The Tome of Haren Review
Author: Damien Francis
Rating: 8.5 GREAT
What’s it about?: THE TOME OF HAREN, A POWERFUL BOOK, MADE FROM MAGIC, WITH VAST STORES OF KNOWLEDGE, THAT COULD SHIFT THE BALANCE OF A WAR BREWING AT THE EDGE OF NAREAN'S BORDERS... AND ONE YOUNG MAN WILL BECOME THE KEEPER FOR ALL TO SURVIVE...The nation of Narean is vulnerable. There hasn't been a Keeper to protect and defend its people for over 150 years. As rumours of war grow, Narean needs a Keeper more than ever. Orphaned since birth, Aeidor has no expectations for life except surviving day to day, so when a legend from old stories claims that he is to be the next Keeper, the powerful champions entrusted with defending Narean, Aeidor must journey farther than he ever imagined in search of an artefact long thought lost, the Tome of Haren.
“To ask a question is to keep your innocence. For once you know the answer to that question, you can lose that innocence, that pure soul.”
I want to begin this review by giving you my final thought on the book. I loved my time with The Tome of Haren. It's a great book and the first in a series named The Keeper Chronicles. Much like its main character Aeidor, my journey through the book hit many trials and tribulations. However, the passion and heart that obviously went into every page won me over to end up as one of my surprise favorites. It's a massive story that leaves no stone unturned for better or for worse. Luckily, it's mostly for the better. Readers should not overlook this hidden gem.
“Though the trees grow and grow, and man grows complacent, so too does a darkness fester in the corners of equal growth.”
I absolutely loved the premise of The Tome of Haren. A dark and epic quest into the unknown while being pursued by some of the worst humanity has to offer, is a recipe for greatness. It’s also a coming-of-age tale. Right from the start, Aeidor is a fish-out-of-water and forced into extraordinary circumstances. The author's choice to progress Aeidor's character throughout an extended epic quest, rather than a tropey training montage or test of strength, was a great decision. This kept the best parts of the story moving forward instead of being forced to wait for Aeidor to “level-up” in order to advance the plot. I felt this was very well done and a large reason why I enjoyed the story so much. It’s tropey in the sense that Aeidor is “the chosen one,” but Francis puts enough of a unique spin that I found it fresh. Aeidor's progression throughout his journey is paced pretty well. This accounts for both his character and his ability to fight. At first glance his arc seemed to move along a bit too quickly. However, once the main plot starts to reveal itself, things slow down to a more natural pace. Throughout The Tome of Haren, the author jumps around to different perspectives. From the start, I felt that it was done in a way that felt disjointed and unnatural. However, that feeling slowly faded as the story and characters took hold. But be aware you may feel a little lost in the beginning. Descriptions of scenes are great and the world-building is fantastic. The enemies lurking and stalking in the shadows were expertly realized. The author put as much care into the antagonists as he does the protagonists. Seemingly every foe that the party encounters is fleshed out with varying backstories, disciplines, and motives. This brought with it a unique tension and intrigue to the search for The Tome of Haren. Aeidor and his companions could never get too comfortable while always being stalked and hunted. And knowing their methods and motives, made it so much more terrifying and compelling. In the end, I love how the author was able to make Aeidor's journey really feel like a long and arduous quest. Nearing its conclusion, I too felt like I had been dragged across creation.
“You can see into the world of the ethereal, speak in the tongues of the celestial, hear the voices of the immaterial, stand on the cusp of the intangible, and feel the touch of the bodiless.”
