The End: “Tuck” by Stephen Lawhead

Finally finished the series. All I really want in life is to run off to Robin Hood’s gang and fight evil with them.

I quite liked this ending. It involves Friar Tuck a lot, often asking for peace. Which is really an idea that you wouldn’t expect here, since the Middle Ages were not known for being very peaceful. Tuck is a very unconventional Friar, but I expect that makes him endearing to contemporary audiences. I know that I quite liked him.

Allan a’Dale also finally makes an appearance (Much is absent though, even though his character is mentioned in a song). He is a singer, of course, the traditional image of the outlaw. He can also speak several languages. That’s one of the good things about this series, the languages are pretty accurate, as far as I can tell. Sure it’s modern French, but I’m willing to give some leeway.

One of the cool aspects of this book, as opposed to the others, is that each part is preceded by a snippet of a ballad about Rhibran. This snippet is part of the larger trilogy, but it also reflects what’s happening in the novel as well. Which is quite interesting. This is where Much is mentioned, even though he never appears.

Of course, the book ends with Thomas a’Dale, Allan’s grandson (not sure if the timing of the generations is correct, but whatever), adapting the story of Rhibran to Sherwood and King John. Which is the legend as it is more commonly known. I liked it, the whole Robin becoming a legend thing is used a lot in portrayals, but it is a major part of the story. The process of the tale being immortalized is just as big as the story itself.

Overall, I thought that this was a great series. There isn’t enough contemporary stories of Robin Hood, it’s mostly children’s books. Need more books like this in my life!