Crowvus Book Blog

 I remember when I was little, watching a Making Of documentary about Robin of Sherwood . One of the points which the writer made was that each person who retells the Robin Hood legend adds a little something to the story. He introduced the idea of the occult – the Baron de Belleme in particular is a terrifying character – and this later influenced other Robin Hood adaptations, including the character of Mortianna in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves . You might be surprised to find that this blog is not actually about any version of Robin Hood. In fact, it’s about the TV series Merlin . That’s your recommended viewing for wet days during summer, if we have any rain ever again after this heatwave! I first came across Merlin when it was released in 2008. It was such a Big Deal that a trailer for the series was shown at the cinema when I went to watch Tropic Thunder with my older sister while living with her in Ipswich. I mostly just remember the dragon and thinking it looked ok. Some...

☝ The story behind the Pied Piper 👆 I know I've shared my take on the traditional legend of the Pied Piper (above!) before, so here's a little story about the legacy of that legend. This is one of the early adventures of Frederik, a young pilgrim on his way to Rome, and all he encounters in the town of Hameln, some years after the legendary events... Of All The Pleasant Sights They See (first published in Hooded:Hidden) February was a cold month. Not only cold, but dark too. But the further he travelled, the longer the days became. Back at home, this change was slower. Frederik had tried only to travel in daylight. At first, he had believed his destination could be reached in a handful of weeks. After all, Father Willehad received news within the month it had been written. But his letters were delivered by emissaries on horseback. On foot it took much longer. Weeks had been an optimistic aim. And then he had become lost. Frederik had arrived in The Empire close to Advent, mak...

 For me, there is no one in history more fascinating than the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Poised between the historical and the mythological, his legend is one which has inspired multiple works of art and studies of science. None have given a conclusive answer to who he was or what happened to the children he stole. The only certainty is that Hamelin town did indeed suffer a lost generation at the end of the 13th Century. This sort of figure is a dream come true for a historical writer, especially one who likes to teeter on the edge of mythology. I couldn't let a chance like this pass me by. In fact, the events at Hamelin are also destined to be interwoven in another book I'm in the process of writing - whether that ever gets finished or not remains to be seen! So what are the facts? Well, two things of note happened in what is now northern Germany in the year 1284: a fire in the city of Hamburg which destroyed all but one house in the area, and the mysterious disappearance of 130 c...

 “I was visiting a friend in the borders one Michaelmas and we happened upon a hiring fair. A  place called Hazeldine. I found a charming boy to be a page for you, Mother. Whatever  happened to him?” - I found a relevant quote from Dance With Me, our next release, which is coming out  on 22nd October this year! Michaelmas is a great day for inspiration and storytelling. Traditionally, it was one of the days when hiring was conducted, and the school term  started. All these opportunities that people had to gather together and share stories about  whatever had happened since the last time they saw each other. (We’ve got less of those  opportunities this year, but technology still allows us to share our stories and news with  people further afield.) You can read all about St Michael chasing the devil to Earth in Susan’s latest blog post. The  feast day actually belongs to St Michael and all angels, especially his fellow archangels –  Gabrie...