What do you think?
Rate this book
The Fantastic Adventures of Robin Hood
The Prince of Thieves lives on in this sensational new treatment of one of literature's most enduring legends.
From Sherwood Forest to New Orleans to the outer reaches of space, here is a wild new anthology of myth and magic that takes Robin Hood and his merry men places they've never been…and from which they may never return.
Thirteen fantastic writers offer glimpses into alternate worlds where the consequences of stealing from the rich are very different from those you've known and loved your entire life. The rich blend of adventure, fantasy, mystery, science fiction, and horror offered here will forever change the way you think about the heroic tales of Robin Hood.
From Sherwood Forest to New Orleans to the outer reaches of space, here is a wild new anthology of myth and magic that takes Robin Hood and his merry men places they've never been…and from which they may never return.
Thirteen fantastic writers offer glimpses into alternate worlds where the consequences of stealing from the rich are very different from those you've known and loved your entire life. The rich blend of adventure, fantasy, mystery, science fiction, and horror offered here will forever change the way you think about the heroic tales of Robin Hood.
285 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1991
95 people want to read
About the author
Martin H. Greenberg
910 books163 followersMartin Harry Greenberg was an American academic and speculative fiction anthologist. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned over 8,200 original short stories. He founded Tekno Books, a packager of more than 2000 published books. In addition, he was a co-founder of the Sci-Fi Channel.
For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.
For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 15, 2022
This is an anthology of original Robin Hood-related fantasy short stories that Greenberg edited to capitalize on the release of the Kevin Costner movie in 1991. I found many of them to be a little too absurdly over-the-top, as too many of the authors took a too humorous slant to the subject; Greenberg usually had a better balance. George Alec Effinger's story was funny, and I liked the one by Nancy A. Collins. It's a good enough book, but real Robin fans would be better advised to pick up the two more recent Carrie Vaughan novellas.
July 19, 2025
I’m in a Robin Hood phase right now, consuming all the media I can about him (my favorite is still the Disney movie, and that 2010 one is still offensively ridiculous). This entry in Martin H. Greenberg’s bibliography seems to be capitalizing on the release of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. I do like his themed anthologies! Just the premises of them, and they always had great cover art. I’d like to get into that game: just pitching the idea, raking in the stories, choosing my favorites, getting a great cover artist, and letting the publisher do the rest. Nice work if you can get it!
The stories:
“Mrs. Hood Unloads”, Mike Resnick—This isn't a “fantastic” story, it's a joke. What if Robin had a mahjong-playing, kvetching Jewish mother? Har-har. Mr. Resnick does have that voice down, I suppose. I just never found those jokes to be funny.
“Robin Hood and the Witch Who Misspelled Sherwood Forest”, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough—A long one, in which a New Age witch/eco-activist tries to summon Robin and everyone to modern-day Washington to save the forest there. Instead...well, forests and people end up in places and times that are quite wrong, and a lot of spelling and air travel takes place trying to sort it out. Narrated by a baffled but amenable Little John.
A very sad part: the witch (Madrona) transports everyone to modern-day Sherwood, which the Merry Men are stunned to find “a mere park”.
The story is pretty funny, but it captures a very important part of the legend: the mythic forest, wild and lawless, where you can be free.
I wonder what Sherwood is like today, versus thirty-plus years ago.
“Team Effort”, Ed Gorman—A very short, sad, and somewhat intriguing fragment. There are thousands of versions of Robin Hood and his gang across the multiverse, working for some kind of interdimensional Force. That's a cool premise. But the plot didn't make much sense and wasn't very interesting. If it had shown up in a different context, not a Robin Hood anthology, it probably would have had more impact with the element of surprise. I think Mr. Gorman phoned this one in, but I would rather like to see it developed further. The only story narrated by Robin himself.
“Vivian”, Midori Snyder—Behind every legendary man, there’s a woman. Vivian, a forest spirit, is bound to protect and help Robin Hood. She takes him from an ordinary outlaw to fame and glory. She pleads with him over the years to free her with an arrow to her heart, but he won’t; ostensibly because of his vow to never harm a woman, but truly because he can’t bear the idea that he owes everything he has to her. I liked the way this story used the sad death of Robin Hood. It redeems him.
