Author: Stephen R. Lawhead

Title: Hood

Published: 2006 (in FIN 2010)

Translated by: Mika Renvall

Translation title: Kuningas Korppi - Robin Hood 1 (Kuningas = King, korppi = crow)

 

Another Robin Hood tale, this time located in Wales.

Bran ap Brychan (son of Brychan?) is the prince of Elfael, up until his father King Brychan is killed by Falkes de Braose, a French lord, and Elfael falls into Falkes's hands. Bran travels to Lundein (London?) in order to get his lands back, but he's told that he needs 600 marks, which seems like a mission impossible. As Bran and his two companions, Iwan and Ffreol, get back to Elfael, they are attacked y Falkes's men, and Ffreol is killed. Iwan managed to escape, but Bran is captured.

Eventually he too manages to escape, but he's followed by French soldiers, who wound him severely and leave him to die in the forest, telling everyone Bran ap Brycahn has died. But Bran is saved by an old wisewoman, Angharad, who heals him and tells and sings him stories that - apparently - change the way he thinks about himself and his people and his land. In the end, the selfish young man decides to try and save his people from the French conquerors. He and his people live in the woods, stealing from the French as much as they can without getting caught. They scare the French with stories of a big, human-like crow-creature, and the "ghost" is seen by several people, and the rumours spread rather quick....

Interesting setting, I think. The pace of the story is good, rather quick with little details on environment and how the characters look like and so on, but what slowed me down were the footnotes made by the translator. Some of them are good and give much relevant information about foreign words and so on, but sometimes I wished he had left  out some of the footnotes... 

Nothing much to say. Good book.

 

Started: Feb 11, 2011

Finished: Feb 20, 2011

Recommended for: Wales- fans, Robin Hood- fans, those interested in history.