Product Description

After losing everything he owns, forester Will Scarlet embarks on a search for none other than King Raven, whose exploits have already become legendary. After fulfilling his quest--and proving himself a skilled and loyal companion--Will joins the heroic archer and his men.

Now, however, Will is in prison for a crime he did not commit. His sentence is death by hanging--unless he delivers King Raven and his band of cohorts.

That, of course, he will never do.

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.

From deep in the forest they form a daring plan for deliverance, knowing that failure means death for them all.

Scarlet continues Stephen R. Lawhead's riveting saga that began with the novel Hood, which relocated the legend of Robin Hood to the Welsh countryside and its dark forests. Steeped in Celtic mythology and the political intrigue of medival Britain, Lawhead's trilogy conjures up an ancient past and holds a mirror to contemporary realities. Prepare for an epic tale that dares to shatter everything you thought you knew about Robin Hood.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #63285 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 464 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781595540867
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One

So, now. One day soon they hang me for a rogue. Fair enough. I have earned it a hundred times over, I reckon, and that's leaving a lot of acreage unexplored. The jest of it is, the crime for which I swing is the one offence I never did do. The sheriff will have it that I raised rebellion against the king.

I didn't.

Oh, there's much I've done that some would as soon count treason. For a fact, I et more of the king's venison than the king has et bread, and good men have lost their heads to royal pikes for far less; but in all my frolics I never breathed a disloyal word against the crown, nor tried to convince any man, boy, horse, or dog to match his deeds to mine. Ah, but dainties such as these are of no concern when princes have their tender feelings ruffled. It is a traitor they want to punish, not a thief. The eatin' o' Red William's game is a matter too trifling--more insult than crime--and it's a red-handed rebel they need. Too much has happened in the forests of the March and too much princely pride hangs in the balance to be mincing fair about a rascal poaching a few soft-eyed deer.

Until that ill-fated night,Will Scarlet ran with King Raven and his band of merry thieves. Ran fast and far, I did, let me tell you. Faster and farther than all the rest, and that's saying something. Here's the gist: it's the Raven Hood they want and cannot get. So, ol' Will is for the jump.

Poor luck, that. No less, no more.

They caught me crest and colours. My own bloody fault. There's none to blame but the hunter when he's caught in his own snare. I ask no pardon. A willing soul, I flew field and forest with King Raven and his flock. Fine fun it was, too, until they nabbed me in the pinch. Even so, if it hadn't a' been for a spear through my leg bone they would not a' got me either.

So, here we sit, my leg and me, in a dank pit beneath Count de Braose's keep. I have a cell--four walls of stone and a damp dirt floor covered with rotting straw and rancid rushes. I have a warden named Guibert, or Gulbert or some such, who brings me food and water when he can be bothered to remember, and unchains me from time to time so I can stretch the cramps a bit and wash my wound. I also have my very own priest, a young laggard of a scribe who comes to catch my wild tales and pin them to the pages of a book to doom us all.

We talk and talk. God knows we've got time to kill before the killing time. It pleases me now to think on the dizzy chase we led. I was taken in the most daring and outrageous scheme to come out of the forest yet. It was a plan as desperate as death, but light and larksome as a maiden's flirting glance. At a blow, we aimed to douse the sheriff's ardour and kindle a little righteous wrath in lorn Britannia. We aimed to cock a snook at the crown, sure, and mayhap draw the king's attention to our sore plight, embarrass his sheriff, and show him and his mutton-headed soldiers for fools on parade--all in one fell swoop. Sweet it was and, save for my piddling difficulties, flawless as a flower until the walls of the world came crashing down around our ears.

Truth is, I can't help thinking that if we only knew what it was that had fallen plump into our fists, none of this would have happened and I would not be here now with a leg on fire and fit to kill me if the sheriff don't. Oh, but that is ranging too far afield, and there is ground closer to home needs ploughing first.

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Ah, but see the monk here! Asleep with his nose in his inkhorn.

"Odo, you dunce! Wake up! You're dozing again. It ill becomes you to catch a wink on a dying man's last words. Prick up your ears, priest. Pare your quill, and tell me the last you remember."

"Sorry, Will," he says. He's always ever so sorry, rubbing sleep from his dreamy brown eyes. And it is sorry he should be--sorry for himself and all his dreary ilk, but not for Will.

"Never feel sorry for Will, lad," I tell him. "Will en't sorry for nothing."

Brother Odo is my scribe, decent enough for a Norman in his simpering, damp-handed way. He does not wish me harm. I think he does not even know why he has been sent down here amongst the gallows birds to listen to the ramblings of a dangerous scofflaw like myself. Why should he?

Abbot Hugo is behind this wheeze to scribble down all my doings. To what purpose? Plain as daylight in Dunholme, he means to scry out a way to catch King Raven. Hugo imagines languishing in the shadow of the noose for a spell will sober me enough to grow a tongue of truth in my head and sing like a bird for freedom.

So, I sing and sing, if only to keep Jack o'Ladder at arm's length a little longer. Our larcenous abbot will learn summat to his profit, as may be, but more to his regret. He'll learn much of that mysterious phantom of the greenwood, to be sure. But for all his listening he'll hear naught from me to catch so much as a mayfly. He'll not get the bolt he desires to bring King Raven down.

"So, now," I say, "pick up your pen, Brother Odo. We'll begin again. What was the last you remember?"

Odo scans his chicken tracks a moment, scratches his shaved pate and says, "When Thane Aelred's lands were confiscated for his part in the Uprising, I was thrown onto my own resources . . ."

