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The Books of the Wode #4
Summerwode
It is 1194, and the devil is indeed loose--
In Sherwood Forest.
Once known as the Templar assassin Guy de Gisbourne, dispossessed noble Gamelyn Boundys has come to Sherwood Forest with conflicting oaths. One is of duty: demanding he tame the forest's druidic secrets and bring them back to his Templar Masters. The other is of heat and heart: given to the outlaw Robyn Hood, avatar of the Horned Lord, and the Maiden Marion, embodiment of the Lady Huntress. The three of them--Summerlord, Winter King, and Maiden of the Spring--are bound by yet another promise, that of fate: to wield the covenant of the Shire Wode and the power of the Ceugant, the magical trine of all worlds.
Uneasy oaths begin a collision course when not only Gamelyn but Robyn and Marion are summoned to the siege of Nottingham by the Queen. Her promise is that Gamelyn will regain his noble family's honor of Tickhill, and the outlaws of the Shire Wode will have a royal pardon.
But King Richard has returned to England, and the price of his mercy might well be more than any of them can afford.
In Sherwood Forest.
Once known as the Templar assassin Guy de Gisbourne, dispossessed noble Gamelyn Boundys has come to Sherwood Forest with conflicting oaths. One is of duty: demanding he tame the forest's druidic secrets and bring them back to his Templar Masters. The other is of heat and heart: given to the outlaw Robyn Hood, avatar of the Horned Lord, and the Maiden Marion, embodiment of the Lady Huntress. The three of them--Summerlord, Winter King, and Maiden of the Spring--are bound by yet another promise, that of fate: to wield the covenant of the Shire Wode and the power of the Ceugant, the magical trine of all worlds.
Uneasy oaths begin a collision course when not only Gamelyn but Robyn and Marion are summoned to the siege of Nottingham by the Queen. Her promise is that Gamelyn will regain his noble family's honor of Tickhill, and the outlaws of the Shire Wode will have a royal pardon.
But King Richard has returned to England, and the price of his mercy might well be more than any of them can afford.
492 pages, ebook
First published May 16, 2017
11 people are currently reading
176 people want to read
About the author
J. Tullos Hennig
8 books111 followersJ Tullos Hennig likes BIG books.
Her award-winning historical fantasy series, The Books of the Wode, is BIG... and a truly innovative re-imagining of the Robin Hood legends, with the notorious outlaw archer as a queer, chaotic-neutral druid.
Active in genre literature and conventions in the 70s/80s/90s, JTH returned to the publishing fold in 2013, and in 2018 was chosen to receive the Speculative Literature Foundation’s juried Older Writers Grant.
Her award-winning historical fantasy series, The Books of the Wode, is BIG... and a truly innovative re-imagining of the Robin Hood legends, with the notorious outlaw archer as a queer, chaotic-neutral druid.
Active in genre literature and conventions in the 70s/80s/90s, JTH returned to the publishing fold in 2013, and in 2018 was chosen to receive the Speculative Literature Foundation’s juried Older Writers Grant.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 22, 2020
In my review of the previous book I wrote that I’d made a mistake and made assumptions, during the first two books of the series, about the story and characters.
I still rated the third book 4 stars, even if by sheer enjoyment it would’ve been 3 stars and I’m considering adjusting it now, because the writing was very good and I think I was still riding the high (yes, six months later, it was that good) of the first two books, still loving the characters and rooting for them, still enjoying the storytelling and savoring any glimpse of the amazing characters’ dynamics I’d come to love in Greenwode and Shirewode.
After reading Summerwode, I can tell that as much as I’m always willing to assume it’s me and not the book, that I misunderstood, misread, am too dense to get what complex and profound character and story arc an author is going for, this time I can say for sure that this author lost me.
The first two books were amazing, they put me through the wringer in the best and worst of ways and I loved/hated every minute of them. So much that I assumed that even if the story was going to go where I didn’t like, I would still be okay with it, because that’s what great storytelling does, it can make you like and swallow even things you’d normally hate. It already happened in Shirewode
I need to make this very clear, because if you read this book, especially the final part, and know just a little bit about me, you may make assumptions as to why I’m rating it so low even though the writing is still technically great. The point is, there’s more to writing than choosing the right words and having a good turn of phrase. Writing is also plotting and character development, pacing and characters’ dynamic. And this is where this book and this series, because I doubt the last book will be able to make up for it, sank for me.
I don’t know what went wrong, it feels like the characters of the last two books have been a watered down version of the first two. Not only the characters, but the story isn’t as gripping, and I don’t think it’s just about the content, because great storytelling can keep me interested in almost any subject. Although to be honest all this talk about
I wish this could be a rant, I wish I cared enough about this to be mad, when I’m just…mildly disappointed. I just don’t care. The magic of the first two books is lost and I’m not even worked up enough about it to rant. The only reason I’m even reviewing this is because all the reviews with low ratings I’ve seen for this book were focused only on one specific point or two. And make no mistake, I didn’t like those points, I didn’t like them at all, but they were just the cherry on top of a very disappointing cake.
I can’t elaborate without massive spoilers, so…here’s your warning.
Okay, it seems like I actually had a rant in me. Ops. Sorry, I got carried away.
Short version: Greenwode and Shirewode were two amazing books and I’d very much like to consider them as a separate, self-contained story, if it wasn’t for the things left to resolve at the end of the second book, but I also don’t feel like the rest of the series is worthy of that awesome beginning. I could count the number of scenes in Winterwode and Summerwode that stood out and can be compared to 90% of the first two books on the fingers of one hand and still have some fingers left.
I still rated the third book 4 stars, even if by sheer enjoyment it would’ve been 3 stars and I’m considering adjusting it now, because the writing was very good and I think I was still riding the high (yes, six months later, it was that good) of the first two books, still loving the characters and rooting for them, still enjoying the storytelling and savoring any glimpse of the amazing characters’ dynamics I’d come to love in Greenwode and Shirewode.
After reading Summerwode, I can tell that as much as I’m always willing to assume it’s me and not the book, that I misunderstood, misread, am too dense to get what complex and profound character and story arc an author is going for, this time I can say for sure that this author lost me.
The first two books were amazing, they put me through the wringer in the best and worst of ways and I loved/hated every minute of them. So much that I assumed that even if the story was going to go where I didn’t like, I would still be okay with it, because that’s what great storytelling does, it can make you like and swallow even things you’d normally hate. It already happened in Shirewode
I need to make this very clear, because if you read this book, especially the final part, and know just a little bit about me, you may make assumptions as to why I’m rating it so low even though the writing is still technically great. The point is, there’s more to writing than choosing the right words and having a good turn of phrase. Writing is also plotting and character development, pacing and characters’ dynamic. And this is where this book and this series, because I doubt the last book will be able to make up for it, sank for me.
I don’t know what went wrong, it feels like the characters of the last two books have been a watered down version of the first two. Not only the characters, but the story isn’t as gripping, and I don’t think it’s just about the content, because great storytelling can keep me interested in almost any subject. Although to be honest all this talk about
I wish this could be a rant, I wish I cared enough about this to be mad, when I’m just…mildly disappointed. I just don’t care. The magic of the first two books is lost and I’m not even worked up enough about it to rant. The only reason I’m even reviewing this is because all the reviews with low ratings I’ve seen for this book were focused only on one specific point or two. And make no mistake, I didn’t like those points, I didn’t like them at all, but they were just the cherry on top of a very disappointing cake.
I can’t elaborate without massive spoilers, so…here’s your warning.
Okay, it seems like I actually had a rant in me. Ops. Sorry, I got carried away.
Short version: Greenwode and Shirewode were two amazing books and I’d very much like to consider them as a separate, self-contained story, if it wasn’t for the things left to resolve at the end of the second book, but I also don’t feel like the rest of the series is worthy of that awesome beginning. I could count the number of scenes in Winterwode and Summerwode that stood out and can be compared to 90% of the first two books on the fingers of one hand and still have some fingers left.
