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A review by bookshelfsos
Summerwode by J. Tullos Hennig
5.0
Check out my full (spoiler-y) review at my blog: BookshelfSOS. Thanks!
I have feelings. So many feelings.
Summerwode is the fourth book (out of an anticipated five) in the Wode series by J. Tullos Hennig. This story is (I believe) loosely based on The Tale of Gamelyn, which is a Canterbury Tale as well as actual English history from this time period, including a recorded siege of Nottingham Castle in 1194. Richard the Lionheart had been ransomed from Henry VI and is returning to English shores. Our band of outlaws had made some progress toward legitimacy in Winterwode, and now a royal pardon is within their grasp. Meanwhile, old enemies are plotting revenge and the leaders of the Templar Knights have their own agenda and seem to want to seize control of the magic of the Wode.
Why did this book take me almost two full months to read? I read 11 other books in between starting this and finishing it. I think part of it is that this book felt sacred. I didn’t want to rush through it just to get to the end (especially knowing that I’d be waiting for the next one) and I wanted to savor every little detail of the absolutely gorgeous prose. Seriously, the writing in this book absolutely blew me away on every page. How does Hennig - as a modern-day American writer - craft prose as lovely and lyrical as a Medieval ballad? The other reason why this book took me longer to read is that there is a definite shift in the pacing of this story (and Winterwode too, honestly) compared to the first two books in the series. Summerwode is much slower and the plot didn’t really compel me forward with a desperate need to know what would happen next. Rather, it led me through a slowly unfolding scene and asked me to appreciate the interesting details. Which I absolutely did. Think lazy river canoe instead of white water rapids. Both are good, of course. One just gets you to the end a lot faster.
Really though, I really can’t say enough to praise this book, and the series as a whole. I love, love, love the characters, their magical Medieval Wode, the dialects, the interwoven history and mythology: it all hits some really perfect notes and works so beautifully. As a consummate lover of all things achingly sad and painful, these books manage to deliver in spades as well. Are Robyn and Gamelyn constantly getting wounded, either physically or emotionally? Yes, and I truly love it. Not Marion though. Stay away from my queen. Anyone who tries to hurt her will have to go through me.
This series is as close to perfect as I can dream up in my mind. It's long and literary and achingly sad and gay and historical and ROBIN HOOD and... yeah. It's everything. I'm so glad that we're all lucky enough to live in a world where these books exist.
I have feelings. So many feelings.
Summerwode is the fourth book (out of an anticipated five) in the Wode series by J. Tullos Hennig. This story is (I believe) loosely based on The Tale of Gamelyn, which is a Canterbury Tale as well as actual English history from this time period, including a recorded siege of Nottingham Castle in 1194. Richard the Lionheart had been ransomed from Henry VI and is returning to English shores. Our band of outlaws had made some progress toward legitimacy in Winterwode, and now a royal pardon is within their grasp. Meanwhile, old enemies are plotting revenge and the leaders of the Templar Knights have their own agenda and seem to want to seize control of the magic of the Wode.
Why did this book take me almost two full months to read? I read 11 other books in between starting this and finishing it. I think part of it is that this book felt sacred. I didn’t want to rush through it just to get to the end (especially knowing that I’d be waiting for the next one) and I wanted to savor every little detail of the absolutely gorgeous prose. Seriously, the writing in this book absolutely blew me away on every page. How does Hennig - as a modern-day American writer - craft prose as lovely and lyrical as a Medieval ballad? The other reason why this book took me longer to read is that there is a definite shift in the pacing of this story (and Winterwode too, honestly) compared to the first two books in the series. Summerwode is much slower and the plot didn’t really compel me forward with a desperate need to know what would happen next. Rather, it led me through a slowly unfolding scene and asked me to appreciate the interesting details. Which I absolutely did. Think lazy river canoe instead of white water rapids. Both are good, of course. One just gets you to the end a lot faster.
Really though, I really can’t say enough to praise this book, and the series as a whole. I love, love, love the characters, their magical Medieval Wode, the dialects, the interwoven history and mythology: it all hits some really perfect notes and works so beautifully. As a consummate lover of all things achingly sad and painful, these books manage to deliver in spades as well. Are Robyn and Gamelyn constantly getting wounded, either physically or emotionally? Yes, and I truly love it. Not Marion though. Stay away from my queen. Anyone who tries to hurt her will have to go through me.
This series is as close to perfect as I can dream up in my mind. It's long and literary and achingly sad and gay and historical and ROBIN HOOD and... yeah. It's everything. I'm so glad that we're all lucky enough to live in a world where these books exist.