Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Daring the old gods. Defying the new.
The making of a legend—and a truly innovative re-imagining of Robin Hood.

Rob of Loxley and his older sister Marion have been groomed from birth to take their parents’ places within the Old Religion. Despite this, when Rob finds an injured nobleman’s son in the forest, neither he nor Marion understand what befriending young Gamelyn could mean for the future of their beliefs. Already the ancient spirits are fading beneath the iron of nobleman’s politics and the stones of Church subjugation. More, the druid elders warn that Rob and Gamelyn are cast as sworn adversaries, locked in timeless and symbolic struggle for the greenwood’s Maiden.

Instead, in a theological twist only a stroppy dissident could envision, Rob swears he’ll defend the sacred woodland of the Horned God and Lady Huntress to his last breath—if his god will let him be lover, not rival, to the one fated as his enemy.

But in the eyes of Gamelyn’s Church, sodomy is unthinkable... and the old pagan magics are an evil that must be vanquished.

First edition published by Dreamspinner Press, January 2013.

Second edition published by DSP Publications, October 2014.

Book Review

With a definite foray into the magical, this retelling of the legend of Robin Hood is actually far more than a mere interpretation of what we all know. It takes the basics of the legend and adds a whole new meaning to the events, providing us with a historical and spiritual view that is to my knowledge, unique. The battle of the Pagans versus the encroaching Catholic church, in addition to the poor versus rich angle (which happens to overlap, since most of the poor are also pagans) actually sounds very realistic to me. It is one that I have not heard or read much about, but J Tullos Hennig does an excellent job at seamlessly merging this new vision with well-known stories. I was completely fascinated and impressed with the world!

Rob of Loxley is different from the hero image we have learned to accept through various Hollywood retellings of his story. One reason is because the story starts when he is much younger, giving us all the background and developments before he ever becomes a hero. The other reason is that we find out much more about his background: the stories he listened to as a child, how his parents influenced him, the people he grew up with, and the social pressure he has to live with. He may be poor in terms of material goods, but he has a rich family and spiritual life. Rob became a much richer character for me in this book, and, of course, the addition of the somewhat magical/fantasy aspects create a totally different atmosphere and setting.

Gamelyn Boundys, Rob's somewhat unlikely childhood friend, is the third son of a local nobleman. He is a devout Catholic (most days, at least), grew up with all the material riches of his time, and yet, he is a lonely man by the time he is an adult. His eldest brother has a lot to do with it, basically terrorizing him whenever he can. But there is also a basic disconnect between Gamelyn (who is gay) and the rest of his social circle, which is totally religious. He struggles with this, but there seems no way out of his predicament. Being discovered to love a man would mean death for him.

If you like sweeping fantasy stories set in an interesting world, if you enjoy the retelling of old legends with a new twist, and if you're looking for an interesting, spellbinding read, then I can fully recommend this book. I think it is an amazing achievement!

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. The first edition of this book has been purchased by the reviewer.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 636 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	27-September-2019
Price	$6.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YJ1HN56