Helpful Score: 5
I found this to be a well-written exploration of the Robin Hood legend placed in Wales, circa 1080. The story is well-researched and weaves the fictional characters with Welsh Celtic mythology and British history. I'm looking forward to the next book.
Helpful Score: 4
I haven't finished reading this yet, but it was recommended by a friend. Had to read about 50 pages first to really get into but I am glad that I stuck with it. It wasn't because it was boring, but there are so many English names of people and places that you are trying to figure out who is who, but I plan to continue reading and going onto the 2nd and 3rd book
Helpful Score: 3
Wish I could like this book, but in my opinion the plot and character development were almost shockingly shallow. I found myself flipping through entire chapters waiting for something to happen. It is clear the author did his research, and sketched out some basic character points, but there is no sense of urgency to the story line. The characters are -- I guess? -- supposed to be the point, but I didn't feel any of them were developed beyond what everybody knows from every other Robin Hood story.
Helpful Score: 3
Very good read, a new take on Robin Hood.
Helpful Score: 2
Although it was an interesting concept that Robin Hood was actually Welsh, I found the book to be a bit thin on plot. Even if the book was meant for more of a teenage audience, I think the author missed some great opportunities for building suspense and intrigue. Overall, kind of a letdown for me.
Helpful Score: 2
I enjoyed this retelling, though the it's clearly book one. I don't know much about the history of the story, so I can't say how much of this is plausible. Can't wait to read the next book.
Helpful Score: 2
I loved this series. In fact, I've loved everything I've ever read by SRL. He is always listed as a Christian author, but don't let that throw you off. There is nothing inherently Christian in anything he's written that wouldn't be in any other historical fiction and a lot of pagan stuff. He's one of my faves of all genres.
Helpful Score: 1
This is the Stephen Lawhead we've come to expect. Very Celtic, very Welsh, very fun to read!
Could not get into it.
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed "Hood". It was a refreshing look at Robin Hood.
Helpful Score: 1
I randomly picked this book up a while back and I am so glad that I did. I've always loved the Robin Hood story and this version is very different from the rest since it is set in Wales instead of England, but it almost works better than the orignal version. The characters are like real people and all of them have postives and negatives about them. All three books in this series are wonderfully done and I hope that you can enjoy them as much as I have.
Helpful Score: 1
Excellent take on the Robin Hood story. I enjoyed the details, like the name variations and setting. I couldn't wait to see how this legendary tale would play out. It was a pretty fast read and, though I wasn't enthralled so much that I couldn't put it down at night, I was captivated throughout the entire book. Very good read.
Helpful Score: 1
I continue to be delighted by Stephen Lawhead. Hood, 1st in the King Raven series, did not disappoint. Lawhead's ability to take traditional characters and stories, set them in a different environment, and make them fresh is his forte. Hood is a different and slightly darker tale of the evolution of Robin Hood and his followers. Some characters you will instantly recognize, others are revealed as the telling unfolds. I am glad for the well-reasoned epilogue where he explains the reasoning for the liberties taken with his version of this classic tale. [4/5]
This is Book 1 of The King Raven Trilogy.
Kudos to Stephen Lawhead for taking yet another worn-out legend and breathing brand new life into it. The concept of making an English Robin Hood into the Welsh Rhi Bran y Hud works incredibly well and it makes for interesting, engaging, and fast-paced reading.
As the opening book of the trilogy, this book strikes a good balance between character introduction and conflict. The internal politics of the time are slightly difficult to keep straight (there are a lot of kings, dukes, barons, counts, knights, priests, abbots, bishops, etc to keep up with) and Lawhead does a masterful job of laying bare the social and political trials for the people of this time.
To better understand the context of this era, I would recommend reading the Author's Note "Robin Hood in Wales?" located at the back of the book before you read the book itself. This will not provide any spoilers for the book itself, and will help you to better understand the context of the political and cultural implications of all that the book contains.
While Christian themes are present in this book as well, they are not as prominently displayed in this series as they were in Lawhead's previous works such as The Pendragon Cycle or The Song of Albion Trilogy.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and quickly moved on to the next one. I cannot recommend it enough.
Kudos to Stephen Lawhead for taking yet another worn-out legend and breathing brand new life into it. The concept of making an English Robin Hood into the Welsh Rhi Bran y Hud works incredibly well and it makes for interesting, engaging, and fast-paced reading.
As the opening book of the trilogy, this book strikes a good balance between character introduction and conflict. The internal politics of the time are slightly difficult to keep straight (there are a lot of kings, dukes, barons, counts, knights, priests, abbots, bishops, etc to keep up with) and Lawhead does a masterful job of laying bare the social and political trials for the people of this time.
To better understand the context of this era, I would recommend reading the Author's Note "Robin Hood in Wales?" located at the back of the book before you read the book itself. This will not provide any spoilers for the book itself, and will help you to better understand the context of the political and cultural implications of all that the book contains.
While Christian themes are present in this book as well, they are not as prominently displayed in this series as they were in Lawhead's previous works such as The Pendragon Cycle or The Song of Albion Trilogy.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and quickly moved on to the next one. I cannot recommend it enough.
Robin Hood in Wales. It works. I enjoyed this book it was a fast read and had many well thought characters. Now to find the second one.
I admit to a passion for all things Lawhead. His writings cover a wide range of characters.Theyt are so rich with the history and nuances of any time frame and peoples he chooses to populate his books that I find myself immersed to the point of distraction in my daily life. The series, begun by this book, checks all the boxes, in my opinion, for a Lawhead fan. Enjoy! As usual the degree of difficulty in reading Lawhead's books is high for average readers but not impossible if read slowly. The only author whose writing satisfies me as deeply is James Lee Burke. Both authors are skilled writers with a devotion to writing that goes byond the pale.
