Scarlet

[whitetrash]

Thanks for the heads up will look into this

[dgan]

Finally finished Scarlet...I know, shame on me. Not that anyone cares what I have to say about it, but that is the wonder of the Internet, is it not? Millions of people say things that millions of others don't care about. Anyway...

I am always overly critical of SRL, just because we have come to expect such great things. It is almost impossible for him to live up to the hype we place on each work now. But Scarlet does.

It is not without its downfalls, IMO. I find that some of Bran's antics are a bit unbelievable, considering the context in which Lawhead places this fiction. This isn't Albion or even the Dragon King - this is hardcore historical fiction. The events taking place in the book you can envision actually took place - there is very little in the way of spiritual or fantastical 'interference'. In this context, I find events should happen in a believable manner, and there are a few that jumped out at me as, "That wouldn't happen."

Aside from that, the writing style (as I see many have said already) is phenomonal. I think he does run into some troubles, not necessarily in the flow going from first person to third, but in betraying what he intended to conceal. The wonder of first person is that you know there is so much going on in the 'outside world' that you do not have access to from the author's point of view. By switching to third person, it is inevitable you will lose some of that connection you have with Will. Lawhead did the best you possibly could and I can see the reasons behind it - and for one book, I thought it was refreshing and used purposefully - but you can see why writers are discouraged from making a habit of it.

Will himself is endeared to the reader, as usual, with phenomonal skill. It never ceases to amaze me how well Lawhead puts you in the life and mind of the author of a first person story, yet each time the character is wonderfully unique. His backwoods, 'aw shucks' attitude kept the mood light - a chore to be certain considering the times and events described. Hood, I recall, struck me as very dark in mood which wore on me halfway through. Friar Tuck did little to remedy the melancholy of that story - this was Lawhead's intent, to be sure, but I admit it made for difficult reading. Possibly, after knowing the end of the story, Hood will be able to be read with the hope that you know how it will end. In the meantime, Scarlet does an excellent job of shifting the mood and making the reader excited about the life of Bran rather than simply sad and disturbed.

The only thought I'll add to that is that his description and tale of Will and Noin is not as well done as relationships he has described to us in the past. I believe part of this is because he did not want this relationship to detract or draw attention away from the main character, Bran. I'm guessing Bran and Merian's relationship will finally be revealed to us in full in Tuck, and I'm sure Lawhead wants that to overshadow all relationships described prior. Still, it was one of the few points that disappointed me just a bit.

Finally, I'll say the ending was about as good as any Lawhead has had. It really is just an old-fashioned cliff hanger, but has the right balance of anxiety and hope. You know in the long term, there is more that will be done - yet in the short term, you fear what will happen and what poor characters may be lost before the final story has even begun.

All in all, I think this is SRL's best work in a while. Knowing what he must have been going through with his health makes this all the more remarkable.

[mcmojo]

Dgan, I'm curious what specific moments you felt were unbelievable. Care to elaborate?

Good thoughts on the book though!

[gabeswork]

Scarlet was such a good book. The whole trilogy is another great representation of Stephen Lawhead's writings. I look forward to getting tuck soon and finish reading the series.