The Flame Within by Eric Noss is the first novel in the Keeper’s Garden Trilogy. The second book in this trilogy, which sounds like it is currently being written, is In Hyval’s Wake – there has been no word on when to expect that for release though. This novel appears to be the first novel that Mr. Noss has published. As with some first time authors, you never know what you are going to get. It is almost like reaching your hand into a grab bag and pulling out an unknown prize. Here are my thoughts on this novel.

The plot of this book has a couple layers to it. The main story arc centers on two groups of people. The first group is the Imperials and the second group being the Liberation. The Imperials have usurped the royal seat while the Liberation is attempting to regain control after a series of assassinations. The assassinations are never discussed in great detail, but are mentioned several times in passing. While I found this to be odd at first, because of my desire to know more. I actually like how it was handled. Sometimes we do not get all the information we crave, but that puts us in the same boat as the characters which allows the reader greater empathy for them. While the confrontations between these two groups are the crux of the story there are a couple notable additional sub plots. Such as a characters desire to know what happened to his brother who has been missing for some time, as well as a promise that a characters makes and the repercussions of that promise. For the most part the story is rather linear, but that works for the story and how the characters interact with each other. The plot keeps a consistent flow, and never seems to bog down in details. It is a solidly constructed story that kept me interested throughout.

The characters in this book are solid in most respects. The novel focuses on one character the vast majority of the time. That character being Aralon Mittel who is a Spirit Knight; which is a select group of soldiers who receive training starting in their childhood. Along the way, he meets up with several other characters such as Kiyana who is a mysterious figure from beyond the Mists. She is a rather interesting character due to her mannerisms and her actions to events that occur. Other memorable characters are Jinn, Darvin, Iyennya, and Salinar. Each of these characters are vastly different than any other character in the book. They all have their own motivations for their actions, as well as a unique voice. I have read countless books where the characters all ‘sound’ the same. That is not the case here, how Kiyana talks is much different than how Jinn talks. It’s easy to keep them separate and understand them much more than characters who all sound the same. I also appreciate the character development that occurs throughout the novel. While there are a couple frustrating parts, the character development makes sense and it is quite evident that this book is a buildup to further novels. The catch is that some of the character development seems incomplete at the end of the novel. For the most part thought the characters are enjoyable and well written.

A couple criticisms about this novel:

1 – There are several mentions of the Keeper’s Garden. In the beginning of the novel this was a little confusing to me as I was unsure of what exactly it was. I would have preferred a little more explanation of it during the prologue so that I would go into the story with a better basic understanding of what some things were.

2 – This is not something that only new authors do, but it happened a couple times in this novel. I call them information dumps. Where there is a great deal of information dumped onto the reader in one fell swoop. I counted at least two times that this occurred in this novel. I would prefer a more gradual explanation of things, Mostly because information dumps leave me feeling as though I was hit in the head by a two by four. It is a fine line between giving the reader the information they need and giving it to them too much at one time. A little honing in the writing and this should not be a big issue in the future.

3 – This is by no means the author’s fault, and I am actually surprised to write this about an iUniverse book. There are a couple rather glaring typos, misspellings, and forgotten words in this novel. I have read several iUniverse books before and I do not recall this being an issue before. Slightly disappointing. I usually don’t notice typos, so when I do I know they are an issue.

Some things I liked about this novel:

1 – I really appreciated and enjoyed the diversity in the characters. Granted, I would have liked the book to not solely focus on one character so much, but the characters in this book are enjoyable even down to their little quirks.

2 – World building seems to be becoming a lost art among new authors. Many seem to take it for granted. In this novel, it is apparent that Mr. Noss spent a good deal of time making sure he got it right. The details that are included make logical sense and fit with the overall feel of the novel.

3 – For a new author, the prose of this novel surprised me. While there are a few places where raw talent slips through, the vast majority of the prose is quite polished and flows well. It does not feel disjointed or amateurish in any way.

When all is said and done, while this book may not win any awards for originality, it is a very solid first installment to what, in my opinion, is a promising trilogy. Some readers seem to shun new authors. I have never understood this view, as this novel shows what you pass up may very well be an enjoyable book. For fans of the fantasy genre looking for something new to read that may not necessarily be from a ‘big name’, this is certainly a novel they should consider. I can easily see myself recommending this book to several people.