In the Eye of Heaven

At the start of Keck's winning debut, a gritty medieval fantasy full of enchantment, young squire Durand is on his way home to ask his father for the wherewithal to purchase the fine linen he needs for his knighting ceremony. Durand has prospects in the form of a small holding or fiefdom of his own, Gravenholm. But in a flash his luck changes. Durand loses Gravenholm and becomes a landless shield-bearer whose only option is to become a knight-errant—in effect a mercenary who owes allegiance to anyone who chooses to pay his wages. Desperate for food and troubled by strange magical omens, he accepts a position that proves disastrous. Durand is a convincingly human character who isn't preternaturally skilled or supersmart like so many fantasy heroes, yet he manages to rise to the various challenges he faces. Though this deftly told tale isn't billed as the first of a series, one hopes there'll be further adventures of the memorable Durand. (Apr.)