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    Scarlet
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    Scarlet
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    Scarlet
    Audiobook12 hours

    Scarlet

    Written by Stephen Lawhead

    Narrated by Adam Verner

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    After losing everything he owns, forester Will Scarlet embarks on a search for none other than King Raven, whose exploits have already become legendary. After fulfilling his quest-and proving himself a skilled and loyal companion-Will joins the heroic archer and his men. Now, however, Will is in prison for a crime he did not commit. His sentence is death by hanging-unless he delivers King Raven and his band of cohorts. That, of course, he will never do. Scarlet continues Stephen R. Lawhead's riveting saga that began with the novel Hood, which relocated the legend of Robin Hood to the Welsh countryside and its dark forests. Lawhead's trilogy conjures up an ancient past and holds a mirror to contemporary realities.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOasis Audio
    Release dateAug 3, 2007
    ISBN9781608143733
    Author

    Stephen Lawhead

    Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. His works include Byzantium and the series The Pendragon Cycle, The Celtic Crusades, and The Song of Albion. Lawhead makes his home in Austria with his wife.

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    Reviews for Scarlet

    4/5

    259 ratings33 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Lawhead’s Scarlet is the key protagonist of this novel. While in Hood, the story is told primarily from Rhi Bran’s perspective, here we have the story as told by Will, as he relates the occurrences to a priest named Odo. Three quarters of the novel is told in this way, with a few chapters stepping outside of Will’s memories and into the minds and hearts of the villains, in order to give us a full and round story. The final quarter of the story is told in traditional first person style, as seen through Will’s eyes, because he is no longer in a position to relate his story to Odo. This way of telling us the story gives a picture of Will as a simple and loyal man, a talented archer, who loves a woman very deeply. In this, it seems it was Lawhead’s intention to give us a picture of a common man of the time shortly following the invasion of the Normans into England. Full Review at Grasping for the Wind
    • 2/5
      Scarlet is at least an improvement over Hood. There are sympathetic characters and an actual plotline, even if it's near-hopelessly muddied by transitions between Scarlet-as-narrator and actual third-person-omniscient in two separate chunks of timeline.

      Scarlet's verbal tics (calling people "fella" and using "en't" for "isn't") come and go, never ceasing to be jarring or managing to sound like anything other than a folksy affectation in the mouth of the character. They are handy markers as to when he's narrating, though - or would be, if they didn't disappear all the time.

      I also have a rough time getting excited about the whole two-popes/warring kings drama that drives the plot. It's far too distant to have any emotional impact, and it never really informs the actions of the villains except in the very big picture - all the pointless puppy-kicking that happens onstage is just to establish that they're Bad Guys.

      There's no real resolution to anything other than the immediate crisis, either, which is not atypical for the middle book in the trilogy, but it doesn't really whet my appetite so much as dull my enthusiasm. And Lawhead's Christian focus, which was such a beautiful, fundamental part of the Pendragon Cycle, just comes off as forced, here.

