Stephen Lawhead

The King Raven Trilogy  — (2006-2009) Publisher: Bran ap Brychan finds his world ripped from its foundation as invaders topple his father's kingdom and send the young prince fleeing into the forest. Readers will be spellbound with this entirely fresh take on this legendary figure — where the familiar and unexpected collide into something wholly original. From the ashes of ruin, a reluctant hero begins to emerge... yet his greatest enemy may be himself. Read the prologue here.

Available for download at Audible.com.

Hood (audio)

Hood is the first novel in Stephen Lawhead's latest series, the King Raven Trilogy, which is a historical fantasy based on the Robin Hood legend. Lawhead places his story in Wales after the conquest of Britain by the Normans and during the reign of William the Red. (If that sounds a bit odd, Mr. Lawhead gives several convincing reasons for this at the end of the book — you might want to read that first.) The Normans are encroaching into Wales, confiscating land, and generally mistreating the Welsh. Bran, a prince of one of the Welsh districts whose father was just killed by the Normans, has been driven from his castle. His people think him dead and have no hope for regaining their former way of life. Not that Bran, an irresponsible womanizing rogue, would have been considered a potential savior anyway, but after the Normans injure him severely, Bran is rescued and nursed back to health by a strange spiritual leader who recognizes his potential. Bran comes a long way (without losing his personality), but things are still unsettled at the end of the book.

Stephen Lawhead's writing and story-telling abilities have steadily improved over the years. I found his Pendragon series tough to stick with (although that was partly due to having read too much Arthurian legend, perhaps), but the Albion series was quite good. This latest book, however, shows that Mr. Lawhead has been steadily honing his story-telling skills to perfection. The writing was perfectly clear and lively, the descriptions aptly set the scenes, the plot was quick and entertaining, and the dialogue was rich and realistic. Lawhead is well-known for performing extensive research before he writes, and it shows in this novel. I really felt like I was back in 11th century Wales!

I've always enjoyed Lawhead's complex characters. In Hood, Bran is  the "reluctant hero," but somehow he doesn't come across as a stereotype — perhaps because we clearly see his flaws as he flies into rages, remorselessly kills people who get in  his way, and forgets to pine over the woman he said he loves. Some of the most intriguing characters are the several religious leaders who represent the Catholic Church. Some are devout, some are corrupt, and Lawhead deftly uses their points of view to show us that being religious does not make a person good. There are good religious people, and there are bad people who use religious institutions to bring glory and riches to themselves instead of to God.

Furthermore, through the points of view of the religious people, we see that there are many gray moral areas. For example, God loves truth, but is it right to tell a lie when the truth would cause innocent people to be harmed? God loves justice and mercy, so should we obey or disobey an unjust ruler? Lawhead never asks us these questions directly, and he certainly never answers them for us, but they are there for the thoughtful reader to contemplate.

I listened to Hood in audiobook format. Despite some unconvincing accents and a few mispronunciations, the reading was good. The reader (Adam Verner) was enthusiastic, well-paced, and had a generally pleasant voice. This was a good format for this novel, and I recommend it. —Kat Hooper

Hood

I'll admit I was skeptical about the premise of Stephen Lawhead's King Raven trilogy, not because the setting and characters have been transposed from England to Wales, but because I couldn't quite see the point of such a change. However, Lawhead provides an interesting afterword in which he defends his decision; citing the difficulty that the Normans had in conquering territories in eleventh century Wales, as well as the passionate temperament of the average Welshman, their use of guerilla tactics, the density of their forests, and their early expertise in the use of longbows; all of which could serve as possible evidence that the earliest tales of Robin Hood originated outside of England. Over time, they were adapted and Anglicized into the quintessential English tales that we know today.

So, I was sold on the premise of this latest retelling of the infamous outlaw's life, and the change in location to Wales and time-period to the year 1093 means that Lawhead can effectively utilize the historical context of William the Conqueror's son William II, who expands into Wales in order to exploit its resources to fund his wars in France.

