''Holy Warrior'' is the second novel of the eight-part ''Outlaw Chronicles'' series by
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
writer of
historical fiction
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...
,
Angus Donald
Angus Donald (born 1965 in China) is a British writer of historical fiction. As of 2020, he has released ten novels and three novellas that loosely follow the story of Alan-a-Dale.
Biography
Donald's parents being British diplomats, much of h ...
, released on 22 July 2010 through
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily ...
. The novel was well received.
Plot
This novel continues the story of Alan Dale, based on the historical
Alan-a-Dale
Alan-a-Dale (first recorded as Allen a Dale; variously spelled ''Allen-a-Dale'', ''Allan-a-Dale'', ''Allin-a-Dale'', ''Allan A'Dayle'' etc.) is a figure in the Robin Hood legend. According to the stories, he was a wandering minstrel who became a ...
; warrior and troubadour in
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...
s band of outlaws. The novel takes place during the
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...
, an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the
Holy Land
The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
from
Saladin
Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shadi () ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known by the epithet Saladin,, ; ku, سهلاحهدین, ; was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from an ethnic Kurdish family, he was the first of both Egypt and ...
. In the novel Robin is forced to join
Richard the Lionheart
Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...
on his crusade and during which learns he is the target of an assassination attempt; Alan is tasked with discovering the origins of the attack.
Reception
The novel received positive acclaim from reviewers. George Williams of ''
The Australian
''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
'' wrote that Donald's approach to dealing with the complex issues such as religious hatred and the general intolerance of the time "marks it as a cut above other versions of the legend" and stated that, "like
Outlaw
An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...
, Holy Warrior is undoubtedly one of the finest Robin Hood stories of recent times.". Sarah Arrow,
managing editor
A managing editor (ME) is a senior member of a publication's management team. Typically, the managing editor reports directly to the editor-in-chief and oversees all aspects of the publication.
United States
In the United States, a managing edito ...
of ''Birds on the Blog'', said in her review that "it’s good writing, it makes good reading and it’s a darn sight better than a lot of rubbish that is passed off as a book these days". In a review for ''Falcata Time'', Gareth Wilson states that the Outlaw Chronicles are "a great series to use as a bridging gap between the Young adult and Adult market and one that will definitely become a firm fav.".
See also
*
Outlaw
An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...
*
King's Man
''King's Man'' is the third novel of the eight-part ''Outlaw Chronicles'' series by British writer of historical fiction Angus Donald, released on 21 July 2011 through Little, Brown and Company.
Plot summary
This novel continues the story of ...
References
External links
*
{{Angus Donald
2010 British novels
Novels set in the Middle Ages
English historical novels
Novels by Angus Donald
Little, Brown and Company books