Holy Warrior

Angus Donald keeps the suspense and action going through to the second chapter of this series. His spin on the Robin Hood saga is truly unique and combines with true historical events which makes the story even more fascinating.

I approached this follow up to the excellent "Outlaw" with a degree of trepidation. It had been a while since I had enjoyed Outlaw and I was worried that I might have forgotten where the story left off and it might be hard to get back into, especially with the recent Robin Hood film helping to confuse with another re-imagining of the story. But I needn't have worried as I was swept straight into the story without the need for a re-cap. Holy Warrior is (like Outlaw) told from the perspective of the young Alan-a-Dale, impetuous, naive, trusting and religious who is both enthralled and afraid of the man we know as Robin Hood. Robin Hood is a complex character and certainly not a nice guy - a determined and clever gang leader making the best use of his circumstances. You sympathise with Dale's emotions because as a reader you switch between understanding Hood and then being disappointed with his actions. And the narrative is the perfect balance to shunt the fast paced story forward, but very much from Dale's perspective rather then a historic account (although much of the history is very accurate). The story picks up from the point where Robin Hood (and his gang) have been pardoned by the returning King Richard and are preparing to join him on the third crusade to the Holy Land. By joining the crusade Robin Hood is fulfilling an obligation; he had no real belief or passion for the crusade itself. The story starts in the UK placing Dale and Robin Hood in York at the time of the infamous Jewish massacre of 1190 but then moves them with Richard's army through to the sacking of Messina, conflict on Cyprus and then onto the siege of Acre where Richard ordered the cold blooded execution of 2,700 Muslim prisoners of war - a horrific act which stained the Crusade. The story ends with Richard taking on Saladin at the battle of Arsuf in 1191. Through young Dale's eyes we see Richard's campaign with the side (and imagined obviously) story of Robin Hood. Violent and with some earthy language at times, this may not suit all tastes, but I though it was excellent.