Scarlet by Stephen Lawhead

Stephen Lawhead's Scarlet continues the epic retelling began in Hood. This time, Lawhead hands the narration over to Will Scarlet, a young forester kicked off his thane's land and forced to scramble for a living where he can. After hearing rumors of Rhi Bran y Hud, Will determines to join him. But penetrating the secrets of the Welsh wildness is a task in itself, and once there he'll have to gain the confidence of Bran's entire band of merry thieves - and surly ones, too.

Will spins his tale from prison to a young monk sent to glean information, hoping a long telling will put off the hangman's noose. The blending of past and present works remarkably well, buoyed by Will's rogue humor.

Brother Odo is feisty. He must have got up on the wrong side of his Hail Marys this morning.

Bits like this help make Scarlet less dark than Hood, but the story is no less compelling. Lawhead's rich prose makes this series a joy to read - I can't wait until Tuck releases in 2009. It seems quite a wait, but you may remember my February post about Lawhead's illness (and you'll be glad to know he's doing better now). I'm grateful there will be a book three. Amazon has the first chapter of Scarlet up - be sure to stop by; it's a delightful bit of reading.

So if you're a Lord of the Rings fan, try switching Middle Earth for medieval England. And if you have ever loved the tales of Robin Hood, come experience them in a brand new way.

The blogs below have more about this wonderful book:

Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Karen McSpadden
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Lyn Perry
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Jason Waguespac
Daniel I. Weaver
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise