Robin Hooding it out
Nov. 21st, 2011 07:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieI swear this is not on purpose, but I am reading/about to read (or watch) five different Robin Hood stories.
Now, granted Robin Hood is one of my favorite narratives (blame growing up in a Communist country on that) but still, overkill :)
1. My copies of Parke Godwin's Sherwood and Robin and the King just came in. This is my favorite book take on RH and I couldn't find my copies so ordered another set. Time for a reread, it seems. This one sets RH in the first days of William the Conqueror's rule, with Robin being a disposessed Saxon thane. These books feel real and gritty and heartbreaking and just - guuuuuh. Also, the only RH narrative ever where I have a crush on the Sheriff (who in this take is somewhat of a reluctant ally eventually).
2. I am plodding my way through Hood (The Raven King Trilogy Part 1) by Richard Lawrence. I've been doing it on and off for a month. I don't hate it but (as you can tell) it's not grabbing me either. This one also moves the legend, not only time-wise but space-wise. In this take, RH is a Welsh petty prince, disposessed by William Rufus' appointees who wipe out his kingdom/family. For some reason, I just can't get emotionally involved, maybe because I am half a book in and he's still not RH but is lying recuperating in some crone's house. Blah. Also, he or anyone else in this is not a particularly likeable person.
3. In my Marsha Canham rampage, I got to Through a Dark Mist where, even if characters do not have RH names, it's pretty clearly a Robin Hood story - we have 'Friar' instead of 'Friar Tuck,' 'Gil Golden' instead of 'Will Scarlet' (who is a woman in this story) etc. Also noble outlaws in Lincoln forest, evil Sheriff, Prince John blahblah. It's a hybrid of a period novel and romance one - too little romance and too much history and plot for a 'proper' romance novel. As someone who prefers the romance:plot ratio in her romance novels change in favor of the latter, I was happy but mmv. Anyway, the plot is as follows: Savanne is a recently widowed young woman who is quite happy to be married off to Lucien Wardieu, a famous good-looking knight, king's champion, powerful baron blah blah. Problem is, as she rides through Lincoln forest on her way to her betrothed (who she's barely seen), her group is ambushed by outlaws who kill the guards and take Savanne hostage. Their leader makes the insane claim that he's the real Lucien Wardieau and he wants nothing more than to kill Servanne's betrothed etcetc. It's a really fun, intense read. I'd prefer the villains to be a little less evil (I mean, fake Lucien and Sheriff's wife had zero redeeming qualities between them, at least so far) but other than that, it is way entertaining - and probably the only version which gets me to ship Friar Tuck/Will Scarlet. Do be warned - I believe every main character gets tortured or similar at least once.
4. Since I am on a Robin Hood kick, I feel like rereading Jennifer Roberson's Lady of the Forest, a Marian-centric 'prequel' to the legend. (Side note - when I first read the book, it had a gorgeous neutral cover. The reprint has a cover straight out of a bodice-ripper despite being shelved with general fiction (which it is). WTF!). Anyway, here RH is a PTSD-ing former Crusader who survived captivity and torture and is holding on to sanity by the skin of his teeth (also my huge fiction crush - I like them hot and broken). Marian is the protagonist and I love that the author makes her a strong woman without breaking authenticity utterly from its bounds.
5. And I just got in Ridley Scott's Robin Hood from netflix, thus making it five. Maybe I need a RH break :)
Now, granted Robin Hood is one of my favorite narratives (blame growing up in a Communist country on that) but still, overkill :)
1. My copies of Parke Godwin's Sherwood and Robin and the King just came in. This is my favorite book take on RH and I couldn't find my copies so ordered another set. Time for a reread, it seems. This one sets RH in the first days of William the Conqueror's rule, with Robin being a disposessed Saxon thane. These books feel real and gritty and heartbreaking and just - guuuuuh. Also, the only RH narrative ever where I have a crush on the Sheriff (who in this take is somewhat of a reluctant ally eventually).
2. I am plodding my way through Hood (The Raven King Trilogy Part 1) by Richard Lawrence. I've been doing it on and off for a month. I don't hate it but (as you can tell) it's not grabbing me either. This one also moves the legend, not only time-wise but space-wise. In this take, RH is a Welsh petty prince, disposessed by William Rufus' appointees who wipe out his kingdom/family. For some reason, I just can't get emotionally involved, maybe because I am half a book in and he's still not RH but is lying recuperating in some crone's house. Blah. Also, he or anyone else in this is not a particularly likeable person.
3. In my Marsha Canham rampage, I got to Through a Dark Mist where, even if characters do not have RH names, it's pretty clearly a Robin Hood story - we have 'Friar' instead of 'Friar Tuck,' 'Gil Golden' instead of 'Will Scarlet' (who is a woman in this story) etc. Also noble outlaws in Lincoln forest, evil Sheriff, Prince John blahblah. It's a hybrid of a period novel and romance one - too little romance and too much history and plot for a 'proper' romance novel. As someone who prefers the romance:plot ratio in her romance novels change in favor of the latter, I was happy but mmv. Anyway, the plot is as follows: Savanne is a recently widowed young woman who is quite happy to be married off to Lucien Wardieu, a famous good-looking knight, king's champion, powerful baron blah blah. Problem is, as she rides through Lincoln forest on her way to her betrothed (who she's barely seen), her group is ambushed by outlaws who kill the guards and take Savanne hostage. Their leader makes the insane claim that he's the real Lucien Wardieau and he wants nothing more than to kill Servanne's betrothed etcetc. It's a really fun, intense read. I'd prefer the villains to be a little less evil (I mean, fake Lucien and Sheriff's wife had zero redeeming qualities between them, at least so far) but other than that, it is way entertaining - and probably the only version which gets me to ship Friar Tuck/Will Scarlet. Do be warned - I believe every main character gets tortured or similar at least once.
4. Since I am on a Robin Hood kick, I feel like rereading Jennifer Roberson's Lady of the Forest, a Marian-centric 'prequel' to the legend. (Side note - when I first read the book, it had a gorgeous neutral cover. The reprint has a cover straight out of a bodice-ripper despite being shelved with general fiction (which it is). WTF!). Anyway, here RH is a PTSD-ing former Crusader who survived captivity and torture and is holding on to sanity by the skin of his teeth (also my huge fiction crush - I like them hot and broken). Marian is the protagonist and I love that the author makes her a strong woman without breaking authenticity utterly from its bounds.
5. And I just got in Ridley Scott's Robin Hood from netflix, thus making it five. Maybe I need a RH break :)