(Funnily enough, the modern day tendency to place Robin in the time of King Richard the Lionheart is itself a recent innovation, as is the portrayal of a Saxon Robin fighting the Norman conquerors regardless of the fact that the two groups were more or less integrated by Richard's reign. Rather, the earliest ballads mention Robin living in the time of an unspecified King Edward, and so to push him back into the eleventh century is a more accurate placement of the legendary figure, making the conflict between the Britons/Normans less anachronistic).

In this scenario, King William gives leave for the Baron de Braose and his nephew Count Falkes to launch an invasion into Wales, much to the displeasure of the wily and ambitious Baron Bernard de Neufmarche, who has his own plans for the country, not to mention the fury of Prince Bran, who is forced to flee for his life from those attempting to snuff out any rebellion. It is between these three opposing forces that the conflict of the story arises: the invaders' attempt to secure their hold over the newly conquered territory; the prince's attempt to free his land from the oppressors, and the baron's as-yet-unknown plans for the chessboard laid out before him.

Bran ap Brychan is the heir to the throne of Elfael, a small but wealthy cantref on the borders of Wales, though this particular prince has little interest in the responsibilities of his birthright. A disappointment to King Rhi Brychan, Bran lives by the philosophy that if he can't please his father, he may as well please himself. Indulgent, lazy and capricious, most of Bran's energy goes into bedding the local women, and it is a dalliance with one Lady Merian that makes him late in joining his father's war-host, who are marching to London to swear fealty to King William.

It is for this reason that Bran is spared from the massacre that follows at the hands of Ffreinc invaders who intercept the Welshmen, lead by Count Falkes de Braose who claims to be acting with permission of the King. Naturally, Bran himself is soon fleeing for his own life, traveling with several companions to London in order to plead his case to King William. Once there, he is told that there is only one way in which to regain Elfael: to buy it back, at the cost of six hundred marks.

It's a clever twist on the usual storyline of Robin Hood having to raise the money for King Richard's ransom; instead Bran has to literally buy back his kingship — and naturally his funding comes straight from the coffers of the invaders! As the story continues, the familiar points of the legends begin to connect: Bran goes from the luxuries of the nobility to the depths and mystery of the forest. Merian is parted from her love only to be reunited with him in an entirely unexpected way. Bran eventually accepts his responsibilities as a leader to his people and comes up with plans that link him to the famous "Hood" of the title. Characters are given nicknames that align them with the familiar characters of the legend (though personally, I think the story would have worked just as well without these little winks to the reader). Essentially, many the plot elements remain comfortably familiar, whilst others still manage to be unique and inventive.

Some ideas don't work as well. The idea of Bran running around the forest dressed as a giant bird to try and scare people is somewhat ridiculous, and the fact that the outlaws hang dead animals from the trees before ambushing a convoy makes no sense — surely it would only serve to put their enemies on their guard. However, for the most part the situations and events flow nicely and are consistent with what we know about both the characters and the historical context.

Lawhead shows a deft hand when it comes to portraying the two opposing sides, for as of yet no character is completely over-the-top evil. The suffering that the Welsh peasants undergo isn't simply because the Baron gets his kicks out of torturing them, but due to his demands that they build a market town on the orders of his uncle. If he can't appease his uncle, he may loose his recent acquisition, and he's desperate enough to torch several farms in order to coerce the peasants into labor. Everyone has a viable, though not necessarily sympathetic, point-of-view, and the core situation has an internal logic that is so often missing in Robin Hood tales in which the bad guys are evil just for the sake of it.

On the other hand, the characterization is rather weak. Whenever a new character turns up, they are introduced via a lengthy description outlining their physical appearance, background and personality. It feels more like a character profile that one would read on a website for a television show. It completely breaks the "show, don't tell adage," and even then some of the characters are little more than cardboard cutouts: Little John/Iwan's character goes no further than being loyal and large, and for one of the most beloved heroines of all time, this Merian is a bland, rather petulant disappointment. Will Scarlet has yet to be seen (though I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that he appears in the second book: Scarlet) and Guy of Gisborne's role is little more than a cameo in the final few pages. I doubt Much will turn up any time soon. So far, the saga's most fascinating character is the completely original Angharad, a wise woman living in the forest that nurses Bran back to health and introduces him to his destiny. Likewise, Friar Tuck is brilliant — just the right blend of sincere piety and mischievous anarchy. I'm looking forward to the book named after him!

