title: Light of Eidon (Legends of the Guardian-King, Book 1)
author:  Karen Hancock 
description: *Starred Review* Hancock's intriguing <i>Arena</i> [BKL Ap 15 02] drew a great deal of praise for the originality and starkness of its alternative universe. In <i>The Light of Eidon</i>,<i></i> 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 may baffle the reader. 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, Hancock's novel 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. Readers will certainly return for the second installment. <i>John Mort</i><br /><i>Copyright  American Library Association. All rights reserved</i>
zlib_text: Praise For Karen Hancock’s Novels:
  
  > The Light of Eidon
  
  Karen Hancock has a gift for creating believable characters on harrowing
  spiritual quests. This adventure takes place in an imagined history that is
  sometimes eerie and foreign, sometimes startlingly familiar, but always
  thought-provoking. Plainly, this is the first book in a major new series.
  
  —Kathy Tyers, author of the FIREBIRD Trilogy Karen Hancock fits that small
  niche reserved for today’s finest novelists as she implants solid truth into
  words with which I can identify, words that fascinate and cut to the heart.
  _The Light of Eidon_ is far more than a novel of fantasy or allegory—it is a
  word picture of the ancient struggle between Light and darkness.
  
  —Hannah Alexander, author of _Urgent Care_ and _The Crystal Cavern_
  
  > Arena
  
  “Hancock’s intense debut is an excellent . . . contribution to the genre. . .
  . If this book is any indication, the future should be bright for this
  promising novelist.”
  
  — _Publisher’s Weekly_
  
  “G