The Outlaws of Sherwood (Robin McKinley)

One last Robin Hood book before departing the UK.  Today's review: Robin McKinley's The Outlaws of Sherwood.

McKinley's book is in a different category.  Hers is a traditional take on Robin Hood- but only partially.  All the standard characters and locales are there- Robin, Marian, Tuck, Little John, the sheriff, Nottingham, and so forth- as well as the basic plot (Robin becomes an outlaw, hides in the forest, forms a band, robs people, takes on the sheriff, etc.).  However, three main things set this book apart:

1) the motives, personalities and abilities of the outlaws deviate markedly from the norm
Forget what you know about Robin and his band- this time around, things are quite different.  Here, Robin is moody, an average archer at best, brooding, and concerned more about putting others in danger than about leading a merry life in the woods.  Marian is strong-willed, an excellent archer, and clearly in love with Robin, but unsure if the converse is true.  Alan-a-dale is an okay musician, but nothing to think twice about.  Different members of the party have different, if endearing, quirks- and all are flawed.

2) the telling is much richer
McKinley's prose is interesting.  It's good; at times, very good.  She's not consistently eloquent, but there are times when I paused to admire her phrases and use of words.  It's much more vibrant than the straightforward re-tellings of the legend typical of other authors.

3) the focus is on realism
It's hard to categorize this book.  It's not a straightforward legend; neither is it proper historical fiction (though elements of history are present).  I think it's most accurately described as realistic fiction.  Here,you see decent discussion about what life in the forest really would be like- and it's not all fun and games.  Latrine digging, sleeping in trees, scrounging for food; again, a far cry from the merry men in most tales.

Overall, I enjoyed this quite a bit.  It was hard to read a times- the way McKinley phrased things could trip me up- but it was worth it overall.

Rating: A-