As for the protagonist himself, Bran spends too much time either running away from his responsibilities or being told what to do by other people to make any impact as a bonafide hero, but he shapes up for the finale, and there are two more books in which to develop him as a character (which hopefully includes making more of the relationship between himself and Merian, which as of yet is as shallow as a paddling pool).

Lawhead's prose is smooth and elegant, and he is retrained enough to avoid the pitfall that most historical authors stumble into: the need to include every tidbit of information that he learnt whilst researching for the novel. Instead, we get just enough to make it feel authentic and rich, without having to sit through endless paragraphs of political intrigue, detailed landscapes, and descriptions of various weapons, clothes, food and customs.

I enjoyed Hood more than I thought I would. It takes the spirit of Robin Hood and spins a new story with the bare bones of the legend. Certainly a promising start, my appetite is certainly whetted, and Scarlet is already on the top of my "to be read" pile, soon to be followed by Tuck. —Rebecca Fisher

Hood

Hood is the first book in Stephen Lawhead’s King Raven series, and it is also my first Stephen Lawhead book. I instantly liked Hood, and my like for it did not dissipate throughout what was just a plain good read. This series is a very, very fresh take on the always-popular Robin Hood myth, and in fact proposes a much more likely scenario from which the myth might have been borne. Lawhead actually gives a very spirited defence of his reasons for placing Hood in Wales, and it is as thoroughly convincing as it may be controversial. I will read the rest of the King Raven series, and probably read more of Lawhead’s work in the future.

I will not summarize the plot, except to say that it involves Norman expansion into Wales, and the subjugation of the Welsh kings (and in particular the tiny kingdom of Elfael) by the very centralized and despotic Norman government of England of the late eleventh century. This is the classic setting for fantasy, but this book is as about as low as fantasy can go without being an historical novel. Were I to try to categorize this book by its level of fantasy, I would put it beside Guy Gavriel Kay’s more recent books. There is a fantastic element, to be sure, but this is the kind of book that bridges genres, and it is a real strength for it. The fantastic elements are completely believable.

The main theme details how a leader is not simply born to their position, but they must live it if they are to be real. This is, simply, the story of the main character, Bran ap Brychan, and his struggle with personal loss, and the loss of his kingdom, and how he grows in the knowledge of how his personal choices impact the lives of the people he was born to lead. Another central theme to this story is the incredible power of the Church over the lives of ordinary people. In fact, there is an excellent comparison of true priests (i.e. honest and caring, and following the teachings of Christ) and those who were simply interested in pursuing power over people. Lawhead is unapologetic in this direct comparison, for which I applaud him. It is a theme that I never tire of, because of its central importance to the human condition, and it is one that gets precious little attention in most mainstream fantasy. Faith, if lived honestly, is a powerful force for the betterment of humanity. However, it rarely is lived honestly, and is usually used to control people. Lawhead demonstrates this contradiction masterfully.

Lawhead has an economic style, and the development of Bran, if a trifle obvious, is wonderfully honest, and there are times when the reader would like to reach into the book and punch the bugger in the nose for his whining. Bran’s tragedy becomes something more than a personal loss, and he grows into something he wasn’t before. This is what story telling is all about, and a book without character development is a book not worth reading. Hood is a book worth reading.

I give Hood a solid four stars for Lawhead’s direct, journeyman writing style, and his honest treatment of his characters. I strongly recommend it to anyone over the age of 12, and to anyone who likes medieval, low fantasy (if you have to have dragons, elves and dwarves, don’t bother), or who likes historical fiction. Very appropriate reading, though there are some violent scenes, which is to be expected in anything dealing with medieval England. —Angus Bickerton

Scarlet: Another good tale

Scarlet, the second book in Stephen Lawhead's King Raven Trilogy focuses on Will Scatlocke ("Scarlet"), a disillusioned forester who goes searching for, finds, and joins King Raven's infamous band of thieves. During one of their exploits, Will is caught, sentenced to hang, and thrown into prison where he is asked to tell his story to a priest in hopes that he'll let slip some information that will help sheriff Guy of Gysborne find and defeat the robbers. Thus, most of the story is told in past tense from Will Scarlet's perspective.