December 5, 2022
Bloated, unfocused, meandering, overwritten, overwrought and self-indulgent.
I'd imagined the worst thing that could possibly happen in this series was a development I'd been dreading, with a sick sense of horror, since book 1. In this book it *did* happen -- but by then I was too bored, annoyed, and alienated to care.
What can I say? I loved the first 2 books with a deep and unshakeable (so I thought) love. They form a duology, and I highly recommend them, but ONLY if you stop there. The remaining three books form their own storyline, such as it is, and honestly? I really don't want to talk about it anymore. See Elena's impassioned review of how and where things went wrong.
I'll just mention that I was stuck reading one seemingly endless scene for 8 months. Every couple months I'd pick up the book and force myself to make a couple more pages of progress, only to be overwhelmed by ennui again. At last I pushed through to the end, only to get hit with a major WTF. Ugh, I'm out. I won't be reading the final book. Yet weirdly enough, it seems I'm still rating this 3 stars. Don't ask me why. It's a mess, I'm a mess, I just want to put it behind me and move on.
I'd imagined the worst thing that could possibly happen in this series was a development I'd been dreading, with a sick sense of horror, since book 1. In this book it *did* happen -- but by then I was too bored, annoyed, and alienated to care.
What can I say? I loved the first 2 books with a deep and unshakeable (so I thought) love. They form a duology, and I highly recommend them, but ONLY if you stop there. The remaining three books form their own storyline, such as it is, and honestly? I really don't want to talk about it anymore. See Elena's impassioned review of how and where things went wrong.
I'll just mention that I was stuck reading one seemingly endless scene for 8 months. Every couple months I'd pick up the book and force myself to make a couple more pages of progress, only to be overwhelmed by ennui again. At last I pushed through to the end, only to get hit with a major WTF. Ugh, I'm out. I won't be reading the final book. Yet weirdly enough, it seems I'm still rating this 3 stars. Don't ask me why. It's a mess, I'm a mess, I just want to put it behind me and move on.
August 24, 2020
I don't know how to feel about this one I feel I'm reading a different series altogether, religion took a central part in these two last books and that's not for me... if that would have been the focus on the first two, I wouldn't have continued reading for sure, so as result, the feeling of these last two books is quite different from the first duology which I loved. The writing is still superb and the story despite not being what I was expecting is interesting enough. Huge SPOILERS under the tag, so read under your own responsability.
Thank you to my fellow BReaders for the company, it would have been really difficult going forward without you!
Thank you to my fellow BReaders for the company, it would have been really difficult going forward without you!
August 22, 2020
Reread review:
Well, I was close. It was just short of three years I had to wait for book 5, but it's here at last. And the wait was because DSP decided to embezzle income from their authors and content providers, so I was happy to see the author started her own press to rerelease this series and the final book.
But onto the actual book. I thought this flowed much better this time around and once I reached a certain point, it was near impossible to stop. Until I reached another point where the cliffhanger ending started and I had to take a wee break to prepare myself for that final push. Ms. Hennig does not go easy on her characters or her readers.
Massive spoiler for Winterwode and Summerwode:
The writing is stellar as ever, and even if there were some things not to my liking, I can't say it wasn't true to the world or the characters the author has created. She really knows how to set up and pay off the various themes and mythologies she's playing with, and I'm eager to see how everything gets resolved.
Original review:
Gah! Cliffhanger! NOOOOOOO! And I have no idea how long I'll have to wait for the next one. Going by the time between previous installments, two years maybe? :( Unless she pulls a George R.R. Martin or Diana Gabaldon, then maybe ten years? :P Thankfully, I don't see her doing that.
This picks up a few months after the end of Winterwode. Gamelyn is still entrenched in the Templars, having to suppress himself again and letting alter-id Guy de Gisbourne take over the reins for him, with all the complications that comes with. Robyn once again has no idea what's up with Gamelyn because Guy's not a man to share his plans, and Marion's just trying to hold her little family together. Of course, forces are in movement that are determined to see Robyn's little band of merry men ended one way or another, and whether foe or potential friend and ally, playing the game could end their way of life for good or ill.
There are things here that would normally drive me crazy, except that it's so perfectly in character that there really is no other way it could've gone down. There's no manipulation of characters or OOC moments to force plot points, like other authors would depend on. We've come to know these characters over three previous books, and while my hand itched to smack Gamelyn upside the head several times - and Will and occasionally Robyn - it was clear and understandable why everyone behaved the way they did.
This was as strongly written as ever, and it's also well edited despite this being DSP. My one complaint is that it felt a tad overlong. In particular, that whole cliffhanger ending, while certainly compelling, felt like it was resetting the board too much. There was already a threat there hanging in the shadows to give an ominous ending to the book while the characters still got to enjoy life for a little bit, so the last few chapters really could've been held off to kick off the next book with a bang, at least in my opinion.
Well, I was close. It was just short of three years I had to wait for book 5, but it's here at last. And the wait was because DSP decided to embezzle income from their authors and content providers, so I was happy to see the author started her own press to rerelease this series and the final book.
But onto the actual book. I thought this flowed much better this time around and once I reached a certain point, it was near impossible to stop. Until I reached another point where the cliffhanger ending started and I had to take a wee break to prepare myself for that final push. Ms. Hennig does not go easy on her characters or her readers.
Massive spoiler for Winterwode and Summerwode:
The writing is stellar as ever, and even if there were some things not to my liking, I can't say it wasn't true to the world or the characters the author has created. She really knows how to set up and pay off the various themes and mythologies she's playing with, and I'm eager to see how everything gets resolved.
Original review:
Gah! Cliffhanger! NOOOOOOO! And I have no idea how long I'll have to wait for the next one. Going by the time between previous installments, two years maybe? :( Unless she pulls a George R.R. Martin or Diana Gabaldon, then maybe ten years? :P Thankfully, I don't see her doing that.
This picks up a few months after the end of Winterwode. Gamelyn is still entrenched in the Templars, having to suppress himself again and letting alter-id Guy de Gisbourne take over the reins for him, with all the complications that comes with. Robyn once again has no idea what's up with Gamelyn because Guy's not a man to share his plans, and Marion's just trying to hold her little family together. Of course, forces are in movement that are determined to see Robyn's little band of merry men ended one way or another, and whether foe or potential friend and ally, playing the game could end their way of life for good or ill.
There are things here that would normally drive me crazy, except that it's so perfectly in character that there really is no other way it could've gone down. There's no manipulation of characters or OOC moments to force plot points, like other authors would depend on. We've come to know these characters over three previous books, and while my hand itched to smack Gamelyn upside the head several times - and Will and occasionally Robyn - it was clear and understandable why everyone behaved the way they did.
This was as strongly written as ever, and it's also well edited despite this being DSP. My one complaint is that it felt a tad overlong. In particular, that whole cliffhanger ending, while certainly compelling, felt like it was resetting the board too much. There was already a threat there hanging in the shadows to give an ominous ending to the book while the characters still got to enjoy life for a little bit, so the last few chapters really could've been held off to kick off the next book with a bang, at least in my opinion.
September 2, 2017
Summerwode (book four of the Wode)
By J. Tullos Hennig
DSP Publications, 2017
Five stars
What price would you pay for Eden?
In all my years I’ve rarely found an author who can tackle something as ambitious as the Wode series and do it with such amazing skill of narrative and language and character. These are modern books, but Hennig pulls us into the Middle Ages, surrounds us with sights and sounds that bring the time alive. She tells a great story, weaving history tightly through it, and teaches us without seeming to. We don’t just enjoy a sweeping romantic tale, we learn about the world in which it takes place.
Richard Lionheart is back in England. His brother John has been routed and the Sherriff of Nottingham has been defeated by the outlaws of Shire Wode—who, incidentally, have rescued the king’s mother from imprisonment and have made her—Eleanor of Aquitaine—their ally.
