True Blood - Season 2
7.3
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TV Season
Just as things seem to have settled down for perky telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse and her...
David McK (3180 KP) rated Robin Hood and the Caliph's Gold in Books
Mar 26, 2020
As such, this starts with Robin and his men trying to make their way back to England from the Holy Land, with the entire story told (as are all the others) in first person narrative, and from the point of view of Alan a Dale, the true protagonist of these stories (let's face it, Robin isn't always a very nice man...)
Shipwrecked on the way home, this sets off a series of circumstances and encounters that sees Robin and his men hatching a plan to steal the Caliph's Gold (it's all there in the title!), with many a ferocious battle and deeds of derring do throughout.
Having recently just having read one of Angus Donald's other historical works (the Blood series: last one I read was Bloods Campaign), I have to say: I think I prefer the medieval setting of these novels better, with Alan a Dale coming across as a more relatable character than Holcroft Blood.
True Blood - Season 1
5.8
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TV Season
In the not-too-distant future, vampires have come out of the coffin...no longer in need of a human...
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
6.3
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Movie Watch
A team of extraordinary figures culled from great adventure literature (including Alan Quatermain,...
Lost - Season 5
7.7
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TV Season
Season 5 follows two timelines. The first timeline takes place on the island where the survivors who...
Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (2011)
6.5
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Lonely and introverted, young Sally (Bailee Madison) has just arrived at the 19th-century mansion...
The King's Assassin
Book
AD 1215: The year of Magna Carta - and Robin Hood's greatest battle The yoke of tyranny King John is...
Robin Hood and the Castle of Bones
7.0
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Book
This is another addition to the Outlaw Chronicles series and is set in the summer of 1192 between...
David McK (3180 KP) rated Grail Knight: (Outlaw Chronicles, #5) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
At the start of this, Alan is newly married and enjoying life in his new manor with his wife. It's not long, however, before he is thrust back into action when word comes that The Knights Templar are holding himself responsible for gold stolen (by Robin, in a previous novel - possibly [b:King's Man|943289|King's Man (Viking, #3)|Tim Severin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328870438s/943289.jpg|928226]) as it was his promissary note that Robin copied and forged.
Following the burning down of his manor, and with the failing health of his wife who is carrying his unborn child, Alan, Robin and a bunch of assorted misfit companions go off in search of that most medieval of all legends: the Holy Grail itself. In Alan's case, he hopes it can save his wife; in Robin's case: well, he's just after the money!
Another solid entry, even if (to my mind) none have been as strong as [b:Outlaw|17333533|Outlaw|Ted Dekker|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364009572s/17333533.jpg|24064806].
David McK (3180 KP) rated The Rise of Robin Hood (Outlaw Chronicles, #0.5) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Whereas the books proper are all presented as an ageing Alan-a -Dale remembering his time with Robin and were told in the first person, this is told in third person and is not 'book-ended' in such a manner. While there are a few other characters than the already-living-in-the-woods Robin and John, it also does not have such a wide range of characters as in the novels proper, and feels maybe a little bit rushed.
In short: an OK entry for anyone who hasn't read any of the novels proper, but I would still advise the reader to start with the first book rather than this novella.