Hood (King Raven Trilogy, Book 1) by Stephen R. Lawhead
Author’s Page: http://www.stephenlawhead.com
A decidedly non-anglo, non-disneyfied take on the story of Robin Hood. Stephen’s writing is smooth and easy to read so you don’t get lost jumping between scenes or chapters.
The characters are very well-developed. I now have a true distaste for Baron De Braose and I certainly question Merian’s loyalties. I really enjoyed watching Bran develop from a selfish child to a man and leader.
I was getting somewhat frustrated with some of the peopleplace names until I realized there was a pronunciation guide in the back of the book. The other bonus in the back is an explaination by the author of how he came to his conclusions and ultimately what he based his story on from historical findings – how he came to put Robin in Wales and give him a Celtic upbringing. Both nice features for this kind of novel that I think falls into the ‘historical fiction’ genre.
I just ordered book 2, Scarlet, from Amazon and am eagerly awaiting the continuation of the story. I think anyone who enjoys historical fiction, alternate takes on folkfairytale (for instance if you like Gregory MaguireGregory Maguire or the Borgia
Borgia series featured in Heavy Metal) you will also like this. It took me forever to read with the twins and all but it was well worth it.
