Here's an unusual, Machiavellian Robin Hood rewrite, sketched in all the shades of gray, Nathan Makaryk's Nottingham. I'm not sure I liked it but it is certainly intriguing, with a strong vein of satire.

Everyone, it seems, is both a good guy and a bad guy, except perhaps Nottingham's Sheriff, who seems to be trying his best. Robin's band, if it was ever his, are rarely behind him, and Marion has her own agenda.

Though far from the legend, I suspect this version, depressing as it is, is much closer to reality.

I enjoyed this book throughout, but the ending sealed the deal in this 5 star rating.

What is Nottingham? Not so much a retelling of the legend as a fictional exploration of the history behind the legend, bursting with life and surprises. Nothing is, ultimately, what you think. It’s interestingly a tale of our own time, too, where people are so caught up in what they know and so utterly devoid of the truths that others know, so caught up in what’s good (or not) for them that they miss the truth and wreak havoc on others instead of good. It’s a story with a moral, shouting out to us: you may be right from your POV with the line you’ve drawn in the sand, but can’t you see where this is all headed?

Well done! And yes, you’ve got me as intrigued for the next offering as I was for this one.

Is this the next Game of Thrones? Both yes and no. In feel, it is more like Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom Series, or to be more precise, Linnea Hartsuyker’s The Golden Wolf Saga. There is no magic whatsoever, no dragons. But the power fight—for sure. Also the writing is dense, the build takes a while, but it’s worth it in the end.

Favorite Character: Prince John was delightful. I’d love more of his voice!

Note: I both listened and read. The audio is superb. The text in the hard cover is a bit dense but I needed it sometimes to help ground me.

*Somewhat of a Spoiler Critique: ⤵️*

Next time don’t let a main character disappear for the length of a typical book!

Title: Nottingham

Author: Nathan Makaryk

Pages: 496

Genre: retellings

Rating: 2 stars

I wanted to love this one. I've been a Robin Hood fan since childhood. (thanks dad) I've since every movie with the newest one being my favorite with the Disney cartoon being a close second. I'm working my way through the BBC series right now. So I picked Nottingham up to see what new twist could be added to the Robin Hood legend. I will admit I loved some of the background on the characters and I loved that we got chapters from each. But to me there were just too many character point of views. From characters to me felt like secondary characters. There were parts of Marian's characters that I loved that she was strong and determined and not a damsel in distress and spoiler: with the outlaws from the beginning. But there were parts like the choice that she made at the end that didn't seem like the Marian from the beginning. This Robin wasn't my favorite but he was realistic he was a solider hardened and scared by war.

However, Gisbourne was pretty much the same way he always is and I loved that. I think that's what made him my favorite never thought I say that in this book. I thought the ending was a little rushed and even though I didn't like the way it ended, The ending fit the way that the story was going. I don't think at that point it could have ended any other way. I'm still on the look for a Robin Hood retelling that I love, but I am willing to give this author another try and will read any future books by this author. But just because I didn't like it doesn't mean that another reader won't love it. Their view of the Robin Hood legend could be different than mine and this book is what they've always wanted.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

4.5 stars

Yes. Yes. Yes and yes. Is this my new favorite retelling? Did this book provide moral quandaries in exciting ways? Would I recommend it and will I read more from this author? You know the answers.

I am ridiculously excited about this book. Anyone who likes the tale of Robin Hood should read this book. READ IT.
Okay, let’s calm down.

What a wonderful rendition of a classic story. Familiar yet groundbreaking. Straightforward but deep. It unfolded like a tapestry beautifully stitched with battles and betrayals. So much action took place but I never fully knew where it was headed. An obvious goal needed to be achieved, but which side would win remained a mystery until the very end.
Multiple POVs enriched the story by showing both sides. You got a feel for why people thought their side was right and how much they hated the opposition. By hearing their arguments (and listening to the sheriff) it became clear to me that the real villain wasn’t any of them, it was Richard the Lionheart. They were put in impossible situations while the king went off to his war and made everyone pay for it.
The story takes off when Richard sends Robin and his friend William back to England to search for missing war supplies. They meet the outlaws (who have the supplies), get separated and after a bit of juggling they decide to tackle their problem from both sides. Robin stays in Sherwood while William goes to the castle and sheriff.
Robin went through a lot in this book. He handled it well sometimes, but other times he missed out on an opportunity to get his point across. And at critical moments he had an attack of I-can’t-listen-to-you-because-the-story-demands-it. Several other people did too, and it got a little annoying and convenient. Anyway, he struggled to get things right and in the end he didn’t pull it off as well as he could have.
William, on the other hand, was my favorite. He got the wisdom of the sheriff, he saw how things were headed and he wanted to help. I rooted for him until the end of the book.
I’m gonna lump Marion, Arable and Elena together since they all shared several characteristics. They all thought they knew what was right and that men were incapable of ruling. Men have it easy and we can’t be heard and blah blah blah. AND YET, THEY WERE ALL CATALYSTS OF DESTRUCTION. Intentionally or not, this book showed why women shouldn’t be in charge. And now, a mini tangent:
I get that women (for some reason) have to be modern now. But since every woman is modern, it would be more challenging and interesting for authors and readers if we saw something different. Maybe the women don’t complain about how men have it easy and instead work on having an ordered household. (That takes brains and planning, so I don’t think they would bemoan how restricted their life is.) They’re content to let the men fight things out while they live peacefully at home. I’m sick of women before the 1900s acting like suffragettes when that idea only came into being when the kids were no longer there and the husband had to go get a job, leaving the wife alone at home with nothing to do. The implication that, before they got the vote, women hated their life, is dumb. I wouldn’t care if I couldn’t vote, be a policeman, own a company or be the president. I know I’m not alone in that, so maybe authors should consider that not all women feel the need to be in charge, and make some new character arcs.
Back to your regularly scheduled program:
When I read Guy’s first perspective, I thought he was great. His banter with his friends put a smile on my face. And then it got dark. Really dark. That Guy made some very questionable choices and became fixated on taking down Robin and his men. He wanted to uphold the law when the law was what made them outlaws in the first place. His narrow-mindedness stabbed him in the back.
BEST. SHERIFF. EVER. I loved de Lacy. The way he explained both sides of the situation and how he went about dealing with conflicts was so brilliant to watch. I want a whole book dedicated to his journey to becoming the sheriff.
As for the other characters, they were fine. John Little and Will Scarlet were there and Prince John made a brief cameo. I’d like to see more of the latter in the next book.
The writing style made this book stand out. Sometimes sarcastic, sometimes archaic, the book really drew me in with Guy’s first chapter. I’m not sure how to describe it, but it’s noticeable from the beginning.
The dialogue clipped along nicely and there were good lines. Occasionally someone had the perfect opportunity to defend their position and they blew it. I’d be fuming inside thinking, “Say something!” and they’d just sit there in silence. Another thing that bothered me was the modern swearing. The author said why he did it but every time it happened, it jerked me out of the story. When stories set in pre-WWII or fantasy worlds use 21st century swearing, it bothers me. Maybe it’s just a personal preference, but I don’t want Robin Hood to sound like a millennial.
This book surprised me. I’d just seen the 2018 Robin Hood movie and wasn’t sure if I wanted another rendition of the story. But this book subverted my expectations and I’m happy about it. Parts of the classic tale were examined in a more practical light and familiar events were thrown aside in favor of reality. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, despite how it ended.