An interpretation of the Robin Hood myth.

I love Robin Hood. Like, seriously, love him. When I was smaller, I read all the Robin Hood stories I could get my hands on. I dreamed of becoming an archer. I'd absolutely love to go to Sherwood someday. So, being such a fan, I was really looking forward to this book. And it flopped for me.

It's not entirely devoid of good points. I thought McKinley's characterizations were pretty good. I had no problem with her interpretation of Robin and his band. I found it kind of fun to read some of the same stories I'd grown up with from a slightly different viewpoint.

But in the end, the book just plain bored me. It did absolutely nothing for me. I had to force myself to finish it. I skimmed as much as I possibly could. The writing didn't add anything to the tale; in fact, it often detracted from it as I found myself rereading passages two and three times in an attempt to decode them. The plot was episodic, as one might expect, and it just wasn't strong enough to survive without spectacular writing.

I really can't recommend this. I'm sure it'd knock someone's socks off, but it sure didn't do anything with mine. ( )

Summary: Robin Hood is one of those figures of legend who goes through endless iterations; each retelling emphasizing some aspects while downplaying or changing others. In McKinley's version, Robin is a forester the king's part of Sherwood Forest, and a Saxon. When he is forced to go into hiding after accidentally killing another man, his friends turn him into a rallying point for all of the Saxons who are tired of being under the thumb of their Norman rulers - including the Sherriff of Nottingham, whose ever-increasing rents are making banditry seem like an ever more attractive option to the local peasants and villagers - and more than few of the disillusioned young nobles. Robin's not terribly comfortable as a leader, especially when the price on his head could be leading all of his friends and loved ones into terrible danger.

Review: I've only had middling success with McKinley's novels in the past, so I approached this one with a little trepidation. Her writing style and I just don't get along very well - to me it frequently comes off as ponderous and overblown, although I can see how others could see it as lending whatever she's telling an air of gravitas. However, while I can't say that the language worked for her retelling of the Robin Hood story, neither did it particularly work against it - there is a fair bit of dialogue and quite a lot of action to break up some of the more tedious descriptive passages that marked her other books. And if the dialogue is still somewhat stilted, well, let's just write that off as historical flavor, shall we?

While I knew the basics of the Robin Hood story (robs from the rich, gives to the poor, yada yada), I knew it almost exclusively from movies - this was my first written retelling. I thought the grounding of the legend in a firm political background was very interesting, and fully believable. What I enjoyed the most about this book, however, was not the story of Robin himself, but the development of the secondary characters - particularly Little John and Will Scarlet. They're all given plausible backstories, and worked into the main action in compellingly believable ways - enough so that I want to go seek out other retellings to see which parts are part of the legend, and which parts McKinley made up for this rendition of the classic story. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: The most agreeable of McKinley's books that I've read; while the prose is still too dense for my tastes, the quick pace of the plot keeps things moving along nicely. ( )

I really enjoyed The Outlaws of Sherwood. I found it very entertaining - particularly the banter and teasing between the outlaws. Some of those moments made me wish I had a pencil to write down the quotes, except I never wanted to stop reading to do so! It's not just the humour, either, but the writing. I love the writing, the way McKinley has used language. It's descriptive, vivid and interesting.

The backstory and personalities of many of the characters is different to what I have come across in Robin Hood tellings before, but I like them a lot. Robin is the quiet, unassuming one - Much and Marian have to talk him into living in the forest as an outlaw. He is thoughtful and intelligent, rains on everyone's romantic suggestions with his practicality, and worries about feeding them all. He's not concerned with glory, but staying alive - hearing that the sheriff will be gravely disappointed when he (Robin) doesn't turn up at the Nottingham archery contest, Robin announces it's the best news he has heard all week.
The other characters do not always differ as much as Robin from the 'traditional' characters, but I never got them confused with my preconceived ideas of who they should be - they were all too vivid and believable for that!
I also appreciated the romantic tension (the last Robin Hood novel I read had an awful lack of it) which is to say, there are unfilled silences and not a lot happens in that direction. It works much better than it sounds. Things aren't too readily resolved, but nor is it pages and pages of people bemoaning their problems with Much Angst. It's subtle and really well handled. I was surprised by the story's secondary romance, because it was unexpected, but that made it even more enjoyable.

The plot was clever and engaging, with twists and turns I didn't expect. The final conflicts (and their aftermath) was gripping and dramatic. I cared about the characters - was emotionally invested in them - and it was with nervous anticipation that I read to find out their fate.

All in all, a wonderful book, and probably one of my favourite Robin McKinleys. ( )

I had to read this book for school, and, despite the pressure to finish, I still didn't. I fell asleep several times reading it. It was too slow and there weren't many interesting parts. I had hope for this book, and it was a great idea, but it just didn't stick. ( )

This is my favorite retelling of Robin Hood. I love the Hood legend and McKinley really does it justice. The story really pulls you in despite the fact that you know the characters and the basic plot outline before you even start. I imagine even non-Hood fanatics will really enjoy this book, since it is so well written. ( )