In a Time of Treason (Tor Fantasy) [Mass Market Paperback]

David Keck (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tor Fantasy | Publication Date: April 28, 2009

David Keck captivated readers with In the Eye of Heaven. Now, he 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?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Equal parts historical fiction and epic medieval fantasy, the second volume of Keck's trilogy (after 2006's In the Eye of Heaven) finds heroic liegeman Durand Col and his liege, Lord Lamoric, invited to the court of King Ragnal to reaffirm their homage oaths along with other noblemen. They get there late, only to find that the paranoid ruler has imprisoned the earlier arrivals and begun a bloody campaign to eradicate traitors. Fleeing, Col finds himself once again battling the opportunistic duke of Yrlac, but the greatest treason of all is perhaps Col's hopeless love for Lamoric's wife. Combining meticulous detail and grand-scale storytelling, Col's mud-covered, flea-ridden adventure succeeds in large part by avoiding the conventions and clichés that doom so many comparable fantasy epics to mediocrity. The less than satisfying ending, however, isn't so much a conclusion as a pause before what should be a momentous third and final novel. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Deftly told…. A gritty medieval fantasy full of enchantment.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review) on In the Eye of Heaven
 
“A powerful and assured debut.”
—Jacqueline Carey, bestselling author of Kushiel’s Dart, on In the Eye of Heaven
 
“The debut of an exceptional series, revealing the mythical depth and resonance possible within the genre of fantasy—a rare feat these days.”
—Steven Erikson on In the Eye of Heaven
 
“A very intelligent book, with a hero who starts out as raw and physical as the world in which he finds himself but who proves able to use his mind to get out of the situations his body’s gotten him into.”
—David Drake on In the Eye of Heaven

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Tor Fantasy; First Edition edition (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765351706
• ISBN-13: 978-0765351708
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,471,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David grew up in Winnipeg, Canada. During his twenties he collected degrees in education, English literature, and creative writing. He has studied in rural England, taught in prairie Canada and recently joined his wife in her hometown: New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More conventional than the previous one but not less interesting, August 25, 2008

By 

Krzisch Claude "CalvinK" (Picardy France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In a Time of Treason (Hardcover)

The first volume "In the eye of Heaven" was a very promising draft of the series. It proceeded by small touches to brush the background of the story leaving many openings for the future volumes. The second one is more conventional and more suitable for the fans of fantasy with plenty of battle scenes and less complexity. Durand, the hero, takes part of many but gains little. As Fabrice Del Dongo in "Le Rouge et le Noir" (Stendhal) who sees a great battle from the point of view of the soldier, not the general, he is only a piece in a bigger game but a more and more important one. This subjectivity makes the proximity of the hero. However, in this case, the battle takes place simultaneously in gritty reality and dream which are always interacting. A well written series.

3 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fabulous thriller, February 21, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In a Time of Treason (Hardcover)

As he does periodically, King Ragnal demands his liegemen come to his court to pledge their fealty to him. Among the nobles arriving to vow their dying loyalty to the monarch are Lord Lamoric and his vassal Durand Col. The latter hides his love of his liege's wife from everyone even the target of his affection although he sees her from afar with longing everyday they are home, which is more frequent than ever as they have no money for travel. Still they must journey to the king's court or face his wrath at a time when rebellion especially in the north seems imminent.

The pair arrives at the king's court late to their euphoria as those who came on time reside in Ragnal's dungeon or in a coffin. The king believes traitors exist among those pledging to him so he is purging them. Col escapes, but finds his enemy the Duke of Yrlac has set him up to die having already begin an incursion into his neighbor's land that of Lamoric.

More a historical fiction with some underlying fantasy elements, the sequel to IN THE EYE OF HEAVEN is a fabulous thriller because like its predecessor Col makes the man on the run scenario seem genuine. As a knight errant with no prospects and no super powers he is human, which makes the fantasy seem genuine. For instance Col struggles as much from fleas as he does against his enemy. Although the climax is a cliffhanger leaving IN A TIME FOR TREASON without any closure as it ends up setting up the next tale, fans will appreciate David Keck's fabulous saga.

Harriet Klausner