Outlaw (Angus Donald)

2014 begins the way 2013 concluded . . . with a book on Robin Hood.  This time, it's Outlaw by Angus Donald.  The first book of the Outlaw Chronicles, it re-imagines the famous thief as a godfather-type character, ruling the outlaws of Sherwood like a mafia Don.  Like the traditional Robin, he steals, loves Marian (here, Mary-Anne), is at odds with the Sheriff of Nottingham, lives in the forest, serves King Richard the Lionhearted, and is an excellent woodsmen.  Unlike tradition, he shows little charity, will kill gruesomely to make a point, and is a pagan.  His band is mostly familiar- Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, and more.  The story is told from the viewpoint of Alan Dale- an impoverished boy who finds his way into Robin's band to escape the sheriff.  Alan's telling Robin's story through recollection- he's an old man winding down his days, wistfully remembering the times he had in the forest with his famous master.  Alan's recollections focus on his own experience, training in the forest to become a worthy helper to Robin, serving in battle with him, and growing up to be a man.  But we also see what you'd expect- a bit about how Robin became an outlaw, how some of the more famous members joined his band, how Robin fought the Sheriff, etc.  Book one ends with King Richard coming to Sherwood and enlisting Robin in the Crusade (which some of the traditional tales do mention).

I'm very conflicted about this book.  It's easiest to list the good and bad:
Good:

• it's fast-paced and interesting; you want to read more.
• you get to see a more realistic portrait of who Robin might have been- this is billed as historical fiction/fantasy.  In that sense, it's akin to Bernard Cornwell's Warlord trilogy on King Arthur.
• Donald does well weaving traditional characters/tales into the story in a realistic way.  
• Robin and other characters are "gray."  They'll do good- or kill without mercy.  Even the narrator, Alan, is suspect at times.  That was an interesting twist.

Bad:

• this is Donald's first book, and it shows.  The use (or lack) of commas in some places tripped me up at times.  
• the characters are a bit shallow- not nearly as developed as they could be.  Sometimes it's hard to nail down who Robin really is, and what he really wants. 
• there's not enough history in here to be true historical fiction/fantasy.  The dialogue isn't that great, either.  It's more of an adventure set in a Medieval fantasy world, with historical figures in it.
• personal preference: not enough time is spent developing Robin's time in the forest.  To me, Robin is attractive because of the woods and the operation he has running there.  That's not covered a lot, and by the end of book one, Robin's already leaving the woods.   Things felt a bit rushed- I wish that was covered more.
• with the series currently at 5 books and counting, you don't get a sense of where/when/how this is going to end, or even what the overall point is. 

If this was a trilogy, I'd read the rest.  My first good point- that it's interesting and makes you want to read more- overcomes a lot of faults.  However, with 5 books published and 2 more announced, I just don't know if there's enough good here to make me to read the entire series.  I'm torn!  In the end, I may give book two a go, and see how I feel then.

Rating: B