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Legends of the Guardian-King #1
De Vlammen van Eidon
Acht jaar is Abramm bezig geweest om zich binnen de gemeenschap van een gewijde orde voor te bereiden op de dienst aan Eidon. Binnenkort zal hij zijn eed afleggen om toegelaten te worden tot het aanraken en onderhouden van de Heilige Vlammen.
Maar op de vooravond van de dag waarop hij onherroepelijk afstand zal doen van het leven waarvoor hij bestemd was - als Abramm Kalladorne, de vijfde zoon van de koning van Kiriath - wordt hij verraden door zijn geestelijk mentor en als slaaf verkocht door zijn broers.
Abramm, die op het punt stond de gelofte van geweldloosheid af te leggen, wordt gedwongen als gladiator te vechten. Hoe langer hij in deze rauwe werkelijkheid moet zien te overleven, hoe meer vragen hij krijgt over zijn verleden. Wat is er eigenlijk waar van alles waar hij acht jaar voor gediend heeft? Wie is Eidon werkelijk?
De vlammen van Eidon speelt in een wereld vol zwaarden en mantels, glinsterende paleizen en mystieke tempels, vol galeischepen en eeuwenoude, in mist gevangen steden. Dit boek is het eerste deel van de reeks 'De Kronieken van Kalladorne'. Een epische serie in de geest van Tolkien.
Maar op de vooravond van de dag waarop hij onherroepelijk afstand zal doen van het leven waarvoor hij bestemd was - als Abramm Kalladorne, de vijfde zoon van de koning van Kiriath - wordt hij verraden door zijn geestelijk mentor en als slaaf verkocht door zijn broers.
Abramm, die op het punt stond de gelofte van geweldloosheid af te leggen, wordt gedwongen als gladiator te vechten. Hoe langer hij in deze rauwe werkelijkheid moet zien te overleven, hoe meer vragen hij krijgt over zijn verleden. Wat is er eigenlijk waar van alles waar hij acht jaar voor gediend heeft? Wie is Eidon werkelijk?
De vlammen van Eidon speelt in een wereld vol zwaarden en mantels, glinsterende paleizen en mystieke tempels, vol galeischepen en eeuwenoude, in mist gevangen steden. Dit boek is het eerste deel van de reeks 'De Kronieken van Kalladorne'. Een epische serie in de geest van Tolkien.
450 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2003
269 people are currently reading
4529 people want to read
About the author
Karen Hancock
8 books312 followersKaren Hancock has won Christy Awards for each of her first four novels—Arena and the first three books in the Legends of the Guardian-King series, The Light of Eidon, The Shadow Within, and Shadow over Kiriath. She graduated from the University of Arizona with bachelor's degrees in biology and wildlife biology. Along with writing, she is a semi-professional watercolorist and has exhibited her work in a number of national juried shows. She and her family reside in Arizona.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 325 reviews
July 18, 2023
I dislike giving "Christian" books a low rating. I really do. I believe we should support each other as much as we can and provide gentle constructive criticism. I just cannot give The Light of Eidon a rating higher than a one star. For a "Christian" book, I am quite disappointed it contains the content it does. The violence was beyond gruesome and gratuitous, and that's saying something because violence usually doesn't unsettle me.
This book had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, it contains sexual content including sex outside of marriage, including scenes that are way too explicit. This act is perpetrated by the main male character, who never has any remorse for this unbiblical act, nor does he ever repent or admit he was wrong. It's just shrugged off by everyone, even his mentors.
As Christian authors, we are held to a higher standard, and therefore our books are too. The content in this book more befits a secular story with the extremely over-the-top violence and sex. Therefore this book rates a one star. I do not recommend it for anyone of any age due to this.
This book had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, it contains sexual content including sex outside of marriage, including scenes that are way too explicit. This act is perpetrated by the main male character, who never has any remorse for this unbiblical act, nor does he ever repent or admit he was wrong. It's just shrugged off by everyone, even his mentors.
As Christian authors, we are held to a higher standard, and therefore our books are too. The content in this book more befits a secular story with the extremely over-the-top violence and sex. Therefore this book rates a one star. I do not recommend it for anyone of any age due to this.
August 2, 2023
Lemme keep this simple: I flippin’ loved this book.
I’ll be honest, getting started was slow-going. It piqued my curiosity enough for me to want to continue reading, but it didn’t thoroughly captivate me right off the bat. Beyond that, I wasn’t sure what to expect from The Light of Eidon. I’ve never heard of this classic Christian fantasy—even though I’d thought myself at least somewhat well-versed in the realm of Christian fantasy—but I knew if it was considered a classic, surely it was worth that title.
At least worth the absolutely gorgeous new cover provided by Hannah Linder Designs. 😍
But once I committed to sitting down and taking this chonky book one page at a time, BOY HOWDY! This was literally all of my favorite things (okay, not all—there was no Mr. Darcy, after all—but most) and piled them all into one epic fantasy. The Mark of the Lion vibes are strong with this one, paired with some Lord of the Rings and maybe even some Dune. I detected Dune…
It’s literally the perfect mashup of Biblical/ancient times adventure with 17th-18th century royal/political intrigue with ✨fantasy✨. There’s a hero who can root for and witness his redemption. There’s a frenemy-style sidekick who is pure gold. There’s enemies and allies and traitors galore, creating a dramatic and intriguing adventure spanning kingdoms and years that keeps you on the edge of your seat from the first chapter.
That’s not to say this is a fast-paced book. It’s not. But it’s not slow either. It’s the just-right balance you need to keep you on your toes without sacrificing development. I will say this: it did skip past things once in a while without all the explanation I wanted, but it was never so bad that I couldn’t follow along with the story.
Really, the only actual qualm I have is that I DON’T HAVE THE NEXT BOOK. In fact, trying to find a copy is almost as hard as trying to find a needle in a haystack. So I’m being forced to wait until Enclave republishes it next year. NEXT YEAR. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT THAT LONG?!
In all seriousness, my actual actual qualm is that I didn’t like Carissa. I couldn’t really connect with her, so whenever her POV came around, I was already looking forward to when we switched back to Abramm.
Now, a lot of other reviewers (most of whom are friends of mine) have expressed several other qualms or concerns...so y’all know I gotta share my thoughts on those issues.
Was the content within anti-biblical?
No. No, it really wasn’t. As far as the 100% fantasy religions go, they act as a well-done allegory for Judaism and Christianity and other world religions—not in a way that seems to bash one or the other, but in a way that weaves them all together to create unique but familiar religions and cultures.
As far as the sexual content and heavier elements, if you’ve read Mark of the Lion, this will literally be a piece of cake. There is slavery, violence, gore, death, etc., but it’s all realistic (in terms of the real-world versions of those issues) and tasteful. Never gratuitous or horrific. If you are considering this book for a younger reader (i.e., younger than 15), I’d pass. But for older teens and adults, this was a-okay.
And the premarital sex. If you pay attention, you’ll see how biblically this was handled. There is remorse and repentance, and overall the issue was handled very well.
Again, everything in here, on a scale of squeaky clean to Francine Rivers, is about like a 7. 😉
Leave your preconceived notions and defenses at the door, friends. Because if you take it one page at a time, chances are you’ll fall headfirst in love.
Now, back to our regularly schedule non-content review…
Y’ALL. TRAP WAS THE BEST. As much as I loved Abramm...Trap was perfection. He was the best. Just...so good. Most of the side characters, honestly, were fabulous in every way. And even though Trap dominated every way, I still so enjoyed following Abramm’s journey.
Like...y’all. The world-building was fantastic. The writing was *chef’s kiss*. The twist at the end was epic. The vibes were perfection.
But the very, very, very best part?
THE ALLEGORY.
Just...the allegory. The mark of a good one is that you know it’s an allegory, but it’s not a carbon copy of the real thing—so you’ll immersed into the story as the story, and when you close the book, you walk away looking toward the Lord, knowing He was found within that story.