Even though the pace is slower than in Hood and we're not much concerned that Will might actually hang, Lawhead still spins us a fine yarn — the story is thoroughly entertaining. And, as usual, we are not just entertained, but enlightened as we get a real feel for the period — the tyranny of the Freinc, the corruption of the Church, the suffering and stubbornness of the Britons. This is what Stephen Lawhead does so well.

The characterization is mostly well done. The male characters are all three-dimensional, life-like, and immediately likeable. However, the female characters, most notably Merian and Will's love-interest, Noin, remain flat (I have noticed this lack of attention to female characters in some of Lawhead's previous books). These were strong women whose presence was important to the plot, but whose personalities and motivations were never explored.

For example, Bran kidnapped Merian at the end of Hood, and in this sequel she is at his side. Will relates a few observations about their relationship, but we are never sure exactly what that relationship is and whether or not Merian wants to be there or not. I'm sure that Lawhead's intention was to leave this vague, but I found it frustrating (especially since I wondered if Merian knew, or cared, that her family thought she was dead) and wished for a chapter or two from Bran and/or Merian's perspective. Likewise, I wasn't completely convinced about Will and Noin's relationship because I wasn't told anything from Noin's perspective.

Again, I listened to this installment in audiobook format. It was the same reader (Adam Verner) who did Hood and I have the same comments: he's got a pleasant and enthusiastic tone, but some of his accents and character voices made me chuckle. If you can listen past that, it's a good format. —Kat Hooper

Scarlet

First, let me say that I agree entirely with Kat’s review above, so there is not much point in my repeating everything that she has already said so well. In short, read her review, and know that I love this retelling of the Robin Hood myth. It feels real, as if this is where Robin Hood and his Merrie Men came from.

However, I would like to point out a few things of importance to a reader of the King Raven series. The regular characteristics of fantasy are almost completely lacking, and this book is much more of a historical novel than it is fantasy. However, I have always found the two genres to be very closely related, and authors like Stephen Lawhead and Guy Gavriel Kay have made a career of taking our history into the realms of the fantastic.

I found the mechanism of the first person narrative from Will Scatlocke very well done. The first chapter starts off as his telling of events to a young priest, who develops over the course of the book to quite a sympathetic listener. Then the chapter is blended seamlessly from first person narrative to the third.

As Kat notes, the themes of Norman and Church oppression remain strong throughout, but are balanced by a strong demonstration of those who live according to Christ’s ideals. Lawhead is not self-righteously pounding this issue, but this theme is central to this series. The comments in my review on Hood remain equally strong for this book.

My problems with this book? While I liked the mechanism of the verse at the beginning of some of the chapters that started about half way through the book, I wondered at the time “where the hell did this come from”? By starting it at the middle of the book, the effect was ruined to a great extent, and I found its use to be very ham-handed. I lay the blame for this at the feet of the editors. It was a good idea, badly executed, and editors should pick up on this sort of thing.

The other problem, as Kat most ably notes, is the female characters. I adopt her comments completely, as Merian and Noin are supposed to be strong female characters, but that is all we know. They end up being cardboard cutouts, not characters. The ending is something of a cut-off, which I find a little unfair, but the next book, Tuck, picks up exactly where Scarlet leaves off. I have never liked cliffhangers in books.

Despite these faults, Scarlet is a good continuation of the story, and I liked it every bit as much as Hood. The production value is excellent, as I had a trade paperback with a beautiful satin finish cover and a good strong binding. This is a good read, and fans of low fantasy or historical fantasy will enjoy Scarlet, but if you need magic and dragons, this is not for you. Four stars, and the reader will be looking forward to Tuck at the end of it. —Angus Bickerton

Scarlet

The main concept behind Stephen Lawhead's King Raven trilogy is to take the most familiar elements of the famous English legend and transport them to Wales in the time of King William the Red (Lawhead provides justification for this in the afterword of Hood) giving them a new cultural flavor and historical context. The idea works surprisingly well, allowing for Lawhead to spin the old tales in an original light.