      (Also, I just wanna say, while I like the use of Welsh myths to foreshadow plot points in theory, he did it a hundred times more elegantly in Merlin, and WITH THE SAME STORY. Jeez, man, now you're just getting lazy.)
    • 4/5
      I found Scarlet much more exciting than Hood. It had me engaged for a lot longer and it made a bit more sense to me. Out of the two so far, this is definitely my favourite. I look forward to reading Tuck.
    • 5/5
      Lawhead surpasses himself with this follow-up to "Hood". In "Scarlet", forester William Scatlocke aka Will Scarlet joins the lawless band after his master, a Saxon thane, had his land confiscated by the crown. As Bran and his men, now including Will, continue to rob from the Norman rich to give to the poor, they uncover a plot that they hope will see justice done for the dispossessed people of Elfael. Told predominantly in the first person narrative of Will Scarlet, there is greater fullness and intimacy in Lawhead's prose writing. He captures the injustices and disorganization that ensue for many Britons after the Norman Conquest and that continue under his son, William Rufus, often with the help of Norman church ministers. This book delivers great characters, interesting plot, solid historical background, and an authentic voice in Will Scarlet. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      Will Scarlet has always been my favorite Robin Hood character for as long as I can remember knowing different versions of the historical tales. This book does not change that at all. This is Will Scarlet in more depth than any book or film has ever shown him. Everything you ever once thought of him or wanted to know is given in a wonderfully melodious tone by [author: Steven Lawhead] and your imagination can soar. I was thoroughly impressed by [book: Hood], but so much more by [book: Scarlet] yet in different ways. I recommend this book to anyone who loves celtic, Britons, old english, Robin Hood, medieval, knights, and chivalry... as well as just good old adventure. There is nothing "tasteless" in this novel as you find in many books these days... meaning there is moral delimma with characters that are just out right evil. But you do not find the protagonists as lust filled murders. It is just plain good stories twisted together to keep you up hours into the night reading until there is no more. So sad that I have to wait until 2009 for the Trilogy end [book: Tuck]... but I am fairly certain it will be worth it.Oh, and there are other Lawhead books that I've read that didn't "hook" me, but these King Raven Trilogy books are really to die for.
    • 5/5
      This book blew me away, and now I must patiently wait for the last in the series...not due out until next year! This book was told in the perspective of a character newly introduced and at first, I couldn't get a handle on who was telling the story, but it worked out rather quickly. Another clever device Lawhead uses is flashbacks. I know in some books this can be confusing but giving credit to Lawhead, he masters the technique and does not lose the reader in the process! Whether you are a Lawhead fan, or just a fan of reading, this series is proving to be an excellent read!
    • 4/5
      Will Scarlet is the main character of this second book in Lawhead's trilogy re-imagining the Robin Hood legend. As he relates his story while in prison to a priest named Odo, we learn how he was driven from his land by the French invadors and so came to search for Rhi Bran (Robin) and join his band of resisters to the French and their hired overseers. Scarlet's tale is of course full of adventure, tomfoolery, and even romance and you will find all the familiar Robin Hood characters here but with slightly different names and in a different setting.I liked the first book of the trilogy, Hood, more than this one, but this one was still really, really good. I particularly liked the romance between Scarlet and Noina and I just had to keep reading to see if they would ever finally get married.
    • 5/5
      A great read. I happened upon the last of this trilogy at a book sale, and am so glad that I did!
    • 5/5
      Let me be honest here, prior to reading this book, I was worried. (Also, note that my past review of Hood was a reread, this one and Tuck I’ve never read before). I noticed that a good part of this book was in first person, which, you know always sets me off, but especially in this case because I thought that it would be taking too much away from Bran’s story by focusing on one of his men.
      Thankfully, I was thus proven wrong. To be honest, I might have liked this one more than Hood. Because, first off, it is a mix between first and third person. Will is in jail waiting to be hanged, and is retelling his story of how he came to be in Rhi Bran’s band to the scribe, Odo. The first person parts are glorious because they feel real. They didn’t feel like the author telling a story, they felt like Will Scarlet telling the story, dialect and grammar issues and all. That’s the way I like first person to be handled, and not many writers handle it like that.
      He also took the time to continue giving us the occasional chapter in the antagonist side of the field. With this book we finally see the Sheriff De Glanville who is actually perfect, like, he was great I approved a lot. We see more of Guy. Also we get great Guy and Sheriff interactions (you don’t understand I’m a huge fan of the BBC show where that was literally half the plot…) and we got less of the barons. Also, at this point I’ve figured out which baron is which, so it was drastically less confusing than the last book.
      I just felt like this one didn’t drag. I mean, not to say that Hood did, because it didn’t. But Hood was really meticulous in setting up the story and being as accurate as it could be. Because the setting and everything has already been set up, Scarlet was able to thrive without being weighted down with any extra exposition. It was just great and fun and I love how he’s handling this adaptation more and more.
      Like, for example, the bard Angharad obviously uses pagan practices, but this is the point in history where Christianity was sweeping Briton, and so the intertwining between her Christianity and pagan practises is handled really really well. (note that Stephen R. Lawhead is literally the only Christian writer I truly enjoy). It wasn’t belittling or anything and personally, as a Christian girl who takes a deep rooted interest in pagan culture I really appreciated how it was handled. Like, Angharad’s pagan practices are literally some of the most important plot devices of the story, so it’s not like they’re a side thought. They’re important.
      Also, he’s dealing with the idea of how every side believes that God is on their side. Which, I dunno, is one of my favourite things because it’s so accurate. Especially in this time of history.
      I do know that one of my main concerns was that we weren’t going to get enough of Bran because all of his POV chapters are now gone. Thankfully, these concerns ended up not coming true. There was plenty of Bran being just a great Robin Hood all in all. Like, he’s flawed (he flies into the most vicious rages) but he also retains the roguish qualities that I feel like Robin Hood should always have (also, the name of Robin Hood was very cleverly tied in with a mispronunciation with Rhi Bran Hud - Rhi Bran meaning King Raven and Hud being an enchanter. So yes. GREAT).
      Honestly, this book was just great. So great. It’s such a brilliant and historically accurate revisioning of Robin Hood. Everything lines up so well.
    • 4/5
      The saga of Robin Hood continues. This time it is told through the eyes of William Scarlet, a wanderer who has been made homeless as a result of the bloody uprising of the rich to over take lands.
    • 5/5
      This an awesome twist on history, and a great way of looking at both William the Conqueror and the Robin Hood myth. A must read.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      This started out really well, but slowed down a lot towards the end. I have already checked out Scarlet, so I must have liked it enough to do that.
    • 3/5
      I still find the setting of this trilogy infinitely more engaging than the actual story. I really want to like it -- a Welsh Robin Hood? -- but it just doesn't grab me. It's not hard to read: I managed most of it in one day. On the other hand, the prose doesn't come to life, I certainly don't savour every word. Robin Hood stories are supposed to be all adventure, and I guess this shows a more realistic, difficult side of it, but I just don't like that as much.

      This book gives the reader a more outside view of Bran: we hardly ever know what he's thinking. Instead we have Will Scarlet, who has a reasonably realistic backstory and a kind of narrative voice of his own. I did hear his voice in my head somewhat, those bits aren't badly handled. The thing that did annoy me about them was the "and we trudge on..." bits. So contrived and dry, especially when they come over and over and over again. Will's capture does let us meet Odo, who is a halfway interesting character, especially considering his defection. I kind of liked him.

      I didn't feel the romance, either. Not Mérian and Robin, and not Will and his lady. I guess I'm not engaged enough with the characters for that. There continues to be a problem with those, too: they're all painted in broad strokes, good or bad -- but particularly the bad guys. Guy and the Sheriff are particularly bland.

      This trilogy is worth reading, though, if only for the fact that it does something new with the old story, and puts it into a new context that might actually be closer to what the original context was. It's nice to see that these stories aren't set in stone, because originally they weren't -- travelling bards would have adapted the stories as they saw fit to interest people of certain regions by changing the settings and names to those of local interest.
    • 5/5
      My curiosity was piqued when I discovered this was set in the Welsh borderlands and in an earlier time period than we are accustomed to, but Lawhead's notes make perfect sense of his choice. The people in the book are wonderfully characterized, particularly Robin/Bran, who starts out as a spoiled, spineless annoyance. The book moved along at a good pace most of the time, and I was not put off by the slower parts. I found the details surrounding who was in charge (William Rufus) and what was going on (the Franks in Wales) a little confusing, as though it was assumed that this was information everyone automatically knows. While the author's notes at the end clarified, I wish I'd read them first. Even so, I already bought 'Scarlet,' the second book in the series.
    • 2/5
      I wasn't very impressed. I love the Robin Hood legend, and I was hoping for an awesome re-telling set it 1100s Wales/England. I expected it to be a bit dark, very powerful, and very evocative. Unforunately, it was none of these. It had so much potential, but failed to live up to it. It wasn't that it was bad, but it just wasn't very well written. The characters were shallow - never really fleshed out at all, and also rather annoying (which is never a good thing in the lead character especially). The writing style was slightly erratic, and sometimes veered over into too informal. The point of view didn't exactly jump about, but occassional sentences would creep in that were more like the thoughts or opinions of particular non-central characters, but were written as descriptive sentences by the author while the plot remained primarily from the point of view of a different character, which really didn't work. The sense of place was not strongly protrayed at all, and the geography was confusing. The general storytelling and prose was rather flighty and lightweight, for want of a better description. A lot more of a list of things that happened, without much depth or detail.As a side point - the cover. I appreciate that the author may not have had any input to the image selected, but if you're going to have a picture of an archer on the cover, at least have him pull the bowstring correctly. One does not curl ones fingers around the string. Thus this book failed before I had even opened the cover.
    • 4/5
      In this variant of the Robin Hood story, Lawhead's character is of The March, a primeval forest in Wales, instead of Sherwood. Robbed of his throne and lands by William Rufus (son of William the Conqueror), he becomes a longbow-wielding freedom fighter using the peoples' legends and superstitions surrounding King Raven to enhance his guerrilla warfare tactics.
    • 3/5
      Bran ap Brychan is the heir to the throne of Elfael, a small kingdom in Wales. Unfortunately, it’s a time in history when the Ffreincs are expanding their territories, defeating and dividing new lands among barons who have proclaimed fealty to the king, Red William. Bran’s father held out against the authority of William for a time, but it became clear that there was no alternative. The king and his best men travel to Lundein to offer their fealty when they are attacked on the road by a Ffreinc battalion. Fortunately for Bran and the people of Elfael, he had been delayed from departing with the king and therefore the heir to the throne survives the massacre.Bran and a couple of close friends travel to Lundein to express their outrage at the attack and demand their lands are returned. Unfortunately, the greedy Ffreincs will not help them, and Bran is forced to return home empty handed. Upon returning home, Bran is forced into hiding after Falkes de Braose, the leader of the invasion, discovers that he is the heir. While in hiding, Bran gains a mentor in the storyteller Angharad, who helps develop him into the leader that his defeated people need. The land and people of Elfael, under Ffreinc rule, are being brutally mistreated, left to starve and work as slave labor for the Ffreincs. Bran finds a small band of people who had retreated to the woods for protection from the Ffreincs, and together they begin planning the liberation of Elfael.Hood is the