Robin Hood:Thief of Barnsdale

by David Pilling

"Robin Hood in Barnsdale stood..." England, 1224 AD. The north of the country is wild and lawless, plagued by bands of outlaws and robbers and broken men. There is little justice and less order, and the King's officers struggle to impose their royal master's law. This is the setting for the story of Robert Hood, a yeoman farmer and petty thief, forced to flee into the forests of Yorkshire after defending his home and family against the malice of Sir Gui de Gisburne. Hunted like an animal through the woods, he falls into the company of Hobbe of Wetherby, a notorious murderer and the most wanted felon in the north. Robert must rely on his all his courage and skill to survive and avoid ending as crowbait on the gallows. Mingling fact with fiction, and drawing heavily on surviving contemporary records, this is a tough and unsqueamish tale and like no other version of the ancient legend. Robin Thief of Barnsdale is a compilation of the first three parts of David Pilling’s Robin Hood series, including Book One, Two (The Wrath of God) and Three (The Hooded Man). All of these are also currently available separately on Kindle.

506 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2014

Reviews

[Geoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a sometime participant in discussions arguments about the nature of RH it made me smile to see echoes of said arguments discussions reflected back through the prism of a novel. Not that knowledge of said discussions is needed to enjoy this novel. And make no mistake, Pilling has delivered a very readable and immensely satisfying novel (or more accurately 3 novellas).

The novel follows the recent though by no means new trend of setting RH outside the usual era of Richard I – in this case Henry III’s reign in the second quarter of the C13. As well as drawing heavily on surviving contemporary records, Pilling pours his incredible knowledge of the myth into this telling to create something new yet at the same time wholly familiar. Most impressive is the way a number of the old ballads are deconstructed, pieces salvaged and then rebuilt into a swift flowing narrative.

I could keep on with the superlatives but I think you get the idea. Not only do I await the remaining RH novellas – Pilling’s writing here suggests I should chase down his other work.

[Laure Estep · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

One of the most interesting, and perhaps controversial, Robin Hoods I've read. Thoroughly engrossing plot with lots of surprises. The greatest strength is that this is the most highly, passionately motivated Robin character. Zealous almost to the point of madness whether railing against the corruption of the church, the king or the ineffectual sheriff. Not your typical Robin or merry men.

I did pick up the next book in the series and could hardly wait to see how the story continues and what could possibly happen next.