Customer Reviews

The Black Arrow (Tor Classic)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is one of the best I've read. It is what every book about the middle ages should be and more, with suspense, action, disguises, escapes, and of course, the occasional love scene. Robert Louis Stevenson lived in the mid-1800s, and is renowned for his many works, includingTreasure Island, Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, andKidnapped. The Black Arrow, written originally for a magazine, was written after a serious illness in Stevenson, and was published right after Treasure Island.

Dick Shelton, a boy of sixteen, is quickly thrust into the conflict of the War of the Roses. He battles against almost any kind of evil - bloodthirsty pirates, a murderous priest, and even his own legal gaurdian - Sir Daniel Brackley. Through the whole book Dick strives to become a knight, and to rescue his true love. The Black Arrow is a sure winner for 6th graders and up.

The Black Arrow is, without a doubt, one of my all time favorite books, just as Robert Louis Stevenson is one of my all time favorite authors. I find it hard to believe that The Black Arrow is probably the least well know of his great adventure novels (the others being, of course, Treasure Island and Kidnapped), as it is certainly the best as far as I am concerned. As far as the story goes, it is one of the most entertaining plots that I have ever encountered. It is filled with more twists and turns than I would have thought possible, but remains very clear and fast paced. The characters are wonderful, as is the description and the writing itself. Granted, some of the language is a bit archaic, but I feel that this adds a lot to the authenticity of the story.
The Black Arrow is not a very easy read at first, but once you get into it it really flies by. It is as entertaining, exciting, and intriguing book as you will find, and I would recommend it to anyone.

This gorgeous edition of "THE BLACK ARROW" is a reissue of the book first published by Charles Scribner's Sons ,with N.C. Wyeth illustrations ,in 1916.Now,it is one of the splendid Scribner Illustrated Classics reissued by the Simon&Shuster Children's Publishing Division through its imprint ATHENEUM BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS.Originally published in 1888,"THE BLACK ARROW" is a wonderful reading for people of all ages,not just for adolescents.This story was first serialised in YOUNG FOLKS(a popular british magazine for boys where "TREASURE ISLAND" also appeared for the first time) in seventeenth weekly instalments and was a success.Set in the reign of Henry VI during the troubled years of the War of the Roses,this Stevenson's novel was, at the time,a popular adventure story.Colorful characters grace this book.The hero,Richard Shelton, was imagined by Stevenson.But there is a historical personage described in the novel:the Duke of Gloucester(later Richard III).This edition's beautiful endpapers,frontspiece, and other fourteenth illustrations were painted by one of the greatest american illustrators of all time:NEWEL CONVERS WYETH(1882-1945).A giant as big as Robert Louis Stevenson(1850-94).

The Black Arrow was a good adventure story following the adventures of Richard Shelton during the War of the Roses. Within this story we encounter knights, and a band of outlaws (ala Robin Hood). We have disguises, archery, battles, betrayal, revenge, friendship, honor, and love. What more could you ask for in an adventure?

Though it was a fun story, it didn't have the depth of plot or character that I look for in my reading. Instead we follow Richard on what seems an aimless journey of one adventure after another. Richard often finds himself in tight situations and just when he escapes he finds himself in another. Written like a serial (probably was), Richard seems to hardly have time to take a breath before something new and exciting is happening again. Although this type of writing is great for a serial, leaving the reader with a cliff hanger at the end of each section, it doesn't lead to a unified feeling within the work. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the story and have fun reading it along the way; it is just that to me it seemed just a fun adventure story. It was fun to read, but didn't leave me with a lasting impression or emotion.

Set against the backdrop of the Wars of the Roses, The Black Arrow is an intriguing look at the life of young Richard Shelton. Richard's life is shaken when he realizes that those he had thought to be his friends are really his enemies, and he is forced to make choices that will determine the course of his life. Although the characters are well-developed and the plot is fascinating, this book is not for the squeemish or lazy reader. The description is not only vivid, it is often gorey. The language is sometimes difficult and a dictionary might prove quite handy. But anyone looking for a well-written, action-packed classic should read this book.

...that buckles every swash imaginable. War, treachery, disguise, secret passages, shipwrecks, damsels in distress -- an amazing amount gets packed into this not-very-long book. Great fun, but the pseudo-fifteenth-century dialog ("Sirs, this knave arrow likes me not. But it importeth rather to take counsel.") will prove an unfortunate obstacle to the very readers who would otherwise enjoy the story most, the young.

Highly recommended!!! We read this book as a read aloud for our family reading time and our kids loved the story which has plenty of adventure and intrigue and also a good deal of humor. The story fits well for boys and girls, as one of the main characters and a significant secondary character are young women. Mom and Dad loved the story as well, but the kids definitely couldn't wait for the next reading time. The language is a bit dated, which at first challenges the readers (mom and dad) but it adds authenticity to the tale.

I picked up The Black Arrow on speculation, driven by three considerations - it was written by Robert Louis Stevenson, I had vague but good memories of the old TV series the Black Arrow and well it was going cheap at a jumble sale.