Soooo...long story short, this was easily one of my top favorite books of the year. The Light of Eidon more than deserves the title of “Christian fantasy classic.”
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Celebrate Lit Publicity. All opinions expressed are my own.
I’ll be honest, getting started was slow-going. It piqued my curiosity enough for me to want to continue reading, but it didn’t thoroughly captivate me right off the bat. Beyond that, I wasn’t sure what to expect from The Light of Eidon. I’ve never heard of this classic Christian fantasy—even though I’d thought myself at least somewhat well-versed in the realm of Christian fantasy—but I knew if it was considered a classic, surely it was worth that title.
At least worth the absolutely gorgeous new cover provided by Hannah Linder Designs. 😍
But once I committed to sitting down and taking this chonky book one page at a time, BOY HOWDY! This was literally all of my favorite things (okay, not all—there was no Mr. Darcy, after all—but most) and piled them all into one epic fantasy. The Mark of the Lion vibes are strong with this one, paired with some Lord of the Rings and maybe even some Dune. I detected Dune…
It’s literally the perfect mashup of Biblical/ancient times adventure with 17th-18th century royal/political intrigue with ✨fantasy✨. There’s a hero who can root for and witness his redemption. There’s a frenemy-style sidekick who is pure gold. There’s enemies and allies and traitors galore, creating a dramatic and intriguing adventure spanning kingdoms and years that keeps you on the edge of your seat from the first chapter.
That’s not to say this is a fast-paced book. It’s not. But it’s not slow either. It’s the just-right balance you need to keep you on your toes without sacrificing development. I will say this: it did skip past things once in a while without all the explanation I wanted, but it was never so bad that I couldn’t follow along with the story.
Really, the only actual qualm I have is that I DON’T HAVE THE NEXT BOOK. In fact, trying to find a copy is almost as hard as trying to find a needle in a haystack. So I’m being forced to wait until Enclave republishes it next year. NEXT YEAR. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT THAT LONG?!
In all seriousness, my actual actual qualm is that I didn’t like Carissa. I couldn’t really connect with her, so whenever her POV came around, I was already looking forward to when we switched back to Abramm.
Now, a lot of other reviewers (most of whom are friends of mine) have expressed several other qualms or concerns...so y’all know I gotta share my thoughts on those issues.
Was the content within anti-biblical?
No. No, it really wasn’t. As far as the 100% fantasy religions go, they act as a well-done allegory for Judaism and Christianity and other world religions—not in a way that seems to bash one or the other, but in a way that weaves them all together to create unique but familiar religions and cultures.
As far as the sexual content and heavier elements, if you’ve read Mark of the Lion, this will literally be a piece of cake. There is slavery, violence, gore, death, etc., but it’s all realistic (in terms of the real-world versions of those issues) and tasteful. Never gratuitous or horrific. If you are considering this book for a younger reader (i.e., younger than 15), I’d pass. But for older teens and adults, this was a-okay.
And the premarital sex. If you pay attention, you’ll see how biblically this was handled. There is remorse and repentance, and overall the issue was handled very well.
Again, everything in here, on a scale of squeaky clean to Francine Rivers, is about like a 7. 😉
Leave your preconceived notions and defenses at the door, friends. Because if you take it one page at a time, chances are you’ll fall headfirst in love.
Now, back to our regularly schedule non-content review…
Y’ALL. TRAP WAS THE BEST. As much as I loved Abramm...Trap was perfection. He was the best. Just...so good. Most of the side characters, honestly, were fabulous in every way. And even though Trap dominated every way, I still so enjoyed following Abramm’s journey.
Like...y’all. The world-building was fantastic. The writing was *chef’s kiss*. The twist at the end was epic. The vibes were perfection.
But the very, very, very best part?
THE ALLEGORY.
Just...the allegory. The mark of a good one is that you know it’s an allegory, but it’s not a carbon copy of the real thing—so you’ll immersed into the story as the story, and when you close the book, you walk away looking toward the Lord, knowing He was found within that story.
Soooo...long story short, this was easily one of my top favorite books of the year. The Light of Eidon more than deserves the title of “Christian fantasy classic.”
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Celebrate Lit Publicity. All opinions expressed are my own.
August 17, 2021
Okay the rating tells you I liked this book. it is very well written (and being a Christian it pains me to admit that often "Christian fiction" isn't quite up to the quality of it's counterparts). So I like it, it's a good story...now please read on a little bit before you move on.
To my Roman Catholic friends this book is set in a fantasy world. There is a fantasy version of the "Protestant Reformation" here and the large religion that seems to stand in the place of Rome is overtly controlled by an evil overlord. If this will bother you you may want to sidestep this one. This is not a place for theological discussion. I do have some fairly major disagreements with Roman belief however I have many close friends who are Catholic and I do NOT say they don't belong to Christ. There are many disagreements among all denominations and the Inquisition is in the past. Yes the Reformation was a response to problems in the Papacy and so on but we have stopped killing each other and seek now to find commonality in Christ.
Anyway I thought I should make that known.
Back to the book, as noted I found it enthralling, well plotted with good characters. I have already ordered the next "books" from Abebooks. I can recommend this one.
We follow our protagonist through his coming realization that he's lived his entire life in great error and has to deal with his own doubt of all things. The action is there and the book never slows down with the story being well balanced the action and the story telling complimenting each other and never losing out one to the other.
By the way, one other thing. The cover art almost caused me to pass this one by also. Don't let it put you off...this is a good book with unfortunate cover art. Why? Search me. Maybe the same people who do the covers for Christian Romances did the cover.
Please...change the cover art, you'll find more of your audience.
Recommended, enjoy.
To my Roman Catholic friends this book is set in a fantasy world. There is a fantasy version of the "Protestant Reformation" here and the large religion that seems to stand in the place of Rome is overtly controlled by an evil overlord. If this will bother you you may want to sidestep this one. This is not a place for theological discussion. I do have some fairly major disagreements with Roman belief however I have many close friends who are Catholic and I do NOT say they don't belong to Christ. There are many disagreements among all denominations and the Inquisition is in the past. Yes the Reformation was a response to problems in the Papacy and so on but we have stopped killing each other and seek now to find commonality in Christ.
Anyway I thought I should make that known.
Back to the book, as noted I found it enthralling, well plotted with good characters. I have already ordered the next "books" from Abebooks. I can recommend this one.
We follow our protagonist through his coming realization that he's lived his entire life in great error and has to deal with his own doubt of all things. The action is there and the book never slows down with the story being well balanced the action and the story telling complimenting each other and never losing out one to the other.
By the way, one other thing. The cover art almost caused me to pass this one by also. Don't let it put you off...this is a good book with unfortunate cover art. Why? Search me. Maybe the same people who do the covers for Christian Romances did the cover.
Please...change the cover art, you'll find more of your audience.
Recommended, enjoy.
February 20, 2012
I was horrified at some of the things in this book. If you choose to read this book, read with caution.
July 31, 2013
This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. The story is compelling, the characters engaging, the plot continually twisting and turning, both physically and emotionally. I had a hard time putting this one down. The tale seems to flow almost effortlessly, each plot point encouraging the reader to discover the next. And I say 'almost' because there are some minor bumps in the road: grammatical errors, word repetition… Thankfully, these are few. There is one character, Katahn, who doesn't seem to stay true to his established pattern of behavior, and it is not clear to me why he made the surprising choices he did later in the story. The hero, however, is so very believable and so very appealing as he makes his way from purpose to despair to hope. The settings are colorful and spectacularly developed, as are the political, religious, and cultural aspects. I thoroughly enjoyed the weaving of fantasy and religion, and what a delight to read a story that tells about wicked, depraved characters without using vile language and gratuitous sex and gore! I look forward to reading more from this author!
January 3, 2018
I really wanted to like this story. I'd been looking forward to it for a couple of years now. Most of the fantasy books I have read have been really enjoyable. I was hoping this one would be another fun one.
