Book Review: The Tome of Haren by Damien Francis
Growing up in the seventies and eighties, I was drawn into fantasy through great series like The Belgariad, Dragonlance, and The Wheel of Time. One thing those classics all had in common was their focus on a group of heroes. While a single protagonist might carry the story, it was the supporting cast that gave the adventure real heart. You became invested in each character’s fate — you knew that Tanis, Garion and Rand would be safe, but their companions were never guaranteed survival. I still remember the pain of Sturm Brightblade’s death in Dragons of Winter Night; I cried for days.
It’s been a long time since a cast of characters has gripped me with that same level of concern for their safety — until I read The Tome of Haren.
This is a mammoth book, weighing in at over a thousand pages. It could easily have been split into smaller novels. Multiple points of view are explored, though the story largely unfolds through Aeidor. He and his friends are orphans on the cusp of leaving the orphanage to begin their adult lives. Each has a clear path forward — except for Aeidor. That changes when legendary hero Cailad chooses him as an apprentice.
Aeidor is young, inexperienced, and still in training when he is thrust into a dangerous quest to recover the fabled Tome of Haren. The Tome may be the only hope of saving his homeland from invasion, and so a fellowship of legendary heroes is formed to undertake the perilous journey.
It’s here that the book truly shines. The group of companions is varied, with clashing personalities and complementary abilities, and you quickly become invested in their fates. The dangers they face feel real, and the sense that anyone could fall keeps the tension high. Their victories feel earned, their struggles believable, and their conversations often bring moments of humour or poignancy that balance the darker tones of the story.
The narrative also branches beyond the quest. We see how Aeidor’s fellow orphans fare as they pursue their chosen careers, each subplot woven seamlessly into the overarching tale. The effect reminded me of The Wheel of Time, where individual journeys develop separately but inevitably converge in an epic confrontation with evil. What I especially admired was how naturally these side stories flowed; they never felt like interruptions but rather enriched the world and made the stakes feel even larger.
The worldbuilding is rich and detailed, the characters feel authentic, and the threat of death hangs palpably over every page. Francis writes with a confidence and clarity that is rare for a debut — his prose is accessible yet vivid, and he knows how to balance description with action so the pace never drags for long. For a first novel, this is an astonishing achievement. The Tome of Haren rekindled my love for fantasy — something no mainstream release has managed to do in years. I could not put it down, and I am eagerly awaiting the next instalment.
There is really nothing negative to say about this book, except that it is a bit too long. It takes commitment to read a novel of this size, especially when the first hundred pages are spent setting the stage through multiple POVs. But believe me, the perseverance pays off — it’s a cracker.
