While this story was good, it could have been great. The narrative was character driven, my favourite being Little John (who is definitely a complete Chad). But a lot of the time it was repetitive and predictable. The story arch of most chapters was similar. It usually involved Robin meeting a stranger, they have a duel, and Robin offers the stranger to join the band of merry outlaws. At other times, the story involves Robin’s conversation with wealthy people like bishops and governors, and deceiving them into giving him money or gold, which Robin shares with his merry men and distributes to the less fortunate. What a cool dude!

The first and last quarters of the novel were the best. In my opinion, a majority of the middle of the book was unnecessarily slow. Most of it had little or nothing to contribute to the plot. A lot of the new characters that were introduced in the middle, save about 3, had little function or relevance later on. It felt like a chore getting through a large chunk of it. But every now and again there were verses of beautiful poetry, which made Robin Hood a special read. By the last quarter of the book, things began to pick up again. It was jolly again. Even the last few pages were moving and melancholy. It was a nice adventure overall.

While I loved the old English, which read a bit like primitive Shakespeare, the old-fashioned vocabulary was hard for me to understand sometimes. It feels good to have finished. Seeing how the violence is very tame, I think it would be a fun book to read to my kids one day. I might have to skip the chapter where Little John disguises himself as a friar and kisses all the lasses and ladies in the marketplace though.