Some years ago, I read Stephen Lawhead's The Warlords of Nin. It was a well told story with memorable characters and I was curious and interested enough in the story to want to read the preceding and succeeding novels in the series. I never got around to it, though. The writing wasn't so great and it seemed, to me, like a Lord of the Rings knock off. Not that that's a bad thing, I just noticed that it seemed to have all the same elements. Maybe that's true of all fantasy novels.
Now, Lawhead has had the time to write quite a few more books and this one came recommended from Joey and Colin. So I read it. After having read Kevin Crossley-Holland, though, I found the writing of this book a little difficult to navigate. I found myself annoyed with the writing at first. But as I read more of it I enjoyed it more. I shared this with Janelle who had read the book before me and she said, "Crossley-Holland's writing is like a thick, nourishing but refreshing smoothie. It's both enjoyable and easy to consume. Lawhead's writing is like a thick juicy steak. You enjoy it tremendously and it's very nourishing, but it's difficult to consume. It takes effort." And I found this to be true. I found myself liking the writing more and more as I read further into the book.
The story is a unique and original retelling of the legend of Robin Hood. Lawhead puts Robin Hood in Wales, far from Nottingham and Sherwood Forest. Robin Hood becomes Rhi Bran--King Raven--the prince and heir to the throne of Elfael, a small Kingdom in the Welsh Marches. However, the Norman conquerors have ambitions in Wales and invade Elfael, killing its king and sending Bran into exile in the forest.
The story is very slow paced. Lawhead takes his time telling it, and goes into all the political intrigues surrounding the story. He gives all the details. It makes for a long, and sometimes tedious, but rewarding read. Also, he does a fantastic job of bringing the world of Wales and Norman England to life. And he does it subtly like by giving the French names of the conquered English places or having his characters speak French rather than English or by having his characters allude to historical events in their conversations, for example, King Harold, son of William the Conqueror, is famous for having been shot in the eye with an arrow and this event comes up again and again.
If you like history and fiction and well told stories and memorable characters, you'll love this book. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series.
Now, Lawhead has had the time to write quite a few more books and this one came recommended from Joey and Colin. So I read it. After having read Kevin Crossley-Holland, though, I found the writing of this book a little difficult to navigate. I found myself annoyed with the writing at first. But as I read more of it I enjoyed it more. I shared this with Janelle who had read the book before me and she said, "Crossley-Holland's writing is like a thick, nourishing but refreshing smoothie. It's both enjoyable and easy to consume. Lawhead's writing is like a thick juicy steak. You enjoy it tremendously and it's very nourishing, but it's difficult to consume. It takes effort." And I found this to be true. I found myself liking the writing more and more as I read further into the book.
The story is a unique and original retelling of the legend of Robin Hood. Lawhead puts Robin Hood in Wales, far from Nottingham and Sherwood Forest. Robin Hood becomes Rhi Bran--King Raven--the prince and heir to the throne of Elfael, a small Kingdom in the Welsh Marches. However, the Norman conquerors have ambitions in Wales and invade Elfael, killing its king and sending Bran into exile in the forest.
The story is very slow paced. Lawhead takes his time telling it, and goes into all the political intrigues surrounding the story. He gives all the details. It makes for a long, and sometimes tedious, but rewarding read. Also, he does a fantastic job of bringing the world of Wales and Norman England to life. And he does it subtly like by giving the French names of the conquered English places or having his characters speak French rather than English or by having his characters allude to historical events in their conversations, for example, King Harold, son of William the Conqueror, is famous for having been shot in the eye with an arrow and this event comes up again and again.
If you like history and fiction and well told stories and memorable characters, you'll love this book. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series.
Patrick,
ReplyDeleteHood is pretty good, but I must say that I think Lawhead's older Song of Albion (The Paradise War, etc.) series is better.
His Pendragon Cycle is pretty good, too. I especially like the second book, Merlin, but Taliesin and Arthur are excellent as well. There are other Pendragon Cycle books beyond that, but they bog down a bit.
Thanks for your review ... I'll have to check out Kevin Crossley-Holland.
-Robert