Customer Reviews

Light Of Eidon

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Karen Hancock is the real deal. I haven't been this excited about a relatively new author in a long time. Her debut novel, Arena, was fantastic, a stunning merger of science fiction and Christian fiction. Now, with her second book, she begins a fantasy series dubbed Legends of the Guardian-King, a storyline pitting good against evil in an otherworldly mediaeval setting. There is an element of sword and sorcery here, and I could not help but wonder just how effectively the author of Arena would deal with the grim realities of battle and bloodshed and mine the depths of evil in the hearts of men. Well, Hancock nails it - it's as simple as that. The Light of Eidon is just exquisitely rendered fantasy that keeps you turning the pages deep into the night. It's dark, grim, sometimes bloody, but ultimately imbued with an essential spirituality that places it on a far different plane than run-of-the-mill fantasy.

Hancock is a master of characterization, really taking us inside the hearts and souls of the novel's central characters and surrounding them with fascinating individuals who manage to surprise us no matter how well we think we know them. Good and evil exist on two planes, the external and the internal, and that gives this story great depth. On the face of it, this might look like one in a long line of fantasy plots - the young prince who repudiates his birthright, finds himself betrayed and sold into slavery, then fights to gain his freedom and inspire his people in the process. The framework is familiar, but the story Hancock tells goes far beyond the familiar and mundane.

For eight years, Abramm Kalladorne, the fifth son of the king of Kiriath, has dedicated himself to the service of his god Eidon. Just as he is preparing to finally take the solemn vows of his order, however, his life is turned upside down. The years of seclusion leave him unprepared to deal with the excitement that greets his appearance in the capital - or the fact that the suspicious deaths of his father and several brothers have left him a heartbeat away from the throne. Having yet to feel the touch of the flames of Eidon, he is worried enough about being found unworthy during the upcoming ceremony, but he is soon torn apart by complications of political intrigue. His own brother the king is a Terstan, having adopted a religion that is anathema to Abramm; the Terstans believe that their god is accessible to all, which goes against everything Abramm has been taught. Soon, though, he begins to question everything he knows, everything he spent eight years learning, as he hears speculation that his holy mentor is only using him to attain secular power over Kiriath itself. Emotional turmoil envelops Abramm's soul, and even he can no longer set aside his doubts after he is betrayed and sold as a slave to the men of the southern lands.

Abramm had never shown any skill with a weapon in his childhood, and he had devoted the last eight years of his life to a pursuit of perfect peace, but he has to overcome his weaknesses and abandon his religious oaths when he is made a gladiator by his new master. He must either fight or die, and he refuses to give in and die. In time, the story of the White Pretender and his companion the Infidel spread far and wide, as this White Pretender continues defeating the surrogates of the evil Beltha'adi in one gladiatorial contest after another. The vanquished Dorsaddi people look upon the White Pretender as the savior prophesied to reawaken the Heart of their people and exact revenge upon their enemies. An air of rebellion sweeps the land, as all eyes look toward the inevitable battle between the White Pretender and Beltha'adi himself.

The Light of Eidon is full of action, much of it brutal and bloody, but the real conflict here comes in the form of Abramm's fight to find something to believe in. Abramm breaks all of his vows and turns away from the god he once wanted nothing more than to serve, but that does not mean that Eidon has turned away from Abramm. In the midst of his troubles, Abramm refuses to believe his Terstan friend who insists that all of their suffering is actually for the good, a necessary part of Eidon's plans. Resolution does not come until Abramm is forced to confront his religious doubts, at which point he finally knows what he must do.

It's easy to draw comparisons between Abramm's struggle and that of our own, searching for religious truth in a world of evil deeds and great confusion. This spiritual depth of The Light of Eidon makes it a truly inspirational and thought-provoking read, as the novel's obvious allusions to Christian suffering give the story a resonance you won't find in other works of fantasy. Read it as Christian allegory or simply as a gripping tale of fantasy or both - Karen Hancock's writing works and impresses on all levels.

I read a LOT and these books (the series) are among the best, or perhaps THE BEST I've ever read. Well written, interesting, thought-provoking, very applicable to our world though set in another, just SO SO SO SO good. Amazing. The action, battles, intrigue, LOVE IT. I own the whole series and buy them as gifts and lend them out and everyone has the same reaction. The parallels to our world are just fantastic and so... great. I could go on forever about these. Don't be put off by the covers of the books, these are a great read for Males or Females. (the main character is a man, overcoming impossible obstacles so it applies to anyone who needs to realize they're so much more and are capable of so much more than they think) - others in series: Return of the Guardian-King Shadow Over Kiriath Shadow Within, The Return of the Guardian-King

Betrayed and sold into slavery by his brothers, Abramm finds himself fighting as a gladiator. With nothing left to live for, every oath, and value he ever held broken, he has only the friendship of a despised Terstan. Without meaning to, he becomes the hero of an oppressed people. If he does not discover the Light of Eidon everything he has been fighting for will be lost.

Good book. Highly recommended.

I often skim read a book to find out how it ends, and then if I am interested read the book through at my leisure. I could not do that with this book. Every chapter was fascinating and held my interest to the point that I did not want to skim read ahead to see how the story was going to end.

The story itself is a fascinating allegory that can best be described as a cross between the Arabian Nights and C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. The hero of the story, Abramm finds his destiny by a series of betrayals, each of which takes him further away from the life he has chosen for himself. In his struggle to stay alive he discovers a strength within himself that he did not know existed.

At the climax of the book Abramm discovers that his strength is also his greatest weakness, because it blinds him to his need to submit to a greater power.

The book is full of unexpected twists and turns in the plot, which mirror the realities of life. "For who knows what a day will bring forth."

When I read this book to my children at bedtime, I expect every night to hear, "Read one more chapter Daddy, just one more."

Abramm Kalladorne was born a prince of Kiriath, but with four elder brothers his chances of becoming king were nearly nonexistent. Or so he thought.

Lacking the physical strength and agility of his brethren, Abramm renounced his titles, shed his family name and joined the Mataio, a religious order whose duty it was to guard the flames of Eidon.

After serving eight years as a Novice Initiate, Abramm is returning home to touch the flames and be accepted into the rank of Guardian.

And that's where Abramm's orderly life ceases to exist and chaos moves to the forefront. Within moments of setting foot upon Kiriath soil, Abramm learns he has become next in line to the throne and his spiritual leader is a fraud whose sole purpose was to train Abramm to be a pawn. Even worse, his brothers feel threatened by his mere presence and he is forced to leave Kiriath once again. This time, having been sold into slavery by his own family.

Abramm's ensuing struggles require a level of faith he's not sure he possesses any longer. Eidon, however, has plans for this young prince. He has a reason for everything and makes the most of even the worst scenarios.

Despite the torturous life Abramm has been led into, he's to be the deliverer of a suppressed race. He just needs to openly acknowledge the "truth" that in his heart he's been closer to realizing with each passing day.

In time, Abramm will become the Guardian-King.

I liked this book. It wasn't the best. Things seemed to happen slowly and drag on. The characters are excellent, if I found dome of thier behavior aggravating: for example, Princess Carissa, who annoyed me throughout the book. But it has a lot to do with religion and questioning it...it brings to mind a lot of the questions wondered about today, yet cannot be answered.

I just finished reading this book aloud to my wife, who is not a reader. She loved it wholeheartedly, and, like me, can't wait for the sequel.

Karen Hancock does what very few authors can do well, and that is make allegory palatable to the discerning reader. The themes of Christianity and its counterfeits are strong in the story, but they do not detract at all from the well-realized fantasy world. Fans of Kathy Tyers and Michael Stackpole will enjoy this wonderful tale.

I hope that this book does well for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that there is a glut of secular fantasy at the moment, and a near dearth of fantasy written by Christians. I would like to see Christian authors take back some hold on the genre, since we have not seen much real innovation and influential writing since Lewis and Tolkien.

Kudos to Mrs. Hancock! Here's to a long and fruitful career!

Hancock does seem to be the brightest light in the minor Christian-fantasy renaissance we're having. If plot drives popular fiction, and characters drive more literary fiction, setting drives fantasy. Hancock can arrange a fantasy setting. She handles symbols fairly deftly (her endlessly-multiplying necklaces work as well as anything we've seen yet to identify conversion); she has an eye for detail (the ubiquitous onions work well for me). The names of her characters and creatures are mostly not irritating. Her hero Abramm, like the monk in Lawhead's "Byzantium," quits his European-style country and faith early in the novel to wander Southern regions of appealing swarthy heretics and doubt. A great deal remains unexplained about the world, especially Kiriath (which Abramm left so early) and the actual Eidonic religion (What are the Flames and why? What exactly happened to Eidon's son Tersius?), but this is why we have fantasy series.

The first half of the book I enjoyed more than the second. It began to read like a standard Christian biography. I didn't know exactly what was coming, but I knew the general outline---after many agonising crises of faith, the hero would become a Terstan. I was kicking him to get on with it the last hundred pages or so. There was little suspense, so to speak (why I'm not guilt-stricken over offering you a plot-spoiler).

My challenge to Hancock as she continues to craft this world and this plot is this: I'm an evangelical Christian. I agree with you. Surprise me.

Fantasy and allegory are compatible shelf-mates in the world of fiction. Yet, for some reason, the Christian market has generally ignored them since the days of Tolkien and Lewis. Karen Hancock, Randall Ingermanson, and Michael Warden are leading the way to see that this changes.

Hancock's first novel, "Arena," was a wonderfully rendered allegory, full of interesting characters, landscapes, and inner struggles. "The Light of Eidon" is more fantasy than allegory, but spiritual truths abound. Again, Hancock introduces us to characters with deep doubts and allows us to witness their transformations. In this case, a religious student by the name of Abramm comes face to face with betrayal, loss of faith, and rebirth in the flames of violent struggle. He finds himself a slave, a gladiator, a pretender...But ultimately, Abramm must discover his true purpose.

Although the book has some fantastic sections and ends with a heart-pounding climax, I found myself plodding through a number of scenes. At times, I yearned for more of the colorful landscape and less of the political dealings. I'm glad I pressed on, though, because the overall result is worth it. Spiritual light is brought to bear on the ugliness of religious pretense, and Abramm's final decisions are moving and believable.

It's great to see fantasy writers rising up in the Christian market. Without Hancock's books, we would be deprived of some of the best new stuff available.

I was drawn to Arena in the book store and bought it as a book to read on my vacation to Daytona. I couldn't stop reading it. The Arena was exactly what I was looking for. I was throughly bummed when I finished it in 3 days, wishing I would have taken my time.

I then visited the book store and found another book by Miss Hancock, The Light of Eidon. I was not disappointed in her efforts to entertain her readers as well as draw them to a deeper relationship with Christ.

I disciplined myself to read this book only in small increments so as not to read it too fast and get the post-read-great-book-now-what-blues. I found myself nearly shouting outloud at differnt parts in the book. To be that drawn into a book, is what the greats like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Lewis' Narnina Series have only done until Miss Hancock

I only wish there were more writers in this catagory of writting it seems that Miss Hancock is standing alone with The writer of the Fire bird series.

I am anxioulsy awaiting the next installment of the series!