CSFF Blog Tour: Scarlet


Scarlet is the second book in Stephen Lawhead's Dominion Trilogy.

This series intrigues me. It is the story of Robin Hood (Will Scarlet), the famed myth made famous by Hollywood. Lawhead has built the story around Celtic Mythology, which gives an immediate romantic ambiance, as well as a rich historic setting to draw from. Sound like a good medieval fantasy to you? It does to me.

Mythological characters make for great stories. Besides the obvious King Arthur tales which have been done many times over, there is an enormous amount of other legends to be re-told...rediscovered.

Hollywood has taken advantage of many of these for obvious reasons. The stories are fascinating, and the historical contexts rich. Yet, Hollywood rarely takes its viewers into these characters with any real depth, and that my friends is where the world of books comes in. Robin Hood has been exhausted in the movies, but in books, he has hardly been explored at all. I feel there is no comparison to the experience of the two mediums: novel and movie. Books take us farther, teach us more, and dig deeper into the emotions than most movies are able to achieve. And that's why I'm excited about this series.

One other comparison comes to mind: the legend of Beowulf. Though done again and again in Hollywood recently, the movies haven't compared to the richness of the novels I've read on both Beowulf, and of the monster, Grendel. Michael Crichtons, Eaters of the Dead tells the Beowulf legend through the eyes of an Arabic royal. And in Grendel, written by John Gardner, we have a chance to view the world through the monsters eyes. Anyone who reads this vivid, tragic tale of a creature who longs to be human, can't help but be moved with both compassion. These are examples of how a "legendary" character can come to life in the imagination.

Robin Hood's story, as portrayed by so many movies, (black and white, and more recent ones) have only taken us so far. Stephen Lawhead wants to take us further...

Check out these other blog tour member sites for more on Scarlet



Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Linda Gilmore
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Karen McSpadden
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Lyn Perry
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Jason Waguespac
Daniel I. Weaver
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

4 comments:

Kait said...

You're so right about the story not being told in books much these days. Robin Hood is such a Hollywood hit, one would think that authors would want to delve into this story more!

I've never actually read the Beowulf story. Do you know of one that would be the best to read? I know you recommended the one through the eyes of Grendel, but what about one from the other point of view? Also - have you seen the latest movie, and are you planning on it?

Anonymous said...

Greta post, Brandon. I agree whole hreatedly!

Rebecca LuElla Miller said...

The thing is, Lawhead did more than dig deeper, though he also did that. In many ways he turned the myth on end because he set it in a totally different local, essentially giving Robin Hood a different identity than the traditional one.

Was an interesting premise, for sure.

Becky

Brandon Barr said...

Hi Kait!

Yes I'd reccommend whole heartedly the book "Grendel" by John Gardner, he is an amazing writer. The only other one I read was Michael Crichtons "Eaters of the Dead," which was also good. But "Grendel" is my favorite of the two. Besides reading the old English poem, I haven't read any other Beowulf books.

Thanks Pixy!

Rebecca, That's true, I think the fact that he took it out of its original "old British" setting gives it a new look. And also the fact that his spending three books delving into this character...that shows some obvious depths are being explored.