The Outlaws of Sherwood

By: Robin McKinley

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

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.

Classic Robin McKinley. Retelling of Robin Hood. The Best Performance by an Audible Narrator Thus Far!

Thus far, this has been the best performance I have heard from a narrator on Audible! The voices of male and female characters are so believable and real! The characters start and stop what they are saying so seamlessly! It really feels like I am in the story, participating with all that is happening! Superb!

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.