In Hood, the first installment of the trilogy, Prince Bran of Wales is forced to flee his estate after Norman invaders kill his father and seize control over his lands. Taking to the woods, Bran embraces his role as a leader to the families that have sought sanctuary in the wilds, becoming "Rhi Bran y Hud," or "the Raven King" to the people known as the Grellon or "the flock." Using scare tactics in order to raid Norman convoys, Bran takes his cue from a Welsh myth and dresses as a giant raven phantom (yeah, this part is a bit silly) and leads his warriors into guerilla-style ambushes against their oppressors, leaving the black feathers of the raven as a calling card.

In the previous book, it was the traditional Robin Hood's attempts to collect the ransom for King Richard's release that was given a Welsh twist; written instead as Bran's mission to raise enough money to legally buy his land back from the Norman King. In Scarlet, it is the famous archery tournament that is given a revamp, with the added twist that this time our Robin is trying to lose! I won't give away the details, but Lawhead is extremely clever in adapting the traditional source material to make the "real story" behind the legends.

Born an Englishman but forced out of his home and livelihood thanks to the Forest Laws, Will Scatlocke seeks out his mother's people in Wales approximately two years after the events of Hood. Having heard rumors of the King Raven, Will is eager to throw in his lot with the outlaw prince in his efforts to overthrow Norman tyranny. Taken into the flock, Scarlet is soon enthusiastically contributing his skills in their latest ambush — one that delivers an unforeseen treasure into the outlaws' hands, one that may well tip the balance of power in their favor. That's only if they manage to figure out its full significance and use their newfound information accordingly.

This time around, the villains are not the various baronial overlords, but rather the sadistic Sheriff Richard de Glanville and his lackey Guy of Gysburne, as well as Abbott Hugo de Rainault, a name and personality that seems to have been swiped directly from Robin of Sherwood. The mysterious letter that the outlaws find is of crucial significance to the fate of Wales, and Lawhead draws on the real historical tension that existed between Urban and Clement in order to create the political intrigue that drives the plot.

Unlike the previous book, which was told entirely in third-person narrative, most of the chapters in Scarlet are narrated by Will himself as he languishes in a prison cell, awaiting his execution and sharing his story of what lead him to these current circumstances with a Norman monk. Brother Odo is an engrossed listener, and between the two of them a strange sort of friendship arises as Will's tale unfolds.

As the title would suggest, Will Scarlet takes centre-stage in this novel, shifting the perspective from Bran and intensifying the point-of-view by putting us directly into Will's mind. Although Will's voice is brisk and his speech patterns engaging, it's unclear exactly what he's telling the Norman monk in his confession — the narrative often skips between his recounting of his experiences and the interruptions that Odo makes in the cell. It's a stylistic technique that doesn't quite gel, for not only are we unsure how much Will is divulging (and whether it includes the outlaw secrets that the reader is privy to) but that once the past catches up to the future, the need for Will's confessional account ends, and it's unclear who exactly he's talking to at all.

It's also a shame that Bran is more of a secondary character this time around; having become invested in his development in the last book, he seems considerably more distant here, and his relationship with Merian still hasn't improved much. The two of them don't really seem to like each other, and all we have Lawhead's assurance that they're actually in love. I've come to suspect that writing romance is simply not his strong suit. Further evidence is provided when Will falls in love with an outlaw woman. Why? Well... because she's a woman. That's all we get.

But of course, Lawhead's great strength is melding an exciting story based on old legends with the historical context of the time. He has a strong grip on plot and characterization, as well as the knack of knowing just the right blend of humor, pathos, detail and suspense to craft a quick-paced and thoroughly enjoyable novel. I'm definitely glad I began this trilogy after it's completion, for now I won't need to wait for the final book: Tuck. —Rebecca Fisher

Tuck

Tuck picks up exactly where Scarlet left off, and Stephen Lawhead continues his re-telling of the Robin Hood myth in a book that is fun to read, without sacrificing his penchant for historical accuracy. The epilogue and the author’s comments at the end of the book provide an excellent summary for those unable to suspend their disbelief regarding a small band of outlaws who seem to outwit and outfight everyone sent against them.

