Gillen did it. He brought it all together, and it worked beautifully. There were surprises, there were non-surprises of things that needed to happen, Gillen did it. He brought it all together, and it worked beautifully. There were surprises, there were non-surprises of things that needed to happen, there were fighting dragons. It was glorious, and strange, and gross, too. I'm a little bereft that there will be no more, but at the same time I'm glad this didn't drag out until I got (more) confused by who was who and what they were doing and it all just sort of whimpered to a halt. No, here it goes out strong, with a bang! With a tear! With a little laugh! With . . . romance? And much feminine badassery! ...more
Hmm. This is considered one of the first novels about Robin Hood, taken from oral legends, ballads, brief stories, and clearly aimed at younger readerHmm. This is considered one of the first novels about Robin Hood, taken from oral legends, ballads, brief stories, and clearly aimed at younger readers. It's fine. A bit repetitive, in that half that stories are about how Robin and his men regularly go out, waylay someone, and make him pay for the privilege of dining with them. This seems to be in large part how they get their money, which they do distribute amongst the poor. The poor, however, mainly consists of themselves and their families, all of whom are outlawed or disowned and so living in a large community in Sherwood to dodge the law.
It was interesting to see the names and characters that have gotten tossed aside and the ones who have become major players in the more recent stories. Will Shrutely was one of his top men, and I've never seen that name before. Will Scarlett and Will Scathlocke are also there, and are two different people. I've only ever seen them conflated. Guy of Gisborne is a brief story, near the end, a sort of bounty hunter Robin kills before Guy can kill him. Guy is considered not just uncouth, lowborn, but ambitious, but a dangerous murderer. There are mentions early on of Marion, Robin's love, mostly that he moons over her when he is younger, but after the halfway point she's never mentioned again and he dies a bachelor.
It's really made me wonder how much of what we consider "the Robin Hood legend" is a mashup of the Disney movie and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, at least as far as modern retellings are concerned....more
Welcome to my new Goodreads motto, which is, "If I can't give it five stars, I just won't rate it!" I'm not a professional reviewer, and I know how haWelcome to my new Goodreads motto, which is, "If I can't give it five stars, I just won't rate it!" I'm not a professional reviewer, and I know how hard it is to write a book. I'm mostly using Goodreads to keep track of my own reading for my own enjoyment, so I will not be throwing stones at anyone else's work like, "Love the dragons, hated the name of your main character, TWO STARS!"
And now, for this book:
Huh. I can't tell if this is one of those times where someone is retelling a well-known story because they love it and want to put their own spin on it, or because they hate it and want to "fix" it.
I . . . didn't like any of the characters, until the end, when I only liked two of them, and probably not the ones I was supposed to. Everyone else was . . . really awful. And I get what he was going for (I think), that "Robin Hood" is both necessary, and bigger than one man, and that people are flawed. But . . . so many flaws. And I just . . . hated a couple of the people so. much. Like felt ANXIOUS about the chapters from one person's POV, because I didn't want to hear their thoughts, because their thoughts made me want to punch them. And there was just . . . so much violence. I mean, good grief, THE MURDERS. Just. So many murders. And women under constant threat of sexual and physical violence. I saw this listed as "gritty" historical fiction. That to me means people with pox scars living in pig shit. I didn't think of it as, "Life sucks and then you are stabbed dozens of times."
But his writing is incredibly vivid. I could picture everything: the castles and the clothes and the hair and the people's face. And I was really fascinated by the relationship between King Richard and Robin and William, the way they acted for the king and the ramifications of that. A lot of fluffier Robin Hood stories sort of gloss over the fact that the people were poor and overtaxed because of "Good King Richard" and his Crusades, and the necessity/futility of the raised taxes is talked about a great deal here. The need for a good but strict sheriff vs. the need for a Robin Hood, and who is really the hero and who is really protecting the poor. It raises a lot of questions, and definitely centers the legend in the reality of the time.
Fascinating premise, and she clearly loved the BBC Robin Hood series as much as I did! This is a solid Robin Hood story, not quite origin story, not qFascinating premise, and she clearly loved the BBC Robin Hood series as much as I did! This is a solid Robin Hood story, not quite origin story, not quite what happens next. Great historical fiction vibe without being too pedantic.
This is sort of an "it's not you, it's me" situation with this book. There's nothing wrong with it, I just didn't connect with the characters....more
Read it in one day. Couldn't put it down. Gaughen has done such a beautiful job putting a new spin on the Robin Hood legend. It had a very fairy tale Read it in one day. Couldn't put it down. Gaughen has done such a beautiful job putting a new spin on the Robin Hood legend. It had a very fairy tale feel, but at the same time had a grittiness to it. The sheriff is truly evil, and so is Gisbourne. Bad things happen to good people, and the ending is quite surprising. I loved Scarlet, and Robin, and Little John, and Much! I would love to see more of all of them!...more
Not quite as fabulous as the first book, Lady of the Forest, but if you loved the characters in that book, you'll want to see what happens next.Not quite as fabulous as the first book, Lady of the Forest, but if you loved the characters in that book, you'll want to see what happens next....more
A brilliant look at the Robin Hood legend, mostly from the point of view of Marian. It really helps you understand what life would be like back then: A brilliant look at the Robin Hood legend, mostly from the point of view of Marian. It really helps you understand what life would be like back then: the fear and uncertainty of having a king risking his life in a far-off land, the restrictions of being a lady of this era, and horrors of war. Robin has battle-flashbacks and a recurring fever he contracted in the Holy Land. Amazing book....more
A glorious story of knights and ladies, jousts and castles and great feats.
I grew up on the Anthony Andrews/Lisette Anthony movie, with Sam Neill doiA glorious story of knights and ladies, jousts and castles and great feats.
I grew up on the Anthony Andrews/Lisette Anthony movie, with Sam Neill doing his best smolder as Sir Brian DuBois Gilbert and Olivia Hussey looking like a Biblical illumination as Rebecca. The original version of the book that I had, a crappy paperback picked up for probably fifty cents, had a nevertheless great introduction that, among other things, explained that the true hero of the book is Richard the Lionheart, returning to free his kingdom from Prince John's tyranny, and the true heroine is Rebecca, standing up for her beliefs and willing to give up the love of her life because it's the right thing for both of them. Understanding that gives you a true appreciation of this story, which I think might otherwise make you try (and fail) to see Wilfred and Rowena as romantic ideals who . . . honestly spend a lot of time locked in bedrooms. (And not in a sexy way.)...more