Review: Revelations of Doom (The Light Warden) by Jedidiah Behe
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 15, 2012
In the fantasy world of Los, Lucian has grown up on a farm with loving parents, a much loved older brother in a quiet and prosperous village. He has lived a quiet, unremarkable life within the boundaries of his tribes land holdings and locale. While he is known for his excellent hunting abilities, Lucian is happy being just another member of the tribe. He is not interested in following his brother into politics nor does he have any great interest in leaving his home to explore the world outside his tribal boundaries.But for Lucian everything is about to change. The first change occurs when Lucian is set upon by three thugs who want him to give them his money. When he doesn't have enough they decide to teach him a lesson. Lucky for Lucian, he is rescued by Eliath who has no family or home. Lucian's family, grateful for his help to their son, and mindful of Eliaths lack of family take him into their home where he is treated like a third son by the parents and a brother by Lucian. They become inseparable. Hunting, wandering the woods or just watching the skies the two young men are happy to avoid the problems of the village and its bullies. Eliath, however, is somewhat mysterious and tells Lucian he is there to protect him.Eliath, although appearing to be about the same age as Lucian, begins to teach Lucian combat skills. His abilities seem to be far above the level he should be at his age, but Lucian loves his new brother too much to question him to closely. As the young men come of age they are both renown for their hunting skills. But hunting can take days away from home and on one such occasion when they arrive home Lucian finds him home burned and his parents dead. He must fight the perpetrators to save his own life. But his opponents seem to be professional assassins,not roaming robbers and it takes all of Lucian's skills and the help of Eliath to defeat them.Lucian realises that something has changed. Is he not what he thought he was and if so, who is Eliath? As the mystery of his parents death begins to unfold Lucian learns that he has been chosen by the forces of good to defeat the evil that has come upon the land. He must travel to the surrounding tribes and convince them to join him in fighting the evil lord from the north who wants to unite all the tribes under his banner. But Thaluzont is not a man who wants to have tribes join him willingly, he enjoys the fight, the evil, the horror of war. In fact, he delights in it.As Lucian travels to the other tribes, he is noticed by the spies of Thaluzont. His every move is noted. Will Lucian be able to unite these varied and suspicious tribes under one banner to defeat the evil Thaluzont and his mysterious evil purpose or will Thaluzont reign over the land of Los?Mr. Behe has created a new and interesting fantasy world in Los. His characters are a little different from those we usually see in fantasy worlds. From the dog like monsters to the matriarchal society, Los is filled with tribes and people who bring new idea's and fun to this story. The situations they face are believable and realistic. The good vs evil plot is well fleshed out and the back strories are enough for the reader to understand the various motivations.The only complaint I have is that for all Lucian is the primary protagonist, he lacks dimensionality. He is almost too perfect, and never really has the epiphany needed to bring his character to life. As the book appears to be the first of a series I hope the author will give Lucian more realism in the sequel.Suitable for YA and adults, without inappropriate language or scene's. Development of a love interest does occur but there are no adult type scenes involved. This does has strong depictions of battles and death, so it may not be suitable for especially sensitive teens.Karen Bryant Doering,Parents' Little Black Book