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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
This month's challenge had me reading Hood as a retelling of a myth or legend. Which I really enjoyed as I'm a complete sucker for mythology of all shapes and sizes (Rusalkas anyone?). The problem with this book is that it got the 1950s TV show theme stuck in my head. Although, within one bar morphs into:
This
Right, so got that out of the way (dum de dum dum dum).
This story of Robin Hood takes Robin out of Sherwood into Wales. And his name isn't Robin, it's Bran. Also, forget about the Crusades and Richard the Lionheart. It's set in the 11th Century when William the Conqueror was swanning about. So really, forget most of what you knew about Robin Hood for this book.
Young Bran is the Prince in his part of Wales. The Normans have taken England, and are looking towards Wales with a not very nice intent. Bran's Dad has decided he should go to London and swear his allegiance to the King, however he has come to this conclusion too late. On the road to London, quite close to home, he and all his men are slaughtered by Normans. Besides Bran, who missed the leaving time of the convoy, as he was in the next Welsh kingdom over trying to get into the Princess Mérian's bed and another things. Bran's mate, Iwan, the King's Champion also escapes to tell everyone what has happened (convenient plot device!) and that the King is dead and the Normans are coming to take over everything.
Other stuff happens, Bran runs off to London with Iwan and a monk to try and get his kingdom back. Along the way, they stay with another monk, an Englishman, who can't pronounce Iwan so he calls him "Little John" and Iwan can't pronounce his name either, so calls him "Friar Tuck". Things don't go so well in London, and they go home, things get very messy and Bran is believed to be killed. But he gets nursed back to health, convinced of his rightful path and starts getting to what we have all been waiting for. The Robbing and the Hooding.
My complaint with the book is there is an awful lot of back story. I mean a ton. I don't think we even see Robin Hooding until around chapter 30. And when you're reading a book about Robin Hood, that seems like an very long time to wait. I do realise the book is a part of a series. But the point of the first book in a series is to draw people in. Get them excited to read the second and third (or if you're [a:Robert Jordan|6252|Robert Jordan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1175475715p2/6252.jpg], the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, you get my point) books. This book got there at the end, but I'm grumpy I read two thirds of the book before I got to what I was waiting for.
Luckily the book was well written and easy to read. Which was a blessing when you wanted to get to the story you picked up the book for. Stephen Lawhead obviously did a lot of research about the time and the area as well, and that shines through the book. It is a good book, it is just worth the disclaimer that it may not launch right into what you think the book is about. But it's an enjoyable journey to get there. I may pick up the other two books in the series at some stage, seeing as it just started getting interesting, but we will have to see.
(dum de dum dum dum)
For more reviews visit http://rusalkii.blogspot.com.au/
This
Right, so got that out of the way (dum de dum dum dum).
This story of Robin Hood takes Robin out of Sherwood into Wales. And his name isn't Robin, it's Bran. Also, forget about the Crusades and Richard the Lionheart. It's set in the 11th Century when William the Conqueror was swanning about. So really, forget most of what you knew about Robin Hood for this book.
Young Bran is the Prince in his part of Wales. The Normans have taken England, and are looking towards Wales with a not very nice intent. Bran's Dad has decided he should go to London and swear his allegiance to the King, however he has come to this conclusion too late. On the road to London, quite close to home, he and all his men are slaughtered by Normans. Besides Bran, who missed the leaving time of the convoy, as he was in the next Welsh kingdom over trying to get into the Princess Mérian's bed and another things. Bran's mate, Iwan, the King's Champion also escapes to tell everyone what has happened (convenient plot device!) and that the King is dead and the Normans are coming to take over everything.
Other stuff happens, Bran runs off to London with Iwan and a monk to try and get his kingdom back. Along the way, they stay with another monk, an Englishman, who can't pronounce Iwan so he calls him "Little John" and Iwan can't pronounce his name either, so calls him "Friar Tuck". Things don't go so well in London, and they go home, things get very messy and Bran is believed to be killed. But he gets nursed back to health, convinced of his rightful path and starts getting to what we have all been waiting for. The Robbing and the Hooding.
My complaint with the book is there is an awful lot of back story. I mean a ton. I don't think we even see Robin Hooding until around chapter 30. And when you're reading a book about Robin Hood, that seems like an very long time to wait. I do realise the book is a part of a series. But the point of the first book in a series is to draw people in. Get them excited to read the second and third (or if you're [a:Robert Jordan|6252|Robert Jordan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1175475715p2/6252.jpg], the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, you get my point) books. This book got there at the end, but I'm grumpy I read two thirds of the book before I got to what I was waiting for.