What do our friends do now? Robyn and his sister Marian, and their childhood friend Gamelyn Boundys, still tied to the Templars as Sir Guy de Gisbourne, are in a position they could never have imagined. They might regain what they have lost. They might be free. It is, they all realize, possibly too good to be true.
Oh, I wanted this book to be the last of the Wode series. In this epic, improbable, but entirely compelling reimagining of the Robin Hood legend, summer is finally coming, and hope for some better future looms. But Hennig has other plans for her readers and her characters, who are as remarkable and vivid as any I’ve ever encountered. Gamelyn cannot shake off his Templar vows, nor his love for his master, Hubert de Gisbourne. He still resists the magic of the druids that ties him to Robyn and Marian, and protects the Shire Wode. As Guy, he is still bound to the world of warrior monks, anointed Christian kings, and the politics of a feudal nobility as it pummels the north of England in the late twelfth century. For all their love for their “poncy ginger paramour,” Robyn and Marian are frustrated and worried that Gamelyn cannot yet fully trust them and their magic—his magic. Their fates are tied together irrevocably, but in what way?
I loved everything about this book and this series. There is nothing tidy, about the story nor about the relationships in it. The evil characters are as delicious as the good ones, and very little is black and white. Hennig’s lead-in to the fifth (and, it seems final) book of the Wode is unexpected and clever, reminding us of the power of the Old Magic at the moment when rigid, judgmental Christianity was determined to suppress pagan practice. I confess, the ending left me a little upset and worried for these characters I love; but there’s no way I’ll miss the final chapter when it appears.
By J. Tullos Hennig
DSP Publications, 2017
Five stars
What price would you pay for Eden?
In all my years I’ve rarely found an author who can tackle something as ambitious as the Wode series and do it with such amazing skill of narrative and language and character. These are modern books, but Hennig pulls us into the Middle Ages, surrounds us with sights and sounds that bring the time alive. She tells a great story, weaving history tightly through it, and teaches us without seeming to. We don’t just enjoy a sweeping romantic tale, we learn about the world in which it takes place.
Richard Lionheart is back in England. His brother John has been routed and the Sherriff of Nottingham has been defeated by the outlaws of Shire Wode—who, incidentally, have rescued the king’s mother from imprisonment and have made her—Eleanor of Aquitaine—their ally.
What do our friends do now? Robyn and his sister Marian, and their childhood friend Gamelyn Boundys, still tied to the Templars as Sir Guy de Gisbourne, are in a position they could never have imagined. They might regain what they have lost. They might be free. It is, they all realize, possibly too good to be true.
Oh, I wanted this book to be the last of the Wode series. In this epic, improbable, but entirely compelling reimagining of the Robin Hood legend, summer is finally coming, and hope for some better future looms. But Hennig has other plans for her readers and her characters, who are as remarkable and vivid as any I’ve ever encountered. Gamelyn cannot shake off his Templar vows, nor his love for his master, Hubert de Gisbourne. He still resists the magic of the druids that ties him to Robyn and Marian, and protects the Shire Wode. As Guy, he is still bound to the world of warrior monks, anointed Christian kings, and the politics of a feudal nobility as it pummels the north of England in the late twelfth century. For all their love for their “poncy ginger paramour,” Robyn and Marian are frustrated and worried that Gamelyn cannot yet fully trust them and their magic—his magic. Their fates are tied together irrevocably, but in what way?
I loved everything about this book and this series. There is nothing tidy, about the story nor about the relationships in it. The evil characters are as delicious as the good ones, and very little is black and white. Hennig’s lead-in to the fifth (and, it seems final) book of the Wode is unexpected and clever, reminding us of the power of the Old Magic at the moment when rigid, judgmental Christianity was determined to suppress pagan practice. I confess, the ending left me a little upset and worried for these characters I love; but there’s no way I’ll miss the final chapter when it appears.
June 17, 2017
Utterly captivating. This is the fourth book in an amazing historical epic fantasy series re-telling the Robin Hood myths and it definitely does not stand alone. This series is so special to me and my high expectations for this book were most definitely met, and exceeded. What a wonderful, satisfying book. I absolutely loved it and savoured every minute.
While the third book, Winterwode, was Marion's, and the final book, Wyldingwode, is to be Robyn's, this book is centred around Gamelyn. Throughout this series, Gamelyn, who grew up a devout Christian intending a life in the church and is now a Knight Templar, has struggled with his destiny: that he is the Summerlord of the heathen Old Religion and holds potent magic within him. The powerful love he and Robyn Hood share and his wish to commit to the pagan ways of the Wode war with his Templar loyalties and his nobleman's upbringing, and, all the while, fear and uncertainty and denial are keeping him captive and holding him back. The internal conflicts and passive indecision of the past years are tearing him apart and are making those he loves suffer almost as much as he himself. The time has come for him to make a decision or lose everything that matters. Emotional turmoil and enormous frustrations dog each of our heroes in this instalment.
Robyn and Marion and the others, along with brooding Gamelyn, have plenty of other complications to contend with this time around, including King Richard, Queen Mother Eleanor, a pack of Templars, a heap of bickering noblemen, the fae, a siege on Nottingham Castle, a possible pardon for the outlaws, and more. All this adds up to a cracking good read with one hell of a dramatic ending.
This book is completely riveting and so full of depth and layers and adventure and history. It's exciting and intense and emotional and long and thorough and so all-consuming. I've only just finished and I'm already reading it again. These books are immersive and so incredibly satisfying and are among my favourite books ever. I've rarely read characters that have been so meaningful to me. This series makes me laugh and cry and simply feel so much. The story has been building and building over four long books and, with one more book to come, I cannot wait to see how it all finishes!
Also, Serena Yates' review is excellent.
While the third book, Winterwode, was Marion's, and the final book, Wyldingwode, is to be Robyn's, this book is centred around Gamelyn. Throughout this series, Gamelyn, who grew up a devout Christian intending a life in the church and is now a Knight Templar, has struggled with his destiny: that he is the Summerlord of the heathen Old Religion and holds potent magic within him. The powerful love he and Robyn Hood share and his wish to commit to the pagan ways of the Wode war with his Templar loyalties and his nobleman's upbringing, and, all the while, fear and uncertainty and denial are keeping him captive and holding him back. The internal conflicts and passive indecision of the past years are tearing him apart and are making those he loves suffer almost as much as he himself. The time has come for him to make a decision or lose everything that matters. Emotional turmoil and enormous frustrations dog each of our heroes in this instalment.
Robyn and Marion and the others, along with brooding Gamelyn, have plenty of other complications to contend with this time around, including King Richard, Queen Mother Eleanor, a pack of Templars, a heap of bickering noblemen, the fae, a siege on Nottingham Castle, a possible pardon for the outlaws, and more. All this adds up to a cracking good read with one hell of a dramatic ending.
This book is completely riveting and so full of depth and layers and adventure and history. It's exciting and intense and emotional and long and thorough and so all-consuming. I've only just finished and I'm already reading it again. These books are immersive and so incredibly satisfying and are among my favourite books ever. I've rarely read characters that have been so meaningful to me. This series makes me laugh and cry and simply feel so much. The story has been building and building over four long books and, with one more book to come, I cannot wait to see how it all finishes!
Also, Serena Yates' review is excellent.
June 29, 2018
Re-Read 27/06/2018
I'm so sad that I finished it. I always want this novel to magically grow more pages. I have always adored Gamelyn and as Summerwode is 'his' book I have to say it really does explore his place as an honoured Templar and his place loved and cherished by Robyn's side in the Wode.
I love re-reading J Tullos Hennig's work I always feel that her writing deserves two or three re-reads to really see and appreciate the lyrical aspect of her writing and the brilliant magic hidden in every sentence. Sentences that you find yourself reading aloud just because they sound so wonderful on the tongue. These novels are so deep with meaning and tangled up in so much of the otherworld that it leaves reality pale and this is Hennig's gift that she transports the reader totally and utterly into her worldbuilding that once the book is finished it is hard to escape.
On my re-read, I am left with more questions with no answers and wondering again how this series will end happily. Cannot wait for Wyldingwode and hope the wait is long so that this series never ends, and that it is released tomorrow so I can finally know what happens to our three wonderful protagonists who I have followed all these years.
****
How can it be over already!! I tried to read slowly and I am pretty proud of myself that I made it last for a week (What self-control I have, and I needed it because I could have devoured Summerwode in one sitting it was that good!). When I finished Summerwode I was a sobbing wreck as the last chapter destroyed me. I always feel very connected to the Wode series the characters have managed to burrow their way under my skin.
I read on Twitter a couple of weeks ago that Summerwode's ending is very simular to Greenwode's ending and I am hoping this means that book 5 WyldingWode will end happily too then like Shirewode.
Hennig is an exceptional writer whose prose is exquisite and beautiful, She writes so well that sometimes you have to read sentences out loud to really appreciate the lyrical beauty of them. I had many concerns leading up to Summerwode only because I had almost two years to obsessively ponder over what Summerwode would bring us. When I was reading WinterWode I worried that the books were leading us to Gamelyn becoming Marions romantic partner, and not Robyns. However I need not have worried, Hennig handled this joining of the Ceugant beautifully. And as Summerwode is Gamelyn's book we still get a lot of his pridefulness and fighting his fate all the way through this novel, but then he yields finally, and I had tears in my eyes it was so wonderful. Gamelyn is my favorite character because he feels so much but never lets the world know his pain and guilt over things he couldn't change. Therefore when the Ceugant finally happened at the end of Summerwode, when the three of them were together briefly and happy i felt it all that more keenly because we see the struggle Gamelyn has gone through to get this far and to be with Robyn.
So much happened in this novel, I kind of felt there were three separate arcs going on throughout Summerwode. However as always, I am sure when I re-read Summerwode it will all come into place so that I can properly appreciate it and see how it fits in with the other 3 books.
to sum up all I can say about Summerwode is if you haven't read The Wode Series go and read it now. It is one of my favorite series of all time that is all consuming and will haunt you even as you close the Now I just have to wait for Wydingwode to come out! Here goes my wild speculations.......
I'm so sad that I finished it. I always want this novel to magically grow more pages. I have always adored Gamelyn and as Summerwode is 'his' book I have to say it really does explore his place as an honoured Templar and his place loved and cherished by Robyn's side in the Wode.
I love re-reading J Tullos Hennig's work I always feel that her writing deserves two or three re-reads to really see and appreciate the lyrical aspect of her writing and the brilliant magic hidden in every sentence. Sentences that you find yourself reading aloud just because they sound so wonderful on the tongue. These novels are so deep with meaning and tangled up in so much of the otherworld that it leaves reality pale and this is Hennig's gift that she transports the reader totally and utterly into her worldbuilding that once the book is finished it is hard to escape.
On my re-read, I am left with more questions with no answers and wondering again how this series will end happily. Cannot wait for Wyldingwode and hope the wait is long so that this series never ends, and that it is released tomorrow so I can finally know what happens to our three wonderful protagonists who I have followed all these years.
****
How can it be over already!! I tried to read slowly and I am pretty proud of myself that I made it last for a week (What self-control I have, and I needed it because I could have devoured Summerwode in one sitting it was that good!). When I finished Summerwode I was a sobbing wreck as the last chapter destroyed me. I always feel very connected to the Wode series the characters have managed to burrow their way under my skin.
I read on Twitter a couple of weeks ago that Summerwode's ending is very simular to Greenwode's ending and I am hoping this means that book 5 WyldingWode will end happily too then like Shirewode.
Hennig is an exceptional writer whose prose is exquisite and beautiful, She writes so well that sometimes you have to read sentences out loud to really appreciate the lyrical beauty of them. I had many concerns leading up to Summerwode only because I had almost two years to obsessively ponder over what Summerwode would bring us. When I was reading WinterWode I worried that the books were leading us to Gamelyn becoming Marions romantic partner, and not Robyns. However I need not have worried, Hennig handled this joining of the Ceugant beautifully. And as Summerwode is Gamelyn's book we still get a lot of his pridefulness and fighting his fate all the way through this novel, but then he yields finally, and I had tears in my eyes it was so wonderful. Gamelyn is my favorite character because he feels so much but never lets the world know his pain and guilt over things he couldn't change. Therefore when the Ceugant finally happened at the end of Summerwode, when the three of them were together briefly and happy i felt it all that more keenly because we see the struggle Gamelyn has gone through to get this far and to be with Robyn.
So much happened in this novel, I kind of felt there were three separate arcs going on throughout Summerwode. However as always, I am sure when I re-read Summerwode it will all come into place so that I can properly appreciate it and see how it fits in with the other 3 books.
to sum up all I can say about Summerwode is if you haven't read The Wode Series go and read it now. It is one of my favorite series of all time that is all consuming and will haunt you even as you close the Now I just have to wait for Wydingwode to come out! Here goes my wild speculations.......
September 2, 2020
Much as I adored the first two books in the Wode series, the subsequent books haven't worked as well for me. For one thing, I feel like the constant fog and tangle of magic and mysticism and tynged and the like has begun to befuddle me; most of the time I can't make heads or tails of it and end up feeling lost.
Also, there isn't nearly enough Gamelyn-Robyn page time anymore. What I loved most about Greenwode and Shirewode were the scenes of passion between the two men, and these were basically non-existent in Summerwode.
The biggest issue for me, though, was
I confess, part of me wishes this series had simply stopped at a duology. The first books were amazing, but the fact that I haven't enjoyed the follow-ups as much casts a pall over my fond memories of the first stories. :-(
Also, there isn't nearly enough Gamelyn-Robyn page time anymore. What I loved most about Greenwode and Shirewode were the scenes of passion between the two men, and these were basically non-existent in Summerwode.
The biggest issue for me, though, was
I confess, part of me wishes this series had simply stopped at a duology. The first books were amazing, but the fact that I haven't enjoyed the follow-ups as much casts a pall over my fond memories of the first stories. :-(
February 28, 2020
Wow! I think I have said it before when talking about this series, but it bears repeating. What started out as a retelling of the legend of Robin Hood – at least that is what I perceived it to be when I read the first book – has grown into an alternate fantasy world of its own. Each book adds another layer to this creation and its spiritual development. While some historical events (such as King Richard returning from the crusades) remain similar to what happened in “our” version of twelfth century history, the magic and battling religions of the ‘Wode’ series are expanding in a different direction. J Tullos Hennig is skillfully weaving medieval legends, concepts from fantasy, and her own, unique imagination into a spellbinding whole that has me breathlessly anticipating each new volume.
Please find my full review of the second edition on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Please find my full review of the second edition on Rainbow Book Reviews.
March 19, 2024
La prima duologia di questa serie era indicata come un retelling MM di Robin Hood.
Non ci è mai stato promesso che lo fosse anche la seconda, che infatti non lo è. Ovviamente l'autrice della sua storia, dei suoi seguiti, può fare quello che vuole, ci mancherebbe, ma ho trovato abbastanza ridicolo il passare da una duologia che voleva in un certo senso riscrivere il solito famoso triangolo etero a una trilogia in cui alla fine della fiera si realizza la coppia etero.
E' come se avesse cambiato idea strada facendo. Io non so, non conoscendo approfonditamente tutte le leggende di Robin Hood, se stesse cercando in qualche modo di rispettare la mitologia di base. Solo che, narrativamente parlando, non mi ha convinto.
La chimica tra Gamelyn e Marion non funziona, nonostante ogni singolo personaggio attorno a loro parli del fatto che si amino.
Ma cercando di distrarsi dalle premesse della duologia per trattare questa trilogia da sola, funziona?
Assolutamente no.
Il problema principale è che questa trilogia introduce tematiche interessanti per poi perderle del tutto per strada nell'incapacità di unificarle alle relazioni che poi mostra, il che è semplicemente frustrante.
Il tema principale della religione pagana vs quella cristiana è ancora presente, così come lo è la tematica del colonialismo, perché i nostri fuorilegge preferiti si trovano al bivio se tornare a vivere una vita onesta ma sotto le regole dello stesso che c'era prima (e che crede nella stessa religione della Badessa che li ha condannati la prima volta) o continuare a essere dei fuorilegge ma liberi da chi li vuole sottomettere..
Una dicotomia ben rappresentata da Robin e Gamelyn, com'era nei primi due libri, il cristiano e il pagano, il povero e il nobiluomo.
Peccato poi che il momento più importante di questo confronto, dove si viene a concretizzare questo bivio e la problematica che una scelta particolare porta con sé, poi... finisca tutto nel nulla. Succedono altre cose totalmente scollegate da ciò, Robyn e Gamelyn parlano a malapena di quello che è successo (che per inciso è estremamente grave, anche nel modo in cui Gamelyn reagisce) e la scelta che viene fatta è quasi scontata e non ha alcun riscontro nel modo in cui la problematica è stata posta.
A questo si aggiunge anche la problematica legata alla storyline di Marion, che è brutta se non non-sense. Sono due libri che Marion ce la mena con il suo voler scegliere, con il suo voler essere libera di andare a letto con chi le pare... con un libro che finisce con lei obbligata ad andare a letto con chi vince uno scontro di wrestling. Trova il senso in questa scelta narrativa.
Sarebbe stato infinitamente più interessante se Marion avesse proseguito con la sua battaglia sull'essere libera; poteva venirne fuori un bel discorso tra religioni (che benché diverse spesso si rivelano maschiliste allo stesso modo), visto che lei le aveva affrontate entrambe da dentro e poteva rendersi conto meglio che anche la sua stessa religione, esattamente come quella cristiana, le stava imponendo una scelta che non era la sua, invece niente, improvvisamente tutto quello che ha affrontato e le tematiche del primo libro sulla situazione della donna non hanno più importanza.
Tra l'altro a questo riguardo mi ha fatto anche incazzare il trattamento del personaggio di Will. Ricordo che questo personaggio è uno che nel primo libro si è vendicato per lo stupro subito da sua madre e ha sempre ribadito la questione del potere che quella guarda aveva su di lei, solo per trasformarsi in questi due libri della trilogia nel maschio bianco etero(TM) che pretende di decidere per la donna e di possederla.
Se non fosse già fastidiosa la narrazione che vuole fartelo stare sul cazzo (e quindi eccomi qui ad amarlo, perché no, libri, non decidete voi per il lettore) la risoluzione finale della sua storyline è ridicola perché lo si critica per una cosa (nonostante lui abbia fatto capire in più occasioni il perché sia così antagonista nei confronti di Gamelyn e viste certe scelte non mi sento nemmeno di dargli torto) che Gamelyn fa praticamente identica.
Gamelyn avrebbe potuto avere una scelta, che avrebbe lasciato Marion libera di stare con l'uomo che ama, e invece no, ma apparentemente Gamelyn e Marion si amano, Much vuole bene a Gamelyn e non è geloso e quindi tutt'apposto. Trova il senso in questa scelta narrativa.
Peccato perché certe cose e certi personaggi (Eleanor su tutte) sono anche stati interessanti da leggere, ma si perdono nel fatto che l'autrice parte da A ma invece di arrivare a B arriva a 5 senza alcuna logica.
Non ho ancora deciso se leggere anche l'ultimo libro, ma in realtà sono orientata più per il no. E' che non me ne frega abbastanza (guarda, per pettiness avrei letto solo per Will, ma già mi sono spoilerata e quindi sticazzi proprio).
Non ci è mai stato promesso che lo fosse anche la seconda, che infatti non lo è. Ovviamente l'autrice della sua storia, dei suoi seguiti, può fare quello che vuole, ci mancherebbe, ma ho trovato abbastanza ridicolo il passare da una duologia che voleva in un certo senso riscrivere il solito famoso triangolo etero a una trilogia in cui alla fine della fiera si realizza la coppia etero.
E' come se avesse cambiato idea strada facendo. Io non so, non conoscendo approfonditamente tutte le leggende di Robin Hood, se stesse cercando in qualche modo di rispettare la mitologia di base. Solo che, narrativamente parlando, non mi ha convinto.
La chimica tra Gamelyn e Marion non funziona, nonostante ogni singolo personaggio attorno a loro parli del fatto che si amino.
Ma cercando di distrarsi dalle premesse della duologia per trattare questa trilogia da sola, funziona?
Assolutamente no.
Il problema principale è che questa trilogia introduce tematiche interessanti per poi perderle del tutto per strada nell'incapacità di unificarle alle relazioni che poi mostra, il che è semplicemente frustrante.
Il tema principale della religione pagana vs quella cristiana è ancora presente, così come lo è la tematica del colonialismo, perché i nostri fuorilegge preferiti si trovano al bivio se tornare a vivere una vita onesta ma sotto le regole dello stesso che c'era prima (e che crede nella stessa religione della Badessa che li ha condannati la prima volta) o continuare a essere dei fuorilegge ma liberi da chi li vuole sottomettere..
Una dicotomia ben rappresentata da Robin e Gamelyn, com'era nei primi due libri, il cristiano e il pagano, il povero e il nobiluomo.
Peccato poi che il momento più importante di questo confronto, dove si viene a concretizzare questo bivio e la problematica che una scelta particolare porta con sé, poi... finisca tutto nel nulla. Succedono altre cose totalmente scollegate da ciò, Robyn e Gamelyn parlano a malapena di quello che è successo (che per inciso è estremamente grave, anche nel modo in cui Gamelyn reagisce) e la scelta che viene fatta è quasi scontata e non ha alcun riscontro nel modo in cui la problematica è stata posta.
A questo si aggiunge anche la problematica legata alla storyline di Marion, che è brutta se non non-sense. Sono due libri che Marion ce la mena con il suo voler scegliere, con il suo voler essere libera di andare a letto con chi le pare... con un libro che finisce con lei obbligata ad andare a letto con chi vince uno scontro di wrestling. Trova il senso in questa scelta narrativa.
Sarebbe stato infinitamente più interessante se Marion avesse proseguito con la sua battaglia sull'essere libera; poteva venirne fuori un bel discorso tra religioni (che benché diverse spesso si rivelano maschiliste allo stesso modo), visto che lei le aveva affrontate entrambe da dentro e poteva rendersi conto meglio che anche la sua stessa religione, esattamente come quella cristiana, le stava imponendo una scelta che non era la sua, invece niente, improvvisamente tutto quello che ha affrontato e le tematiche del primo libro sulla situazione della donna non hanno più importanza.
Tra l'altro a questo riguardo mi ha fatto anche incazzare il trattamento del personaggio di Will. Ricordo che questo personaggio è uno che nel primo libro si è vendicato per lo stupro subito da sua madre e ha sempre ribadito la questione del potere che quella guarda aveva su di lei, solo per trasformarsi in questi due libri della trilogia nel maschio bianco etero(TM) che pretende di decidere per la donna e di possederla.
Se non fosse già fastidiosa la narrazione che vuole fartelo stare sul cazzo (e quindi eccomi qui ad amarlo, perché no, libri, non decidete voi per il lettore) la risoluzione finale della sua storyline è ridicola perché lo si critica per una cosa (nonostante lui abbia fatto capire in più occasioni il perché sia così antagonista nei confronti di Gamelyn e viste certe scelte non mi sento nemmeno di dargli torto) che Gamelyn fa praticamente identica.
Gamelyn avrebbe potuto avere una scelta, che avrebbe lasciato Marion libera di stare con l'uomo che ama, e invece no, ma apparentemente Gamelyn e Marion si amano, Much vuole bene a Gamelyn e non è geloso e quindi tutt'apposto. Trova il senso in questa scelta narrativa.
Peccato perché certe cose e certi personaggi (Eleanor su tutte) sono anche stati interessanti da leggere, ma si perdono nel fatto che l'autrice parte da A ma invece di arrivare a B arriva a 5 senza alcuna logica.
Non ho ancora deciso se leggere anche l'ultimo libro, ma in realtà sono orientata più per il no. E' che non me ne frega abbastanza (guarda, per pettiness avrei letto solo per Will, ma già mi sono spoilerata e quindi sticazzi proprio).
November 15, 2017
Reimagining the Robin Hood legends, J. Tullos Hennig sets the action in twelfth century Shire Wode (Sherwood Forest) when ancient druid ways are being scoured from the countryside by the Christianizing Norman occupation. It’s the era of England’s King Richard the Lionheart, his brother John who rules while Richard is on Crusade in the Holy Land and imprisoned in Austria, and Richard’s mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine. The population is divided between the Norman ruling class and Saxon commoners. And the Earth powers are stirring … historical fantasy at its absolute best!
Hennig’s The Wode series begins with Greenwode (2013), develops through Shirewode (2013) and Winterwode (2015), and arrives in the fourth book titled Summerwode (2017), the focus of this review. Let’s catch up a little on the other three books in order to set the stage for comments.
The heroes first meet (Greenwode) when twelve-year-old Gamelyn, the third son of Sir Ian Boundys, becomes lost while riding in the forest and is attacked by a buck deer in rut. Gamelyn falls from his horse, is hoisted on the buck’s horns, and knocked silly. On an errand to Loxley village, Robyn, eleven-year-old son of the lord’s forester for Shire Wode, finds him unconscious on the ground.
Hennig carefully draws out the scene.
It’s no accident that Gamelyn is challenged and wounded by a “buck” in the forest, “spit on the horns, thrown aside as if he is parchment ripped from a court ledger, set ablaze in a brazier… his head is burning from the fire, ground beneath the galloping hoofs... He’s going to die. He can feel the stag’s breath heating and tugging his cape and he cannot even lift so much as his fingers to do anything about it.”
All this is foreshadow as well as action and shows Hennig as a master of story, wherein every detail counts. Back to the forest.
“Bloody damn.” Robyn guesses the “poncy lad” laid out on the forest floor is addled, and he notices that the riding cape is finely crafted while underneath is a worn out dark-blue tunic. Robyn wonders what kind of lad “wore such rich clothes until they wear out?” Indeed.
Dazed from his fall, Gamelyn’s first waking glimpse of Robyn is of a “wolf. Black pelt gleaming, dark eyes glittering with fire and shadows. Lean and dusty, the outlier moves toward him with another growl, soft threat. Hungry.” Later in the first book, that phrase will change seamlessly from “lean and dusty” to “lean and lusty.”
And thus begins the unlikely friendship of Robyn of the Shirewode and Gamelyn of Blythe Castle. The main characters—Gamelyn, Robyn and his 15-year-old sister, Marion—are fully developed as believable, likeable personalities with strengths and faults—though Marion’s “faults” are perhaps a bit lacking. She learns herbal medicine at her mother’s side, but after the brutal death of both parents, experiences a major memory lapse (in Shirewode) that stands out as a distinguishing if unplanned phase of her apprenticeship. I shouldn’t disclose more of the story, but reading between the lines, her amnesia stands metaphorically for the ongoing effort by women to reclaim knowledge that has been erased and nearly forgotten.
The Earth powers—the Stag Lord and The Lady—act as commentators and advisors, sometimes taunting the three heroes. Usually intruding into their thoughts, they provide both humor and an ominous foreboding presence.
Each book has its own plot within the series, and the heroes deal with local authorities and religious zealots in Shirewode, the Queen Mother and plots against King Richard in Winterwode, and in the fourth book, King Richard and Wymarec, the most powerful Templar in England. Gamelyn, Robyn, and Marion are now fully empowered for their roles—Summerlord, Winter King, and Maiden of the Spring. The big question is: will Gamelyn claim the crown of the Summerlord and ...
Well, best you read it for yourself.
Still, I want to comment on one theme in the series—the dilemma of the modern male. Robyn is apprentice to an Ur-druid who lives in a cave under the holy hill. The druid molds his character and consecrates him to Earth powers while Robyn lives in a home that supports him. As a young man he bears the weight of the Stag Lord’s horns. Yet the old ways are on the brink of disappearing, and his future is tied to the future of the Shire. He must act and knows with whom.
On the other hand, Gamelyn is the son of a Norman lord, and what is his apprenticehsip? As the third son, he won’t inherit. He wants to be a scholar, suggesting a quiet life inside the church. But by accident, he gets lost in the woods and is befriended by two local youth imbued with forest powers, powers that stir his soul despite the socialization of church and class privilege. Worse. His first and only true love blossoms with another young man, a disqualifying disgrace within the Norman lord’s hillfort. He is driven away and forced to join the Knights Templar for violation of the patriarchal male code, a punishment that splits him into two characters: Gamelyn, the gentle pre-pubescent boy Robyn and Marion grew to love (Greenwode) becomes Guy de Gisbourne, Falconier to a Templar Commander and a master of martial mayhem (Shirewode). His family believes he died in the Holy Land on Crusade. And in a sense, Gamelyn is dead.
Hennig’s is a particularly interesting take on the foreboding task of survival for the modern young male who accidentally discovers a world in the forest outside the boundaries of his upbringing, a world where Earth remains recognizable as the primary power. Her story portrays Guy de Gisbourne (a hyper-masculine Gamelyn in the role of a Templar hitman) as a rigidly disciplined young man who must ceaselessly tamp down the Earth-power welling inside. Thus, the reader encounters a split character—Gamelyn/Guy—who blindly struggles for his own soul and the right to forget … or fully be the person he truly is. The apparent irreconcilable differences between Gamelyn (who must grown up) and Guy (who must reclaim boyhood inspiration) require constant pressure against one temperament so the other temperament has room to breathe. Gamelyn/Guy must choose.
For me, Gamelyn/Guy’s struggle is the central conflict that drives the story forward—Oak and Holly or Cross and Sword—for it appears that it cannot be both.
And a major achievement of the author is Marion—the third element—who is not merely a pretty face standing in the corner watching the boy’s battle. Her energy, her birthing and healing powers as well as her aim with bow and arrow are essential for the survival of the old ways against the encroaching outsider beliefs that would destroy the old ways. Can a threesome truly work in harmony? Will the old ways survive? The genius of the story is how the weaving of Robyn’s soul with Gamelyn’s and Gamelyn’s with Marion’s is so convincing. And, of course, we cheer for them.
While I anticipate a satisfying conclusion to the series, the denouement of Summerwode surprised me. There is much to ponder in what Hennig has wrought and much to admire. And we are left wondering to where will our three heroes travel next. It’s surely worth the wait.
Highly recommended.
Hennig’s The Wode series begins with Greenwode (2013), develops through Shirewode (2013) and Winterwode (2015), and arrives in the fourth book titled Summerwode (2017), the focus of this review. Let’s catch up a little on the other three books in order to set the stage for comments.
The heroes first meet (Greenwode) when twelve-year-old Gamelyn, the third son of Sir Ian Boundys, becomes lost while riding in the forest and is attacked by a buck deer in rut. Gamelyn falls from his horse, is hoisted on the buck’s horns, and knocked silly. On an errand to Loxley village, Robyn, eleven-year-old son of the lord’s forester for Shire Wode, finds him unconscious on the ground.
Hennig carefully draws out the scene.
It’s no accident that Gamelyn is challenged and wounded by a “buck” in the forest, “spit on the horns, thrown aside as if he is parchment ripped from a court ledger, set ablaze in a brazier… his head is burning from the fire, ground beneath the galloping hoofs... He’s going to die. He can feel the stag’s breath heating and tugging his cape and he cannot even lift so much as his fingers to do anything about it.”
All this is foreshadow as well as action and shows Hennig as a master of story, wherein every detail counts. Back to the forest.
“Bloody damn.” Robyn guesses the “poncy lad” laid out on the forest floor is addled, and he notices that the riding cape is finely crafted while underneath is a worn out dark-blue tunic. Robyn wonders what kind of lad “wore such rich clothes until they wear out?” Indeed.
Dazed from his fall, Gamelyn’s first waking glimpse of Robyn is of a “wolf. Black pelt gleaming, dark eyes glittering with fire and shadows. Lean and dusty, the outlier moves toward him with another growl, soft threat. Hungry.” Later in the first book, that phrase will change seamlessly from “lean and dusty” to “lean and lusty.”
And thus begins the unlikely friendship of Robyn of the Shirewode and Gamelyn of Blythe Castle. The main characters—Gamelyn, Robyn and his 15-year-old sister, Marion—are fully developed as believable, likeable personalities with strengths and faults—though Marion’s “faults” are perhaps a bit lacking. She learns herbal medicine at her mother’s side, but after the brutal death of both parents, experiences a major memory lapse (in Shirewode) that stands out as a distinguishing if unplanned phase of her apprenticeship. I shouldn’t disclose more of the story, but reading between the lines, her amnesia stands metaphorically for the ongoing effort by women to reclaim knowledge that has been erased and nearly forgotten.
The Earth powers—the Stag Lord and The Lady—act as commentators and advisors, sometimes taunting the three heroes. Usually intruding into their thoughts, they provide both humor and an ominous foreboding presence.
Each book has its own plot within the series, and the heroes deal with local authorities and religious zealots in Shirewode, the Queen Mother and plots against King Richard in Winterwode, and in the fourth book, King Richard and Wymarec, the most powerful Templar in England. Gamelyn, Robyn, and Marion are now fully empowered for their roles—Summerlord, Winter King, and Maiden of the Spring. The big question is: will Gamelyn claim the crown of the Summerlord and ...
Well, best you read it for yourself.
Still, I want to comment on one theme in the series—the dilemma of the modern male. Robyn is apprentice to an Ur-druid who lives in a cave under the holy hill. The druid molds his character and consecrates him to Earth powers while Robyn lives in a home that supports him. As a young man he bears the weight of the Stag Lord’s horns. Yet the old ways are on the brink of disappearing, and his future is tied to the future of the Shire. He must act and knows with whom.
On the other hand, Gamelyn is the son of a Norman lord, and what is his apprenticehsip? As the third son, he won’t inherit. He wants to be a scholar, suggesting a quiet life inside the church. But by accident, he gets lost in the woods and is befriended by two local youth imbued with forest powers, powers that stir his soul despite the socialization of church and class privilege. Worse. His first and only true love blossoms with another young man, a disqualifying disgrace within the Norman lord’s hillfort. He is driven away and forced to join the Knights Templar for violation of the patriarchal male code, a punishment that splits him into two characters: Gamelyn, the gentle pre-pubescent boy Robyn and Marion grew to love (Greenwode) becomes Guy de Gisbourne, Falconier to a Templar Commander and a master of martial mayhem (Shirewode). His family believes he died in the Holy Land on Crusade. And in a sense, Gamelyn is dead.
Hennig’s is a particularly interesting take on the foreboding task of survival for the modern young male who accidentally discovers a world in the forest outside the boundaries of his upbringing, a world where Earth remains recognizable as the primary power. Her story portrays Guy de Gisbourne (a hyper-masculine Gamelyn in the role of a Templar hitman) as a rigidly disciplined young man who must ceaselessly tamp down the Earth-power welling inside. Thus, the reader encounters a split character—Gamelyn/Guy—who blindly struggles for his own soul and the right to forget … or fully be the person he truly is. The apparent irreconcilable differences between Gamelyn (who must grown up) and Guy (who must reclaim boyhood inspiration) require constant pressure against one temperament so the other temperament has room to breathe. Gamelyn/Guy must choose.
For me, Gamelyn/Guy’s struggle is the central conflict that drives the story forward—Oak and Holly or Cross and Sword—for it appears that it cannot be both.
And a major achievement of the author is Marion—the third element—who is not merely a pretty face standing in the corner watching the boy’s battle. Her energy, her birthing and healing powers as well as her aim with bow and arrow are essential for the survival of the old ways against the encroaching outsider beliefs that would destroy the old ways. Can a threesome truly work in harmony? Will the old ways survive? The genius of the story is how the weaving of Robyn’s soul with Gamelyn’s and Gamelyn’s with Marion’s is so convincing. And, of course, we cheer for them.
While I anticipate a satisfying conclusion to the series, the denouement of Summerwode surprised me. There is much to ponder in what Hennig has wrought and much to admire. And we are left wondering to where will our three heroes travel next. It’s surely worth the wait.
Highly recommended.
March 27, 2020
Check out my full (spoiler-y) review at my blog: BookshelfSOS. Thanks!
I have feelings. So many feelings.
Summerwode is the fourth book (out of an anticipated five) in the Wode series by J. Tullos Hennig. This story is (I believe) loosely based on The Tale of Gamelyn, which is a Canterbury Tale as well as actual English history from this time period, including a recorded siege of Nottingham Castle in 1194. Richard the Lionheart had been ransomed from Henry VI and is returning to English shores. Our band of outlaws had made some progress toward legitimacy in Winterwode, and now a royal pardon is within their grasp. Meanwhile, old enemies are plotting revenge and the leaders of the Templar Knights have their own agenda and seem to want to seize control of the magic of the Wode.
Why did this book take me almost two full months to read? I read 11 other books in between starting this and finishing it. I think part of it is that this book felt sacred. I didn’t want to rush through it just to get to the end (especially knowing that I’d be waiting for the next one) and I wanted to savor every little detail of the absolutely gorgeous prose. Seriously, the writing in this book absolutely blew me away on every page. How does Hennig - as a modern-day American writer - craft prose as lovely and lyrical as a Medieval ballad? The other reason why this book took me longer to read is that there is a definite shift in the pacing of this story (and Winterwode too, honestly) compared to the first two books in the series. Summerwode is much slower and the plot didn’t really compel me forward with a desperate need to know what would happen next. Rather, it led me through a slowly unfolding scene and asked me to appreciate the interesting details. Which I absolutely did. Think lazy river canoe instead of white water rapids. Both are good, of course. One just gets you to the end a lot faster.
Really though, I really can’t say enough to praise this book, and the series as a whole. I love, love, love the characters, their magical Medieval Wode, the dialects, the interwoven history and mythology: it all hits some really perfect notes and works so beautifully. As a consummate lover of all things achingly sad and painful, these books manage to deliver in spades as well. Are Robyn and Gamelyn constantly getting wounded, either physically or emotionally? Yes, and I truly love it. Not Marion though. Stay away from my queen. Anyone who tries to hurt her will have to go through me.
This series is as close to perfect as I can dream up in my mind. It's long and literary and achingly sad and gay and historical and ROBIN HOOD and... yeah. It's everything. I'm so glad that we're all lucky enough to live in a world where these books exist.
I have feelings. So many feelings.
Summerwode is the fourth book (out of an anticipated five) in the Wode series by J. Tullos Hennig. This story is (I believe) loosely based on The Tale of Gamelyn, which is a Canterbury Tale as well as actual English history from this time period, including a recorded siege of Nottingham Castle in 1194. Richard the Lionheart had been ransomed from Henry VI and is returning to English shores. Our band of outlaws had made some progress toward legitimacy in Winterwode, and now a royal pardon is within their grasp. Meanwhile, old enemies are plotting revenge and the leaders of the Templar Knights have their own agenda and seem to want to seize control of the magic of the Wode.
