (I’ve read it twice!) and the art throughout is beautiful. The story flows well between the characters’ perspectives. The writing is evocative and descriptive without being overwrought. I’m not a huge fantasy reader partly because I lack the patience (or interest) for chapters full of world-building — this book thankfully doesn’t do that. Instead, the world-building is woven throughout the narrative, which effectively sets the scene and atmosphere, while still letting the reader fill in details with their own imagination.
If I had read this book for the plot alone, I would’ve been satisfied. But there is so much more to it than that. At its core, ‘The Deathless Dark’ is a story about redemption, grief, and sacrifice. It’s about the transformative power of love and goodness, even in the face of loss and fear.
Of course, I’m biased about this book. How could I not be when it’s written by my favorite person? But truly, this book is just so good. I’m so proud of Kevin’s hard work and even happier that the world gets to see it now.
This book is fantasy meets Western meets horror, which is a combination I personally have never come across. It takes place in a land called Threya, where demons and ghosts still roam the frontier. In this story, we meet Daverell Kain, a battle-weary captain who might have the solution to ending the war, leaving it to find a mother and her son who may be the very help Threya needs most.
There is also Pellary, a novitiate of a holy sisterhood, who finds herself face to face with an ancient evil that the Church has been keeping secret for centuries. From there, we see how these stories intertwine to meet the challenge of killing something that is unkillable and finding way to bring their land from the brink of destruction.
This book is a lot of fun to read (I’ve read it twice!) and the art throughout is beautiful. The story flows well between the characters’ perspectives. The writing is evocative and descriptive without being overwrought. I’m not a huge fantasy reader partly because I lack the patience (or interest) for chapters full of world-building — this book thankfully doesn’t do that. Instead, the world-building is woven throughout the narrative, which effectively sets the scene and atmosphere, while still letting the reader fill in details with their own imagination.
If I had read this book for the plot alone, I would’ve been satisfied. But there is so much more to it than that. At its core, ‘The Deathless Dark’ is a story about redemption, grief, and sacrifice. It’s about the transformative power of love and goodness, even in the face of loss and fear.
Of course, I’m biased about this book. How could I not be when it’s written by my favorite person? But truly, this book is just so good. I’m so proud of Kevin’s hard work and even happier that the world gets to see it now.
January 9, 2026
10/10
TL;DR - I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy! I was seriously surprised at how good it is.
---- FULL REVIEW ----
A debut novel?! This book seriously has no business being as good as it is. It's been a long time since I've been this hooked on a story. More than once, I found myself nearly holding my breath with heart pounding.
A lot of books (especially indie fantasy) have a problem with plot development. Things tend to just happen because, well, they do, and that's what's supposed to happen, because... plot. This book is not that way. The plot develops gradually as the two main storylines artfully come together. Sometimes things work out, and sometimes they don't, removing a sense of plot armor and adding real weight and risk to the characters' decisions. Speaking of decisions, the characters are well-written and multidimensional. Their choices do not feel pre-determined, and they come to conclusions like real people would.
Truthfully, the worst part about this book is the summary on the back. It seeeeriously sounds clunky and bad and doesn't do the book justice.
I've already personally recommended this book to 7 friends, and I will continue to do so. I sincerely hope that Mr. Keele writes more books. There's a lot of room for more stories in the same world, and I would definitely read them.
(Since I know some people will care, no, I do not know the author personally.)
TL;DR - I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy! I was seriously surprised at how good it is.
---- FULL REVIEW ----
A debut novel?! This book seriously has no business being as good as it is. It's been a long time since I've been this hooked on a story. More than once, I found myself nearly holding my breath with heart pounding.
A lot of books (especially indie fantasy) have a problem with plot development. Things tend to just happen because, well, they do, and that's what's supposed to happen, because... plot. This book is not that way. The plot develops gradually as the two main storylines artfully come together. Sometimes things work out, and sometimes they don't, removing a sense of plot armor and adding real weight and risk to the characters' decisions. Speaking of decisions, the characters are well-written and multidimensional. Their choices do not feel pre-determined, and they come to conclusions like real people would.
Truthfully, the worst part about this book is the summary on the back. It seeeeriously sounds clunky and bad and doesn't do the book justice.
I've already personally recommended this book to 7 friends, and I will continue to do so. I sincerely hope that Mr. Keele writes more books. There's a lot of room for more stories in the same world, and I would definitely read them.
(Since I know some people will care, no, I do not know the author personally.)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews