King Raven Trilogy

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King Raven Trilogy
King Raven (Lawhead, 2011).jpg
Omnibus collection published in 2011

Hood
Scarlet
Tuck
Author Stephen R. Lawhead
Country United States
Language English
Genre Historical Fiction
Medieval fantasy
Publisher Thomas Nelson
Published2006 - 2009
Media typePrint (Hardcover and paperback)

The King Raven Trilogy is a series of historical novels by American writer Stephen R. Lawhead, based on the Robin Hood legend. Lawhead relocates Robin Hood from Sherwood Forest in Nottingham to Wales, and sets the story in the late eleventh century, after the Battle of Hastings and to coincide with the Norman invasion of Wales and the struggles the Cymry (Welsh) people against the Normans, and the political intrigue of medieval Britain. [1] The trilogy consists of three books named Hood, Scarlet, and Tuck. The King Raven series continued his themes of reimagining popular mythology into more authentic and gritty settings, which began with his Pendragon Cycle.

Contents

Novels

Hood

Hunted like an animal by Norman invaders, Bran ap Brychan, heir to the throne of Elfael, abandoned his father's kingdom and fled to the greenwood. There, in the primeval forest of the Welsh borders, danger surrounded him, for this woodland is a living, breathing entity with mysterious powers and secrets. Bran needed to find a way to make it his own if he was to survive. Through the suffering of his pride-torn soul and the land of his ancestors being destroyed, Bran realized the dangerous paths through which his ambition was drawn and he soon succumbed to his fate.

The book was dedicated to the Schloss Mittersill Community in Austria, which he and his wife were part of for a couple of years. [2]

Scarlet

After he lost everything he owned, forester Will Scarlet embarked on a search for King Raven, whose exploits had already become legendary. After he fulfilled his quest and proved himself a skilled and loyal companion, Will joined the heroic archer and his men.

Scarlet is captured and imprisoned, however, for being a follower of the rebel, Raven. He is sentenced to death by hanging unless he delivers King Raven and his band of cohorts to Raven's enemies. That, of course, he would never do. Simultaneously, Wales is slowly falling under the control of the invading Normans and King William the Red has given his ruthless barons control of the land. In desperation, the people turn to King Raven and his men for justice and survival in the face of the ever-growing onslaught.

In 2008, Scarlet won a Christy Award in the category of Visionary Fiction.

Tuck

The story of Rhi Bran y Hud is concluded as Abbot Hugo and the Norman invaders attempted to wipe out King Raven and his flock once and for all.

Their merciless attack, the first of many to come, heralded a dark and desperate day for the realm of Elfael. Bran and his few stalwarts desperately pray and search for encouragement and reinforcement from the people in order to survive. Bran and Friar Tuck, a most unconventional priest, ride north to rally the tribes of Wales to the battle, make new friends, and powerful enemies along the way.

Tuck, the final installment of the trilogy, was released on January 22, 2009.

Publication history

Reception

The Raven King Trilogy has enjoyed a largely positive response from readers, scoring an average of 3.96 out of 5 stars by GoodReads reviewers (Hood - 3.86/5 stars, 93% of people like; Scarlet - 3.97/5 stars, 96% of people like; Tuck - 4.05/5 stars, 96% of people like), [3] [4] [5] and an average of 4.4 out of 5 stars by reviewers on Amazon.com (Hood - 4.3/5 stars; Scarlet - 4.4/5 stars; Tuck - 4.5/5 stars). [6] [7] [8]

Scarlet was particularly well-received, winning a Christy Award in 2008 in the "Visionary" category. [9]

Related Research Articles

Stephen R. Lawhead is a UK-based American writer known for his works of fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction, particularly Celtic historical fiction. He has written over 28 novels and numerous children's and non-fiction books.

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References

  1. "Description of the book "Scarlet"". Archived from the original on 2011-06-28. Retrieved 2011-06-27.
  2. Lawhead, Stephen R. Hood . Thomas Nelson. ISBN   1595540881.
  3. "Hood (King Raven #1)". GoodReads.com. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  4. "Scarlet (King Raven #2)". GoodReads.com. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  5. "Tuck (King Raven #3)". GoodReads.com. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  6. "Hood (The Raven King, book 1)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  7. "Scarlet (The Raven King, book 2)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  8. "Tuck (The Raven King, book 3)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  9. "2001-2010 Christy Awards Winners & Finalists" (PDF). The Christy Awards. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.