The Robin Hood legend comes thrillingly alive in Robin McKinley’s reimagining of the classic adventure
Young Robin Longbow, subapprentice forester in the King’s Forest of Nottingham, must contend with the dislike of the Chief Forester, who bullies Robin in memory of his popular father. But Robin does not want to leave Nottingham or lose the title to his father’s small tenancy, because he is in … tenancy, because he is in love with a young lady named Marian — and keeps remembering that his mother too was gentry and married a common forester.
Robin has been granted a rare holiday to go to the Nottingham Fair, where he will spend the day with his friends Much and Marian. But he is ambushed by a group of the Chief Forester’s cronies, who challenge him to an archery contest — and he accidentally kills one of them in self-defense.
He knows his own life is forfeit. But Much and Marian convince him that perhaps his personal catastrophe is also an opportunity: an opportunity for a few stubborn Saxons to gather together in the secret heart of Sherwood Forest and strike back against the arrogance and injustice of the Norman overlords.
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A serious and emotionally crippling take on the Robin Hood myth. Despite the fact that the vast limestone caves below Nottingham yet again make no appearance (why are the Robin Hood myths so lax on this count?) this is my favorite retelling. And yes, I include the various TV series in this statement ~ even Richard Armitage.
McKinley’s characters are wonderful (Little John’s romantic thread is the bestest). Her final tree-borne battle scene is genius and brutally sad.
It’s been well over a decade since I read this book, partly because of its darkness, but I’m thinking of sticking this under-appreciated gem on the reread list for my book group.
An engaging take on the Robin Hood legend where the supporting cast are even more compelling than the eponymous hero. I loved this Lady Marian and Little John and the rest of the outlaws more than I have in any other version of this tale.
It has been many years since I last read this book, and so I was almost able to approach it as something totally new to me since I’d forgotten so much. The aspect of this book that stands out to me so much is it takes Robin Hood the myth and makes him a man. This story is as much about how a man becomes a myth as anything else. And to that point, we are immediately given a Robin Hood who is, at the end of the day, just a man. Here is a Robin who is not always merry, who things do not come easily to, who questions the point of all the philosophy and high minded symbolism that he comes to embody. Who feels discomfort at being looked at as a leader, and even more at being looked at as a legend. For that alone, I’d love this particular retelling of Robin Hood.
But then McKinley also brings the whole cast of characters to life. Here is Much, and Alan-a-Dale, and Little John, and Friar Tuck, and Marian, all suddenly living, breathing people with their own personalities that will clash and argue and push Robin’s own forward. Seeing them all, seeing the fight of idealism and practicality that ruins through their lives in Sherwood, is another reason to love this telling.
And, there’s the women. Let’s be real, women have been disguising themselves as men to fight in wars and join rebellions for the entire history of wars and rebellions. It’s not a stretch of the imagination at all to picture that there might’ve been more than just Marian with two X chromosomes under the Greenwood. And McKinley does an excellent job of sprinkling female characters in a variety of personalities and situations though the whole story. Not all of them become archers, but some of them do. And as a girl who loved the story of Robin Hood since early childhood, and often imagined fighting and living with Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men, I was so pleased to see each and every girl who entered the forest. Marian, one of my long-standing favorite characters, is delightfully stubborn and intelligent. She’s the Marian I always imagined her to be.
The Robin Hood in McKinley’s version is not the Robin I always imagined him to be. But, perhaps, that also contributed to how much I love this story, as this Robin is more man then myth, and therefore a lot more accessible.
All in all, this book is about the entire band of outlaws, more than Robin alone, and each has their time to shine, but Robin and Sherwood is at the heart of the whole story, so it still FEELS like a story of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, just with the Merry Men getting a chance to tell their story too and show us how Robin looks through their eyes. I was on the edge of my seat several times and I wasn’t sure of the ending because McKinley often brings out the practical issues of a band of outlaws living in a forest, so the stakes were high and they were real. A happy ending was not guaranteed. But hope was, which I think is the most important part of any Robin Hood story.
You tend not to think about the head-aches of Robin (Hood) and his merry men. But if you’re honest – being an outlaw is not a carefree occupation, and Robin as the head of a band has a lot on his mind.
This books brings home the complications that Robin brought into his life by accepting his companions’ looking up to him as their leader. You may regard him (or his legend, at least!) even more favorably after reading this account.
This is a re-telling of the Robin Hood story that I thought was well-done and enjoyable.
My favorite retelling of the Robin Hood legend, with all of the classic Robin McKinley charm.
That was a great take on Robin Hood. Introduced all of the characters in interesting ways. And I was sad when some of them died.
Rather poorly written, with anachronistic language. Cartoonish characters. Couldn’t get very far at all in it before giving it up.
Nice retelling of the Robin Hood tale. Good research adds interesting facts to flesh out the times.
Robin Hood with a slight twist. Strong females. Loved it
I appreciate her writing. I enjoyed her other books more.
Another perspective on the Robin Hood story. I liked the second half better than the first half but the story never really caught fire for me. I’ve read other books by this author and liked them very much.
One of the best Robin Hood stories I’ve ever read! Robin McKinley is a favorite of mine.
Enjoyed this retelling of a classic tale. I especially liked the twist too.
In my time I have read a number of Robin Hood stories. This book was a nice change of pace in that, you see, pretty much an average young man rise to the challenges set before him. It’s very much an enjoyable read.
It took the essence of who Robin Hood was purported to be and eliminated it. Spoiler: this Robin Hood ain’t squat with a bow and arrow.
You can’t really go wrong with a Dresden book. And they just keep getting better.