''King's Man'' is the third 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

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 21 July 2011 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 ...

Plot summary

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 dep ...

's band of outlaws. In the first part of the novel, Robin rescues Alan's sweetheart from an unwanted marriage to an old knight. They stop the bishop from proceeding with the ceremony, and Robin Hood, dressed in the bishop's robes, marries Alan to his bride. This gives way to the novel's main concern: the capture and ransom of

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 ...

; (loosely based on the actual events). During his captivity Richard is driven to compose the song "Ja nus hons pris" or "Ja nuls om pres" ("No man who is imprisoned"), which is addressed to his half-sister Marie de Champagne. The song expresses his feelings of abandonment by his people and his sister. However, this sorrow is resolved when Alan Dale spearheads a valiant and effort to release the king.

Reception

The novel has received some praise. Gareth Wilson, of ''Falcata Time'' states that the book is "beautifully written" and also notes it is "classy storytelling style spartanesque prose, cracking overall arc which when blended with his own writing style really generates something special.". Author

Giles Kristian Giles Kristian (born 1975) is an English novelist, known for his action adventure novels in the historical fiction genre. He is best known for his ''Raven'' series, about a young man's coming of age amongst a band of Viking warriors. His first no ...

, writing for on-line book database Love Reading, stated that the novel is "A fresh, lively and welcome take on one of the world's most famous outlaws." and that it "stirred in me a nostalgia for all the great stories of my childhood; those that thrilled me, inspired me and shaped who I am today.". Additionally,

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

stated that the novel is "A glorious, gritty, violent, fast-moving recreation of an English legend".

References

External links

* {{Angus Donald 2011 British novels Novels set in the Middle Ages English historical novels Novels by Angus Donald Little, Brown and Company books