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David McK (3248 KP) rated Outlaw (The Outlaw Chronicles, #1) in Books

Jan 30, 2019  
Outlaw (The Outlaw Chronicles, #1)
Outlaw (The Outlaw Chronicles, #1)
Angus Donald | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
"Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Riding throught the Glenn

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, and his bunch of blood-thirsty murderous outlaws ..."

Doesn't have quite the same ring, does it?

"Outlaw" is the story of Robin Hood, told from the perspective of Alan Dale. Like Bernard Cornwell's series of books about King Arthur (indeed, my copy of the book even had a "As good as Bernard Cornwell or your money back" sticker on it), Outlaw is a more earthy, more 'real', telling of the famous tale. All the famous characters are here: Robin Hood, Maid Marie-Anne (Marion), Little John, Friar Tuck, Guy of Gisbourne, and (obviously) Alan Dale himself.

Forget the recent BBC adaptation, or even the '91 film starring a not-very-English Kevin Costner; this is more what Robin Hood would have been like (if he ever existed) than the over-romanticised legendary figure.

Worth a read? If you like Cornwell (or Simon Scarrow's) style of historical fiction, then my answer is a definite yes.
  
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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated King of Light and Shadows (The Omaran Saga #3) in Books

Nov 18, 2019  
King of Light and Shadows (The Omaran Saga #3)
King of Light and Shadows (The Omaran Saga #3)
Adrian Cole | 1990
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Brannog, who has been declared king of the Earthwrought despite being human, is hunting down the spawn of the evil city of Xennidhum that he helped destroy when he discovers something troubling. There are songs under the earth, beguiling the Earthwrought. Both his enemy turned ally Simon Wargallow and the rod of power held by Orhung have been captured. Who are the Earthwise and what do they want?

This was my introduction into the work of Adrian Cole, and it certainly impressed me. Firstly the tone is very much what would be described now as 'grimdark' with Wargallow being a particularly fine antihero. Secondly this is resolutely non-Tolkien and avoids so many fantasy tropes that were prevalent at the time. No orcs or elves. Instead we have altogether more imaginative creations - Children of the Mound, Deliverers.

This does start slow - it after all is part way through the saga and the characters are already established - but gradually builds to some fantastic set pieces, and a rather well executed and low key ending, setting up the fourth and final part of the series perfectly.
  
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Graham Massey recommended Flying Wonders by Homelife in Music (curated)

 
Flying Wonders by Homelife
Flying Wonders by Homelife
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I was involved with Homelife, but I was more of a session musician in a way as I wasn't involved in the writing of the music; I don't see it as my band. The core of the band was Paddy Steer and Tony Burnside, who'd both been in Yargo, and a musician called Simon King who was from London and had been in many bands. Computers had just reached that phase where you could do proper recordings on them. It wasn't Pro-Tools but you could do decent hard drive recordings. It was an interesting mix of people of varying age groups and genders, which made it very rich. There was a singer called Seaming To who'd appeared on records by Mr Scruff and she had this incredible octave range, and I played bass clarinet. It was like a digital orchestra and it felt a bit like Sly And The Family Stone and it crossed the jazz line as well. The whole album has the feel of some Mediterranean place that doesn't exist, and place to wallow in; it's very languid. It's Impressionist music that came from a terraced house in Manchester!"

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