Book review
Written by Paul Kane
Abaddon paperback
Release date Out now

In the post-Cull world, Nottingham Castle becomes a seat of villainy once more...

The Afterblight Chronicles are finding their feet, with Paul Kane's novel using the series' lack of taboos to great effect within this story. There is still a lot of graphic violence, but for the first time the four letter words don’t seem as gratuitous as in some of the earlier volumes.

The best aspect about this book is that it fits well within the Afterblight world (everyone has died horribly except for those with one particular blood type), yet the story could be told without that narrative set up. Creating a Robin Hood for the early 21st Century, complete with band of men, Kane moulds his characters within the various versions of the legend – notably including the Richard Carpenter series from the 1980s – and in an unforced postmodern way isn't afraid to have them acknowledge this.

Of all the novels so far in the Chronicles, this is the most visual, with Kane's prose bringing to life the world both within Nottingham Castle and in Sherwood Forest. His action sequences have a film editor's eye, giving the reader exactly the amount of information needed to become caught up in events.

Kane's mixture of legend and modern-day works well, with Rob Stokes making a very effective reluctant hero, becoming the latest incarnation of the Hooded Man almost despite himself. Paul Simpson

VERDICT: 7/10
As with all the Chronicles so far, plotlines are left open for a sequel, and it will be interesting to revisit Rob and his band a few years down the line.