The King Raven Trilogy: Review

I am two thirds of the way through the King Raven Trilogy. This is a series by one of my favorite modern authors, Stephen R. Lawhead. In this trilogy, Lawhead tells the story of Robin Hood, but he doesn't tell this story the way one would expect.

Though there are many familiar names in this series, such as Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, Little John, and Merrian, there are other names that are slightly different, such as the lead character, who is named, Rhi Bran y Hud. The location has also been moved to Wales instead of the familiar Sherwood Forest and Nottingham.


In the epilogue of the first book, titled Hood, Lawhead does an excellent job of explaining his reasons for these changes. It seems to me that his goal, as with the Pendragon Cycle, is to tell the story with such historical accuracy that the reader walks away believing that IF the story were true... this is the way it surely would have happened. This also means that I walk away with a better understanding of history. Especially in books like Patrick, Son of Ireland and Byzantium.


One of the main reasons that I enjoy Lawhead's books is that he writes with a Biblical Worldview. Though I don't think that I would entirely agree with his theology... in his stories there is a God. Jesus is the Christ. God is active in this world and in the affairs of men. Sin has consequences, even in the lives of the heroes. And the heroes are not self-reliant, they call upon Christ in times of trouble, and they learn to wait on Him. These are good things to include in a story.