Product Description

From his gaol cell, outlaw Will Scatlocke waits to be hanged. Before he swings, Will - known to his friends as Scarlet - dictates his story to Odo, a duplicitous monk who has been given the job of recording his confession. Odo serves the ambitions of Abbot Hugo, who is gathering evidence that will lead to the capture of the men who have plagued the aristocracy and robbed the church of treasure. Hugo seeks the destruction of the elusive King Raven and his band, the Grellon. Driven from his home in the north of England, Will has trekked to Wales to join his fortunes with that of the man whose reputation is growing throughout Britain. A forester skilled with the longbow, Will is soon part of Bran ap Brychan's inner circle. In a failed attempt to kidnap sheriff Richard de Glanville, Will is captured. With rumours of conspiracy deepening at court, the humble prisoner becomes a vital link to the outlaws who abandoned him - and on whose loyalty their lives depend - and the throne of England. Stephen R. Lawhead's King Raven series brings to life the legend of Robin Hood as never before.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19479 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Review
Praise for Hood: '... a fun read that will leave readers anxious for the next installment.' Publisher's Weekly

About the Author
Stephen Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic historical tales. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife.

Customer Reviews

A New Twist on Robin Hood
Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. His works include Byzantium and the series The Pendragon Cycle, The Celtic Crusades, and The Song of Albion. Lawhead makes his home in Austria with his wife. Stephen Lawhead is one of my all time favourite authors and I am only sorry that he does not write more often.

This is the second book in the King Raven series. A completely re-imagined tale of the man known as Robin Hood, but told in a totally different way from the story that many of us know.

As the story of King raven continues, the stakes are getting higher and the lives of Bran's band become more precarious with every passing day. Will Scarlet is about to be hung after being caught in a failed attempt to kidnap sheriff Richard de Glanville Meanwhile Bran discovers a secret that leads them on a sea voyage to France in a daring attempt to reveal a plot against King William by his brother, Robert. Will his efforts increase the sheriff's determination to destroy King Raven.

The Second Book in the King Raven Series

Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. His works include Byzantium and the series The Pendragon Cycle, The Celtic Crusades, and The Song of Albion. Lawhead makes his home in Austria with his wife. Stephen Lawhead is one of my all time favourite authors and I am only sorry that he does not write more often.

Stephen Lawhead has always been the master of a good historical story. His tales, whether they be his own original thoughts, like the Song of Albion series, or in the case of the Pendragon series a new look at an old story, are always full of life and adventure and he always manages to produce some of the best fantasy fiction around. This is the second book in the King Raven Trilogy and I am sure will not disappoint is legions of readers.

Once again Lawhead putsa new slant to an old story. No less a legend than that of Robin Hood. In the story, aptly named Hood our hapless hero, Bran, heir to the Welsh throne becomes an outlaw after his father is brutally murdered by the Normans.

The second book in the trilogy once again takes a new look at the tale of Robin Hood, but puts a completely new slant on the legend. Will Scarlet is prominent in this part of the story as it gets ever further and further away from the tale we all know as Robin Hood. I finally found it best to make a conscious effort to disregard the fact that the story is based, if only loosely on the old legend and treat the book simply on its own merits, as a well told and well written adventure story that takes place in the middle ages. Once you do that and are not using comparisons all the time, the story is much more enjoyable.

Ups the pace and the stakes in this fantastic trilogy
This is an engrossing trilogy - full of moody, deep characters, plot twists, politics, and with a strong sense of setting. I think what I like best is the way Lawhead manages to incorprate the Robin Hood set pieces (the archery tournament, Will Scarlet's hanging etc) totally unexpectedly in a completely new way.

Scarlet picks up from where Hood leaves off (though it's a story in it's own right of course) and leaves us eagerly waiting for the third installment.

My advice: Buy Hood and this together, read them back to back.