{"id":6129,"date":"2009-05-18T11:27:11","date_gmt":"2009-05-18T16:27:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/2009\/05\/18\/tuck_by_stephen_lawhead_amdash_day_1\/"},"modified":"2009-05-18T11:27:11","modified_gmt":"2009-05-18T16:27:11","slug":"tuck_by_stephen_lawhead_amdash_day_1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/2009\/05\/18\/tuck_by_stephen_lawhead_amdash_day_1\/","title":{"rendered":"Tuck By Stephen Lawhead — Day 1"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Tuck<\/a><\/div>\n

So we begin at last our review of TUCK<\/a> by Stephen Lawhead<\/a>.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

This is part of the latest Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour<\/a><\/strong>, which has now grown to 48 active members this round! Way to go everyone, let’s keep spreading the word and promoting speculative fiction written by Christians!<\/p>\n

Well, without further delay<\/strong>, here is my overview of the book along with some of my initial thoughts. Make sure to come back tomorrow for a more in-depth analysis of the book with pros, cons, and some historical insights.<\/p>\n

The Characters:<\/h3>\n

Rhi-Bran & Merian<\/strong><\/p>\n

The “Robin and Marian” would be their more familiar names. Bran must gather his men, his wits, and his heart to regain his throne. And Merian ends up, well, you do have to read the story to find out, don’t you?<\/p>\n

Baron Neufmarche & Lady Agnes<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the end of Hood, I thought the Baron was the “true” chief nemesis of the series, and that he would usurp Baron de Braose to become the foil of Bran. But this did not pan out. TUCK throws him in a completely different light, and thus reveals a different side to the Saxon \/ Norman \/ Welsh equation. <\/p>\n

Garran & Sybil<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Welsh king who is married to Baron Neufmarche’s daughter. They are caught in the middle between Bran’s desire for revenge and the Normans’ take-over.<\/p>\n

Gruffyd<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bran’s mother’s cousin, King of the northern Welsh. In prison for many years, Bran must try to free him and secure his help. Haha! Keep reading for this part.<\/p>\n

Scarlet & Noin<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scarlet is healing from his injuries in the last book, and so doesn’t play much of a part here, but he is in the book nonetheless. What I missed most was his narration. Tuck’s perspective was well done, but Scarlet’s voice was fantastic and hard to beat.<\/p>\n

Tuck<\/strong><\/p>\n

An erstwhile common priest, who steals the show, so to say. When I read the book, I kept picturing and hearing the voice of the actor who played Tuck in the excellent Richard Greene Robin Hood television series<\/a> from the 1950’s. Perhaps Lawhead saw this series, because Tuck in this book fits him to a “T” (not to make a pun). And Robin’s exploits in this book kind of fit the Richard Greene mold as well.<\/p>\n

The Plot<\/h3>\n

The central conflict of the series is Bran ap Brychan attempting to regain the throne of Elfael<\/strong>, which has been in his family line since remembrance. It was stolen by the Baron de Braose, and passed on to Abbot Hugo (Mr. Nasty) in Book Two’s heartbreaking “almost got it back” end scene.<\/p>\n

So for all appearances, the fight is over.<\/strong> Bran has fewer than few men to help him fight on, and so he and his group rely on:<\/p>\n