Hood by Stephen H. Lawhead

Read between March and November of 2024.

  This book was in my posession for a very long time a) because the person who lent it to me was very patient, and b) because I did not read a page of it between June and like, October. I had only gotten maybe 100 pages in when I put it down, and after such a long break, I wasn't even sure I wanted to get back into it, but I'm really glad I did. The story takes a while to get going, or at least to get to the part that I felt like I was waiting for for 2/3 of the book, but much of the time before that is spent with other important characters. It goes on about medieval politics in Wales through these characters, the main character himself being a forsaken heir to the throne of Elfael, which was sort of a turn-off for me at first. I wanted to stick with the main character, to get to the more fantastical part of the story.

  But as the story went on, and especially as everything started to come together, I was more and more interested in the geopolitical happenings of the story. As a result of the time with other chracters, the world is rich and you get to see it from many angles, which adds so much.

  The writing itself is spectacular. The story takes place in Wales in the eleventh century, and the writing fits the story very well. Lawhead uses language that conveys the archaic and fantastical nature of the story beautifully. He could go on and on about nearly anything--the setting, the main chracters internal dialogue, description of a wound--and it was always engaging. He paints the picture of the tale very effectively, and all the senses are involved in visualization. I cannot express how much I admire this quality. It really made the book for me.