Jordan's Age Rating: 13+ (Violence, Complex Plot)
Jordan's Quality Grade: B+
Author:
Stephen R. Lawhead
Publisher:
Thomas Nelson, Inc.
I have been a fan of the story of Robin Hood since I was a very young child. The first exposure I had to the legend was through the Disney animated feature film "Robin Hood", in which a lively fox portrayed the role of the merry brigand. Most everyone knows the general story: A young aristocrat becomes an outlaw after the evil tyrants lording over his land murder his father and seize his estates. He flees to Sherwood Forest, where he encounters a rabble of merry adventurers including Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, etc. He then begins life amongst these goodhearted blaggards, who make him their leader, robbing from the rich usurpers and returning to the poor what is rightfully theirs. In the novel "Hood", Stephen R. Lawhead takes the traditional story of Robbin Hood, adds a twist, and gives the story firm roots, which it was previously lacking. In this rendition of the popular legend, the action takes place not in the English Countryside and Sherwood Forest, but in the untamed landscape of Wales in the year 1093 (Much earlier than the context of the generally accepted legend). The story follows young prince Bran ap Brychan, the son and heir of Lord Brychan, the king of Elfael, in Wales. When his father is murdered along with his entire warband by Norman Invaders, Bran and the only survivng member of the warband, warrior champion of Elfael, Iwan, who brings him the message of his fathers death, must set out to petition the King of England to retract the land grant that allowed the Norman invaders to seize his lands. The King, however, is away fighting in far Normandy, and his affairs are being conducted by a corrupt Cardinal, who tells Bran that he must buy his lands back with a ludicrous sum of 600 marks -more than his father's entire treasury! When he leaves this futile council with the cardinal, he finds himself hunted by the same Norman Raiders that slew his father, and the adventure ensues from there! This story has many concepts familiar to any follower of the Robin Hood legend, such as familiar characters and plot lines, and even romance! However, there are also many elements introduced by Mr. Lawhead entirely new to the story. When I first saw that these elements were present in this retelling, I was wary. Deviating from what is already known about such a popular tale can be quite risky, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Lawhead had pulled it off wonderfully, successfully merging the original tale and his own ideas in this harrowing tale of high adventure, treachery, loyalty, and the fine line between right and wrong. His retelling of the story is beautiful, detailed, and very well researched (he even spent time wondering in Bialowieski National Park, Poland, in the last primeval forest in existence in Europe, in order to get a feel for what Bran's Welsh forest might have been like). His knowledge of history and the Welsh, Norman, and English cultures of the time allows for excellent tangibility to his tale. His adaptations of the already existing elements of the Robin Hood tale blend seamlessly into his creation so that any diehard Robin Hood fan can rest easy and enjoy the story. On the Downside, most of the names of people and geographical locations are either Welsh or French, and are therefor hard to get used to and pronounce, even with the pronunciation guide included by the Author in the back of the book. Also, the story can be somewhat slow in places. It was always somewhat irking when a character was at a pivital point in the story or dialogue and Mr. Lawhead chose to stop the action and describe what the character's surroundings in great detail. Now I am not saying that he should not add these descriptions, but not in the middle of an intense moment. As a reader, I felt like a teased cat, and sometimes skipped over whole paragraphs to get back to the action. In the great scheme of things though, this is a wonderful, epic, and thrilling adventure that any fan of the Robin Hood legend, history, high adventure, or fiction in general will be able to enjoy. I strongly suggest picking it up, if not at the book store, than at least at your local library.
Also by Stephen R. Lawhead:
The Dragon King Trilogy
Dream Thief
Empyrion I: The Search for Fierra
Empyrion II: The Siege of Dome
The Pendragon Cycle
The Song of Albion Series
The Celtic Crusades Trilogy
Patrick, Son of Ireland
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