Point Books To The Outlaws of Sherwood
| Original Title: | The Outlaws of Sherwood |
| ISBN: | 0441013252 (ISBN13: 9780441013258) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Setting: | Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, England |
Robin McKinley
Paperback | Pages: 368 pages Rating: 3.77 | 10761 Users | 837 Reviews
List Out Of Books The Outlaws of Sherwood
| Title | : | The Outlaws of Sherwood |
| Author | : | Robin McKinley |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 368 pages |
| Published | : | October 4th 2005 by Ace (first published 1988) |
| Categories | : | Fantasy. Young Adult. Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction |
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3.5 stars. Full review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:I’ve owned a paperback copy of The Outlaws of Sherwood, a retelling of the Robin Hood folktale, for ages, dating back to the days when I was auto-buying everything Robin McKinley wrote. It’s a very different type of book for her: a straightforward historical novel — no fantasy elements at all — telling how Robin came to be the leader of a band of outlaws in Sherwood Forest, and how several of the key members of his group came to join him. The focus here is on the different personalities in the group and how they interact with each other.
Robin has led a downtrodden life since his father, a far more gifted archer than Robin himself, died under rather suspicious circumstances. His boss, the Chief Forester, hates him as the son of the man who married the woman the Chief Forester wanted for himself, and his cronies have been bullying Robin. In their attempt to take Robin down, he strikes back with an arrow that kills one of the men (Robin was aiming at the man’s leg; his lack of archery skill backfires on him in a deadly way here, though it may have saved his life). Robin plans to run away, but Marian and Much, the miller’s son, find him and eventually convince a deeply reluctant Robin that forming a band of free men in Sherwood Forest is a better idea. He’ll be a symbol of Saxon freedom against the Norman oppressors! (Yay? says Robin.)
Robin’s group of outlaws gradually grows, with names both familiar (like Little John, Will Scarlet and Alan-a-dale) and unfamiliar (including several women who join their group). Marian remains in her father’s castle but uses her position to secretly supply the band with food and other necessities and spy for them. Robin decides to learn how to use his father’s longbow (an unusual type of bow at this time in history) and trains others in his band to make and use them as well, giving them an advantage over the sheriff’s men.
Interestingly, Robin himself is more of a beta hero in this story — as far from the Errol Flynn mold as can be imagined — and initially he’s more driven by events that happen to him than affirmatively taking action himself. As mentioned, he’s not much of an archer; Marian is the one with the real archery skills. This makes for an interesting twist on the famous archery contest story.
Robin McKinley has a gift for creating well-rounded characters with realistic problems and flaws, and an engaging writing style with a dry wit that periodically surfaces. Like the original Robin Hood tales, The Outlaws of Sherwood is an episodic type of novel, with a series of adventures and conflicts, and several twists on the original legends. It’s mostly a pleasant and enjoyable read, but there’s an extremely violent and bloody battle toward the end that is rather harrowing.
The ending is odd and a little unsatisfying, and it’s not the most memorable of McKinley’s novels. But when I picked it up again for the first time in a couple of decades to refamiliarize myself with it before writing this review, it was difficult not to get lost in the pages of this book. If you’re interested in the Robin Hood legend, The Outlaws of Sherwood is worth checking out.
Rating Out Of Books The Outlaws of Sherwood
Ratings: 3.77 From 10761 Users | 837 ReviewsDiscuss Out Of Books The Outlaws of Sherwood
McKinley explores the circumstances that might have led to the formation of an outlaw community in Sherwood and the growth of the Robin Hood legend. She contrasts Robin's practical concerns (not being arrested and executed, taking care of his followers when the decide to live in the woods) with the more abstract political ideals of those who want to make him a symbol of Saxon resistance. McKinley's Robin is not a great archer or a brilliant strategist, but he is an inspiring leader. This was aIn which Robin Hood becomes a worry wort.The Outlaws of Sherwood takes a realistic approach to the legendary outlaw and his band of merry, uh, persons. In this version, Robin is not the son of an earl, but instead a yeoman forester who stumbles reluctantly into leadership when he accidentally kills another forester. Robin is a decent woodsman, but he's not a particularly good archer. His main strength is that he's the kind of quiet leader that people inexplicably want to follow. His merry band
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. McKinleys characters are wonderful (Little Johns romantic thread is the bestest). Her final tree-borne battle scene is genius and brutally sad. Its been well over a decade
Title: The Outlaws of SherwoodAuthor: Robin McKinleyPublisher: Ace Books Year:1988# of pages:278 Genre: FictionReading level Interest level: 11-12 GradePotential hot lava: ViolenceGeneral response/reaction: I had to make myself sit down and read this novel. I picked it up at least four times before I actually read it. I found it really hard to get into and very slow paced. The plot seemed to creep along and so many characters were being introduced it was really difficult to keep them straight. I
Full disclosure: I like this book a lot, and I think its best points more than outweigh its flaws.To those disappointed by Robin Hoods sidelining, I want to point out that McKinleys title--The Outlaws of Sherwood--should warn you what shes up to. Robin Hood himself is not her main focus, though he is the key and the center of the plot, and the nucleus of all the relationships of the outlaw band. Traditional interpretations of heroism and heroes dont interest her, and mythic grandeur only when
I finished this book with a wistful feeling, thinking it was beautiful despite the violence, suffering and loss. McKinley captures the essence of the Robin Hood legend with lyrical descriptions and good characterisation. The style of the telling is reminiscent of a tale of long ago--with a few anachronistic turns of phrase. The author even gets away with some drifting points of view because of that old-tale quality. The story of Robin Hood captured my heart when I was very young, and Robin has
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