The paperback edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s THE HOOD is out this week! The second novel in the author’s acclaimed Anti-Matter of Britain Quartet, it is published by Head of Zeus, and will officially arrive in shops on June 9th. (If you’re lucky, you may find some out there already…)

God bless you, England, on this glorious Year of Our Lord, 1145.

Things are definitely not right in Nottingham. Rebecca, daughter of a Jewish money-lender, has a sense for it.

A mad monk schemes to resurrect the Christ from body parts. A bone harpist murders creatures of legend for a price. A fae creature binds its wings and embraces a new God and his son.

And don’t even mention the Hood. The Man in Green. The Prince of Thieves. The tick-tock taker of the ten-toll tax.

What hope have the series of sheriffs sent to hold the peace?

It’s the forest, you see. Sherwood. Ice Age ancient, impenetrable, hiding a dark and secret heart. But hearts, no matter how black, no matter how hidden, are not immune to change. The old world is dying… and a terrifying new one is waiting to take its place.

Rebecca senses an opportunity. But how far is she willing to go, and what price – because there is always a price – will she have to pay?

The Hood is Lavie Tidhar’s narcotic reweirding of an ancient English myth, a tale stitched together from legends lost to time, a tale told and retold, reworked and renewed for each passing century. A tale, reader, for today.

Head of Zeus also publish the first book in the series, BY FORCE ALONE, in the UK. (It is published in North America by Tor Books.) Head of Zeus also publishes Lavie’s novels OSAMA and A MAN LIES DREAMING; THE BEST OF WORLD SF Volumes 1 and 2 edited by Lavie; and also the upcoming novel MAROR.

Here are just a few of the great reviews THE HOOD has received so far…

‘A wild, inventive tapestry of myth and magic, with a wry sense of humor. Tidhar’s writing is wonderfully vibrant’ — Silvia Moreno-Garcia, bestselling author of Mexican Gothic

‘[THE HOOD] offers a wealth of colorful tales and memorable characters, along with the usual unexpected walk-ons and guest stars. If it sometimes feels like a bunch of legends and historical events stirred together in a big pot, isn’t that pretty much what the Matter of Britain was in the first place?’ — Locus (Gary K. Wolfe)

‘Brilliant, restless revisionist gaze’ — Daily Mail

‘Reaches impressive levels of delirium.’ — The Times

‘This is a book to experience rather than to read, as every chapter and revisionist character expands into sheer, wonderful madness. One for the ages.’ — Crime Time (Book of the Month)