Luckily the book was well written and easy to read. Which was a blessing when you wanted to get to the story you picked up the book for. Stephen Lawhead obviously did a lot of research about the time and the area as well, and that shines through the book. It is a good book, it is just worth the disclaimer that it may not launch right into what you think the book is about. But it's an enjoyable journey to get there. I may pick up the other two books in the series at some stage, seeing as it just started getting interesting, but we will have to see.
(dum de dum dum dum)
For more reviews visit http://rusalkii.blogspot.com.au/
Excellent, excellent book. Wonderful retelling of a classic legend. Can't wait to read the 2nd book in the series!
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Classism
A Welsh version of Robin Hood. Original yet true to the essence of the Robin Hood legend. My only complaint is that sometimes the vernacular is so historically accurate that I got a little mixed up with names and places.
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to like this book. I really did. I like Lawhead and what he tries to do with his writing, and enjoyed some of his books a lot when I was younger. I saw this new take on Robin Hood (and btw, I like that he places a fictitious character or at least one based very loosely on legends/history in Wales after the Norman Conquest, and I enjoyed the author's note at the end where he explains that a lot), and was intrigued, and had it recommended to me by 3 different friends.
But man, this book just didn't deliver. I should say that I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a really poor job. I don't think I'm that picky, but I really could have done better. Some of his pronunciations were so bad. For example, he pronounced Britons, Bri-tawns. Come on, who hasn't seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail at least to hear Graham Chapman say that he is Arthur, King of the Britons?
But beyond that, the pacing was way off for one thing. When Bran finally gets to the outlaws camp (which, let's be honest, is the main thing we have all been waiting for), the author decided to just skip forward in time to somehow Bran being a leader at that camp who has also somehow now acquired more woodcraft, self-confidence, and plans to subvert the Norman order. That's the development I needed to see happen, not just have skipped over. There are multiple other instances like this throughout the book.
The other BIG problem was characters. There were way too many of them, and they kept on jumping in and out of the story, so that by the time they showed up again, you had forgotten who they were and why you were supposed to care about them. If you are going to include a character, you have to make them interesting and relevant to the story, and he didn't do that nearly at all.
The one thing I keep trying to think to give the author some credit is that he was likely setting up for the whole trilogy. But that's no way to write. Every book must stand on it's own as a good book, or you have to put it all together into one book.
I don't have plans at this point to finish the trilogy; I have too many other good books I want to read.
But man, this book just didn't deliver. I should say that I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a really poor job. I don't think I'm that picky, but I really could have done better. Some of his pronunciations were so bad. For example, he pronounced Britons, Bri-tawns. Come on, who hasn't seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail at least to hear Graham Chapman say that he is Arthur, King of the Britons?
But beyond that, the pacing was way off for one thing. When Bran finally gets to the outlaws camp (which, let's be honest, is the main thing we have all been waiting for), the author decided to just skip forward in time to somehow Bran being a leader at that camp who has also somehow now acquired more woodcraft, self-confidence, and plans to subvert the Norman order. That's the development I needed to see happen, not just have skipped over. There are multiple other instances like this throughout the book.
The other BIG problem was characters. There were way too many of them, and they kept on jumping in and out of the story, so that by the time they showed up again, you had forgotten who they were and why you were supposed to care about them. If you are going to include a character, you have to make them interesting and relevant to the story, and he didn't do that nearly at all.
The one thing I keep trying to think to give the author some credit is that he was likely setting up for the whole trilogy. But that's no way to write. Every book must stand on it's own as a good book, or you have to put it all together into one book.
I don't have plans at this point to finish the trilogy; I have too many other good books I want to read.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a very enjoyable interpretation of the Robin Hood legend. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series. This one takes place in Wales. And Robin is Bran, prince of a small area in Wales. The Ffreincs (French) have moved in on England and now want the whole shebang, so start eyeing Wales as the next conquest. Bran's father, the king, is killed and Bran escapes capture to become an outlaw and reluctant leader of the other Welsh who have escaped and living in the woods. You witness his first forays into 'robbing the rich to give to the poor' and his growth as a person and king.
*****
I read this in 2008 as a handheld, but had the chance to revisit Bran and his people again in audiobook format. Just as awesome a second time.
*****
I read this in 2008 as a handheld, but had the chance to revisit Bran and his people again in audiobook format. Just as awesome a second time.