Not so recently I was perusing the shelves at my local library with nothing specific to pick up, but with plenty of time to read. Usually, in cases such as this, I pick up a book based on it's title and cover, or maybe the author if I've heard of any and have them in mind. This case was no exception to it. I picked up
Patrick: Son of Ireland by Stephen R. Lawhead. I enjoyed it so much that I remembered the Authors name. More recently than this, I was again at my new local library and in need of a book to read. I recalled his name and went directly to the appropriate section of the stacks. Long Story, already too long to be short. I picked up Hood, the first book in the King Raven Trilogy. The book is a retelling of the beloved tale set a bit earlier than we may be used to. The time and some of the characters and maybe even the location of the story may be different, but Lawhead was able to capture the spirit of the essence and spirit of the legend exquisitely. I specifically enjoy the introduction of bard characters in all of his books and more specifically this book. The way he weaves spirituality, mysticism, and ancient feeling magic into a common (or not so common) thing for his characters, and helps you believe because they believe is done so well that I wish for a time and place that these actual events happened to be true. I was intrigued while reading to discover each of the characters that I know so well in new skin. When each of them was revealed there was a lot of build up in my mind and I was not disappointed. There were times that I was so excited that I showed it physically and when the payoff came, I shared it audibly. I would share more, but the read through is not as fresh in my mind as it should be.Needless to say: I am very much anticipating the next installment of the trilogy. I now have Scarlet in my possession and hope to have time to delve into it within the next day or two.
