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David McK (3562 KP) rated King's Man (The Outlaw Chronicles, #3) in Books

Jan 30, 2019

I first heard of/read Angus Donald about 2, maybe 3, years ago, when I read his novel Outlaw - a visceral retelling of the Robin Hood legend - and which proved to be one of the best 'new' books I read that year.

I also read the sequel to Outlaw, Holy Warror - in which Robin and his men travel to the Holy Land to fight in what would become known as the Third Crusade - but found it was not quite as good as its predecessor.

The third novel in the series - King's Man - is a return to form. Set back in England and, like the previous two novels, presented as the elderly Alan Dale retelling the story of his younger days, this novel takes the struggle between Richard the Lionheart and his brother Prince John for the throne as its bedrock. With Richard imprisoned on his return journey home from the Holy Land - a historical fact also used as the basis for the famous novel/film Ivanhoe - the throne of England is left vulnerable. Most of the Robin Hood legends acknowledge this fact; in most of them Robin remains loyal to King Richard, with this novel no exception. As a partial result, Robin is once again outlawed and once again takes up his old ways ...

Looking forward to the next installment!

Kudos

Ross (3284 KP) rated Rotherweird in Books

Jul 8, 2019

Rotherweird

Andrew Caldecott | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy

8.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

A very strange book

The premise for this book was strong - a number of suspiciously intellectually/artistically gifted children are identified in Elizabethan England and rather than being sent to their death as ordered, they are secreted away somewhere where their gifts can be nurtured. The country estate of Rotherweird is their destination.
However, the book that follows doesn't really pick up on this premise, and instead the book is more of a modern day Little England countryside romp. For within the area surrounding Rotherweird (now a private town cut off from the rest of British rule) there are access points to a secret other world, where a number of odd creatures are known to reside.
The plot relies on a number of tenuous crossword-type anagrams (but as everyone has such an unusual name, spotting them is impossible) and ridiculous puzzles as to be quite annoying.
A mysterious outsider has arrived and started to upset the introvert community, and more and more of the population begin to find odd relics or events, and once they start to team up they piece them together.
There is very little to distinguish the characters, and I frequently had to try and remember who was who from Finch, Flask, Fanguin, Ferensen, as well as the two almost identical young female characters.
A very frustrating read.