The Prince of Shadow (Seven Brothers Book 1)

Llesho was seven when the Harn invaded his family’s mountain kingdom of Thebin. Sold into slavery on Pearl Island, he was, as far as he know, the sole survivor of his royal family. When Llesho was ten, the old man called Lleck secretly began to undertake the boy’s education. But when Llesho was fifteen, Lleck died, and his spirit visited the boy while he worked the pearl beds, revealing his true destiny to him. All six of his older brothers were still alive! Llesho must win his freedom, find and rescue his brothers, and with their help raise an army against the evil Harn. But as a pearl diver he would never be allowed off the island. So llesho petitioned his lord to be trained as a gladiator, thus taking the first step on a road that would lead to conflicts with sorcerers, encounters with the avatars of gods, and a dangerous journey in search of the widely scattered family he had never expected to see again…

From Publishers Weekly

In this likable fantasy adventure, the first of a multivolume saga with an Asian flavor (reinforced by the samurai-like warriors on the crude if effective dust jacket), Benjamin often resorts to good luck to pull his hero out of trouble. Llesho is only seven, the youngest of the royal family of Thebin, when the Harn, a fierce and unsophisticated warrior people, murder his sister and parents, the king and queen, and sell him and his six older brothers into slavery. Confined for years to Pearl Island, where he proves himself an adept pearl diver, Llesho doesn't realize his brothers are still alive until the ghost of an elderly adviser appears during a dive and gives him a black pearl, squeezing it into a small bead and inserting it into a dental cavity where it will be undetectable. Mindful of his noble background and yearning to find his brothers, Llesho volunteers for gladiator school as the first step toward freedom. He studies with several teachers who seem to appreciate his special character, but one, Markko, has evil designs on him. The teenage Llesho eventually battles Markko, leads an army and reaches the kingdom of Shan, where he locates two of his brothers in a slave market. Despite a somewhat plodding style (torpor especially sets in during the war scenes) and superficial characterization, the vivid fantasy elements revive the plot whenever it slips too far into the doldrums. Lacking any sexual episodes, this coming-of-age story will appeal to younger readers as well as to those with more traditional tastes in boyish adventure tales. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

When the Harn barbarians attack Kungol, most of Llesho's family is murdered. The rest is sold into slavery, which is how he comes to be a pearl diver on Pearl Island. He has lost his memory of his family's trauma, but after seven years, it slowly begins to return. Then, as his old teacher Lleck lies dying, he sets the boy a seemingly impossible task--to find his lost brothers and reclaim his homeland. The determined Llesho negotiates his way into gladiator training to improve his chances of leaving the island and eventually buying his freedom, only to become a target of those who would destroy him and the charge of divine protectors. These developments puzzle Llesho until he recalls that he is a prince of Kungol, the king's seventh son and blessed by the goddess. Then things begin to get really interesting. Benjamin's first novel is terrific--vivid and engrossing, full of honor and intrigue, sadistic evil and sublime goodness, and gods who walk the earth, involving themselves in human concerns. Paula LuedtkeCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Curt Benjamin is the author of the Seven Brothers trilogy. He has a degree in art from Antioch University. In his spare time, he is a designer and children’s illustrator.

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