Reviews

In a Dark Wood by Michael Cadnum

garnetofeden's review against another edition

3.0

A fresh new perspective of the tale of Robin Hood told from the point of view of the Sheriff of Nottingham. Robin Hood was not made out to be a bad character while the Sheriff is good. The Sheriff of Nottingham was not as evil as he is sometimes portrayed. Rather, he is just human, with flaws and good qualities. I thought it was a reasonable explanation for how in the legend Robin Hood could be made out to be the hero while the Sheriff is maligned. Still, it lacked a certain adventuristic quality I would expect from any story dealing with a retelling of Robin Hood.

Last finished 3/1/2011. Rating reviewed 7/7/2023.

felinity's review against another edition

4.0

This is no glorious Technicolor romp with dashing men, a greedy, dastardly villain and courtly romance. It is so much more, and after reading you may suddenly feel that all the other portrayals of the Robin Hood mythos are lacking in details and depth.

This is the story of the Sheriff of Nottingham, and his interactions with the prankster highwayman known as Robin Hood.

Woven in with Geoffrey's daily decisions are concerns about his young squire, his marriage, and his desire for a relatively peaceful life studying; the local words (cleverly explained for our benefit) and historical details that I've never seen before bring a sense that these are real people.

Although Robin remains much the same (indeed, by comparison he's almost lessened), his men become more believable while Geoffrey himself is revealed to be a man who tries to be fair and will complete his job without relish: no gleeful hand-rubbing here.

This is the most human rendition of the tales I've ever read.

You should know that this is not what I'd call children's fiction, although that's how it was categorized on NetGalley; reading with this misconception may alter your view.

Spoiler

There were some scenes of torture, others where torture or mutilations were discussed, and infidelity.

I would not recommend this for children, and you may wish to read it yourself before giving it to younger teens.


Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

kailey_luminouslibro's review

1.0

I thought this would be such a cool book, the story of Robin Hood told from the Sheriff's perspective; But I hate the writing style, I couldn't follow the plot, all the characters are boring, and I got sick of the Sheriff's angst over every stupid thing. (I don't care what color tunic you wear to the feast! Nobody cares, Sheriff! Urgh.)
What a disappointment.

sunsoar25's review

2.0

I had pretty high hopes for Cadnum's In a Dark Wood, which is a Robin Hood retelling told from Geoffrey the Sheriff of Nottingham's perspective, I mean, just look at cover and read the praise. However, it just kind of fell flat for me. As much as I love Robin Hood stories, I had different expectations. I liked that we got a sympathetic Sheriff in Geoffrey, a flawed and human character. I liked the contemplative tone and that we could see him grow over the course of the story. I didn't like that the narration skipped back and forth between him and his squire, Hugh. I thought that really could have been edited out and the story wouldn't have suffered from it. In fact, it probably would have been a little easier to follow if that was the case. There also wasn't really a villain, very much action or adventure, and for that matter, Robin himself doesn't actually get all that much page-time. Overall, it was good story, but just not what I was looking for in a Robin Hood retelling.

By the way, can you blame me if I imagined Geoffrey like his BBC counterpart?