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 on audiobook: Stephen Lawhead keeps getting better
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 discerning 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 Comments
 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 Comments
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 Comments
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 Comments
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 Comments |
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