The Outlaws of Sherwood (original 1988; edition 1989)

Lovely! Robin Hood legends are glorious. I meant to reread this while I was doing a module on Robin Hood -- it was mentioned during the course, if I remember rightly. Must revisit it soon, with my new/deeper knowledge of the traditions. ( )

Abandoned ship exactly 50 pages in, which may have been premature but how long am I going to live, anyway?

It would have been the first Robin Hood book I've ever read, so maybe it's just too late for me to start that particular myth. ( )

What? What's this? A Robin McKinley book I didn't get into? I'll try it again someday - it was a while back that I picked it up.

Tried it again. It was good! Not usual McKinley although some of her signature phrasing is there. Nice characterization, a bit of romance and adventure, the gentle sort of fairy tale feel that all of her books have. ( )

As with most other re-tellings, the story hardly needs a synopsis, but I would like to mention that in this version we actually start shortly before Robin becomes an outlaw…

The slightly earlier starting point was, in my opinion, an opportunity the author took to re-write Robin as a much more likable character. In all of the other books I’ve read for this event, Robin has been arrogant and/or too carefree about risking people’s lives. In this particular book, Robin is both more likable and more believable. He worries about everyone else. He isn’t actually very good at shooting to start out with. And it was never his idea to become an outlaw or a legend. Instead he just cares about people and wants to do his best to help. Having a main character that I liked made this story much more enjoyable for me than in the other versions!

The supporting characters were also particularly likable in this version. Both Much and Marian where well-developed characters with abilities that made them very helpful to Robin. Marian was much more competent than in the other books I’ve read. This wasn’t a big deal and didn’t steal the focus away from Robin; it was just assumed she was as capable as any one else. I think this is a positive development, since it shouldn’t have to be a big deal to have an impressive female character. I also liked that the romance between Marian and Robin took place largely in the background. So many books let the romance take over the plot instead! Like the romance, the writing was well done but kept in the background – enjoyable but nothing spectacular. By far the biggest appeal this book has is the great adventure story with wonderfully relatable characters.

This review first published at Doing Dewey. ( )

Characters: Robin Hood, Will Scarlet, Much (Robin’s long-time friend), Little John, Marian, Cecil (Cecily), Sir Richard, various other outlaws, Nigel (a suitor of Marian), Alan-a-Dale, Marjorie (his bride), Friar Tuck, the Sheriff of Nottingham, the foresters who try to keep the order.

Setting: Sherwood Forest, the town of Nottingham, during the time of the Norman invasion, when Saxon lands were occupied by greedy Norman land barons.

Theme: Robbing the rich and giving the money back to the poor (from whom the money (taxes) was collected in the first place, is heroic.

Genre: YA novel, traditional heroic tale

Golden quote: “I have been hearing tales of this fellow Robin Hood since before I set foot in England again; someone on the ship crossing the Channel had a story about him…The tales of Robin Hood were very interesting. I am, I admit, a little disappointed that he does not wear seven-league boots and knock down walls by the sound of his voice…but I will, as kings and other mortals must, deal with what I can get. And any lone man who can, with little more than stubbornness and a few ragged friends, set so much of my aristocracy in a rage, is a man I wish to put to my purposes.”

Audience: Young Adult, ages 13-17; this novel appeals to both boys and girls.

Curriculum ties: ELA/Social Studies—take a position on civil disobedience and use historical examples for support; research what is historical and what is fictional in the novel.

Personal response: Robin McKinley is a masterful story-teller who does justice to the Robin Hood legend. Her version is written in authentic language—syntax that sounds like it was written long ago, dialogue that brings the characters to life, and archaic vocabulary. The story moves well, and appeals to both male and female readers because it has plenty of action and strong, interesting female characters. ( )