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Summary

A priest novitiate is sold into slavery where he is forced to become a gladiator.

Stats

Genre: Adult high fantasy

Series length: Four books

Violence: Moderately high fantasy violence

Magic/Supernatural: Moderately high, but clearly delineated

Romance/Sex: Moderately high, including references to sex outside of marriage (and the repercussions thereof).

Christian/spiritual element: Strong allegorical

Recommendation: Excellent for fans of hardcore fantasy

You might like this book if you liked... 
Brandon Sanderson or ​Lord of the Rings.

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Opening Lines:

The Light of Eidon 
(Legends of the Guardian-King, Book 1)
by Karen Hancock

Abramm has dedicated the last eight years of his life to becoming worthy to touch and tend the Sacred Flames of Eidon, and he expects to be blessed for his devotion and sacrifice. But on the eve of taking the vows that will irrevocably separate him from the life he was born to--as Abramm Kalladorne, fifth son of the king of Kiriath--he is betrayed by his spiritual mentor and sold into slavery by his brothers.

Swept along by the winds of a new destiny, Abramm is forced to compete as a gladiator. When the oppressed masses rally around his success, he discovers his suffering has molded him into something greater than he ever though possible--to serve a purpose he never imagined.

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

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Opening Lines:

His senses keyed as tightly as if he'd just stepped back into a Esurhite arena, Abramm Kalladorne stood on Wanderer's quarterdeck with his two liegemen, nervously scanning the leaden waters of Kalladorne Bay. As the white cliffs guarding the bay's mouth slid silently astern, he wondered if the other men's stomachs had just done the same little twist his own had. Probably. 

The Shadow Within 
(Legends of the Guardian-King, Book 2)
by Karen Hancock

Abramm Kalladorne has returned to Kiriath to claim the crown he thought he would never wear and to prepare his people for the inevitable attack of the Armies of the Black Moon. Though fiercely opposed by his own kin and reluctant to thrust his country into civil war at the worst possible time, he nevertheless believes this course of action is Kiriath's only hope of salvation.

In the midst of this turmoil, a headstrong princess from a neighboring realm endeavors to uncover Abramm's secrets--including his heroic exploits as the White Pretender and the fact that he wears a golden shield upon his chest--and her interference threatens to destroy any chance he has of maintaining his rightful place as king.

Against a backdrop of somber council meetings and back-alley sword fights, of magnificent ballrooms and windswept mountain fortresses, plots and counterplots unfold as old alliances dissolve and new ones form. If he is to succeed, Abramm must come to terms with his own limitations--and the sufficiency of the one who controls his destiny.

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Opening Lines:

"Abramm Kalladorne will fall, Vesprit." The rhu'eman warhast Hazmul did not speak the thought aloud, but the breath of his host body fogged the window glass before him anyway, blurring his view of the snow-dusted Grand Fountain courtyard below. In the gray light of the foggy early-spring morning, a lengthening line of gleaming carriages queued up at Whitehill's front entrance to his left, preparing for the coronation procession. "If all goes as planned, that fall will begin today." He sipped from his porcelain teacup, then added, "All is going as planned, I trust?"​

Shadow Over Kiriath 
(Legends of the Guardian-King, Book 3)
by Karen Hancock

After months of conflict and opposition, Abramm Kalladorne has finally stepped into his destiny as king of Kiriath--only to find himself facing more problems than ever. The Mataio remains antagonistic, the failed rebellion's supporters have slipped through his grasp to plot anew, bad luck plagues his every attempt to build Kiriath's defenses...and that's just the beginning.

As the forces of the Black Moon advance toward Kiriathan shores, Abramm agrees to a desperately needed alliance-by-marriage with neighboring Chesedh. But with the hour for his union approaching, he is horrified to discover that he has become dangerously attracted to his fiancée's younger sister, the headstrong Lady Madeleine. Even worse, he learns that his attraction is reciprocated--just the sort of situation his enemies can use to destroy everything he's trying to accomplish. And Eidon just might let them succeed.

Treachery and faithfulness, guilt and forgiveness, the joy of desires fulfilled and the pain of tragic loss all weave the tapestry of one man's destiny realized--where mind-boggling blessings come wrapped in a mantle of suffering that will test Abramm's faith to the limit and challenge everything he thinks he knows about himself and the one who owns his soul.

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Opening Lines:

"I dream of the meadows, green-gold 'neath the sun, sweet with the dew of the morn..."
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 The bell-toned voice drew Abramm Kalladorne into the sunlight of the open meadow, a yellow butterfly zigzagging ahead of him above a patch of purple lupine. He pressed through the bloom-laden stalks into rippling grass, following the plucked notes of a lirret and a voice as familiar as his own. She must be just beyond that primrose at the meadow's far edge. 

Return of the Guardian-King
(Legends of the Guardian-King, Book 1)
by Karen Hancock

​Believed dead by all but the handful of supporters who rescued him from his Mataian enemies, Abramm Kalladorne has fled his homeland to the high mountains of northern Chesedh. Traveling under a new name with a group of bitter and increasingly desperate fellow exiles, Abramm hopes to reunite with his wife in Chesedh, where he will offer his services to her father in fighting the invading armies of the Black Moon. But with every step he is hindered, delayed, and diverted from the direction he desires to go, and it soon becomes clear Eidon has other plans for him.

In the royal city of Fannath Rill, Maddie alone believes Abramm still lives. But since she has no proof, her friends, family, and public opinion press her to remarry. With its neighboring realms now under enemy control, Chesedh has become the last bastion of Eidon's Light. Desperately overmatched, it cannot survive on its own. Yet the rich, handsome eastern warlord who is openly courting Maddie has a vast fleet of galley ships that could turn the tide in Chesedh's favor....