Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Atom (2010), Edition: paperback / softback, Paperback, 464 pages
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. HTML: "Pray God our aim is true and each arrow finds its mark." The final installment of a completely reimagined epic of the man known as Robin Hood, told in a far more eerie, earthy, and elemental way than ever before. The story of Rhi Bran y Hud-Robin Hood-concludes as Abbot Hugo and the Norman invaders attempt to wipe out King Raven and his flock once and for all. Their merciless attack, the first of many to come, heralds a dark and desperate day for the realm of Elfael. Bran and his few stalwarts desperately need encouragement and reinforcement if they are to survive. But Friar Tuck, a most unconventional priest, has a daring solution to their dilemma that will radically alter all we've known about the legendary figure known as Robin Hood. Filled with unforgettable characters, breathtaking suspense, and rousing battle scenes, Stephen R. Lawhead's masterful retelling of the Robin Hood legend reaches its stunning conclusion in Tuck. Steeped in Celtic mythology and the political intrigue of medieval Britain, Lawhead's trilogy conjures up an ancient past while holding a mirror to contemporary realities. Prepare to hear an epic tale that dares to shatter everything you thought you knew about Robin Hood..… (more)
Media reviews
...the third volume of Stephen Lawhead's retelling of the Robin Hood legends.
He has transplanted them all to Wales in the 11th century and given them Welshy names, and made them Celtic freedom fighters.
The dialogue is rip-roaring mock-antique, which like the florid similes in hard-boiled
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fiction might be a genre requirement but also can be made to sound like Monty Python if you read it aloud in a funny voice.
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User reviews
LibraryThing member theepicrat
I thought the beginning was a little slow and confusing for me, but that could be attributed to the fact that I had not read its 2 predecessors. The Welsh names used for the outlaws threw me off, as did the different names for villians and locations (no mention of Sherwood or Sheriff of
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Nottingham). The story did not pick up momentum for me until Bran, Tuck, and company set out to free a captive king - and when it started to get more exciting, I definitely became more engrossed in the story and how it played out. Even though Tuck was more of a serious version of Robin Hood, I quite enjoyed it and plan to go back to Hood and Scarlet to see how it all started! Show Less
LibraryThing member DaddyPupcake
I was a little apprehensive about this series because I know the story of Robin Hood so well, and thought I would be bored with it, but once I started reading Hood I was hooked. The story took place and over the years the names have evolved into what we know them because they were passed down
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through the ages by word of mouth. That is the way the King Raven series is written. I felt this was a very believable story. I blew through both Hood and Scarlet too fast and had to wait about a year for Tuck to be published but the wait was worth it. Tuck summed up the story very nicely in my opinion. Show Less
LibraryThing member xaverie
I zoomed through 'Tuck' even faster than a read through 'Hood' and 'Scarlet'. By now all the characters save one have been introduced and the stage has been set. All Lawhead needed to do was deliver the final, rousing battle between Rhi Bran y Hud's Grellon and the King's men.
And deliver he did.
Tuck is a fair narrator, his happy and cautious but still adventurous personality balancing out the dark rage of Bran, making the book speed along at a quick pace. By the final confrontation I was loathe to put the book down for even a second.
I highly recommend the entire trilogy as it never lets up, never dragging even to the last. It's entertaining, smart and will make you believe that this truly is the real story of Robin Hood.
And deliver he did.
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The final book picks up directly where 'Scarlet' left off; with the Grellon disappointed in the King's decision regarding their kingdom. In response Bran is adamant he will fight until his dying breath to have his people free and unhunted. So he and his loyal companion Friar Tuck set off to Gwenydd in north Wales to try to bring back men to aid in the fight. Again they engage in a clever ruse complete with disguises to rescue the disposed king of the realm from the dungeons of the portly Earl Hugh. Tuck is a fair narrator, his happy and cautious but still adventurous personality balancing out the dark rage of Bran, making the book speed along at a quick pace. By the final confrontation I was loathe to put the book down for even a second.
I highly recommend the entire trilogy as it never lets up, never dragging even to the last. It's entertaining, smart and will make you believe that this truly is the real story of Robin Hood.