“Legends Never Die”, Barbara Delaplace—A story for children; very simple, easy to read. Here Robin is the Fisher King; I’m still not sure what that means. But I do want to believe that legends never die. Robin is still there.
“Robin Hood’s Treasure”, Clayton Emery—This isn’t fantastic either, it’s straight historical fiction. Mildly diverting. Various good guys and bad guys chase each other around Nottingham, stealing and hiding gold. Robin still thinks that the best things in life are free, but he can’t convince his men.
“Robin's Witch”, Nancy Holder—Scary. One of the two best-written, most literary pieces, but too dark for my taste. England is Christian, but some of the old ways remain. I can't always keep my Nancys straight, especially if two or more contribute to some of the same anthologies. Usually I prefer Collins to Holder, but this time, Holder has the edge.
“Avant Vanguard”, Laura Resnick—I admit I skipped this one. It looked to be snarky humor, and I don’t want to see Robin ridiculed. That’s not why I had this book sent to me via ILL all the way from Holbrook, Arizona.
“Robin in the Mists”, Steve Rasnic Tem—The other high-quality contribution. Can you bear to look through the bright, gay legend to the hard, harsh truth? Even Robin can't. Frankly, I don’t want to, either, but someone had to. I have to read some primary sources and find out if Mr. Tem invented the extra bloodshed...or not.
“The Locksley Scenario”, Brian M. Thomsen— An amusing tale of…hacking? Coding? Gaming? Computer stuff is beyond me, even from 1991. A noirish but nerdy private eye helps Ivana “Marian” Trump get what’s coming to her, in a Robin Hood-themed computer game way. It was funny!
“The One-Eyed King”, Nancy A. Collins—A simple, straightforward, unsophisticated story of an evil twin. It was a page-turner, but I expected more from Nancy A. Collins. It wasn’t on a high level.
“Young Robin”, Matthew J. Costello—More Robin sneers, which I didn’t much like, but some very frightening creatures.
“Muffy Birnbaum Goes Shopynge”, George Alec Effinger—I had never met Muffy before, but I’m pleased to make her acquaintance. She’s fun. A JAP, but no airhead, she seems to be sucked into various dimensions without warning. Here, deposited at the Sherwood Mall, she tries to outshop Maid Marian and grills Little John about anachronisms and paradoxes in the Robin Hood legend. She later recounts her adventure to her exasperated housewife friend. Funny and clever, but not a satisfying Robin Hood fix.
I love the cover: a confused Robin standing in front of the New York City skyline (hi, Twin Towers! Good to see you!). It is a major injustice that this work of art is uncredited! I wonder if there’s someone out there still who knows, or if it’s lost forever in the mists of time.
The Scarborough story is the closest one to going with it.
Despite the blurb, there is no story set in “the outer reaches of space.” Unless they meant, like, the space-time continuum.
The stories:
“Mrs. Hood Unloads”, Mike Resnick—This isn't a “fantastic” story, it's a joke. What if Robin had a mahjong-playing, kvetching Jewish mother? Har-har. Mr. Resnick does have that voice down, I suppose. I just never found those jokes to be funny.
“Robin Hood and the Witch Who Misspelled Sherwood Forest”, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough—A long one, in which a New Age witch/eco-activist tries to summon Robin and everyone to modern-day Washington to save the forest there. Instead...well, forests and people end up in places and times that are quite wrong, and a lot of spelling and air travel takes place trying to sort it out. Narrated by a baffled but amenable Little John.
A very sad part: the witch (Madrona) transports everyone to modern-day Sherwood, which the Merry Men are stunned to find “a mere park”.
The story is pretty funny, but it captures a very important part of the legend: the mythic forest, wild and lawless, where you can be free.
I wonder what Sherwood is like today, versus thirty-plus years ago.