But I couldn't get past the second chapter.
The religion in this one was strange. The lead was praying to both male and female deities. It wasn't clear in the first two chapters which was the most important deity.
There was also a bit of crudity (a man wet himself and then it carried over with the focus directed to his tunic being damp). This bit was awkward and made me feel uncomfortable.
The Terstans were inconsistent. Some were zombie-like and had gross illnesses that led to death, while others seemed to be strong and manipulative with no sign of the gross illness and eventual death that was stated to claim all Terstans.
I only made it through two chapters of this book before feeling so uncomfortable and awkward about it that I couldn't continue reading it.
I was not compensated for my honest review.
But I couldn't get past the second chapter.
The religion in this one was strange. The lead was praying to both male and female deities. It wasn't clear in the first two chapters which was the most important deity.
There was also a bit of crudity (a man wet himself and then it carried over with the focus directed to his tunic being damp). This bit was awkward and made me feel uncomfortable.
The Terstans were inconsistent. Some were zombie-like and had gross illnesses that led to death, while others seemed to be strong and manipulative with no sign of the gross illness and eventual death that was stated to claim all Terstans.
I only made it through two chapters of this book before feeling so uncomfortable and awkward about it that I couldn't continue reading it.
I was not compensated for my honest review.
June 21, 2024
Sometimes the story was very interesting, but predictable. Being Christian, I was hoping for no bad scenes, but the "hero" did sleep with a woman. The thing that annoyed me the most was that the hero, although he had spent his life searching for a connection to God, only got close to the Son of Eidon (this book's version of Christ) AFTER he broke the last of the ten commandments of his world, the last of his vows.
The whole premise is that you don't have to be good, or want forgiveness, but just touching the amulet (faith?) is good enough.
The mentality does not reflect the words of Christ: "What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he has faith, but hath not works? Shall faith be able to save him?... So faith also if it hath not works, is dead in itself."
And again: "Not everyone that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven."
Yet in this story just touching the amulet means you are a Terstan (Christian). No need to change your life to become a follower. Christ said:" If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
Did not the Lord upon healing the people immediately follow with the words: "Go, and SIN NO MORE."
He never said "You are assured heaven. Go, and do as you did before you met me."
I did not finish this book, although I got through 3/4ths, because I could not take anymore. My Christian world-view is very different from this. I won't be reading any more of this series.
The whole premise is that you don't have to be good, or want forgiveness, but just touching the amulet (faith?) is good enough.
The mentality does not reflect the words of Christ: "What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he has faith, but hath not works? Shall faith be able to save him?... So faith also if it hath not works, is dead in itself."
And again: "Not everyone that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven."
Yet in this story just touching the amulet means you are a Terstan (Christian). No need to change your life to become a follower. Christ said:" If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
Did not the Lord upon healing the people immediately follow with the words: "Go, and SIN NO MORE."
He never said "You are assured heaven. Go, and do as you did before you met me."
I did not finish this book, although I got through 3/4ths, because I could not take anymore. My Christian world-view is very different from this. I won't be reading any more of this series.
May 19, 2010
I guess this is a 3.5 for me. I found myself very annoyed at a couple of the main characters and, while I knew their TSTL impulsiveness/stubbornness was necessary for the arc of the story it went on through 90% of the book. A bit much.
Particularly Carissa, the hero's sister. I kept hoping she would meet her doom and she just never did. But then her utter ineptitude and arrogance pretty much created every obstacle poor Abramm and Trap had to overcome so I see the point of her existence, but she really had zero likability for me. Even after a heroic act of her own she went back to being a monkey wrench. Yes, a monkey wrench divinely implemented, but still...
Abramm himself was pretty darn tiresome at times. And that's why I can't muster four stars. He just took too long to get to the point.
I did like other characters though. Trap, Cooper and Philip were not only competent, they were extremely likable.
It's not a bad book. It was a Kindle freebie and those who like sword and sorcerer fantasy with some religiousity thrown in (think LotR, Narnia) should like it pretty well. I'm not compelled to continue the series though, so take that as you will.
Particularly Carissa, the hero's sister. I kept hoping she would meet her doom and she just never did. But then her utter ineptitude and arrogance pretty much created every obstacle poor Abramm and Trap had to overcome so I see the point of her existence, but she really had zero likability for me. Even after a heroic act of her own she went back to being a monkey wrench. Yes, a monkey wrench divinely implemented, but still...
Abramm himself was pretty darn tiresome at times. And that's why I can't muster four stars. He just took too long to get to the point.
I did like other characters though. Trap, Cooper and Philip were not only competent, they were extremely likable.
It's not a bad book. It was a Kindle freebie and those who like sword and sorcerer fantasy with some religiousity thrown in (think LotR, Narnia) should like it pretty well. I'm not compelled to continue the series though, so take that as you will.
May 20, 2012
I honestly didn't go into this book with high expectations. I basically quit reading "faith-based" fiction years ago because I always ended up being disappointed. This one surprised me though. After a slow and occasionally rambling start, it presents a magnificent fantasy world, decent characters, and one of the best conversion scenes I've ever read. Hancock dips and darts around in her lengthy timeline, smoothly sailing over bobbles that would have tripped up most authors. I have to commend her for her faith-based fantasy world as well. Instead of the usual allegory-ridden tale we get from most Christian-based speculative fiction, she's created a realistic, plausible, in-depth, and entirely relatable and thought-provoking religious society. I'll be reading the sequel.
March 10, 2015
This book had me a bit confused at first. I couldn't tell where the author was going with certain elements of the plot ... which was actually refreshing, since a lot of the time I can figure things out before they're revealed! It didn't take me long to be completely hooked by the storyline and by the characters. It's a fascinating fantasy with an intriguing storyworld, so I'm definitely planning on picking up the next book in the series!
January 24, 2011
Karen Hancock has made a significant contribution to the genre of Christian Fantasy with her novel, Light of Eidon. Her allegories are illuminating, accurate to biblical truth and very creative. I enjoyed her characters and how they came from so many viewpoints; they were all true to themselves and left a lasting impression. Her crisp prose never settled for boring description and in doing so kept this world alive. I was glad that she kept me guessing, and even more at how many times I guessed wrong. Karen also does a great job keeping you emotionally involved. Her main character, Abramm is a strong protagonist that is well worth being the focal point of a series. On top of all this, I loved her action scenes. This world has a gladiator type system of fighting that makes for great battles, not to mention her unique magic system and monster creations.
For anyone writing Christian Fiction, this book provides a great lesson in how to write quality fiction that embraces spiritual truths we all battle. Her characters have depth to their reasoning and in doing so Karen addresses the many concerns people have with embracing a God of grace. I did not find this book preachy — in part because she does not dismiss challenges to biblical faith. Some people accept that gift and others don’t, plain and simple. She is not writing this book to make converts, but rather to show how real the struggle can be and that people can go either way and still be real. You don’t know coming in who will and who won’t, so there is plenty of drama to keep you till the end.
The world Karen created is a fantastic example of carrying truths from our world to a fantasy, while using those allegories to express truths in ways you’ll never forget. The golden shield of the Tertsan is an idea I wish I came up with, but I won’t tell you why. The Gospel and how to be saved are both creative and truthful. The opposing religions are complex and not at all straw men or two dimensional in any way. You can really feel what it would be like to live within their religious system and in providing these examples we get a better understanding of the faiths around us. I’m excited to see what adventures are in store for Abramm as he battles against the many enemies left to face in future books.
I would have paid for this, but because it was not only free but a very good book, I’ll definitely be buying more of her work in the future.
For anyone writing Christian Fiction, this book provides a great lesson in how to write quality fiction that embraces spiritual truths we all battle. Her characters have depth to their reasoning and in doing so Karen addresses the many concerns people have with embracing a God of grace. I did not find this book preachy — in part because she does not dismiss challenges to biblical faith. Some people accept that gift and others don’t, plain and simple. She is not writing this book to make converts, but rather to show how real the struggle can be and that people can go either way and still be real. You don’t know coming in who will and who won’t, so there is plenty of drama to keep you till the end.
The world Karen created is a fantastic example of carrying truths from our world to a fantasy, while using those allegories to express truths in ways you’ll never forget. The golden shield of the Tertsan is an idea I wish I came up with, but I won’t tell you why. The Gospel and how to be saved are both creative and truthful. The opposing religions are complex and not at all straw men or two dimensional in any way. You can really feel what it would be like to live within their religious system and in providing these examples we get a better understanding of the faiths around us. I’m excited to see what adventures are in store for Abramm as he battles against the many enemies left to face in future books.
I would have paid for this, but because it was not only free but a very good book, I’ll definitely be buying more of her work in the future.
November 4, 2016
It was very long-winded, so I found myself skimming quite a bit. Therefore, I didn't understand the story as well as I could have. Erm. But there were some quite interesting parts, and some very heartfelt parts. I plan to read the next book in the LEGENDS OF THE GUARDIAN-KING series when I get the chance.
Caution: There are two scenes that are not suitable for a younger audience. Also, some violence/frightening aspects. I would recommend to at least 18 up.
Caution: There are two scenes that are not suitable for a younger audience. Also, some violence/frightening aspects. I would recommend to at least 18 up.
September 28, 2018
Karen Hancock attempts to blend epic fantasy with Christian allegory. As a fantasy, the book hits all the expected plot notes. I even rather liked the protagonist. However, as an allegory, it ends up teaching really bad theology. I suspect the problems stem from the story concept itself.
The stereotypical plot of an epic fantasy isn’t necessarily a good parallel to the Christian life. The typical epic hero must suffer for a period of time, then defeat the bad guy, and then receive the adoration of the masses. He proves that he is “the chosen one” by winning. He usually wins by getting really angry and looking inside himself, upon which he suddenly discovers inner resources that ordinary people would have had to spend their entire lives acquiring. It’s not necessarily a bad plot outline, but it caters to the modern desire to see oneself as the independent hero of one’s own story. Not to mention the modern tendency to feel, deep down, that one deserves to be awesome.
Spiritualizing that stereotypical plot results in a story in which converting to the allegorical equivalent of Christianity is perilously close to being a plot device whereby our hero acquires the power to beat up his enemies. It doesn’t help that in this book, suffering causes our characters to profess disbelief in God--and that the author handles that problem by demonstrating that God was using all this suffering to achieve the characters’ eventual temporal triumph. This suggests that we are to identify God’s will by looking for earthly success. It even suggests we have the right to sit in judgment on God, deciding whether the end result of our suffering “proves” it to be worthwhile. Although the characters refer to Scripture, it is their feelings (and their success) that is ultimately the arbiter of truth.
Tolkien and Lewis both write tales in which good triumphs over evil, but the flavor is different. Both older authors avoid the hyper-individualism of a lot of modern epic fantasy. Their heroes are part of histories, groups, and cultures; and often it is the weakest members of those groups through whom God works. In contrast, The Light of Eidon falls into the trap of treating all the characters as satellites to our hero. The monolithic mobs riot on cue. The evil soldiers* are apparently all without humanity or hope of redemption. The female characters are completely onenote and kept off-stage for anything important (they quite literally die or pass out). All of this may fit genre expectations--I’m sure that’s why the author follows these patterns--but it’s not helpful to a story intended to express Christianity. It’s true that Christian faith is a relationship between God and an individual. Yet it is lived out in community (the communion of saints), and it is antithetical to the desire for egotistical personal glory.
Had the author written this as myth rather than epic fantasy, it might have been easier to see the story as relating purely to "spiritual warfare" rather than earthly life. That might have worked better.
*Sidenote: Not to beat up on this book or author, but it’s off-putting to note that the hero is white and the evil people are essentially Middle Eastern. The author would have been wiser to avoid such a trope. Lutheran readers will also note a strong theme of evangelical decision-based theology as well as an authorial distrust of liturgical religion.
The stereotypical plot of an epic fantasy isn’t necessarily a good parallel to the Christian life. The typical epic hero must suffer for a period of time, then defeat the bad guy, and then receive the adoration of the masses. He proves that he is “the chosen one” by winning. He usually wins by getting really angry and looking inside himself, upon which he suddenly discovers inner resources that ordinary people would have had to spend their entire lives acquiring. It’s not necessarily a bad plot outline, but it caters to the modern desire to see oneself as the independent hero of one’s own story. Not to mention the modern tendency to feel, deep down, that one deserves to be awesome.
Spiritualizing that stereotypical plot results in a story in which converting to the allegorical equivalent of Christianity is perilously close to being a plot device whereby our hero acquires the power to beat up his enemies. It doesn’t help that in this book, suffering causes our characters to profess disbelief in God--and that the author handles that problem by demonstrating that God was using all this suffering to achieve the characters’ eventual temporal triumph. This suggests that we are to identify God’s will by looking for earthly success. It even suggests we have the right to sit in judgment on God, deciding whether the end result of our suffering “proves” it to be worthwhile. Although the characters refer to Scripture, it is their feelings (and their success) that is ultimately the arbiter of truth.
Tolkien and Lewis both write tales in which good triumphs over evil, but the flavor is different. Both older authors avoid the hyper-individualism of a lot of modern epic fantasy. Their heroes are part of histories, groups, and cultures; and often it is the weakest members of those groups through whom God works. In contrast, The Light of Eidon falls into the trap of treating all the characters as satellites to our hero. The monolithic mobs riot on cue. The evil soldiers* are apparently all without humanity or hope of redemption. The female characters are completely onenote and kept off-stage for anything important (they quite literally die or pass out). All of this may fit genre expectations--I’m sure that’s why the author follows these patterns--but it’s not helpful to a story intended to express Christianity. It’s true that Christian faith is a relationship between God and an individual. Yet it is lived out in community (the communion of saints), and it is antithetical to the desire for egotistical personal glory.
Had the author written this as myth rather than epic fantasy, it might have been easier to see the story as relating purely to "spiritual warfare" rather than earthly life. That might have worked better.
*Sidenote: Not to beat up on this book or author, but it’s off-putting to note that the hero is white and the evil people are essentially Middle Eastern. The author would have been wiser to avoid such a trope. Lutheran readers will also note a strong theme of evangelical decision-based theology as well as an authorial distrust of liturgical religion.
November 21, 2017
Finally, a YA Christian novel - and a fantasy novel at that - that is worth reading. It's by no means a perfect book; there are a lot of things it could have done better, but there are also a lot of things this book does right where few of the books in it's genre succeed .
Things this book got right:
In my experience, most fiction labeled "Christian" does not incorporate the faith element well; often the Christian parts of these books have almost no relevance to the story. However, in this book, the main character's spiritual journey is not just a nice subplot, it's necessary to the plot. The story literally would not work without the faith element.
This book has one of the best fictional conversion scenes I've read. I was pleasantly surprised at how God-centered the whole message of the book was, especially in that scene. I've found that often the gospel message in Christian fiction is all about what God can do for the characters, and salvation comes across looking cheap as a result. This novel makes it clear that the characters fit into God's plan - not vice versa. On that note, I think the author does an awesome job pulling off that theme without creating a deus ex machina ending. The characters can't make it without God, yet their obedience still plays an essential part in the outcome of the conflict. I also really appreciate that the character's journey toward conversion is realistically led up to. It's not a straight upward climb; there's a lot of backtracking, and the journey takes the length of the book - the story spans around two years - rather than just a chapter or two where everything randomly clicks for the character.
The allegory is particularly well done. I appreciated that it wasn't just an obvious retelling of the redemption story. In the timeline of the novel, the story of the cross has already happened, and the allegory focuses on how we can come to know God in our time. The allegory is not super obvious, especially at the beginning. I was expecting the story to be about the main character's spiritual journey, but the author keeps the reader in suspense as to how the character is going to get to the end of that journey. By about the 75% mark, it's pretty clear what's going on, but up to that point, I found I didn't know much that the main character didn't know. The author did quite a good job letting the reader experience the main character's doubts and disillusion along with him, without the answer being obvious. I didn't find myself just waiting around for the character to just hurry up, see the light, and make the obvious decision, because I wasn't sure what form the answer would take myself.
After reading a book that deals so well with the character's initial conversion, I'm expecting big things from the next book in the series. From what I've seen of the summary, the next book looks like it'll continue to focus on the spiritual journey started in the first book. I'm looking forward to the rest of the story.
I'm also quite impressed with the setting. It's definitely not your stock castles and dragons fantasy land. Actually, this is one of the most realistic fantasy settings I've ever read. The different cultures of the story world are grounded in actual history and human nature. The author chose not to completely reinvent the flora and fauna of her world, and instead incorporated the fantasy element into the details that were relevant to the story. The fantasy element is centered entirely on the spiritual element, which makes the story world more realistic and easier to process than if everything about the world were foreign.
Things I thought could have been done better:
There were a couple of scenes that deal with the main character having some lustful thoughts that made me uncomfortable. I think that was the intended effect, and while the scenes weren't graphic, for a Christian book, they could have gotten away with less detail. Those scenes are pretty much restricted to two chapters in the middle that aren't essential to the plot.
There was one secondary character who was pretty whiny. I pitied her, but her generally caustic attitude made her hard to root for. There are several chapters from her perspective, so it was sometimes a bit painful to be around her for too long.
I found the dialogue to be a little on the weak side; it wasn't too bad, but the characters do tend to sound pretty similar. I felt the dialogue wasn't as realistic as it could have been.
I often found the setting descriptions a bit hard to follow. There was one action scene where the landscape was important to the characters' plan. I had a really hard time visualizing the surroundings based on the description offered, so I didn't really get what was going on. All the other action scenes made sense, though.
There were a bunch of compound adjectives that should have been hyphenated and were instead written as one word (e.g. bluestriped), and I found a few sentences that ended with this punctuation!? I'd like a word with the editor on that one. :)
Things this book got right:
In my experience, most fiction labeled "Christian" does not incorporate the faith element well; often the Christian parts of these books have almost no relevance to the story. However, in this book, the main character's spiritual journey is not just a nice subplot, it's necessary to the plot. The story literally would not work without the faith element.
This book has one of the best fictional conversion scenes I've read. I was pleasantly surprised at how God-centered the whole message of the book was, especially in that scene. I've found that often the gospel message in Christian fiction is all about what God can do for the characters, and salvation comes across looking cheap as a result. This novel makes it clear that the characters fit into God's plan - not vice versa. On that note, I think the author does an awesome job pulling off that theme without creating a deus ex machina ending. The characters can't make it without God, yet their obedience still plays an essential part in the outcome of the conflict. I also really appreciate that the character's journey toward conversion is realistically led up to. It's not a straight upward climb; there's a lot of backtracking, and the journey takes the length of the book - the story spans around two years - rather than just a chapter or two where everything randomly clicks for the character.
The allegory is particularly well done. I appreciated that it wasn't just an obvious retelling of the redemption story. In the timeline of the novel, the story of the cross has already happened, and the allegory focuses on how we can come to know God in our time. The allegory is not super obvious, especially at the beginning. I was expecting the story to be about the main character's spiritual journey, but the author keeps the reader in suspense as to how the character is going to get to the end of that journey. By about the 75% mark, it's pretty clear what's going on, but up to that point, I found I didn't know much that the main character didn't know. The author did quite a good job letting the reader experience the main character's doubts and disillusion along with him, without the answer being obvious. I didn't find myself just waiting around for the character to just hurry up, see the light, and make the obvious decision, because I wasn't sure what form the answer would take myself.
After reading a book that deals so well with the character's initial conversion, I'm expecting big things from the next book in the series. From what I've seen of the summary, the next book looks like it'll continue to focus on the spiritual journey started in the first book. I'm looking forward to the rest of the story.
I'm also quite impressed with the setting. It's definitely not your stock castles and dragons fantasy land. Actually, this is one of the most realistic fantasy settings I've ever read. The different cultures of the story world are grounded in actual history and human nature. The author chose not to completely reinvent the flora and fauna of her world, and instead incorporated the fantasy element into the details that were relevant to the story. The fantasy element is centered entirely on the spiritual element, which makes the story world more realistic and easier to process than if everything about the world were foreign.
Things I thought could have been done better:
There were a couple of scenes that deal with the main character having some lustful thoughts that made me uncomfortable. I think that was the intended effect, and while the scenes weren't graphic, for a Christian book, they could have gotten away with less detail. Those scenes are pretty much restricted to two chapters in the middle that aren't essential to the plot.
There was one secondary character who was pretty whiny. I pitied her, but her generally caustic attitude made her hard to root for. There are several chapters from her perspective, so it was sometimes a bit painful to be around her for too long.
I found the dialogue to be a little on the weak side; it wasn't too bad, but the characters do tend to sound pretty similar. I felt the dialogue wasn't as realistic as it could have been.
I often found the setting descriptions a bit hard to follow. There was one action scene where the landscape was important to the characters' plan. I had a really hard time visualizing the surroundings based on the description offered, so I didn't really get what was going on. All the other action scenes made sense, though.
There were a bunch of compound adjectives that should have been hyphenated and were instead written as one word (e.g. bluestriped), and I found a few sentences that ended with this punctuation!? I'd like a word with the editor on that one. :)
June 23, 2012
As a big fan of Christian fantasy, this book was pleasantly surprising. It's definitely not the YA high-action, low-dialogue fantasy that I was expecting. It's actually a lot deeper and meant for an older audience.
The main character, Eldrin (renamed Abramm later on), is the fifth son of the king of Kiriath. As a child, he didn't excel in fencing, like his younger brother Gillard, because his love was in religion and history. He joined the religious group known as the Matatio at a young age, giving up his rights as a prince.
At the beginning of the book, Eldrin is twenty-one and just about to take his final vows to become a full Brother and leave his past life behind him forever. When he gets to Kiriath, he discovers that the throne isn't so far away from him as it used to be, and his life turns upside-down.
I'd recommend this to anyone 16+ who's looking for a good, epic Christian fantasy fix. This book stands pretty well on its own, and anyone who wants more can read the next three in the series as well.
September 5, 2018
I really enjoyed much of this book, but it was far too long, and a lot of part 2 in particular needed to be condensed or cut out entirely. I almost gave up on it, but kept going because I absolutely loved Arena by the same author. Parts 3 and 4 were what really gripped my attention, and it got really good in the end. I'd rate it higher if some of the lengthy Tolkien-esque descriptions were cut out, and if one of the secondary characters, Carissa, wasn't so thoroughly foolhardy and annoying! All in all, it got good but there was a lot to slog through that needs editing. Since the second half of the book got so good, however, I would definitely like to finish reading the series.
did-not-finish
May 17, 2016DNF 18% 5/13/16
I'm too impatient right now to wait for the plot to pick up. It is really predictable right now.
I'm too impatient right now to wait for the plot to pick up. It is really predictable right now.
July 27, 2023
This is a title I have known about for many years, and I purchased the first 2 books 2 years ago just before the went out of Print with Bethany House to be reprinted by Enclave.
When it comes to fantasy, worldbuilding is the most important factor. Even anachonisms which I personally don't like can be overlooked if they are part of the worldbuilding... and with this book it does work. The different cultures and customs are distinctive, there are some strange creatures, new countries.
I would prefer if the magic system was better explained and explored a little bit more, because that is one of the most interesting aspects. How precisely do the antagonists control minds and bodies of their victims?
Also it needs to be noted that this is not a YA or children's book. It contains references to mature themes and an implied sex scene.
My only complaint is if the Mataian religion is meant to be based on the Medieval Catholic church... then the implication they don't believe in the Resurrection is kind of problematic. Catholics do believe in the resurrection. I also found the writing a bit choppy and inconsistent in places: one minute a character was there, the next they weren't and had disappeared due to some magic creature thing- and someone else with a similar name was around. It did get kind of confusing.
My other sort of minor beefs were that I didn't feel the allegory was especially subtle. It's hit over the head kind of stuff. To the extent there are characters named Shem and Japeth- after two of Noah's sons.
Also.... a lot of books like this contain characters who reject God and it is *always* for the same reasons: because he wouldn't give them what they wanted or because bad stuff happened to them. I get that perhaps authors are trying to address objections to Christianity which they have enountered but it comes over as cliched and kind of silly after a while.
A shallow, modern Western mindset which IMHO doesn't fit the setting of a lot of fantasy stories.
These characters are meant to be adults: can't they understand that what happens to them is often a result of their own actions and choices?
I am interested to read the other titles in this series, but I don't think the expected comparisons with Lewis are entirely justified.
I'm reading this now as part of the Celebrate Lit blog tour. Pop over to my Blog to see the post. http://www.crossromance.com/2023/07/l...
When it comes to fantasy, worldbuilding is the most important factor. Even anachonisms which I personally don't like can be overlooked if they are part of the worldbuilding... and with this book it does work. The different cultures and customs are distinctive, there are some strange creatures, new countries.
I would prefer if the magic system was better explained and explored a little bit more, because that is one of the most interesting aspects. How precisely do the antagonists control minds and bodies of their victims?
Also it needs to be noted that this is not a YA or children's book. It contains references to mature themes and an implied sex scene.
My only complaint is if the Mataian religion is meant to be based on the Medieval Catholic church... then the implication they don't believe in the Resurrection is kind of problematic. Catholics do believe in the resurrection. I also found the writing a bit choppy and inconsistent in places: one minute a character was there, the next they weren't and had disappeared due to some magic creature thing- and someone else with a similar name was around. It did get kind of confusing.
My other sort of minor beefs were that I didn't feel the allegory was especially subtle. It's hit over the head kind of stuff. To the extent there are characters named Shem and Japeth- after two of Noah's sons.
Also.... a lot of books like this contain characters who reject God and it is *always* for the same reasons: because he wouldn't give them what they wanted or because bad stuff happened to them. I get that perhaps authors are trying to address objections to Christianity which they have enountered but it comes over as cliched and kind of silly after a while.
A shallow, modern Western mindset which IMHO doesn't fit the setting of a lot of fantasy stories.
These characters are meant to be adults: can't they understand that what happens to them is often a result of their own actions and choices?
I am interested to read the other titles in this series, but I don't think the expected comparisons with Lewis are entirely justified.
I'm reading this now as part of the Celebrate Lit blog tour. Pop over to my Blog to see the post. http://www.crossromance.com/2023/07/l...
September 4, 2024
Oh dear.
I prayed that I would love this book and that the cover’s beauty would match the loveliness within. Alas, it is not so!
The sexual content in the middle of the book was unexpected and most upsetting. How can a Christian author writing an allegorical book put explicit sexual content in their books? Very unfortunate.
I prayed that I would love this book and that the cover’s beauty would match the loveliness within. Alas, it is not so!
The sexual content in the middle of the book was unexpected and most upsetting. How can a Christian author writing an allegorical book put explicit sexual content in their books? Very unfortunate.
April 20, 2024
Light of Eidon by Karen Hancock — Story Enjoyment Rating: 9/10 Christian Faith Rating: 3/3
This is the first book in a Christian epic fantasy series. It follows Abram, who is training to join a religious order. Then things go wrong and he is sold into slavery and taken to train as a gladiator in another country.
My favourite thing about this book was the strong Christian allegory that came through throughout the story. The world is rather like the Roman Empire. Personally, I saw comparisons with the characters’ beliefs and the Jewish Pharisees, Christians and Greek religions. The story reminded me of the biblical books of Daniel, Acts and Revelation.
On the outside, this is an epic fantasy with many twists and turns, taking us across different countries and cultures. But the story also focuses on the main character’s emotional and spiritual journeys. Abram spends a lot of time thinking about Eidon (their God) and whether he is real and how he can encounter or experience him.
Content — there is a fair amount of violence in the book. It is described in detail but I didn’t find it too gory. There was one closed-door sex scene. I found the lead up to that scene was a little too steamy for my taste, but it was only one scene. It made sense in the story and there were consequences to it later in the book.
I definitely want to continue with the series, although the books are rather longer than the ones I usually read — this audiobook was 18hrs — however this would not be considered long for the epic fantasy genre.
This is the first book in a Christian epic fantasy series. It follows Abram, who is training to join a religious order. Then things go wrong and he is sold into slavery and taken to train as a gladiator in another country.
My favourite thing about this book was the strong Christian allegory that came through throughout the story. The world is rather like the Roman Empire. Personally, I saw comparisons with the characters’ beliefs and the Jewish Pharisees, Christians and Greek religions. The story reminded me of the biblical books of Daniel, Acts and Revelation.
On the outside, this is an epic fantasy with many twists and turns, taking us across different countries and cultures. But the story also focuses on the main character’s emotional and spiritual journeys. Abram spends a lot of time thinking about Eidon (their God) and whether he is real and how he can encounter or experience him.
Content — there is a fair amount of violence in the book. It is described in detail but I didn’t find it too gory. There was one closed-door sex scene. I found the lead up to that scene was a little too steamy for my taste, but it was only one scene. It made sense in the story and there were consequences to it later in the book.
I definitely want to continue with the series, although the books are rather longer than the ones I usually read — this audiobook was 18hrs — however this would not be considered long for the epic fantasy genre.
April 12, 2014
I downloaded this book for free for my Sony e-reader.
This is a wonderful book that maintained my interest all the way through. It has everything you could want: action, romance, political intrigue. I was a bit shocked and a little upset to find that this book is considered to have heavy Christian overtones. This is a fantasy book, and many fantasy characters believe in a god or gods, so I guess that's why it was more palatable to me than a strictly Christian book. The religious aspects of it didn't bother me for that very reason.
Abramm is about to take his priestly vows, forsaking his claim to the throne forever, but fate, or his god Eidon, has other plans. Gripped with madness his brother and the current king forces him into exile, which leads Abramm into slavery. He is not strong enough to interest the Gamers, but someone buys him for his talents as a scribe. Unfortunately, he has attracted the interest of one Gamer, and ends up as a gladiator anyway. While this story is about the struggle Abramm must endure to survive, it is also about his struggle with his faith as he travels from devout believer to cynical skeptic.
As a fantasy book, this is one of the best I've read in a longtime, so I went ahead and bought the second in the series.
This is a wonderful book that maintained my interest all the way through. It has everything you could want: action, romance, political intrigue. I was a bit shocked and a little upset to find that this book is considered to have heavy Christian overtones. This is a fantasy book, and many fantasy characters believe in a god or gods, so I guess that's why it was more palatable to me than a strictly Christian book. The religious aspects of it didn't bother me for that very reason.
Abramm is about to take his priestly vows, forsaking his claim to the throne forever, but fate, or his god Eidon, has other plans. Gripped with madness his brother and the current king forces him into exile, which leads Abramm into slavery. He is not strong enough to interest the Gamers, but someone buys him for his talents as a scribe. Unfortunately, he has attracted the interest of one Gamer, and ends up as a gladiator anyway. While this story is about the struggle Abramm must endure to survive, it is also about his struggle with his faith as he travels from devout believer to cynical skeptic.
As a fantasy book, this is one of the best I've read in a longtime, so I went ahead and bought the second in the series.
January 5, 2012
I had to get past my frustration with the main character. I understand Karen Hancock may have wanted to show his struggle to the way of the Light. However, it was irritating to read the thoughts of the character as he came off as a prideful idiot. Even when it was obvious, he kept sticking his head in the sand. Now this would have been fine if it had only lasted about 10 - 20% of the book. No, this lasted for about 75 - 80% of the book. And the main character's sister was just as bad. Neither were very likable characters. What kept me going were the supporting characters as they had more life than those two. This book showed the turmoil one can encounter when everything they had once believed in has been torn asunder. It demonstrated how one has to pick of the pieces after everything has been blown apart. The book was not entertaining enough for me to want to read any more from the series.
August 6, 2023
This is one of the best Christian fantasy novels I've read in a while.
Essentially, the premise of this book is a bit of a cross between the biblical story of Joseph and the movie Gladiator. It delivers rather well on both fronts. The characters engaged me, the plot gripped me, and the climax was pretty darn compelling.
The faith component was likely handled pretty well. Hancock did an excellent job of making the faith struggle essential and natural to the protagonist's character. The Christian-analogue and the other religions in this book all were well-developed and had a good bit of culture to them. And the story as a whole didn't really fall into any of the traps that sometimes occur in Christian fantasy when portraying Christianity.
I did get a bit confused about different worldbuilding elements, especially the magic systems. But overall? This was a compelling story that made me eager for more.
Rating: 4 Stars (Very Good).
Essentially, the premise of this book is a bit of a cross between the biblical story of Joseph and the movie Gladiator. It delivers rather well on both fronts. The characters engaged me, the plot gripped me, and the climax was pretty darn compelling.
The faith component was likely handled pretty well. Hancock did an excellent job of making the faith struggle essential and natural to the protagonist's character. The Christian-analogue and the other religions in this book all were well-developed and had a good bit of culture to them. And the story as a whole didn't really fall into any of the traps that sometimes occur in Christian fantasy when portraying Christianity.
I did get a bit confused about different worldbuilding elements, especially the magic systems. But overall? This was a compelling story that made me eager for more.
Rating: 4 Stars (Very Good).
Read
June 22, 2013I love fantasy, but I couldn't connect with any of the characters, and I disliked the strong sensual emphasis. To me it was off-putting. Just my opinion.
April 23, 2023
This has some spoilers so, be aware.
Okay so-- every once in a great while, for reasons not entirely explicable to myself, I get the urge to revisit the old stomping grounds.
Specifically, Christian fiction. More specifically 'bad' or 'pulp' Christian fiction.
There are cheesy Christian romances, especially with heavy doses of quasi-historical nostalgia. There are hammy Christian thrillers. And there are . . . allegorical Christian fantasies.
This particular series came out when I was in high school. It had a quirky twist in it that I never forgot, because it has a completely unique and genuinely impressive twist that really makes it stand out in the genre. Namely,
This is QUITE a twist on the C.S. Lewis/ Tolkien-type fantasy, and trust me-- this does not happen in Christian fiction. (Or maybe it does now? I'm out of the genre for the most part.)
Anyway, I was all geared up to read all four four-hundred+ page books in this series-- I even pre-ordered the second book in the series--but scottily bob howdy does this book go off the rails at about the 2/3rds mark.
Also I realized something. I-- never actually finished this book. I thought I did. I marked this as read when I went through goodreads trying to tag everything I've ever read. (Note: don't do this.)
But there's no way that the fifteen-year-old-virginity-is-a-badge-of-godliness version of me read THAT ONE SCENE and didn't bail. I vaguely remember bailing? And scoffing teenager-ishly at the remainder of the book?
So yeah. This book has a sex scene. A PREMARITAL sex scene. And no, it's not super explicit but it is DEFINITELY THERE and there's build-up for it for, like, three chapters ahead of time.
This-- effectively removes a target audience for this book. You have to understand, the only person who's going to purchase a book that markets itself as a spiritual struggle metaphorically splattered all over an epic fantasy world is probably also going to have a MARKEDLY low tolerance for extra-marital dalliances, and even marital ones should NOT be over-shared with the reader. Having a male MC who sleeps with a (consenting, adult) female character in Christianland is like having a rapist-hero in a general-audience book. I can just hear all God's people in all God's knitting circles saying "NOPE!"
I mean, I think the only way you could get away with it is if 1) the sex immediately ruins the relationship and 2) the character, even in his pre-Christian state, was wracked with ALL the fervent guilt and shame and 3) the sex wasn't even all that great because of how unmarried it all was. None of those really play out. He feels bad-ish, but only in moments when he has a lot of time to think and it doesn't slow him down in any meaningful way.
Now, forty-something me doesn't really care if characters doink-- frankly, I'm a lot more interested in the inadvertent self-revelations that come with the creation of any allegory. Apparently, walking in the ways of Eidon is like becoming a mage/cleric-- granting even the entry-level Jesus-user the ability to see through illusions, cast fireball, and {shirak} illuminate dark places. Also, this repels mosquitos.
I love that loving Jesus makes you mosquito-proof. The Bad Magicks (who are dressed and socially structured like Catholics but who seem, theologically, to be Jew-metaphors?) have mind-control spells and poisons which Jesus-blessed charm-bracelets can counteract. This works, regardless of the beliefs of the holder of the WWJD bracelet.
And that's-- not the bad part. So the beginning bit has some palace intrigue, wherein Our Boy is trying to become a monk but his god is being kind of hard-to-get, and then we've got a Ben-Hur knock-off with a splash of Gladiator. It's all a fast-paced, slightly cartoonish, saccharine didactic nostalgia slurpee for me--
But then the princess-slave-girl who our hero has just finished banging, with great nobility and EXTREME pointlessness, sacrifices her life so that the plot can move on without her . But not before accepting Jesus into her heart.
Glory be.
Where are Crow, Tom Servo and Cambot when you need them? We then have a lot of wandering in the wilderness, and illusions coming and going, and we meet the brother of the now-conveniently-deceased Princess Internalized Misogyny.
Also, specific directions that are not heeded and apparently didn't need to be heeded because JESUS... And, to crown it all, PLOT ARMOR as DIVINE PLAN.
That's right. Forget putting on the full armor of God. If you have the full armor of plot, not only will no harm come to you-- everyone in this book is going to assume that their initial attempts to kill you could only have been foiled by Jesus, because THOU ART THE CHOSEN ONE. Our hero becomes the prophesied savior of the Christian-Dothraki, who he then immediately throws over for an alternate side quest.
So. Anyway.
Throughout, the unintended moral lesson that you are a LOT better off not accepting Jesus until the very end of your life really stands out, because if you convert and THEN get all sinful-like or have to make any hard decisions, you are ROYALLY FORKED. And the 'suvivorship-bias'=='all the proof you need of Divine Intervention' is a STAPLE and THE KEY spiritual lesson you're supposed to walk away with.
So, I guess, by this logic, God has been shaping me from my earliest youth into the kind of person who can understand that evangelical Christianity is a load of bunk? I mean... it WAS a journey.
There's a whole subplot with a twin sister who keeps trying to save him and actively makes everything worse. Repeatedly. There's a subplot with a hot, Christian-warrior Sam Gamgee. (No homo.) Within the last fifty pages we are told that people can apparate/beam up/teleport? So all of the epic journey travel stuff was... for what, exactly?
And... yeah... it might be another 30 years or so before I try book two.
Okay so-- every once in a great while, for reasons not entirely explicable to myself, I get the urge to revisit the old stomping grounds.
Specifically, Christian fiction. More specifically 'bad' or 'pulp' Christian fiction.
There are cheesy Christian romances, especially with heavy doses of quasi-historical nostalgia. There are hammy Christian thrillers. And there are . . . allegorical Christian fantasies.
This particular series came out when I was in high school. It had a quirky twist in it that I never forgot, because it has a completely unique and genuinely impressive twist that really makes it stand out in the genre. Namely,
This is QUITE a twist on the C.S. Lewis/ Tolkien-type fantasy, and trust me-- this does not happen in Christian fiction. (Or maybe it does now? I'm out of the genre for the most part.)
Anyway, I was all geared up to read all four four-hundred+ page books in this series-- I even pre-ordered the second book in the series--but scottily bob howdy does this book go off the rails at about the 2/3rds mark.
Also I realized something. I-- never actually finished this book. I thought I did. I marked this as read when I went through goodreads trying to tag everything I've ever read. (Note: don't do this.)
But there's no way that the fifteen-year-old-virginity-is-a-badge-of-godliness version of me read THAT ONE SCENE and didn't bail. I vaguely remember bailing? And scoffing teenager-ishly at the remainder of the book?
So yeah. This book has a sex scene. A PREMARITAL sex scene. And no, it's not super explicit but it is DEFINITELY THERE and there's build-up for it for, like, three chapters ahead of time.
This-- effectively removes a target audience for this book. You have to understand, the only person who's going to purchase a book that markets itself as a spiritual struggle metaphorically splattered all over an epic fantasy world is probably also going to have a MARKEDLY low tolerance for extra-marital dalliances, and even marital ones should NOT be over-shared with the reader. Having a male MC who sleeps with a (consenting, adult) female character in Christianland is like having a rapist-hero in a general-audience book. I can just hear all God's people in all God's knitting circles saying "NOPE!"
I mean, I think the only way you could get away with it is if 1) the sex immediately ruins the relationship and 2) the character, even in his pre-Christian state, was wracked with ALL the fervent guilt and shame and 3) the sex wasn't even all that great because of how unmarried it all was. None of those really play out. He feels bad-ish, but only in moments when he has a lot of time to think and it doesn't slow him down in any meaningful way.
Now, forty-something me doesn't really care if characters doink-- frankly, I'm a lot more interested in the inadvertent self-revelations that come with the creation of any allegory. Apparently, walking in the ways of Eidon is like becoming a mage/cleric-- granting even the entry-level Jesus-user the ability to see through illusions, cast fireball, and {shirak} illuminate dark places. Also, this repels mosquitos.
I love that loving Jesus makes you mosquito-proof. The Bad Magicks (who are dressed and socially structured like Catholics but who seem, theologically, to be Jew-metaphors?) have mind-control spells and poisons which Jesus-blessed charm-bracelets can counteract. This works, regardless of the beliefs of the holder of the WWJD bracelet.
And that's-- not the bad part. So the beginning bit has some palace intrigue, wherein Our Boy is trying to become a monk but his god is being kind of hard-to-get, and then we've got a Ben-Hur knock-off with a splash of Gladiator. It's all a fast-paced, slightly cartoonish, saccharine didactic nostalgia slurpee for me--
But then the princess-slave-girl who our hero has just finished banging, with great nobility and EXTREME pointlessness, sacrifices her life so that the plot can move on without her . But not before accepting Jesus into her heart.
Glory be.
Where are Crow, Tom Servo and Cambot when you need them? We then have a lot of wandering in the wilderness, and illusions coming and going, and we meet the brother of the now-conveniently-deceased Princess Internalized Misogyny.
Also, specific directions that are not heeded and apparently didn't need to be heeded because JESUS... And, to crown it all, PLOT ARMOR as DIVINE PLAN.
That's right. Forget putting on the full armor of God. If you have the full armor of plot, not only will no harm come to you-- everyone in this book is going to assume that their initial attempts to kill you could only have been foiled by Jesus, because THOU ART THE CHOSEN ONE. Our hero becomes the prophesied savior of the Christian-Dothraki, who he then immediately throws over for an alternate side quest.
So. Anyway.
Throughout, the unintended moral lesson that you are a LOT better off not accepting Jesus until the very end of your life really stands out, because if you convert and THEN get all sinful-like or have to make any hard decisions, you are ROYALLY FORKED. And the 'suvivorship-bias'=='all the proof you need of Divine Intervention' is a STAPLE and THE KEY spiritual lesson you're supposed to walk away with.
So, I guess, by this logic, God has been shaping me from my earliest youth into the kind of person who can understand that evangelical Christianity is a load of bunk? I mean... it WAS a journey.
There's a whole subplot with a twin sister who keeps trying to save him and actively makes everything worse. Repeatedly. There's a subplot with a hot, Christian-warrior Sam Gamgee. (No homo.) Within the last fifty pages we are told that people can apparate/beam up/teleport? So all of the epic journey travel stuff was... for what, exactly?
And... yeah... it might be another 30 years or so before I try book two.
August 17, 2022
4,25 stars - English Ebook
In The Light of Eidon, she begins a fantasy series called Legends of the Guardian King that is more clearly a Christian allegory but is so crisscrossed with subplots and deceit that exactly where the light of Eidon shines dif baffle me.
It certainly baffles young Abramm Kalladorne, Hancock's hero. He is the little-valued fifth son of the king of Kiriath, a vivid kingdom that seems a bit like medieval England, with a bit of ancient Rome.
Abramm is drawn to the religious life, but after eight years as a novitiate, he discovers that his spiritual leader is a fraud and that the true path to Eidon's light lies elsewhere.
But upon leaving the monastery, he finds himself in the middle of court intrigues, and his brothers sell him into slavery in a faraway, barbarous land.
For a while, it seems like a gladitorial epic, but then Eidon, or Jesus, makes his truths known.
A great battle ensues, but victory is not complete and many questions remain.
For the next book I assume.
In The Light of Eidon, she begins a fantasy series called Legends of the Guardian King that is more clearly a Christian allegory but is so crisscrossed with subplots and deceit that exactly where the light of Eidon shines dif baffle me.
It certainly baffles young Abramm Kalladorne, Hancock's hero. He is the little-valued fifth son of the king of Kiriath, a vivid kingdom that seems a bit like medieval England, with a bit of ancient Rome.
Abramm is drawn to the religious life, but after eight years as a novitiate, he discovers that his spiritual leader is a fraud and that the true path to Eidon's light lies elsewhere.
But upon leaving the monastery, he finds himself in the middle of court intrigues, and his brothers sell him into slavery in a faraway, barbarous land.
For a while, it seems like a gladitorial epic, but then Eidon, or Jesus, makes his truths known.
A great battle ensues, but victory is not complete and many questions remain.
For the next book I assume.
July 28, 2023
The Light of Eidon by Karen Hancock was a very long read. I did enjoy part of the story but for the most part I was wishing I was finished with it. But, I think that is because I am not a fan of fantasy, especially when it is about magic. This book is filled with betrayal and surprising twists. This book has Christian themes but I really think nonbelievers might not understand the themes because they aren’t specifically written out. I really think fans of fantasy will enjoy this book. I really was disappointed that a certain character ( not the main character) dies just when they just becomes part of the story( just my opinion, but I think the book might have better for me if they would have lived and been more of the story).
I also didn’t like the sexual part of the book.
I received a compimentary copy from the author and Celebrate Lit and these opinions are my own.
I also didn’t like the sexual part of the book.
I received a compimentary copy from the author and Celebrate Lit and these opinions are my own.
July 21, 2024
I wanted to like this book(who doesn’t love a good gladiatorial ring), but I ended up having a hard time caring for the characters. The main character suddenly became super tough, but it felt undeserved because the reader never got to experience his transformation. The third act also switched to a different type of plot, and totally lost my interest. On top of all that, the female characters were so uninteresting. The only interesting one dies randomly, and the other one I found unlikeable because of all her hysterics and whining(she had the makings of a intriguing character, but was too passive to fulfill her promise). I also dislike allegories, so I had a hard time enjoying the, slightly muddled, church allegory (that’s more my personal taste though). Overall, really did not hit home for me.
did-not-finish
January 10, 2023This was recommended to me ages ago. It's your typical fare of young, innocent, evangelical homeschoolers who don't know any better. See also Bryan Davis. Blegh. I gave it a good shot. I read Part I (the first 100 pages) before ditching it. No rating. I just can't with the bad writing. I don't know why so much Christian fiction is so bad.
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