The Black Arrow

A rattling tale. Swashes are not buckled because (i) that would be anachronistic, and (ii) of all wars, civil wars are possibly the most cruel and backstabby, although the gentle folk behave chivalrously and courteously when they can, and everyone else survives the best they can. I don't know how accurate the dialogue is, but the author uses now-obsolete words and meanings cheerfully and unapologetically (churl, gossip, incontenent, links, murrain, murrey, rood and shent come to mind). All in all I enjoyed it. The only sour note is that the author has drunk too deep of Tudor propaganda (=US 'Kool Aid'? and one of the foundation stones of the later British imperial project), and can't mention 'Richard Crookback' (Richard, duke of show more Gloucester) without gently pushing the line that a (probably non-existent) outer physical defect reflects an inner character defect, such as "the lad, who was afterwards to be handed down to the execration of posterity under the name of Richard III., had won his first considerable fight". show less

The Black Arrow is an historical adventure/romance novel set in early modern England during the Wars of the Roses. The protagonist is one Richard Shelton, by birth a member of the minor nobility, who is fighting on the side of the Yorkists, more from a feudal based loyalty thank from any political principle. Indeed political principles don't play any significant role in motivating the main characters in this tale.

Young Shelton is the ward of Sir Daniel Brackley, of whom it was said that "...he is one that goes to bed Lancaster and gets up York". Brackley is also rumored to have had a role in the death of Dick's father along with Brackley's associates Bennet Hatch and Sir Oliver Oates who is a priest as well as a knight. Brackley and his show more associates have laid the blame for the elder Shelton's murder at the doorstep of another member of the nobility named Sedley whose daughter is intended to be Brackley's unwilling bride.

In the meantime, Dick Shelton's suspicions continue to grow and he eventually abandons Brackley's service and joins up with an outlaw band whose mission in life is to destroy Brackley and his friends, most notably Hatch and Oates.

Ultimately Shelton offers his services to Richard, Duke of Gloucester, whose forces have arrived on the scene to do battle with the remnants of the local Lancastrians of whom Brackley is the most notable. Dick has fallen in love with Joan, the daughter of Sedley who is destined for Brackley thus adding to his motivation to overcome his former master.

All in all, The Black Arrow is a good read, full of adventure, intrigue, love and revenge. There are enough sub-plots and characters of interest to keep the story moving and carry the reader along with it. Enjoy. show less

Brilliant! Stevenson's superb use of language would have been enough to keep me turning the pages, but there is so much more. A rousing adventure story, a believable, well wrought world and characters, and a view of war not as good against evil but as something infinitely more complex. Dick Shelton is neither hero nor buffoon, but a young human being in challenging circumstances who succeeds, fails, and learns lessons about war and consequences that never border on preaching. I am so glad I finally discovered this book--so many lesser lights pale in memory! (Actually, a lot of them were pretty pale to begin with.)

The afterward to the Black Arrow edition I read called it a minor work by a major author. I would agree with this assessment. An enjoyable read about a young nobleman set during the War of the Roses in the 1400s. The protagonist Dick Shelton is seventeen and the ward of a Lord who Dick learns is his father's murderer. Dick struggles to free himself and regain his rightful inheritance and he must decide which side of this form of a civil war he should take. Stevenson threw a silly, improbable and unbelievable tale of mistaken identity into the mix of this story. The "lad" Jack is clearly a girl dressed as a boy to everyone except the main character. Is he that dense? The Black Arrow is no Treasure Island or Kidnapped but Stevenson wrote show more for a living and had to produce on a regular basis, everything he wrote wasn't golden.

I read Stevenson at Silverado by Anne Issler awhile ago. This book tells about Robert Louis Stevenson's time in Northern California. An interesting time in the authors life. He came to California in poor health and in a bad financial condition. He and his wife had to find a cheap place to live where he could write and restore his finances. He found the cheap place in the abandoned Silverado Mine in the upper Napa Valley. This book led me to want to read more of Stevenson. show less

I didn’t know what I was getting into with this book but I was hooked after the first few pages. It was a fun adventure and it’s yet another piece of Stevenson’s work that makes me love him even more.

Очень занятный фанфик Стивенсона по Шекспиру. Я благодаря этому роману впервые познакомился с тематикой войны Алой и Белой роз. Само приключение несколько менее интересно, чем тот же "Остров сокровищ", а романтическая линия довольно наивная. Но я даже выписал кое-какие интересные мысли по поводу морали.

Picked this up while on holiday and running short on reading material.
The story is set during the Wars of the Roses and details the struggles of a young man against his cruel foster-father and to find his place in the world.
It's about what you'd expect from an adventure story. The language was very archaic in line with the setting - I only knew what "salet" meant thanks to Wordle!
The main character seemed quite naive and as I neared the end of the book I did feel that he was just going with the flow and not considering the consequences of his actions - just as I began to feel that way, I reached the one scene where he does get confronted with how his actions have ruined someone's life.
He still gets of pretty scot free in the end, gets show more the girl and all that. Not that I ever doubted he would. It's a fun book for what it is, and a pleasant way to spend a sunny holiday afternoon. show less