To summarize the plot will destroy the fun of reading it, but anyone familiar with the Robin Hood myth should expect a happy ending, and Tuck does not disappoint. It picks up after Red William’s betrayal of Bran ap Brychan, and of the people of Elfael, after Bran and Scarlet did such a good job of saving William’s throne. Tuck follows Bran’s attempts to raise all of the Welsh against the invading Ffreinc (Normans), and there is a particularly enjoyable escapade in the middle of the book, that just drips with all of the swashbuckling mythos of Robin Hood. Stephen Lawhead's King Raven books take a great legend and make it real. All of the mischief and adventure of the traditional Robin Hood story is here.

As the title indicates, this book is told from the perspective of the affable Tuck, something of a foreshadowing of the Franciscan friars of the later middle ages (Francis of Assisi was not yet born). Friar Tuck does much more in this book than just be a sidekick — he is an intermediary with enemy churchmen, with King William, with Merian’s brother, and even between Merian and Bran ap Brychan themselves. The story from his perspective is really very interesting, as Friar Tuck, before this book, was a mere two-dimensional character who liked to eat and who was a good godly man with a quarterstaff. Truthfully, until I read this book, the Friar Tuck of the Rocket Robin Hood cartoon from the 1960's formed my most lasting impression of the character of Friar Tuck.

Tuck is the best book of the series by far. Bran continues to develop as a character, and we really start to see something of Merian. In fact, the book, had the emphasis been changed only slightly, could have been called Merian instead of Tuck. Merian truly shows her worth and her mettle in this book, and achieves something that perhaps only a woman in her position could achieve. It is also interesting to see the development of certain Ffreinc characters, in particular Baron Neufmarche and his wife, and how they start to understand, at least a little bit, that they must live alongside the Welsh, and not conquer them. The moral foundations of the previous books is carried over into this story, so I will not belabour those points.

Lawhead kept up the verse at the beginning of the chapters in this book, and it works. He introduces Alan a’Dale, a minstrel, and in the epilogue, he uses a very effective method of translating the tale of Bran ap Brychan to the Robin Hood myth we are so familiar with today.

For correcting the problems in the previous books, making this story even better, and even making me want to learn how to use the long bow, I give Tuck 4.5 stars. —Angus Bickerton

Tuck

This is the third and final part in The Raven King trilogy, begun with Stephen Lawhead's Hood and continued in Scarlet. After publication was delayed for a period of time due to illness, Tuck finally concludes the story in a satisfactorily, though perhaps slightly anti-climactically, way. The key concept behind this particular version of Robin Hood is that it proposes to be the "real" story behind the legends, based on events that originated in Wales and which went on to inspire the later bards and minstrels.

Lawhead chooses to transport the traditionally English tale to Wales due to: the country's dense forests, the Welsh skill with longbows, and the historical difficulties that the Normans had in conquering territories in eleventh century Wales due to the guerilla tactics that were used to repel invaders. Wales, circa 1093 (the time period in which this trilogy is set), was a breeding ground for stories that could have eventually grown into the Robin Hood legends that we know today.

This particular retelling of Robin Hood has Rhi Bran y Hud as the titular character, a Prince of Wales who is driven from his home after Norman invaders kill his father and seize control over his lands. Taking to the woods, Bran embraces his role as a leader to the families that have sought sanctuary in the wild, and he becomes known as "the Raven King" to the people known as the Grellon or "the flock". Joined by his old friend Iwan (Little John), new friend Will Scathelock (or Scarlett), close acquaintance Friar Aethelfrith (Tuck) and his long-time love Merian (no translation needed), Bran uses scare tactics to terrorize and raid Norman convoys and settlements.

