Thursday 23 July 2009

HISTORICAL FICTION REVIEW: Outlaw - Angus Donald


BOOK BLURB:

When he's caught stealing, young Alan Dale is forced to leave his family and go to live with a notorious band of outlaws in Sherwood Forest.

Their leader is the infamous Robin Hood. A tough, bloodthirsty warrior, Robin is more feared than any man in the county. And he becomes a mentor for Alan; with his fellow outlaws, Robin teaches Alan how to fight - and how to win.

But Robin is a ruthless man - and although he is Alan's protector, if Alan displeases him, he could also just as easily become his murderer....

From bloody battles to riotous feast days to marauding packs of wolves, Outlaw is a gripping, action-packed historical thriller that delves deep into the fascinating legend of Robin Hood.


REVIEW:

With Robin Hood currently being back in vogue with many authors tackling the famous outlaw, few seek to strike out on their own as well as Angus Donald as he tells the tale from Alan Dales old age as he looks back on his past as a cutpurse and soon to be outlaw. The tale is not only well written but told with a freshness that has a sense of history injected as the tale clearly shows. You can’t help but be drawn into this world through the characters eyes as the brutality of the age meets the cunning of well matched chess opponents. Add to the mix a realistic sense of adventure and the promise of more to come and its definitely a book that could be used to help the Young Adult in your home cross to the world of Historical Fiction in one easy step. We’ll look forward to Angus’ next novel Crusader currently scheduled for a 2010 release date.

1 comment:

ediFanoB said...

That sounds very promising. Recently I read Hood by Stephen Lawhead which is the first book of his King Raven trilogy.
I checked availability of Outlaw at amazon.de. To my surprise it isn't listed. Instead you can order Der Barde which is the German edition.
Der Barde means The Bard. I don't understand why they always need to change titles.The German edition will be published in February 2010. I don't like to read the translation. Fortunately it is possible to order Outlaw at Book Depository.