The Light of Eidon 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 own family.

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 thought possible—to serve a purpose he never imagined.

I really wasn't sure if I would like this book or not when I picked it to review.  The premise sounded interesting, so I figured I would give it a try.  To be honest, after reading it, I'm still not sure how I feel about it.  The premise and plot of the story were very good.  The story is set up as an allegory with Eidon being the representation of God.  The theme that seemed to run through the entire story was Abramm's unbelief that salvation could really be as simple as just accepting the offer.  He believed he had to make himself holy and prove himself worthy.  The symbolism was excellent and powerful.

That being said, I don't think I've ever spent so long trying to get through a book.  The book itself was very long (432 pages), and many times, the story was bogged down with too much detail and description.  By the time I finally reached the end of the story, I no longer remembered the characters who were re-introduced in the final chapters.  As intriguing as the plot was, I was just glad to finally be finished with the book.

Overall, I feel that the author wove an excellent story, but the story could have been told in fewer words.  The entire tale was drawn out, and to me, the story lost most of its appeal.  I believe this would be one of the few books for which I would enjoy the abridged version much more.  Less fluff; more meat.

This book was given to me as part of the review program for Waterbrook Multnomah.  The opinions expressed herein are my own.  I was not required to write a positive review.