Set in Nottinghamshire in 1194, at 608 pages, this is a thorough
telling of how Robin Hood came to be… and the love story of Sir Robert (Robin) of
Locksley and Lady Marian of Ravenskeep. In the words of the author, it’s “…a
fictional interpretation of imaginary events leading to the more familiar
adventures depicted in novels…” And so it is.
The whole cast of characters is included in intricate detail
(and consuming nearly 600 pages): Alan of the Dales, Little John, Friar Tuck,
William Scarlet, one-handed Wat and the boy, Much, to name some—Saxons made
outlaw by Norman cruelty, King John’s egregious taxes and the Sheriff of
Nottingham’s “justice” fed by his selfish ambition. Richard the Lionheart,
though not a character, is mentioned frequently and motivates the stalwart
souls to engage in thievery to raise his ransom.
Sir Robert (whose mother called him “Robin”), returns from
the Crusades as a broken man, plagued by memories of his captivity with the
Saracens. His father, the Earl of Huntington, has plans for his son to take his
place as heir to their castle at Locksley. But much has changed in England while
Robert was gone and Robert/Robin has little desire to live in the castle.
Self-serving, ambitious Prince John seeks to reign in his
brother’s sted and William deLacey, the Sheriff of Nottingham, seeks more power
and wants Marian in his bed. With the death of her father, Marian is now a ward
of the Crown and alone at Ravenskeep.
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| Original cover |
Marian begins as a woman too easily manipulated by the
conniving Sheriff, but at times shows a backbone as she learns to stand on her
own when she is abducted by a murderer (Will Scarlet who murdered 4 Normans and
with good reason) and is then rescued by Robin with whom she spends the night
in Sherwood Forest. She is ruined, no matter that nothing happened.
I am a fan of Roberson and loved Lady of the Glen, her tale of Scotland and Glencoe. So, I couldn’t wait to devour this one. It’s a
bit different and you just need to be ready for that. Unlike Lady, this story, though well crafted
and kept me turning pages, is long and contains a lot of detail, a lot of perspectives
(every character had one) and at times is just a tad repetitive. Still, it’s superb
storytelling and it has Roberson’s wonderful characterization and writing. I only wish she'd write more historicals.
Buy on Amazon.
Wonderful review of a wonderful book. I, too, would weep with joy if Jennifer Roberson were to write more historicals, because she does it like nobody else.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anna. I have tried to contact Jennifer many times to invite her on the blog but with no success. I love her work!
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