Note to all of my virtual friends: I’ve been completely overwhelmed by the generosity and authenticity of your comments lately! Thank you so much. I look forward to interacting more intently as soon as our new and improved TheHighCalling.org is almost under wraps—later this week!
Over the next few days, the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog tour is featuring Karen Hancock.Â
Return of the Guardian-King, the fourth book in a series, is a fine example of high fantasy. That is to say, Karen Hancock creates a self-contained world, a sweeping Tolkein-esque epic of politics and war and love and the followers of “Eidon, Lord of Light, Creator of All, Defender of Man. Soon may he come, and swift be his judgment.”
Hancock follows a story-telling pattern laid out by C. S. Lewis in his science fiction series and later in Narnia. God appears and redeems other worlds under other names.
Of course, the imagery used to describe Eidon and “Moroq, the Adversary” makes it clear that these new names are thin veils describing Christian concepts. Which is not to say that Hancock presents a mere allegory. Instead, she uses fantasy to renew the wonders of redemption. As you read the book, her imagination reminds you that God’s epic is every bit as exciting as the one you are holding in your hand.
From the flap of the first book in the series, The Light of Eidon, Bethany House sets up these epic expectations: “Set in a world of swords and cloaks, of glittering palaces and mystical temples, of galley ships and ancient mist-bound cities, The Light of Eidon is the first volume of an epic series, Legends of the Guardian-King.” It is quite a credit to Karen Hancock that she is able to live up to such promises.
That said, book four, is definitely a book four kind of experience. Read the sample from Christianbook.com and you’ll know what I mean. Lots of character names tossed around in the space of just a few pages—far too many for readers new to the series not to feel jolted by this sudden recap of the cast. These pages follow nearly the same formula as the one minute review, viewers have come to expect from 24 or Lost: “Previously on 24…”
I don’t watch it anymore.
But I do love a good fairy tale. And I don’t mean the candy houses of Brother’s Grimm—though I love those too.
I’m talking about what Tolkein describes in his essay “On Fairy-Stories.” (I have to thank Emilie Griffin and her husband, Bill Griffin, for guiding me to this wonderful resource. Look for them online soon at a High Calling Blog network near you…) Anyway, Tolkein writes:
The consolation of fairy stories… the joy of the happy ending… is a sudden and miraculous grace: never to be counted on to recur. It does not deny the existence… of sorrow and failure… the possibility of these is necessary to the joy of deliverance; it denies… universal final defeat and in so far is evangelium… giving a fleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.
In Emilie Griffin’s essay “The Joyous Turn: Glimpsing Truth in Stories,” she elaborates on this idea, writing:
We treasure the happy endings, especially when they convince us. For we know that (on this side of the boundary, at least) happy endings are not guaranteed. For love to be precious, it must be precarious.Â
Certainly, the world of the Guardian-King is precarious. Whether it has a happy ending… you’ll just have to find out for yourself.
In the meantime, here are a few helpful links:
- Karen Hancock’s website
- Karen Hancock’s blog
- an excerpt from The Light of Eidon (book 1)
- an excerpt from The Shadow Within (book 2)
- an excerpt from Shadow Over Kiriath (book 3)
- an excerpt from Return of the Guardian-King (book 4)
- the entire series on Christianbook.com
Then, of course, here are the list of other folks on the blog tour. I’ve starred some of my favorite bloggers in the list. (No offense intended to the rest of you. I just don’t know you as well.)
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
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
*Rebecca Grabill
Andrea Graham
Katie Hart
Jill Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
*Sharon Hinck
Christopher Hopper
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Karen
Dawn King
*Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 – The Compendium
Rachel Marks
*Rebecca LuElla Miller
*Shannon McNear
Caleb Newell
Nicole
*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
{ 13 comments }
Great links! And awww, no star? Stop on by! I don’t bite … hard enough to draw blood … usually.
I’ve been starred!! I’m seeing stars..I’m star struck *giggle*
Sweet! I’ve been starred! I feel so special! Thanks.
I’m not. Oh, well. No offense taken. :^)
Wemmicks?
Rebecca G. Hey, you earn a star in my book. Great blog you’ve got.
Eve, of course you get a star, I know you! That was the whole point.
Tina, ditto. Great blog. You are special, of course!
Chrisd. You are special too, I just didn’t know your blog. But I’m headed over there a little later since you commented.
Thanks for all of the comments! Who would have guessed such a silly little comment would have garnered more response than the post itself?
Ouch, Craver! I didn’t mean it that way. I was just trying to help people sort out that big list.
You know, it’s so tough to balance our real need to evaluate the people around us with our need to not judge others.
Ok, ok. I admit I’m a jerk! Everyone just give me dots. I deserve them all!
(For those of you who don’t know, the Wemmicks are a society of makebelieve wooden people who give stars to the Wemmicks they like and dots to the Wemmicks they don’t. But when the Wemmicks develop a relationship with their Creator, they discover that the stars and dots don’t stick anymore.)
Oops! No ouch, no ouch… I didn’t mean for that to be accusatory or reproving, it was supposed to be a light-hearted random connection my silly mind landed on.
You don’t deserve dots at all. Sorry to confuse anyone. Please forgive me. (insert handshake or man-hug)
Okay folks, nothing to see here. Move along, move along.
er, Don’t stare, but continue to comment as it relates to the rest of the post and comment thread, I mean.
I’m laughing. (But I was laughing before.) I knew you didn’t mean it as an insult, but everyone’s comments showed me that this is a much much touchier subject than I realized.
Isn’t it amazing how much we want to have other people hear us and tell us that what we say is valuable?
Oh, I get a star NOW? Sorry. Too much too late.
:^P
Maybe I should give you a gray dot, huh, Mr. Wemmick?
ROFL
Mark, I’m snickering here! Too funny, yet true. I (pathetic sop that I am) get the greatest elation to see my link on someone’s favorite. *grin*
Dude, is this like a sociology experiment or what? See how many Star folks comment versus unstarred. Hmmm… JK. Nice intro. Karen writes some top shelf fantasy. Fans of Tolkien, Croggon, Funke, and Lewis should find a home with her stories.
Wayne, I was completely surprised by how seriously people took my little star decision. I meant it as an innocent way to show which blogs I read. That’s all!
You just gave me two new names: Croggon and Funke. I’m off to the store.
Also, I FINALLY received The Door Within trilogy a few weeks! (Amazon really let me down on that one.) I’ve enjoyed it tremendously, though.
I especially was struck by how beautiful the books are. Wonderful covers. You must be proud.
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