The Outlaws of Sherwood

by Robin McKinley
The Outlaws of Sherwood  
published 2005 by Ace Trade
first published 1989
binding Paperback
isbn 0441013252   (isbn13: 9780441013258)
pages 368
description New York Times bestselling author Robin McKinley's vivid retelling of the classic story of Robin Hood breathes contemporary life into these bel...more
date added
01-23-07



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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1079)



Rachel
Rachel added it
03/27/08

bookshelves: fantasy-sci-fi
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Alicia
Alicia rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/27/08

bookshelves: sci-fi-fantasy
Read in March, 2008
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Molly
Molly added it
04/28/08

Read in April, 2008
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Minh
Minh rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
08/21/07

bookshelves: childrens
Read in February, 2007
I am a sucker for Robin Hood. Off the top of my head I can remember at least 3 versions of Robin Hood that I've read (not all loved). Robin Hood is the book that I remember the most when I think back to my primary school reading days, and I was super excited (and eventually super disappointed) for the new BBC incarnation of my favourite protagonist. I picked up Outlaws because of a yuletide story that I put to the sidelines, not wanting to spoil myself for yet another version of the Hooded Man. ...more
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Susie
Susie rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
05/16/07

Read in April, 2007
recommends it for: Yes
I found that I adored him and that he came alive for me as Robin Hood. He is not the typical version - he is a reluctant hero, more forced into the role by his friends than by his own wishes. ("'That's why we need you,' said Much comfortably. 'You're a pessimist and a good planner.' 'I have be begun to plan and be pessimistic,' said Robin angrily.") Robin is simply average - he is not great with a bow, he can hold his own in a battle but he is not fighter; he was in the wrong place at ...more
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Katy
Katy rated it: 1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars
04/27/08

bookshelves: complement-to-classics, sci-fi-fantasy
Read in April, 2008
Reference information:
Title: The Outlaws of Sherwood
Author: Robin McKinley
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Year: 1988
# of pages: 282
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy
Reading Level: 14 and up
Interest Level: 14-18
Potential Hot Lava: Manslaughter, combat violence, blood.

General Response/Reaction: I've always loved the Adventures of Robin Hood (thank you Wishbone!), but this book disappointed me. It started out intersting at first, but McKinley's writing style dragged the plot in the middle, a...more
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Res
Res rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
04/11/07

bookshelves: sff
Read in January, 2005
Retelling of Robin Hood legend -- she tells it straight, but in the modern interior-psychological style.

The writing is extraordinarily clumsy, from the sentence-structure level to the introduction of backstory (which often shows up five seconds before it's needed to support some new development). I'm not familiar enough with the canon to evaluate the story's effectiveness as fanfic.

I have some minor plausibility problesm -- how does a lord's daughter get to be best buddies with two work...more
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Nicole
Nicole rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
07/06/08

Read in July, 2008
I finished this book after midnight last night and I loved it. Robin Mckinley did a great job with this retelling of the Robin Hood legend. Pay attention to the way her narrator can delve into any character's mind at any point in the story. I didn't really think too much about this aspect of her writing style until a friend pointed it out. I was impressed with how Mckinley makes it work so well. Instead of being confusing it really allows the reader to feel a connection to the wide range of char...more
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Caryn
Caryn rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
07/11/07

bookshelves: recent-reads, young-adult
Read in July, 2007
Was a solid three until the end. An interesting enough tale, with some fun romance thrown in and a few nice historical details. I liked the portrayal of Robin as closer to a real man than myth. Still, there were way too many names to keep track of, the writing was often clunky and hard to keep straight (especially when I'm reading at night in low light), and then there was the ending, which was reminiscent somehow of the ending of the third Lord of the Rings movie. I love Robin McKinley's other ...more
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Karalee
Karalee rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
05/30/08

Read in May, 2008
recommended to Karalee by: by author - Robin McKinely
recommends it for: 16+
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Cristi
Cristi rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
02/06/08

bookshelves: fantasy
Read in January, 2007
recommends it for: action and fantasy people
This book is about Robin Hood and how he becomes an outlaw and who comes to join him in Sherwood. One of my favorite charaters is Ceceily because when she is first welcomed to the camp you think that she is a boy but later on you discover that she is Will Scarlet's sister and that she ran away from an evil man whom she was almost forced to marry. That must have taken alot of guts to be around a bunch of male owtlaws (except for Marien of course) and not blow your cover.
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Rachel
Rachel rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
05/31/08

Read in May, 2008
I had heard this book described as "Robin Hood from Maid Marian's point of view." It wasn't at all from Maid Marian's point of view, although she did have a large part in the story. It was simply Robin Hood retold. The most familiar Robin Hood story to me is the animated Disney movie. So while reading this book, I kept inadvertently picturing Robin Hood as a fox and Little John as a big bear and so on. Despite this, I truly enjoyed reading this book.
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Megan
Megan rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
05/08/08

Read in January, 2004

I enjoyed this book, but found there to be a noticeable split in the middle. I enjoyed the first half of the book much better, the half that was mostly from Robin's POV. I also thought the book would have been a bit better if McKinley had tried to incorporate some of the things from the legend a little more seemlessly (how Robin became known as "Robin Hood" seemed especially heavy-handed).
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Jennifer
Jennifer rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
07/15/08

We're in the woods! With Robin Hood and his band! And Robin Hood is perfect and always makes correct decisions and they always win and no one betrays them or really starts fights! And only sort of expendable characters that we never got close to die! And it's set in the past but everyone is modern!

Okay, I sort of enjoyed it, but this is not her best book by a long shot.
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Christie
Christie rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/15/07

Read in June, 2006
A little slow at the beginning, but it picked up. I really liked this telling of Robin Hood. (Note: Would Marian and Cecily really have been as strong as portrayed in this book?)

When you're not busy reading, see what we're all up to on Belly Acre Farm. Visit my blog. http://www.bellyacrefarm.blots...
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Julie
Julie rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
04/04/08

Read in April, 2008
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I really, really liked it, and wasn't expecting too. It may even be my favorite Robin McKinley book. It didn't have a lot of slow parts like some of her other novels do. I often didn't want to put it down, and did so exercising great self control. :o)
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Battery
Battery rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
02/03/08

oh my gosh! i love this book. well.... mostly i love Cecil and Little John they are my two favorite characters, and, in my opinion, the real reason to read this book. of course, there's also the reason that it's written by Robin McKinley. She's one of my favorite authors.
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amypete
amypete rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
01/27/08

Read in January, 2008
I have enjoyed Robin McKinley's books in the past. Same with this one. It is longer and more grown-up than the others, but still a good story. I read it bits at a time, though, and think I would have liked it more if I had gotten through it faster!
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Catherine
Catherine rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
02/20/08

Read in February, 2008
Robin McKinley has a neat way of retelling folk tales (see Beauty), and has applied her skills to the tale of Robin Hood. All the familiar characters are here, but the way & reasons they come together is new & interesting in this version.
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Melody
Melody rated it: 1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars
07/09/08

bookshelves: didn-t-finish
Read in July, 2008
Abandoned ship exactly 50 pages in, which may have been premature but how long am I going to live, anyway?

It would have been the first Robin Hood book I've ever read, so maybe it's just too late for me to start that particular myth.
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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 3.75 (879 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 3.73 (764 ratings)
number of reviews: 63






other editions

The Outlaws of Sherwood (Ace Fantasy)
The Outlaws of Sherwood (Hardcover)
The Outlaws of Sherwood (Firebird)