first part in a trilogy based on the legends of Robin Hood. Personally, I enjoyed the different perspective on the story. Lawhead pulls you out of Sherwood Forest and Nottingham, and places you in what is likely the more accurate origin of the tale. Historically, no one has ever been able to identify the true Robin Hood or where the story began. It was a tale told by wandering minstrels, evolving and changing into today’s popular rendition as the story spread over time. At first the change in scenery seems unusual and almost offensive (who is Robin Hood without the Sheriff of Nottingham??), however he is kind enough to give his reasoning for the change in time and location at the end of the book. When one reads the evidence he provides, it is clear that his version may in fact be more historically accurate.This story will take you deep within the forests of the Marches of Wales, and introduce you to various characters, some new and some old (Guy of Gysburne, Friar Tuck, and Little John). The characters were interesting and well developed. I look forward to learning more about them and seeing how they develop in the next two books. I think Lawhead takes an interesting perspective on Bran, who unlike Robin Hood, is not immediately keen on the idea of leading a small rebellion against the oppressive government. It is only after a great deal of persuasion that he decides he needs to help free his people.One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the use of multiple points of view. You gain the perspectives of almost every character, including Marion, de Braose, Tuck, Angharad, and more! The various accounts of events allow the reader to experience many events that are occurring simultaneously such as Bran’s time in hiding and de Broase’s enslavement of the people of Elfael. It helps to kept the story rolling at points where it would otherwise drag on for a bit.That being said, the writing is rather lengthy, and at times almost too detailed. You spend many chapters simply sitting in a cave with an injured Bran, being nursed back to health by Angharad. Granted, Angharad spends that time telling stories and trying to convince Bran to save his people, but it still starts to drag on after a bit. There were a few points where I had trouble staying engaged with the story because it became overly focused on details, but all in all I still feel that it was a good book. I enjoyed reading the classic tale of Robin Hood from a different perspective, and will definitely finish the trilogy.
    • 3/5
      I can't say I liked this book especially and it is hard for me to put my finger on why. I think it was because I found myself dragging my way through too much stuff that was descriptive but I thought had nothing really to do with the plot. Paragraph after paragraph could have been removed and the book would have been none the worse off. So, I would inevitably skip bits until I reach a part where I could enjoy following the exploits of Bran and co. The bits about the main characters I enjoyed. So I will probably read the others in the series but will just as likely continue to skip bit in order to ensure finishing the series doesn't become a chore.
    • 5/5
      Lawhead takes a fresh look at Robin Hood and the myth behind the man. King Bran is robbed of his kingdom and seeks refuge in the woods with his scattered countrymen to take revenge on King William the Red and those who have stolen his lands. This book was addicting from the very first page. I read through the whole series almost non-stop and each book was better than the last. There's plenty of action, and a lot of feeling too, as this book is primarily from Bran's perspective. He's a very strong character, and with each wrong done to him, I found myself more enraged at his enemies and more sympathetic to his plight. This is definitely not going to be the only series by Lawhead that I read.
    • 3/5
      A re-imagined tale of the famous thief and 'rob from the rich, give to the poor' Robin Hood set in Wales instead of the more common England.If you're looking for a more realistic point of view of the classic Robin Hood story versus the Disney portrayal this book definitely delivers. I really do believe the author put some time and effort into getting at least a general idea of the time period he portrays the story in, even adding a pronunciation guide to the back of the book for us non-Welsh speakers. A down side to this book is that it is definitely a build up to events to come later on in the series as well as an introduction to the many characters involved in the various plots within the book, not a quick page turner full of action and cliff hangers after every chapter. I also wasn't very happy with the sudden change in Bran's, aka Robin Hood, attitude towards his ultimate destiny of leading the people of Elfael, where he is the residing prince, first shunning all responsibility, then doubting his lack of empathy, then doing a complete 180 vowing to save his people and take back his land... only to go through the entire cycle yet again. Could this series turn out to be a great series? Sure. Does it need to pick up the pace a little and add in some more action to keep the reader going? Definitely. I'll be picking up the next in the series, though certainly without as much anticipation as I did picking up the first.
    • 4/5
