“Excellent”—Publisher’s Weekly acknowledged that the book was “excellent.” High praise for a trade journal, and not overstated.

In my opinion, Legends of the Guardian-King is even better. For one thing, contrary to what some people have said, I think the allegorical elements, especially in the first of the series, Light of Eidon, are less pronounced. Consequently I was more off balance, uncertain where the plot would take me.

This ability to be unpredictable is one of the key components in Hancock’s writing. Yes, there is an underlying feel that all will be well in the end, but the how are we getting there is fresh and exciting.

Here are some of the ways, I believe, Hancock makes the story fresh:

1) Her characters have weaknesses and those weaknesses lead them to places the reader doesn’t expect;

2) The books don’t end with implausibly neatly-tied bows—except perhaps for the final installment;

3) New conflicts face the characters throughout. Unlike the Star Wars saga, or Rocky, in which a new antagonist is merely switched in for the old, the antagonist remains the same but utilizes different weapons;

4) Relationships change. Because Hancock creates characters that grow and change, the stories never seem as if they are covering the same old ground;

5) The world Hancock creates is distinctive. It has the feel, at times, of the Roman empire. Then again, it feels like some place in medieval Europe or superstitious-laden parts of Africa or false-religion-following places in Asia. In fact, it is a wonderful blend, a new place, that feels very real even as it is unique.

In the ensuing posts about Legends of the Guardian-King, I want to look a little deeper at these components. It seems important to me that we understand just why Karen keeps winning those awards. ;-)

Other bloggers posting about Return of the Guardian-King in the next three days include the following: 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 Marcus Goodyear Rebecca Grabill Andrea Graham Jill Hart Katie 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 Daniel I. Weaver