Book review – Hood

There was a time in the distant past that my dream was to move to England and raise dogs and horses.

Since I’m still living here in Texas, it’s safe to say that that particular dream never came about.

Not that I’m terribly sad about that.  Europe’s pseudo-socialism would not suit me.

I have, though, maintained a love for many things British…among them a love for British history and folk tales.  One of my favorites is the story of Robin Hood.  I have four different DVDs to prove my obsession interest. There’s this one (my kids’ favorite), this one (KC’s acting is pathetic, but he is so easy on the eyes), even this one, but my all-time favorite is this classic which makes The Drummer laugh. (She has no appreciation for the charm of 1930s-era acting style.)

All that to say that when I discovered a relatively new series of books based on the Robin Hood legend, I was immediately interested.  It began when I saw an ad on Goodreads.com for Tuck, the last of the trilogy. It was one of those flashing ads that for the most part are simply annoying, but advertising works and I finally clicked on it…and discovered a treasure.  Stephen Lawhead is an internationally known Christian writer who, I am somewhat ashamed to say, I had not heard of until recently.  I have, though, become a dedicated fan.  His books are usually classified as fantasy, which almost put me off, but reading some of the reviews on Amazon and Goodreads convinced me to give it a try.  I am so glad I did!

Hood is the first book in the trilogy.  Lawhead has taken the story and placed it a couple of centuries earlier than that of Richard the Lionheart, specifically in the late eleventh century following the rise of William the Conqueror.  He has also taken it out of Sherwood Forest and placed it in the forest of the March in Wales.  Bran ap Brychan is the young, selfish headstrong son of King Brychan ap Tewdwr of Elfael.  The Normans under William’s son William the Red are taking every parcel of land from the native Britons and enslaving the people as their laborers.  When King Brychan and his men are murdered and Elfael falls under the rule of the weak but abusive Count de Braose, Bran’s only concern is his own escape.  It isn’t until after his own near-death experience and the influence of the bard/sorceress Angharad that he ever so slowly becomes the leader his people need to help them resist the Normans.

This book had me from the beginning.  The writing is excellent, the characters are interesting and the story, while stamped with the author’s own twists, is familiar so I never became lost.  The only difficult aspect of the book I found was the Celtic/Welsh names.  I’m just anal enough that I like to know how to pronounce what I’m reading.  Thankfully, there is a pronunciation guide to help as well as a map of Wales and the southern part of England.  It takes several chapters before Lawhead’s characters begin to resemble those we know…Little John, Friar Tuck, Sir Guy, etc., but the story stands so well on its own that someone who has never heard of Robin Hood (if such a person exists) would still thoroughly enjoy every chapter.  For those like me who are not usually fantasy fans, this is more historical fiction so don’t let the classification stop you from trying it.

Lawhead is a gifted writer, a fact made even more apparent by his lack of the use of profanity, illicit sex or unnecessary violence.  It was refreshing to read an author who doesn’t need any of those in order to make an exciting realistic story. There are obviously some battle scenes, but they are not violent simply for violence’s sake.  All in all, this story is so well written and so clean that I have recommended it to my daughters and to some of their friends.

One suggestion…the author’s six-page explanation of why he chose Wales and the earlier time period is located at the end of the book, but read it first.  His reasoning is very interesting.

You can see what others are reading at the recommendation of 5 Minutes for Books at the “I Read It” carnival here.

Just for fun, click here for another classic retelling…enjoy!