Why did this book take me almost two full months to read? I read 11 other books in between starting this and finishing it. I think part of it is that this book felt sacred. I didn’t want to rush through it just to get to the end (especially knowing that I’d be waiting for the next one) and I wanted to savor every little detail of the absolutely gorgeous prose. Seriously, the writing in this book absolutely blew me away on every page. How does Hennig - as a modern-day American writer - craft prose as lovely and lyrical as a Medieval ballad? The other reason why this book took me longer to read is that there is a definite shift in the pacing of this story (and Winterwode too, honestly) compared to the first two books in the series. Summerwode is much slower and the plot didn’t really compel me forward with a desperate need to know what would happen next. Rather, it led me through a slowly unfolding scene and asked me to appreciate the interesting details. Which I absolutely did. Think lazy river canoe instead of white water rapids. Both are good, of course. One just gets you to the end a lot faster.
Really though, I really can’t say enough to praise this book, and the series as a whole. I love, love, love the characters, their magical Medieval Wode, the dialects, the interwoven history and mythology: it all hits some really perfect notes and works so beautifully. As a consummate lover of all things achingly sad and painful, these books manage to deliver in spades as well. Are Robyn and Gamelyn constantly getting wounded, either physically or emotionally? Yes, and I truly love it. Not Marion though. Stay away from my queen. Anyone who tries to hurt her will have to go through me.
This series is as close to perfect as I can dream up in my mind. It's long and literary and achingly sad and gay and historical and ROBIN HOOD and... yeah. It's everything. I'm so glad that we're all lucky enough to live in a world where these books exist.
February 17, 2019
I understand the necessity of fertility ritual, but in this particular instance I found it incredibly off putting and it completely spoiled the book for me.
September 13, 2020
There's a spoiler on the publisher's website that ruined the book for me a little. Or a lot. Avoid dsp publication website if you don't want spoilers.
Not sure if it was the book itself or the fact I was waiting for something to happen, but this was much less enjoyable than the last 2 books. It dragged at times, slow dialogue and too much inner monologue and not enough action. It picked up towards the end though. I think I might need to reread this one to get a true opinion on it.
Edit: I’m re-reading before I start on the new book. It’s actually worse than I remembered. I’d grown to love the series, but as I go back to it after a break, I’m finding it really hard going. It’s page after page of the thoughts going through characters heads, which is dull and doesn’t move the story on. The language is difficult too. And the Yorks/Derbs dialect seems a bit off. The author also does the thing that southern English people do when they have a working class northern character - they write the northern accent phonetically, but don’t do the same for the southern English accent, that always bugs me. They’re assuming the written English ‘should’ be spoken in their accent, not mine!
Gamelyn is being bullied constantly to do something, but I don’t understand what. He’s told he’s not trying, that he doesn’t trust Robyn/the god. He’s refusing to do something but it’s hazy as to what. He’s refusing an initiation, to take his crown, to do the Beltain thing. It’s never really specified by the person whose hassling Gamelyn to do it, but all the above are alluded to. All the hassling is boring and also disturbing, I don’t like reading about someone being pushed into something.
Not sure if it was the book itself or the fact I was waiting for something to happen, but this was much less enjoyable than the last 2 books. It dragged at times, slow dialogue and too much inner monologue and not enough action. It picked up towards the end though. I think I might need to reread this one to get a true opinion on it.
Edit: I’m re-reading before I start on the new book. It’s actually worse than I remembered. I’d grown to love the series, but as I go back to it after a break, I’m finding it really hard going. It’s page after page of the thoughts going through characters heads, which is dull and doesn’t move the story on. The language is difficult too. And the Yorks/Derbs dialect seems a bit off. The author also does the thing that southern English people do when they have a working class northern character - they write the northern accent phonetically, but don’t do the same for the southern English accent, that always bugs me. They’re assuming the written English ‘should’ be spoken in their accent, not mine!
Gamelyn is being bullied constantly to do something, but I don’t understand what. He’s told he’s not trying, that he doesn’t trust Robyn/the god. He’s refusing to do something but it’s hazy as to what. He’s refusing an initiation, to take his crown, to do the Beltain thing. It’s never really specified by the person whose hassling Gamelyn to do it, but all the above are alluded to. All the hassling is boring and also disturbing, I don’t like reading about someone being pushed into something.
February 28, 2020
Wow! I think I have said it before when talking about this series, but it bears repeating. What started out as a retelling of the legend of Robin Hood – at least that is what I perceived it to be when I read the first book – has grown into an alternate fantasy world of its own. Each book adds another layer to this creation and its spiritual development. While some historical events (such as King Richard returning from the crusades) remain similar to what happened in “our” version of twelfth century history, the magic and battling religions of the ‘Wode’ series are expanding in a different direction. J Tullos Hennig is skillfully weaving medieval legends, concepts from fantasy, and her own, unique imagination into a spellbinding whole that has me breathlessly anticipating each new volume.
Please find my full review of the second edition on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Please find my full review of the second edition on Rainbow Book Reviews.
March 18, 2018
I wobble on between a 3 and 4 on this. I sped through 1 and 2, and maybe 3, so I expected to devour this the minute it landed on my kindle. It took me a year almost with plenty of easy distractions.
The beginning is very slow, and it took me almost a third of the book to fully get back into it. Too many secrets and opaque motivations at the beginning that makes it hard to get invested, too much fighting and coldness between Robyn and Gamelyn and you're begging for a quiet and good moment together, but it doesn't let up for most of the book. There is talk of a 'plan in place' that was not very clear in terms of narrative, but played out anyway, and a but dragging in parts.
THAT said, I barreled to the ending once it picked up and the payoff is absurdly good. The tension in the narrative is as good as I remembered as in Shirewode. The setup for book 5 at the end was unexpected and well, crap, now I need the next book and not a release date in sight...
The beginning is very slow, and it took me almost a third of the book to fully get back into it. Too many secrets and opaque motivations at the beginning that makes it hard to get invested, too much fighting and coldness between Robyn and Gamelyn and you're begging for a quiet and good moment together, but it doesn't let up for most of the book. There is talk of a 'plan in place' that was not very clear in terms of narrative, but played out anyway, and a but dragging in parts.
THAT said, I barreled to the ending once it picked up and the payoff is absurdly good. The tension in the narrative is as good as I remembered as in Shirewode. The setup for book 5 at the end was unexpected and well, crap, now I need the next book and not a release date in sight...
October 1, 2018
The story of Robyn, Marion, and Gamelyn has not been easy. They've suffered ups and downs, and beyond their personal tragedies they have almost been torn apart several times. But now they've found a bit of peace...or so they think. When the three are summoned to the siege of Nottingham by the Queen, none are exactly pleased or excited. But she has promised Gamelyn that he may reclaim his family's noble title while Robyn and Marion will receive royal pardons. And while none of them exactly trust the royals, the Queen has proven to be unlike the others. But King Richard has returned, and it turns out he may have some suspect motives of his own...
I so love this series. It is one of my favorites that I've read--ever. And I am definitely looking forward to book five and its epic conclusion. I've you've not experienced this series, you are missing out. Run, don't walk.
I so love this series. It is one of my favorites that I've read--ever. And I am definitely looking forward to book five and its epic conclusion. I've you've not experienced this series, you are missing out. Run, don't walk.
February 6, 2021
I liked this entry, but still can't help but feel a little disappointed after my HUGE love for books 1&2. The writing was still lovely (though I could certainly do with fewer mentions of 'verdigris' and 'cinnabar' from here) and the characters still have my heart. Robyn has fast become one of my favourite fantasy characters, and Hennig draws him with such care. I do think that this volume could have used some heavier editing; it was at least 100 pages too long, and this affected the pacing. After the ending I am intrigued about where book 5 will take us, but I'm not sure if this will end up as an all-time favourite (which seemed a given following books 1&2).
November 17, 2017
Honestly, I don't know what to say that I haven't said about previous books. Incredible from every angle, and in every way. A masterful weaving of plots and conflicts that have been building from book one. I'm dying for the next book.
May 31, 2017
3.5 stars
November 28, 2023
AAJKBJK@BSB@BSJHI
slayed
marion ate it up and left no crumbs.
slayed
marion ate it up and left no crumbs.
August 14, 2017
Robyn is too integral to kill off.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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