Odo speaks his English with the strange flat tongue of the Frank outlanders. That he speaks English at all is a wonder, I suppose, and the reason why Hugo chose him. Poor Odo is a pudgy pudding of a man, young enough, and earnest in faith and practice, but pale and only too ready to retire, claiming cramp or cold or fatigue. He is always fatigued, and for no good reason it seems to me. He makes as if chasing a leaking nib across fresh-scraped vellum is as mighty a labour as toting the carcass of a fat hind through the greenwood on your back with the sheriff's men on your tail.

All saints bear witness! If pushing a pen across parchment taxes a man as much as Odo claims, we should honour as heroes all who ply the quill, amen.

I am of the opinion that unless he grows a backbone, and right soon, Brother Odo will be nothing more in this life than another weak-eyed scribbler squinting down his long French nose at the undiluted drivel his hand has perpetrated. By Blessed Cuthbert's thumb, I swear I would rather end my days in Baron de Braose's pit than face eternity with a blot like that on my soul.

Perhaps, in God's dark plan, friend Will is here to instruct this indolent youth in a better lesson, thinks I. Well, we will do what can be done to save him.

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"When Thane Aelred's lands were confiscated for his part in the Uprising, I was thrown onto my own resources, and like to have died they were that thin."

This I tell him, repeating the words to buy a little time while I cast my net into streams gone by to catch another gleaming memory for our proud abbot's feast. May he choke on the bones! With this blessing between my teeth, I rumble on . . .

From AudioFile
In the latest chapter in LawheadÕs ever-expanding serial of the original Robin Hood tale, forester Will Scarlet finds himself in prison for a crime he did not commit. He will hang unless he produces the renowned archer King Raven and his men. Sadly, the story is made comical by the narrator. Adam VernerÕs delivery of a British accent is extremely poor. As a result, his flawed performance is unbelievable from the onset. He often sounds bored and uninterested; further, his interpretations lack any of the likability of LawheadÕs original characters. The story--which should have been the stunning third chapter in this captivating saga--is an overall disappointment. L.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

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Customer Reviews

4 1/2 Stars...Leaves Us Hanging
If you're a Stephen Lawhead fan, you need to catch his spin on the classic Robin Hood tale. Obviously, he gives it his own historic ambiance, exploring old and new ideas with respect, but without rigidity. If you're not a Lawhead fan...Time to join the bandwagon! Since the Pendragon Cycle and the Song of Albion series, he has consistently given us entertaining and intelligent stories. "Hood" and "Scarlet" only add to his impressive resume.

While last year's "Hood" followed the origins of Lawhead's Welsh Rhi Bran Hud, "Scarlet" takes us into the life of Will Scarlet. From the first page, Lawhead establishes a wonderful character with a literary voice that's consistent, lyrical, and captivating. Will is in prison, awaiting his own hanging. In the meantime, he dictates his story of meeting and pledging fealty to Bran, King Raven. We see wonderful glimpses into medieval life. We become entwined in the political/religious intrigues of the day, and we meet new heroes and villains. From Will's initial archery contest with Bran, to his gallows day, Lawhead wields his pen with attention to detail, character, and plot.

"Scarlet" meanders into a fascinating tale, gives us some romance and action, then ends with a cliffhanger, a perfect bridge into the final book, titled "Tuck." Lawhead is having fun with this trilogy and, to the delight of his readers, it shows.

Easily Lawhead's most mature work
I won't tell about the story line because that wouldn't be fair to the reader. I won't ruin it for you. But about the book itself, its style and flow. This book is so much better than *Hood.* The storyline is crisper, its characters so much more mature, and the dialouge is cleare.

The romance is among Lawhead's better renditions. I do fear that some of Lawhead's works tended to repeat themselves (this was especially true in the Pendragon Cycle). Here, the romance is more sensible and realistic. I particularly enjoyed the interplay between Will and Noin. Also, the back and forth between Merian and Bran is better done than in Hood.

I definitely recommend this work as one of Lawhead's more mature writings. Also, be sure to find the soundtrack that goes with it. There is an official King Raven Trilogy soundtrack. Go to Itunes and type in Brian Dunning and Jeff Johnson.

Anxiously Awaiting TUCK
It's too bad that TUCK has been delayed but at least it isn't altogether canceled. I hope Lawhead makes a full recovery or as full a recovery as nature will allow.

When I read HOOD I have to admit that I began it fully expecting to take in the story with a grain of salt. I was pleasantly surprised that Lawhead could re-imagine the story of Robin Hood and convey his image in a manner that captured me in the first chapter. SCARLET is a sequel that does not disappoint. The character development was flawless and I could feel myself emphathizing with Will "Scarlet" Scatlocke and at least relating with the Sheriff (but not quite empathizing).

The thing I found greatest about this book was that while it's still a story about Robin Hood, it is mostly related as narrative by Will Scatlocke and Will plays as the central character.

Both HOOD and SCARLET are great novels for those interested in a more grown-up version of the story of Robin Hood as well as those that enjoy historical fiction (although I cannot vouch for how historically accurate/inaccurate the books are). They are reminiscent of Mary Stewart's MERLIN TRILOGY in that both sets of books relate fantastic tales of seemingly far-fetched accounts that may or may not have occurred in a manner that, at the least, makes the stories plausible.

These KING RAVEN novels are the first novels I've read by Stephen R. Lawhead so I'm not giving my review based from the standpoint of someone who loves all things Lawhead. Having said, if TUCK is as great as the first two novels in this series, I may become a Lawhead fan after all.