The Black Arrow relates the adventures of Richard Shelton, a orphan and ward of Sir Daniel a landed knight and veteran warrior of questionable loyalty who has been successfully negotiating the War of the Roses siding with either York or Lancaster based upon who is on top and who is currently providing the best opportunity for material advancement. The only cloud on Sir Daniel's horizon is the mysterious order of the "Black Arrow", a band of outlaws who have previously been injured by Sir Daniel and who have now sworn themselves to his death and the death of his supporters. Although initially Sir Daniel's loyal ally, Dick eventually becomes aware that Sir Daniel may in fact be responsible for his fathers death. Forced to flee from Sir Daniel's house (and his true love in the form of Joanna another ward of Sir Daniel's), Richard joins the order of the black arrow and swear vengeance for his fathers death. What follows is a series of adventures with espionage, fencing, shipwrecks and many deaths, culminating in Dick joining forces with the Yorkist forces lead by Richard of Gloucester at the battle of Shoresby, where they confront the forces of Lancaster including Sir Daniel.

So why do I say that this is not quite what I expected? Well I was expecting in Dick, a hero from your standard boys own adventure, you know the type brave to a fault, a strong fighter, smart and wise beyond his years and completely moral. Instead Stevenson defied my expectation by presenting Dick as brave and strong and honorable, but not terribly smart, capable of making very bad decisions which have a terrible affect upon the lives of those around him, someone whose lack of experience means that he is regularly trumped by his opponents. And although in the end, Richard is knight and married to his love, he is judged by Richard of Gloucester as a man who I will go no further a man who has reached his natural level of advancement a judgment which I found myself agreeing with.

In this book you can read about knights, soldiers, action, treachery, and other things from the middle ages. I thought that it was a pretty good book, but I only got into it after a while. I had to read it for school, so I couldn't give up, but I was wary of the lack of "interesting-ness" when I first started. I would reccomend this book to you, but you should beware that you may not be interested for a while. If you are a person who doesn't like a book that takes a while, I would not reccomend this to you. But if you don't mind having to read something a while, I would reccomend this to you. (Sorry if I keep repeating myself.)

With the War of the Roses as its backdrop, The Black Arrow blends the romance of young love and the excitement of its hero's initiation into war and politics. The theme of loyalty runs throughout--loyalty to parents, guardians, leaders, followers, lovers, and oneself.

England's loyalties are divided between Lancaster and York, although the distinction makes little difference to the country's more practical citizens. "It is the ruin of this kind land," a woman said. "If the barons live at war, ploughfolk must eat roots." When the naive young hero, Richard Shelton, reassures her that men "cannot better die than for their natural lord," another man points out, "No natural lord of mine . . . I followed the Walsinghams . . . And now I must side with Brackley! It was the law that did it; call ye that natural?"

Despite young Dick's idealism, which makes him faithful to his guardian and to the men with whom he has served, and despite many disturbing rumors, it soon becomes apparent that most men are loyal primarily to their self-interests, whether they seek power like Richard Crookback or favor and riches like Dick's guardian, Sir Daniel Brackley. Even the mysterious "Jon Amend-All" of the black arrow, whose objective is to revenge himself and his friends on Brackley, is found collecting rents from Brackley's cottagers, acknowledging that they will suffer the hardship of having to pay twice. The man behind "Jon Amend-All" is no beneficent Robin Hood, but as cold and crafty a political operative as Brackley himself.

Brackley's loyalties are soon explained. "I lie in Kettley till I have sure tidings of the war, and then ride to join me with the conqueror . . . Tosspot and Shuttle-wit run in, but my Lord Good-Counsel sits o' one side, waiting." As Clipsby says, "For, indeed, he is one that goes to bed Lancaster and gets up York."

Fleeing from one danger into another, Dick finally understands that he cannot trust Brackley simply because he is Dick's guardian, or even Ellis Duckworth as his savior and protector. The only person upon whom he can rely is the girl he loves, who, ironically, was intended to be his wife in one of Brackley's financial maneuvers. The black arrow flies from Tunstall Forest to Kettley, then through wetlands back through Tunstall to the Moat House and on to Shoreby, with treachery and the threat of war hanging over all.

With every adventure, Dick's loyalty turns more inward on himself and his heart's desire. He is loyal to York because Ellis Duckworth is and Daniel Brackley isn't. When he finds himself rapidly in and out of Richard Crookback's favor, he is "neither glad nor sorry." Danger and treachery transform Dick into a more mature man who recognizes that loyalty is neither won nor lost so easily or quickly. In one of the novel's strangest and weakest scenes, he proves his loyalty to his bride-to-be by rejecting the advances of her best friend, peculiar as they are.

The series of events that makes Dick a man is his theft of the Good Hope, its subsequent destruction, and the death of the captain's man, Tom. "Dick's heart smote him at what he heard. Until that moment he had not perhaps thought twice of the poor skipper who had been ruined by the loss of the Good Hope; so careless, in those days, were men who wore arms of the goods and interests of their inferiors . . ." Dick achieves his aims, but at the cost of many lives and the prosperity of the innocent Arblaster, who mourns "my man Tom" until the end of his days.

As a protagonist, Dick is refreshingly and painfully human, at least outside battle. While brave, he lacks the ability to pick up on clues that are obvious to his less-sheltered acquaintances, including those about the true nature of Jack Matcham. He suffers remorse for what he has done and begins to ask others like Ellis Duckworth to reconsider their course. He has the mercy that Richard Crookback and Brackley lack.

Whatever its historical flaws (some of which Stevenson points out in footnotes), The Black Arrow is beautifully written, with well-drawn characters, a plot that rarely stalls, realistically bloody battle scenes, and dialogue that is often poetic without being jarring. While not Stevenson's greatest effort, The Black Arrow is exciting and fun for anyone of any age who loves a solid historical drama.