Greenwood

Sue Wilson mixes things up a bit here and chooses the infamous Sheriff of Nottingham as the hero of Greenwood. It's a pretty daring/challenging move, and I think she's successful in making Nottingham compelling and sympathetic without sacrificing any of the disturbing, less than pristine qualities that the character has inherited from Robin Hood legend. The Nottingham of this book isn't some misunderstood, aspiring white knight but a tangle of conflicting impulses, ambiguous intent, and at times ruthless action. I thought he was very interesting, a believable mix of both hero and villain.

The story itself however is burdened with dialogue that can be overly elaborate, even longwinded. This interfered with the pacing of the book, and I show more found myself bored at times - mostly with the endless "verbal battles" between hero and heroine. In this respect, the prose seemed to get a bit out of control and I wish the author could have pruned it down a bit. When it comes to action and the sheriff's back story, however, the writing can be alternately gripping and beautiful, so I've very mixed feelings about Greenwood.

The heroine also left something to be desired. She's a healer who sympathizes with Robin and his band of merry men. Of course she hates the Sheriff on principle and for personal reasons. After he abducts her and carts her back to the castle (nominally to serve as his surgeon while he tries to make her his mistress) he only sinks lower in her estimation. When it comes to the turnaround and her realization that she loves him, there didn't seem to be enough insight into her character to make it believable or to save her feelings from appearing simplistic and mundane. Ultimately, she remains a blank spot in the book. I really really wanted to love Greenwood, so maybe these high expectations left me wanting more than what I found. Still, it was original and well written despite its flaws - very much worth reading. If you can hunt it down I suggest giving it a try. I guess it's a discontinued ebook or something, but there's a link to all the chapters found via Smart Bitches website: http://web.archive.org/web/20011020013724/http://members.aol.com/silkwisper/Page... show less