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LibraryThing member bookswamp
A wonderful follow-up to Mary Stewarts Merlin Trilogy, which I just read for the umpteenth time. While Merlin and Arthur are fighting against the Saxon invadors in the 5th century, 1000 years later the Anglo-Saxons as the "true Britishers" now fight a gruesome war against the Invadors from
The Robin Hood story itself as presented here seems to be the one and only true story, so beautifully is it set and developed, (and also gives a good lesson in history!).
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Normandy/France - 1000 years later again: nowadays, who is who?The Robin Hood story itself as presented here seems to be the one and only true story, so beautifully is it set and developed, (and also gives a good lesson in history!).
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LibraryThing member ashooles
I am going to miss reading this series. From not really enjoying the first book, Hood, I came to love all the charatcers and the plot and I have learnt a lot about British history in the meantime. A good, but sad ending to a great series. I wanted it to continue; I wanted to read more.
LibraryThing member JeremyPreacher
Tuck was a lackluster end to a lackluster series. It had the problems of its predecessors (flat characters, inconsistent viewpoints, glacial pacing) and nothing new to add. There's really none of the gleeful mischief of the legend of Robin Hood - none of the sense of fighting because it's the right
Overall, I find the whole King Raven cycle a terribly disappointment. There was clearly a ton of potential here, and it was squandered.
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thing. It's all aimed at the ultimate goal of getting official recognition of the kingship of the cantref, and that just isn't particularly satisfying, given the cost.Overall, I find the whole King Raven cycle a terribly disappointment. There was clearly a ton of potential here, and it was squandered.
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LibraryThing member creighley
Part three of the King Raven series does not disappoint. The idea that much of the tale of Robin Hood has been changed by virtue of the way stories evolved at the time, is brought forward. This concludes the tale as Rhi Bran, fighting a war with cunning and skill, wins back his rightful throne.
LibraryThing member Darrell.Newton
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a satisfying conclusion to the "Hood" series. If you read it, don't stop at the conclusion, but take time to read the afterward. It lends credence to the historical background to the original Robin Hood story.
LibraryThing member xaverie
I zoomed through 'Tuck' even faster than a read through 'Hood' and 'Scarlet'. By now all the characters save one have been introduced and the stage has been set. All Lawhead needed to do was deliver the final, rousing battle between Rhi Bran y Hud's Grellon and the King's men.
And deliver he did.
Tuck is a fair narrator, his happy and cautious but still adventurous personality balancing out the dark rage of Bran, making the book speed along at a quick pace. By the final confrontation I was loathe to put the book down for even a second.
I highly recommend the entire trilogy as it never lets up, never dragging even to the last. It's entertaining, smart and will make you believe that this truly is the real story of Robin Hood.
And deliver he did.
Show More
The final book picks up directly where 'Scarlet' left off; with the Grellon disappointed in the King's decision regarding their kingdom. In response Bran is adamant he will fight until his dying breath to have his people free and unhunted. So he and his loyal companion Friar Tuck set off to Gwenydd in north Wales to try to bring back men to aid in the fight. Again they engage in a clever ruse complete with disguises to rescue the disposed king of the realm from the dungeons of the portly Earl Hugh. Tuck is a fair narrator, his happy and cautious but still adventurous personality balancing out the dark rage of Bran, making the book speed along at a quick pace. By the final confrontation I was loathe to put the book down for even a second.
I highly recommend the entire trilogy as it never lets up, never dragging even to the last. It's entertaining, smart and will make you believe that this truly is the real story of Robin Hood.
Show Less
Awards
Historical Novel Society Editors' Choice (Adventure)
Language
Original publication date
2009
Physical description
464 p.; 4.96 inches
ISBN
1904233759 / 9781904233756
Local notes
King Raven has brought hope to the oppressed people of Wales - and fear to their Norman overlords. Deceived by the self-serving King William and hunted by the treacherous Abbot Hugo and Sheriff de Glanville, Rhi Bran is forced again to take matters into his own hands as King Raven. Aided by Tuck and his small but determined band of forest-dwelling outlaws, Rhi Bran ignites a rebellion that spreads through the Welsh valleys, forcing the wily monarch to marshal his army and march against little Elfael.