by Jason Joyner | Apr 18, 2007 | Blog, CSFF, fiction, writing craft
I’m continuing the CSFF tour regarding Karen Hancock’s latest book, Return of the Guardian King. It is the 4th and final book in her series Legends of the Guardian King. Since I am new to Hancock’s work, I decided that I would dive into the first book, The Light of Eidon in order to point people to the start of the series (there wasn’t any way I would burn through 4 books in time either). Hopefully my introduction to the series will encourage you to pick up a great storyline!
The Light of Eidon centers on Abramm Kalladorne, prince of Kiriath. He is weaker physically and not in direct line to be an heir to the throne, so he pursues the religious society of Mataio in order to serve his country by protecting the Flames of Eidon.
As he approaches the time for his initiation, he is swept up in political intrigue that sees his whole life turned upside down. Questioning his whole life and what he was taught to believe, he must learn to survive in a savage world, finding the truth amidst all the struggle.
Hancock delivers a wonderfully engaging story that is full of the themes and props that make an enjoyable fantasy – epic battles, struggle for life, heroes and heroines, magic, fierce creatures. Her characterization and worlds are well-developed and rightly praised for their engrossing detail. The action draws you in quickly and rarely lets up the pace, without sacrificing quality development of the plot and peoples of this world. She is also very adept at keeping the reader guessing. The truth is not always what it seems, and old foes spring up at unexpected times.
Eidon is a spiritual tale that stands tall as the premier of Christian fantasy, but also deserves recognition outside of the Christian market as well. She shows true struggle, whether physical combat or emotional battles.
One aspect that I truly appreciated was how she handles difficult situations (writing-wise). As an industry, the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) has some standards that can be controversial in how sin and the “gory” details should be shown. The unofficial standards can cause problems in describing sexual situations, bodily functions, and violence. My opinion is that Hancock delivers a tale based on reality that sets up the situation that is authentic for the story without being sensationalism . For instance, when two characters are attracted to one another, she writes the sexual tension in a way that doesn’t offend sensibilities, but it is clear what is happening. Often in Christian fiction the stigma forces an author to write something that is less than authentic. This is an observation that is more related to the writing craft than the enjoyment of the story, but it doesn’t pull one out of the fictive world like when these type of situations are poorly handled.
Overall, I see why Karen Hancock has won multiple Christy awards for her fiction, and why she is so highly regarded among my fellow speculative fiction fans. I strongly recommend The Light of Eidon. I also encourage you to check out the links I put in yesterday’s post to find out more about Return of the Guardian King and the rest of her books (though watch for spoilers if you’re new to the series).
by Jason Joyner | Apr 18, 2007 | Blog, CSFF, fiction, writing craft
I’m continuing the CSFF tour regarding Karen Hancock’s latest book, Return of the Guardian King. It is the 4th and final book in her series Legends of the Guardian King. Since I am new to Hancock’s work, I decided that I would dive into the first book, The Light of Eidon in order to point people to the start of the series (there wasn’t any way I would burn through 4 books in time either). Hopefully my introduction to the series will encourage you to pick up a great storyline!
The Light of Eidon centers on Abramm Kalladorne, prince of Kiriath. He is weaker physically and not in direct line to be an heir to the throne, so he pursues the religious society of Mataio in order to serve his country by protecting the Flames of Eidon.
As he approaches the time for his initiation, he is swept up in political intrigue that sees his whole life turned upside down. Questioning his whole life and what he was taught to believe, he must learn to survive in a savage world, finding the truth amidst all the struggle.
Hancock delivers a wonderfully engaging story that is full of the themes and props that make an enjoyable fantasy – epic battles, struggle for life, heroes and heroines, magic, fierce creatures. Her characterization and worlds are well-developed and rightly praised for their engrossing detail. The action draws you in quickly and rarely lets up the pace, without sacrificing quality development of the plot and peoples of this world. She is also very adept at keeping the reader guessing. The truth is not always what it seems, and old foes spring up at unexpected times.
Eidon is a spiritual tale that stands tall as the premier of Christian fantasy, but also deserves recognition outside of the Christian market as well. She shows true struggle, whether physical combat or emotional battles.
One aspect that I truly appreciated was how she handles difficult situations (writing-wise). As an industry, the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) has some standards that can be controversial in how sin and the “gory” details should be shown. The unofficial standards can cause problems in describing sexual situations, bodily functions, and violence. My opinion is that Hancock delivers a tale based on reality that sets up the situation that is authentic for the story without being sensationalism . For instance, when two characters are attracted to one another, she writes the sexual tension in a way that doesn’t offend sensibilities, but it is clear what is happening. Often in Christian fiction the stigma forces an author to write something that is less than authentic. This is an observation that is more related to the writing craft than the enjoyment of the story, but it doesn’t pull one out of the fictive world like when these type of situations are poorly handled.
