Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books! It’s the nature of book blogging to focus mainly on new releases, but there are thousands of great books out there that haven’t seen the “New Releases” shelf in years. Through Throwback Thursdays THCW and NTFB hope to be able to bring attention to some older titles that may not be at the top of the current bestseller list, but still deserve a spot in your To-Be-Read pile.
This week’s Throwback Thursday book is The Outlaws Of Sherwood by Robin McKinley.
Summary from Amazon: The classic tale of Robin Hood gets a new lift as real flesh-and-blood outlaws, on the lam from the gallows and the sword, fight for the sake of justice. Robin and his merry cohorts swing through the forest in these fresh additions to the timeless stories.
Why You Should Read This Book: Ever since I was a small child I’ve been fascinated by the Robin Hood myth. My mom tells me that I wore out my VHS copy of the Disney Robin Hood and it had to be replaced twice and as a three year old I insisted that she make me a Robin Hood costume for Halloween (complete with bow & arrows!). So, it’s definitely no surprise that my favorite Robin McKinley book is her retelling of the famous robber of Sherwood Forest.
Robin McKinley leaves her signature stamp on the classic tale by adding a few strong willed and independently minded women to Robin’s merry band of men. In this version Maid Marian is no shrinking violet and she often bests Robin at archery! I always appreciate the way McKinley lets her female characters take control right out of the mens hands and this book is certainly no exception.
The backstories that McKinley gives the various merry men flesh out these characters better than in any previous versions I’ve read, Little John, Allan-a-Dale and even Will Scarlett become more human and more engaging that you’ve ever seen.
If, like me, you have a soft spot in your heart for Robin Hood this is the re-telling to read, I plan on reading it for the twentieth or so time in the near future! Although, this has reminded me that I need to buy a new copy, as my copy is so well-read that pages fell out when I picked it up to flip through for this post. Oops?