Aeidor’s character grew on me and by the middle of the book had me wholeheartedly rooting for him. Since the plot was moving along at a decent clip from the start, I was concerned that each character wouldn't be provided with enough depth to make the proceedings that impactful. However, the author chooses to slowly reveal backstory and hidden depth to the characters that made a larger impact than expected. Oftentimes, he used the environment in unique ways to do this. Aeidor is traveling with champions of legend, known throughout the lands for their heroic deeds or prowess in combat. However, the author challenges these legendary tales and presents flawed individuals. He presents an unknown side of these champions, each with their own unseen weaknesses. This pulled me in and made them much more compelling than my initial impressions. They all have a history with one another and it shows in their actions and their dialogue. It adds an interesting dynamic within the group and leads to some intriguing plot points. For example, Fiarden and Kaine working together with contrasting opinions on justice made for some very fun exchanges. Hessa, Tal, and Lylla are Aideor’s friends from the start and they are provided the opportunity to grow in an organic way that doesn't feel forced. Every character is multidimensional, even though it may not seem like it at first. Damien Francis knows how to write character arcs. The feelings of doubt that all of these characters wouldn’t win me over now feel like a distant laughable memory. Compassion and second chances are at the heart of many of these characters. Themes of justice and redemption lead to some unexpected tear jerking moments for me. Unexpected not because of the tears, but for whom they were directed towards. Francis has some brilliant character work and the patience for a powerful payoff.
“A voice, strong and yet soft, cold, and yet hot, sinister, and yet comforting, wafted from underneath the hood. It chilled him to his bones.”
Damien Francis' editing is where I have most of my issues. The writing of the book took me from high-highs to low-lows. I would like to start with the highs. The battle scenes are written extremely well. They're dirty, bloody, terrible affairs. This is all encapsulated with the weight of death hanging over each companion within the group. The author doesn't glorify killing and invokes questions regarding humanity and how justice should be served in an unforgiving world. Every fight within The Tome of Haren is a nasty struggle for survival providing tension and unseen consequences in its aftermath. You could tell the author took his time and wanted to take a more realistic approach to these scenes. It worked so well for me and I looked forward to every action sequence. The first time Aeidor sees combat is expertly written with a visceral impact that sets the tone for battles to come. Additionally, there is a section of the book, where the author portrays some of the best atmospheric horror I’ve ever read. He was able to create tension by hinting at things that are just out of sight. That tension converted to a raw primal fear when confronted by those things. Francis uses these dread-filled moments to pull character depth out of each individual in such a dark and poignant way. This hair-raising section I really enjoyed and is an example of when tone, atmosphere, and writing come together to create a truly impactful experience. The dialogue is serviceable and becomes noticeably more genuine and heartfelt as the story unfolds. Now, unfortunately, onto the lows. Never before has a book had me more excited and frustrated all within a paragraph. The writing is riddled with redundancies that often pulled me from the immersion. There is also so much here that could have been greatly condensed, if not cut out completely. Every now and then I’d run into a redundant sentence or statement. No big deal. But then another one, or an entire section. I hate that I have to mention editing, but in this case, there were so many redundancies that I felt the need. I’d like to stress though, that my issues with the editing only slightly impacted my overall enjoyment of the book and in no way should be a deal breaker. In fact, I found myself caring less and less about these problems as I progressed due to how invested I was in every aspect of the plot. Just be informed that if you are the type of reader sensitive to these types of editing issues, you will have a problem with it. On the flip side, Francis gives you sections with the nitty-gritty details of the politics and inner workings of faction relations. If you are into these more detailed dives, this will really be a hit for you. I land somewhere in the middle, but really appreciate the care put into it.
“They passed bodies, both horse and man, scattered around the flowers, blood dripping from their petals like sad raindrops.”
There is a passion-filled beating heart behind the characters and story of The Tome of Haren that’s infectious. It's clearly a labor of love with tons of subtle and not-so-subtle hints and nods to other classic books and creative works. Francis displays a monumental level of detail for his craft. It shows on every page throughout this dark and epic fantasy behemoth. The entire story is endearing to me, despite the issues I have with its editing. This book came out of nowhere and surprised me with how much it resonated with me. I really appreciate writers like Damien Francis. An author that swings for the fences right off the bat with a debut novel leaving no stone unturned. If this is his methodology going forward, I'm certainly onboard. Stand up and take notice, this book deserves much more attention than it's receiving. I may now be buying a physical copy as well because who doesn't want a tome on their shelf? I recommend The Tome of Haren by Damien Francis.