From the Archives: Books 55, 56, and 57: The King Raven Trilogy by Stephen Lawhead

Books 55, 56, and 57: The King Raven Trilogy by Stephen Lawhead

Verdict: An interesting new take on Robin Hood

This trilogy is a new take on the Robin Hood legends. Set in the Medieval era in England, it tells the story of Bran ap Brychan fighting to regain his usurped kingdom and protect the now oppressed people of his realm. The trilogy is comprised of the books, Hood, Scarlet, and Tuck. 

 

Hood is the first book and is written mostly from the perspective of Bran. The storyline covers the orgins of Bran's tale: how his throne is usurped; how he becomes an outlaw; and his first attempts to have his throne returned. It introduces most of the characters that are well known in the legends, Marian, Tuck (Aethelfrith), and Little John (known as Iwan). There are also narratives from other characters, as well as third person narrative when speaking of the invaders activities; a format that continues throughout the series.

Book two, Scarlet, is written from Will Scarlet's Point of view. This is also his introduction to the series. This book covers more of the adventures of King Raven and his Grellon (followers who live with King Raven, a.k.a. Bran, in the wood). It also gives a different point of view to the storyline.

Book three, the conclusion, is titled Tuck. As you probably have figured out, this book is written from the point of view of Tuck. It covers the last stand of King Raven and his Grellon, and follows up with the characters in an epilogue.

 

I really enjoyed reading this series. Reading Robin Hood from this point of view was very interesting. I also appreciate that at the back of each book Lawhead included his research into writing the different aspects of the story he created. From reading the research along with the text, I can tell that Lawhead really did his research into the many different legends of Robin Hood and his followers. These books are well written and well worth the read. The only downside occurs when the books are covering backgrounds; they tend to be a little slow during these sections. However, the information is always needed. If you like historical fiction, I definitely recommend this series.