Shadow of the Wolf (Sherwood's Doom) - Hardcover

Hall, Tim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0545816645 ISBN 13: 9780545816649

Publisher: David Fickling Books, 2015

Synopsis

A stunning re-imagining of Robin Hood, the first in an exciting new trilogy.

Forget everything you've ever heard about Robin Hood.Robin Loxley is seven years old when his parents disappear without a trace. Years later the great love of his life, Marian, is also taken from him. Driven by these mysteries, and this anguish, Robin follows a darkening path into the ancient heart of Sherwood Forest. What he encounters there will leave him transformed . . .The first book of a trilogy, Shadow of the Wolf is a breathtakingly original--and utterly compelling--retelling that will forever alter the legend of Robin Hood.

About this title

About the Author

In his work as a journalist, Tim Hall has written for various national newspapers and magazines. Most recently he spent two years in Bermuda, reporting for the Bermuda Sun. He has traveled widely in other parts of the world, including Asia and South America. Shadow of the Wolf was his debut. He lives in Gloucestershire, England with his family.

Reviews

Gr 10 Up—Debut author Hall has created a high-fantasy twist on the Robin Hood legend, the first book of a planned trilogy. Robin Loxley is abandoned as a young boy while out with his father hunting in Winter Forest. Marian is a fierce, young wild child who lives a life of privilege. The two children find each other and begin a years-long adventure in the woodlands near the village. Then one night, Marian vanishes and Robin is taken in as a ward of Sir Bors. Years later, the two are reunited and Marian tells Robin about the Sheriff—the man responsible for the deaths of his parents and brothers and of her mother. Readers waiting for all the Merry Men to arrive will be disappointed. This retelling is not faithful to the original legend, but takes it in a new direction where woodland gods and the supernatural are just simmering beneath the surface and lurking in the dark shadows. The action sequences can be on the gruesome side and some of the supernatural elements skew confusing, though more will no doubt be explained in future books. And because it is was not written as a stand-alone, the novel's pacing suffers just a bit in the middle chapters, but the final third builds to a satisfying cliff-hanger ending. VERDICT Older teen readers of fantasy and fans of reworked folktales will enjoy this series opener.—Elaine Baran Black, Georgia Public Library Service, Atlanta

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From SHADOW OF THE WOLF:Robin drew a short-feathered flight arrow. The soldiers were three hundred paces away if he was going to do it he would have to do it now. He nocked the arrow.As he did so a creeping sensation began in his bow hand--the way cold liquid seeps through your chest, or when fear makes your blood run cold. The feeling grew more intense and began to spread.Something was moving across his skin--no, beneath his skin. Black threads, thin as the veins in a leaf, were spreading upwards from his left hand. He felt them flow quicker, up past his elbow, twining around his shoulder--he heard them making a splintering noise, the way an iced lake cracks before it gives way beneath your feet.Robin thought he had discarded the shadow weapon, but now he understood a shard of it remained. It had seeped inside and lurked there, waiting . . .The shadow veins continued to spread, at first gossamer thin, but then beginning to pulse and swell, like rootlets drinking in the rain. They rippled across his chest, down his right arm. He felt them leak deeper, into his muscles and his bones.They tugged tight--a puppet master pulling strings--Robin's bow rose. His right arm drew the bowstring. He took aim at Will Scarlett.

Edition details

• Publisher: David Fickling Books
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0545816645
• ISBN 13: 9780545816649
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 480