The Outlaws of Sherwood

By: Robin McKinley

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Young Robin Longbow, subapprentice forester in the King's Forest of Nottingham, must contend with the dislike of the Chief Forester, who bullies Robin in memory of his popular father. But Robin does not want to leave Nottingham or lose the title to his father's small tenancy, because he is in love with a young lady named Marian - and keeps remembering that his mother too was gentry and married a common forester.

Robin has been granted a rare holiday to go to the Nottingham Fair, where he will spend the day with his friends Much and Marian. But he is ambushed by a group of the Chief Forester's cronies, who challenge him to an archery contest...and he accidentally kills one of them in self-defense.

He knows his own life is forfeit. But Much and Marian convince him that perhaps his personal catastrophe is also an opportunity: an opportunity for a few stubborn Saxons to gather together in the secret heart of Sherwood Forest and strike back against the arrogance and injustice of the Norman overlords.

©1988 Robin McKinley (P)2019 Tantor

The best of Robin Hood mythology brought to life

Growing up as a young boy obsessed with Robin Hood tales, this story found me just as I was running out of books I hadn’t yet read. Fate saved the best for last, for in McKinley’s Outlaws, all of the charm of the other Robin Hood tails is brought close and intimate, and the characters become not only protagonists but friends, so that the reader feels she is included among the merry band. Justine Eyre does a fantastic reading, including different voices to distinguish speakers, which is very helpful and impressive given some of the snappy back-and-forth dialogue among the outlaws. I was so pleased to find this audio rendition of one of my favorite books, and cannot recommend it enough to anyone looking for a masterful rendering of one of the most iconic and dearly-treasured legends in the english-speaking world.

Excellent adaptation of one of my favorite books!

I was thrilled to see an audible version of this novel, which has been one of my favorites for a very long time. It did not disappoint. The narrator brings a wonderful flavor to much beloved characters. Do not hesitate--this is a wonderful listen!

History as it ought to have been told

Fletcher Robin, who despite his fame, really can hit the side of a barn, if it isn't moving too fast and the wind isn't blowing, gets volunteered to set up shop as forest-based justice adjustor. Marian then proceeds to help him learn to shoot, and to help the wandering lost men band together and figure out how to survive in the forest. With the nudge and help of a few other women, they become heroes. This is not a Mel Brooks comedy, but neither is it a Disney foxy story. Just history as it might have been.

I love how practical Robin hood is

Accident has put Robin in a place to be a symbol of freedom for the repressed but he is more worried about keeping the rain out than the revolution of England. These characters are familiar but with little twists that make them refreshed and new. This is one I listen to at least once a year.

Great retelling/story, wrong narrator

I've loved this retelling of Robin Hood since I read it (and re-read it and re-re-read it) as a teenager. The characters are very human and relatable and the story intertwines in a satisfying way, with a nice mix of romance and lots of humor and realism.

I'm very happy to finally have an audio version to listen to, but... she's the wrong narrator. She describes everything with a lot of melodrama but none of the humor. Overall, it's like listening to an amusing dinner story performed with all the drama of a soap-opera's weekly climax. I found her narration distracting (and detracting) from the natural warmth of the story.

Meeeeeh

The narrators voice really bugs me. She doesn’t have much inflection or different characters. Every sentence sounds the same. And whiny too. I’m trying to return this one.

A great story paired with the wrong narrator

I thought the story was very well done until I had to abandon the book because of the narration. Justine Eyre had presented a very good performance in "Helen of Troy" by Margaret George. This was a 30 hour listen and Ms. Eyre was entertaining, a pitch perfect voice for Helen who is the main narrator of her own tale. However, Ms. Eyre cannot do a lusty outlaw from Robin Hood very well. I gave up after a hour. Too bad all 'round since I would have liked to finish the book.