Awesome book, as the previous book, I know the original folklore, and this was a pleasant end to the awesome series. Well written, and a wonderful story.
I was afraid of the ending, I have to admit. Knowing how the original Robin Hood legend ended, I was wondering how Lawhead would deal with it. I won't give it away, but I was satisfied and pleased with how he ended things.
Bran's adventures outside of Elfael in this book were quite interesting. Tuck might have been the titular character, but I felt like he didn't have very much to do with this series. I'd rather have had Little John in the spotlight.
A good ending to a good series.
Tuck by Stephen Lawhead is the third and final book in the King Raven trilogy. A telling of the tale of Rhi Bran Hud, aka Robin Hood as his name evolved to over time. In typical Lawhead fashion, his characters have depth. You feel with them, fear with them, and cheer with them. This book focuses primarily on Tuck, everyone's favorite friar, and his involvement with Rhi Bran and his band of not-so-merry men. Particularly of role, is his role during the settling of the Welsh rebellion. [4/5]
While going from really enjoying Hood and then to absolutely loving Scarlet it was no surprise that I was thoroughly impressed with Tuck. The first book in the series, Hood was told from a narrative standpoint outside the eyes of the main characters. The second, Scarlet was directly dictated by Scarlet himself. And lastly, the third, Tuck was narrated partially by Tuck and partially by an outside vision. The change in perspective through out the series was very unique to me and I felt that it made the series come more alive than it would have in a monotone narration.
Though, I suppose one could read this book alone without having read the first two in the series. I would not suggest it because you will miss so much, however the bard's poetry through out in the beginning of each section does a wonderful job of recreating the tale. Having read the first two books over two years ago, I really loved having the reminder of the plot that I might have forgotten.
Friar Tuck's final installation to the trilogy completes the story in a favorable manor that I could never have imagined. There is much action and battle, but also underlying romance from characters you would not have thought it possible. Easily, I would tell you that this story is about hope and perseverance. Journeys to other areas of the continent filled with excitement and disappointment as well build through out the story and give you encouragement to continuously turn the pages until there are no more.
My one regret with this story is that it has ended. It was so good and so much fun to read that I cannot wait for future books filled with the imagination of Stephen Lawhead to become available. I highly recommend this book, but also the entire series as well. Go read the excerpts available on Lawhead's website and decide for yourself if it might be of interest. I doubt you will be disappointed.