Overall, I see why Karen Hancock has won multiple Christy awards for her fiction, and why she is so highly regarded among my fellow speculative fiction fans. I strongly recommend The Light of Eidon. I also encourage you to check out the links I put in yesterday’s post to find out more about Return of the Guardian King and the rest of her books (though watch for spoilers if you’re new to the series).
by Jason Joyner | Apr 17, 2007 | Blog, CSFF, fiction
The next two days I’m going to feature posts regarding Karen Hancock and her series Legends of the Guardian-King. Today I want to point out various members of the CSFF that have interesting posts regarding this month’s tour. Tomorrow I hope to review Karen Hancock’s first book, The Light of Eidon. Yes, the tour is regarding the 4th and last book in the series, Return of the Guardian King. But who wants to start a series on the fourth book? I certainly didn’t, so I decided to start at the beginning (novel concept there…). Hopefully between my review and others regarding book 4, you’ll figure out what happened in books 2 and 3 – um, never mind. I say I hope to review it because my timing was a little off, thinking I had a couple more days to read, when the tour started yesterday. Oopsie, as my six year old says.
1. Rebecca Grabill has a wonderful non-review of Return, and her 9 thorns that bug her about the book. What’s a non-review? She doesn’t spoil the book, which thrills me to death. I dislike greatly reviews that give away the plot (note to Bethany House – you did this on the 1st book’s back copy – bad form). Some of her thorns are hilarious (BREASTS). Read it to figure that one out!
2. See Wayne Thomas Batson for his review of Return. He hasn’t read the first three, so some interesting insight (he acknowledges his lack of context, which provides a different perspective).
3. Karen Hancock herself is having a giveaway of the whole set of books! Go see her, how can you miss out on something so cool? Beth Goddard is also having a single book giveaway, so see her too. Ditto Mirtika. And hey, so does Tina Kulesa.
4. Chris Deanne has an interview with Karen Hancock, as does Shannon McNear.
5. Becky Miller, the grandmaster of the CSFF has 4 days worth of posts! Start at Speculative Faith, then head over to her blog for the rest.
6. John Otte has an interesting view of the book. Marcus Goodyear calls it “a fine example of high fantasy.” Finally, Heather Hunt is giving reviews for each of the four books of the series! (Watch for spoilers).
I don’t want to take away from all of my tourmates below, but those are some of the more extensive posts that I noted. Also, the links below are for her books on Amazon and her personal sites.
Check out the tour, and I’ll see you tomorrow!
Karen Hancock’s Return of the Guardian-King on Amazon.com
Karen Hancock’s Return of the Guardian-King Blog
Karen Hancock’s Return of the Guardian-King Website
Nissa Annakindt
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jim Black
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Janey DeMeo
April Erwin
Kameron M. Franklin
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Sharon Hinck
Christopher Hopper
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Karen
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 – The Compendium
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Shannon McNear
Caleb Newell
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
Robin Parrish
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Tsaba House Authors
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Daniel I. Weaver
Dawn King
Rebecca Grabill
Jill Hart
by Jason Joyner | Apr 17, 2007 | Blog, CSFF, fiction
The next two days I’m going to feature posts regarding Karen Hancock and her series Legends of the Guardian-King. Today I want to point out various members of the CSFF that have interesting posts regarding this month’s tour. Tomorrow I hope to review Karen Hancock’s first book, The Light of Eidon. Yes, the tour is regarding the 4th and last book in the series, Return of the Guardian King. But who wants to start a series on the fourth book? I certainly didn’t, so I decided to start at the beginning (novel concept there…). Hopefully between my review and others regarding book 4, you’ll figure out what happened in books 2 and 3 – um, never mind. I say I hope to review it because my timing was a little off, thinking I had a couple more days to read, when the tour started yesterday. Oopsie, as my six year old says.
1. Rebecca Grabill has a wonderful non-review of Return, and her 9 thorns that bug her about the book. What’s a non-review? She doesn’t spoil the book, which thrills me to death. I dislike greatly reviews that give away the plot (note to Bethany House – you did this on the 1st book’s back copy – bad form). Some of her thorns are hilarious (BREASTS). Read it to figure that one out!
2. See Wayne Thomas Batson for his review of Return. He hasn’t read the first three, so some interesting insight (he acknowledges his lack of context, which provides a different perspective).
3. Karen Hancock herself is having a giveaway of the whole set of books! Go see her, how can you miss out on something so cool? Beth Goddard is also having a single book giveaway, so see her too. Ditto Mirtika. And hey, so does Tina Kulesa.
4. Chris Deanne has an interview with Karen Hancock, as does Shannon McNear.
5. Becky Miller, the grandmaster of the CSFF has 4 days worth of posts! Start at Speculative Faith, then head over to her blog for the rest.
6. John Otte has an interesting view of the book. Marcus Goodyear calls it “a fine example of high fantasy.” Finally, Heather Hunt is giving reviews for each of the four books of the series! (Watch for spoilers).
I don’t want to take away from all of my tourmates below, but those are some of the more extensive posts that I noted. Also, the links below are for her books on Amazon and her personal sites.
Check out the tour, and I’ll see you tomorrow!
Karen Hancock’s Return of the Guardian-King on Amazon.com
Karen Hancock’s Return of the Guardian-King Blog
Karen Hancock’s Return of the Guardian-King Website
Nissa Annakindt
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jim Black
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Janey DeMeo
April Erwin
Kameron M. Franklin
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Sharon Hinck
Christopher Hopper
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Karen
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 – The Compendium
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Shannon McNear
Caleb Newell
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
Robin Parrish
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Tsaba House Authors
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Daniel I. Weaver
Dawn King
Rebecca Grabill
Jill Hart
by Jason Joyner | Mar 21, 2007 | Blog, books, CSFF, fiction, writing craft
It’s always nice when you can kill two birds with one stone. Or two topics with one blog post. So today I give you the Christian Sci-Fi and Fantasy blog tour/Books on Writing smash up post!
The CSFF is featuring writer Randy Ingermanson and his book Double Vision. Randy is a Christy award winning novelist who can provide you with many fulfilling experiences. Like stories on time travel? Ingermanson. Outer space/trips to Mars? He’s your man. Romance suspense with a scientific twist? RAN-DY!
How about a plethora of writing advice, for FREE?
Look no further than Randall Ingermanson.
Now I was a little deficient for this tour. I had books swirling around my desk, mocking me that I had not made time for them. With all the distraction, I did not get an oppportunity to read Double Vision. For reviews of this book, see fellow tour participants Janey DeMeo, John W. Otte, and Karri Compton for starters. April Erwin is having a contest to win a free copy of the book!
My main experience, like many others, is through Randy’s teachings on fiction writing. This is why today’s post does double duty, cover both the CSFF tour and writing resources. He doesn’t have a book per se. However, he has a lot of free resources on his site Advanced Fiction Writing. He is famous for his Snowflake Method, an excellent way of organizing your work to bring it to manageable levels. On the top of that link he has numerous other links that discuss helpful aspects of fiction craft. I heartily encourage you to take advantage of these resources. He also has a free e-zine on writing and marketing that continues to give helpful examples and teaching. You can’t go wrong by taking advantage of the free stuff!
For more on Randy Ingersmanson, see my tourmates below.
Nissa Annakindt
Jim Black
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Tessa Edwards
April Erwin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Leathel Grody
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Sharon Hinck
Christopher Hopper
Karen
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 – The Compendium
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Caleb Newell
Nicole
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
Robin Parrish
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Tsaba House Authors
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Daniel I. Weaver
by Jason Joyner | Mar 21, 2007 | Blog, books, CSFF, fiction, writing craft
It’s always nice when you can kill two birds with one stone. Or two topics with one blog post. So today I give you the Christian Sci-Fi and Fantasy blog tour/Books on Writing smash up post!
The CSFF is featuring writer Randy Ingermanson and his book Double Vision. Randy is a Christy award winning novelist who can provide you with many fulfilling experiences. Like stories on time travel? Ingermanson. Outer space/trips to Mars? He’s your man. Romance suspense with a scientific twist? RAN-DY!
How about a plethora of writing advice, for FREE?
Look no further than Randall Ingermanson.
Now I was a little deficient for this tour. I had books swirling around my desk, mocking me that I had not made time for them. With all the distraction, I did not get an oppportunity to read Double Vision. For reviews of this book, see fellow tour participants Janey DeMeo, John W. Otte, and Karri Compton for starters. April Erwin is having a contest to win a free copy of the book!
My main experience, like many others, is through Randy’s teachings on fiction writing. This is why today’s post does double duty, cover both the CSFF tour and writing resources. He doesn’t have a book per se. However, he has a lot of free resources on his site Advanced Fiction Writing. He is famous for his Snowflake Method, an excellent way of organizing your work to bring it to manageable levels. On the top of that link he has numerous other links that discuss helpful aspects of fiction craft. I heartily encourage you to take advantage of these resources. He also has a free e-zine on writing and marketing that continues to give helpful examples and teaching. You can’t go wrong by taking advantage of the free stuff!
For more on Randy Ingersmanson, see my tourmates below.
Nissa Annakindt
Jim Black
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Tessa Edwards
April Erwin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Leathel Grody
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Sharon Hinck
Christopher Hopper
Karen
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 – The Compendium
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Caleb Newell
Nicole
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
Robin Parrish
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Tsaba House Authors
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Daniel I. Weaver