After thwarting a plot to overthrow King William Rufus, the outlaws return home in disappointment after the king refuses to return Bran to his rightful place on the throne. Though Rufus has exiled the greedy Baron de Braose and his nephew Count Falkes, the Welsh still have to deal with the sadistic Sheriff de Granville, the corrupt Abbott Hugo de Rainult and their lackey Guy of Gysborne. Although the story is told in first-person narrative (moving away from Scarlett's confessional account of events in the second book) and drifts between several characters' points of view, much of the focus falls upon Tuck, the self-described: "poor, humble mendicant whom God has seen fit to bless with a stooped back, a face that frightens young `uns, and knees that have never had fellowship with the other."

Much like the trilogy itself, "Tuck" is divided into three distinct parts: the outlaws' rescue of a potential ally, the ousting of the Ffreinc from Bran's ancestral home, and the final gathering of two armies in order to fight for the freedom of Elfael. As such, the story feels a little choppy, especially when certain plotlines don't tie together particularly well. Although the lengthy first act involves Bran and his men undergoing a clever but dangerous mission in order to rescue King Gruffydd, the eventual pay-off isn't particularly rewarding. Likewise, Merian (still rather bland) has a short subplot in which she returns to her brother in order to muster his soldiers, only to be taken under house arrest by her family. Although she argues the cause of Bran and the Welsh with passion, her brother and Bran's allies eventually come to a decision that they would have reached with or without Merian's insistence. Likewise the conniving character of Baron Bernard de Neufmarche fizzles out a little bit to the point where I'm not entirely sure why he was necessary at all. The man who was shaping up to be the main antagonist of the series ends up as a minor background character.

As the title would indicate, it is naturally Tuck who keeps the disparate bits of the narrative together. Tuck is often the overlooked character in the legends; often used as comic relief or po-faced pontificating, but here he is warm and kind-hearted, wise and intelligent, witty and pious, and overseeing both the physical and spiritual needs of his little flock. In short, this is one of the best and most humanized Tucks I've ever come across. In various incarnations of this character, Tuck never quite seems a "follower" of Robin in the same sense that Little John, Will Scarlett, Much and even Marian are. Though he's a natural ally to Robin and an active part of the gang, he often comes across as a bit of an outsider, and it's perhaps because of his affiliations with the church that he never takes on true "outlaw" status.

That same idea is at work here; although Tuck is obviously loyal to Bran and happy to take his commands, there's also the sense that he answers to a higher power that transcends both sides of the conflict. His course is usually to encourage peace talks, and in fact this makes up the most crucial part of his role to play in this particular installment.

As the other characters go, Bran has come into his own and fully embraced his role as leader to the people, weighing up his victories and defeats and making the difficult decisions in order to protect what he holds dear. It is a bit odd however that so much of the narrative is somewhat distanced from his point of view, particularly considering how prominent he was at the beginning of the trilogy. I wonder if perhaps it would have been more effective if the first book had been called "Tuck," with the good friar setting Bran on the path to manhood and maturity, and this, the final book, being told from Bran's point of view in order to explore how much he's really grown.

Little John and Will Scarlett are fairly low-key here, and although Merian is more prominent, she and her relationship with Bran is still rather one-note. Alan a'Dale is introduced here as a vagabond and minstrel, and given the appropriate role of translator between the many dialects that existed in Wales at this time (furthermore, an epilogue explores his role in adapting the story into the legends as we know them today). Much never makes an appearance, and rest of the cast are a variety of original characters that help join in the conflict for the freedom of their homeland, but who suffer legitimate loss in the struggle.

Heading several of the chapters are the verses to a ballad that one day turns the events recorded here into legend, as well as an informative author's note that explains several of the concepts and historical ideals used in the narrative.

For what looks like such a large book, the pace is extraordinary quick and flits from scene to scene without any excess dross. Lawhead has a good handle on the distribution of dialogue, setting, characterization, historical context and plot, and never wastes any words when it comes to getting across the pertinent aspects of the story he's trying to tell. All in all, this has been an enjoyable adaptation of the familiar story, both predictable (not that that's necessarily a bad thing) and with plenty of clever and unforeseen twists. Focusing on a character that is so often given short-shrift (in the latest BBC series, Tuck wasn't even included until the third season) this is a warm and memorable portrayal of one of the most iconic and familiar characters in European legend. —Rebecca Fisher