      This was the first in Lawhead's new trilogy about Robin Hood, but it was far from being the 'traditional' tale as we know it today. Lawhead did an extensive amount of research concerning the beginnings of the 'Robin Hood' folklore (the first appearance of the legendary thief was in the 1200s!), and wove this tale from what he believes was the beginning of the Robin Hood myth. Thus, we have a hero whose story is set in Wales, away from Sherwood Forest, and a little more gritty and realistic than simply a tale of 'merry men'. It's set in the historical past, with real and fictional characters interwoven - similar to what Lawhead did with his Pendragon Cycle - so that you can truly begin to believe that this was something that literally occurred in history, but perhaps wasn't retained as part of the period's 'official' historical record.I thought it was exceedingly well done, and I'm very much looking forward to the next book, Scarlet, where Will Scarlet - who else? - makes his first appearance.
    • 3/5
      An interesting take on the classic Robin Hood tale. This was hard to get used to, the time frame seems more appropriate to an Arthurian tale than Robin Hood, so, it was easy to forget which legend I was reading. However, the explanation Lawhead gives is very convincing and lends a certain credibility. Personally, I felt the book was a bit dry and slow, just not my style preference; still a good read and story, however.
    • 5/5
      I've been wanting to read this book since it came out three or four years ago. But since it was subtitled "The King Raven Trilogy, Book 1" I knew that if I read it then, I would feel compelled to re-read it again when book 2 came out...And again when book 3 came out. Book 3 is set to come out on February 10th, so I felt safe enough to finally read it. And lemme tell ya - it was absolutely worth the wait.I'm in love with the Robin Hood stories as it is, but Lawhead finally managed to satisfy my love for the possible historical aspect, too. A Welsh setting is just what the stories needed to set them aflame. I can't wait to read Scarlet! (Book 2)
    • 5/5
      I bought this book because I love the Robin Hood legends. Lawhead does a great job in bringing the story to life in a more realistic way. I especially love the Welsh spin on things. Definitely worth the reading!
    • 3/5
      Setting Robin Hood in Wales is a neat take on the legend. I really strongly disliked Marian and wasn't overly fond of the language. It's edging towards over-the-top fantasy speak. Lots of elements of the story are interesting and I'm still debating whether I should give the rest of the book a chance. Did I mention I really disliked how he's writing Marian?
    • 5/5
      Lawhead has taken the traditional Robin Hood story and set it in Wales during the Norman conquest. The prologue is about Bran ap Brychan, Prince of Elfael, and heir to the throne. His father, the King and Elfael's army are slaughtered on their way to pledge fealty to the king of the Ffreinc. The only thing that saved Bran was his willfulness and his chronic tardiness. They had left Elfael without him. Bran must stay clear of the Norman army, and King William's army as he has a price on his head. He has escaped death and taken refuge in the thick forest where he will build his band to fight for the people of Elfael. This is a refreshing departure from Sherwood Forest, but the familiar characters are there - Merian, Little John and others. Hood is the first in the Raven King trilogy. Scarlet is the second. The third book, Tuck, has not yet been released.
    • 4/5
      I wasn’t exactly thrilled that this book was told through the eyes of Will Scarlet at first, but as I got more into the book I thought that it was brilliant. A lot of action is in this book. I really liked the way that Will pokes fun at the priest during his telling of the story. Very fun read.
    • 4/5
      A little slow, but a very absorbing re-telling of the Robin Hood legend, re-locating everybody's favourite wealth-redistributor from 12th century Sherwood Forest to 11th century Wales, where Robin becomes Bran, heir to a small Welsh kingdom which has been usurped by the conquering Normans. Hood definitely reads like the first in a series - by the end of the book only a handful of the key characters - Robin, Little John, Marian, Guy of Gisbourne, Friar Tuck - are in play. But Lawhead uses this long set up to ground the legend in a viscerally real political reality, with a network of delicate alliances between various Welsh and Norman factions. I also love his more mystical side of the story , which comes here in the shape of Angharad the wily hudolion, or sorceress.All the same, I wasn't pawing at the ground ready for King Raven Book Two...Then I made the mistake of looking it up on LibraryThing and discovering it's devoted to my beloved Will Scarlett, so that's another series bulking out my To Be Read pile, damn you, Lawhead...
    • 2/5
      While I found this book to be an interesting beginning to the oft seen Robin Hood tale I only gave it two stars because 1) it was a bit too long; 2) I grew tired of the altered states the mc found himself in, it better mean something in a later book or I'll be even more irritated by them; 3) bec. he slapped Merien -- he could have just tossed her on the horse which he did anyway, no reason to hit her. That being said, I plan on reading the next one and, if that holds my attention, I'll find the third when it comes out.
    • 5/5
      Thoroughly enjoyable read - as expected as Stephen Lawhead is a really good writer. Taking Hood to Wales did not seem out of place. Good characters, good story; looking forward to reading Book Two.