Rotherwood: A Prequel to Ivanhoe
England and the Holy Land are the settings of this 12th-century imagining of Wilfred of Ivanhoe’s life over the four years before the opening pages of Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe. Young Wilfred, a new knight, joins King Richard the Lionheart’s crusade to reclaim Jerusalem. His Saxon father is not pleased, refuses to honor the love between his son and his devoted Rowena with a betrothal, and disinherits him.
In the Holy Land, warrior loyalties are divided by warring European kingdoms as well as Saladin’s forces. Disease, treason, and massacres plague the Crusaders. Wilfred suffers all, as well as post-traumatic stress, nightmares, and doubts.
Back in England, the country is being devastated by corruption and crippling taxes thanks to Richard’s brother John. Rowena finds ways to ease the suffering of the poor. She is aided in her efforts by a nobleman-turned-outlaw and his band. In one of the novel’s many delights, she’s responsible for him becoming known as Robin Hood.
Through their long separation, the narrative glides from Rowena’s to Wilfred’s settings and conflicts. Despite a few anachronisms and modern phrasing, Rotherwood carries on in the historical novel adventure traditions of Thomas B. Costain, James Fenimore Cooper, and Sir Walter Scott himself. A page-turning treat! Highly recommended.