“Team Effort”, Ed Gorman—A very short, sad, and somewhat intriguing fragment. There are thousands of versions of Robin Hood and his gang across the multiverse, working for some kind of interdimensional Force. That's a cool premise. But the plot didn't make much sense and wasn't very interesting. If it had shown up in a different context, not a Robin Hood anthology, it probably would have had more impact with the element of surprise. I think Mr. Gorman phoned this one in, but I would rather like to see it developed further. The only story narrated by Robin himself.
“Vivian”, Midori Snyder—Behind every legendary man, there’s a woman. Vivian, a forest spirit, is bound to protect and help Robin Hood. She takes him from an ordinary outlaw to fame and glory. She pleads with him over the years to free her with an arrow to her heart, but he won’t; ostensibly because of his vow to never harm a woman, but truly because he can’t bear the idea that he owes everything he has to her. I liked the way this story used the sad death of Robin Hood. It redeems him.
“Legends Never Die”, Barbara Delaplace—A story for children; very simple, easy to read. Here Robin is the Fisher King; I’m still not sure what that means. But I do want to believe that legends never die. Robin is still there.
“Robin Hood’s Treasure”, Clayton Emery—This isn’t fantastic either, it’s straight historical fiction. Mildly diverting. Various good guys and bad guys chase each other around Nottingham, stealing and hiding gold. Robin still thinks that the best things in life are free, but he can’t convince his men.
“Robin's Witch”, Nancy Holder—Scary. One of the two best-written, most literary pieces, but too dark for my taste. England is Christian, but some of the old ways remain. I can't always keep my Nancys straight, especially if two or more contribute to some of the same anthologies. Usually I prefer Collins to Holder, but this time, Holder has the edge.
“Avant Vanguard”, Laura Resnick—I admit I skipped this one. It looked to be snarky humor, and I don’t want to see Robin ridiculed. That’s not why I had this book sent to me via ILL all the way from Holbrook, Arizona.
“Robin in the Mists”, Steve Rasnic Tem—The other high-quality contribution. Can you bear to look through the bright, gay legend to the hard, harsh truth? Even Robin can't. Frankly, I don’t want to, either, but someone had to. I have to read some primary sources and find out if Mr. Tem invented the extra bloodshed...or not.
“The Locksley Scenario”, Brian M. Thomsen— An amusing tale of…hacking? Coding? Gaming? Computer stuff is beyond me, even from 1991. A noirish but nerdy private eye helps Ivana “Marian” Trump get what’s coming to her, in a Robin Hood-themed computer game way. It was funny!
“The One-Eyed King”, Nancy A. Collins—A simple, straightforward, unsophisticated story of an evil twin. It was a page-turner, but I expected more from Nancy A. Collins. It wasn’t on a high level.
“Young Robin”, Matthew J. Costello—More Robin sneers, which I didn’t much like, but some very frightening creatures.
“Muffy Birnbaum Goes Shopynge”, George Alec Effinger—I had never met Muffy before, but I’m pleased to make her acquaintance. She’s fun. A JAP, but no airhead, she seems to be sucked into various dimensions without warning. Here, deposited at the Sherwood Mall, she tries to outshop Maid Marian and grills Little John about anachronisms and paradoxes in the Robin Hood legend. She later recounts her adventure to her exasperated housewife friend. Funny and clever, but not a satisfying Robin Hood fix.
I love the cover: a confused Robin standing in front of the New York City skyline (hi, Twin Towers! Good to see you!). It is a major injustice that this work of art is uncredited! I wonder if there’s someone out there still who knows, or if it’s lost forever in the mists of time.
The Scarborough story is the closest one to going with it.
Despite the blurb, there is no story set in “the outer reaches of space.” Unless they meant, like, the space-time continuum.
October 1, 2015
A little weird, some stories better than others but in all, all was fun and I was definitely entertained it made me want to write a silly Robin Hood story ;)
June 19, 2017
A fun read.
August 27, 2021
Nancy Collins' story was good, but otherwise, what a wasted concept! Not a single tale actually seemed to take the premise of "Robin Hood in alternate realities".
April 14, 2010
So much potential... Robin in space, Robin in modern-day California, Robin's Jewish mother complaining about her no-good son... Sadly, I lost it on the train before I read much. Need to call "lost and found"...
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews