The King Raven trilogy, by Stephen R. Lawhead, consists of the three books Hood, Scarlet, and Tuck. It is essentially a trilogy about Robin Hood, but the author has taken it from the traditional setting of Sherwood forest and placed it in 11th century Wales. The King is William II, the Sheriff is Sheriff de Glanville and Robin Hood is Rhi Bran, or King Bran in Welsh.
The author explains in his book that he feels this is a more likely origin of Robin Hood then Sherwood forest. And after reading this trilogy along with his reasoning I'd have to agree with him. He reasons that by the time Prince John came around the forests of England were crown land and royal hunting grounds and there is no way Robin Hood and his group of merry men could hide out in there. Whereas in the wild forests of Wales whole populations could hide out. In fact, the Welsh did hide out in forests during the Norman conquests and fought their wars with long bows while hidden in trees.
I've never really thought about this but it makes perfect sense. I love when an author takes a well known story and puts a twist on it. I especially liked how he introduced well known characters and explained the origins of their names (Tuck, Robin Hood, Little John).
The series tells the story of Bran. After his father is killed and his kingdom is stolen from him he takes to the Greenwood and leads a band of warriors to reclaim his throne. Bran has grown up in the forest along with his comrades and they use it to their advantage while they fight the Normans. The trilogy recounts the struggles, setbacks, and victories that they encounter as they work to drive out the invaders. It is very well written and at some points I really could not put it down. If you are at all interested in historical fiction or the story of Robin Hood this is a must read.
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