Customer Reviews

Robin Hood and the Beasts of Sherwood: Clayton Emery's Tales of Robin Hood

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_Robin Hood and the Beasts of Sherwood_ is a delightful romp and adventure in still-ancient Sherwood Forest. Emery has woven together many elements, not just from the early Robin Hood tales and their later variants, but also elements of magic and a wonderful rendering of the forest creatures' worlds from their perspectives. There are also stories within stories of Robin Hood in the Holy Land during a Crusade.

Robin Hood's world is created here through the lens of modern attitudes and for the most part, the combination succeeds. There is a sense of '60's communal family life with several of the band married and with children, living in cottages but holding the group's goods in common. Tasks are also less rigidly separated by sex. Men do a fair amount of parenting and women are not averse to being crack archers in both contests of skill and actual fighting.

Greater issues than simply a plot line are suggested. Robin Hood may often be reminiscent of Peter Pan in Nevernever Land but he is troubled by the extensive authority over this group that its members have accorded him. The only jarring element is the outlaw group's encounter with the king. The action felt too extreme--not in keeping with Robin's equivocal attitude regarding authority. The sheriff of Nottingham also seemed less the traditional enemy and Sir Guy more a blackguard than might be necessary but the overall high quality of the other elements more than outweighs these minor complaints. This is Robin Hood for grownups who have never quite relinquished their childhood.

_Robin Hood and the Beasts of Sherwood_ is an exciting revisioning of the legend of the greenwood outlaw and his band. Clayton Emery displays a sound knowledge of the original medieval ballads and the subsequent alterations that the legend has undergone over the past 6 centuries, yet this novel is no simple retelling of the old stories. Emery deftly weaves together core elements of the tradition with novel characters and plotlines.

The story is steeped in the earthy and sometimes brutal realities of medieval life. Sherwood, moreover, teems with wildlife, which Emery describes with a naturalist's attention to detail. Counterpoised to this realism are magical elements that reflect the sort of mythic approach to the legend that first became popular among 19th century folklorists, and later characterized the British cult TV series _Robin of Sherwood_ in the 1980s.

Most notable among the new characters in the novel are the women of Sherwood, who include a former prioress, an elderly midwife, a witch, a bold fighting "yeoman", and several mothers with young children. These women are not passive maidens in distress, waiting to be rescued; they use their own physical strength, courage, and intelligence to protect themselves, their forest home, and their community from danger.

The villains of the piece are also noteworthy. Robin and his valiant band must contend not only with their traditional enemies, the Sheriff's men and Guy of Gisborne, but with eerie forces beyond their understanding, which threaten the outlaws' very existence in Sherwood.

As the story unfolds, Robin himself must face his own spiritual doubts about his way of life, while assessing the political and personal consequences of his equivocal relationship with King Richard. How far dare Robin go, without endangering those he leads?

With its compelling blend of realism, mysticism, and adventure, _The Beasts of Sherwood_ is a welcome addition to the contemporary canon of Robin Hood fiction.

While not very historical, this story has a lot of verve. Lots of gore and grue - and some very realistic children. Good plotting, and a very nice interplay between magic and ordinary life.

Come to Sherwood. But beware! Not only may your purse be lightened by outlaws, but the animals too may threaten your life. This is an absolutely wonderful tale of Robin Hood, a book for the general reader as well as the serious Robin Hood scholar. In Emery's novel we are privy to the thoughts of the animals of Sherwood as well as the Merry Men (and Women). The battle scenes are particularly violent (after all, it is set in the Middle Ages) and there is a dose of fairy magic for the fantastically inclined reader. But most of all, this Robin Hood has all the swashbuckling zest of an Errol Flynn movie. The "swinging from the trees" episode is particularly funny. This is the best new Robin Hood tale to be published in quite some time.