The Scarlet Forest: A Tale of Robin Hood - A.E. Chandler - ★★.¾

AUTHOR: A.E. Chandler

NARRATOR: Joel Benedict

GENRE: Historical Fiction

PUBLICATION DATE: April 21, 2021

RATING: 2.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: The legendary story of Robinhood and his band in the Scarlet forest. True to the original ballads. Don’t expect a Hollywood experience full of swashbuckling flamboyance and charm. I liked the story (not a surprise as it’s about Robinhood), but found the writing style somewhat dry. The use of old English was also a little hurdle for me on audio, though I appreciate the authenticity of the language. With a little more literary flourish, this would have been a more memorable experience for me. But it might work better for those Robinhood fans who prefer authentic, frill-free narratives. This is an outlier review.

If you are looking for a genuine story of Robinhood, not the one that you see in Hollywood but more faithful to the original legend and ballads, and if you aren’t fussy about anything other than the storyline, then this book does well. Sadly, many readers don't look at the story alone. They need rounded characters, lush descriptions, soul-stirring prose, immersive emotions, and grand moments. The novel doesn’t deliver to its utmost potential on these factors, though it is also not a complete disappointment.

The plot stays true to the legend of Robinhood, covering his entire life. We begin at the point when an unexpected incident in Sherwood Forest forces him to became an outlaw. Then we see how he formed his band of men, how they operated from Sherwood Forest as outlaws, their principles, their opponents, their interactions with the governing officials, and of course, Robin’s relationship with Lady Marion. The narrative doesn’t focus on Robin alone but also tells us some adventures of his group of outlaws from their perspectives, highlighting their camaraderie with each other, their individual exploits and their vulnerabilities. The story is thus written in the shifting third-person perspectives of various characters.

Robin’s life isn't narrated in chronological order. In between the ‘contemporary’ phase of Robin’s life beginning from his youth, we get chapters talking about his younger years, such as his childhood home, and the development of his attachment to Marion. This backstory is either presented in separate chapters like flashbacks or narrated to us through stories/ballads by a character. In fact, there are several stories and ballads within this book, some of which are fairly lengthy but won't bother those who enjoy poetry. (I don’t, but the audio helped. Had I been actually reading this, the poetry-phobe in me might have skipped all ballads. 🤐) Some historical clarifications are offered through footnotes, but these are very few (only four, if I am not wrong) and don’t disturb the narrative flow.

I appreciate that the book doesn’t stick to the popular stories alone. Some of the included adventures aren’t frequently seen in fictional adaptations. This is also one of the few retellings of Robinhood to include his faith and his strong devotion to Mother Mary; most other retellings omit his religious beliefs.

We get a good glimpse of the type of person Robin was. The book doesn’t limit itself to showing us a swashbuckling outlaw but a human who makes mistakes and learns along the way. However, Marion’s portrayal made me the happiest. I loved that the book showed us her true self instead of restricting her to being a love interest with secondary prominence. The popular members of the outlaw group such as Will Scarlet, Friar Tuck and Little John also get prominent roles. Unfortunately, a lot of the character development is told and not shown. The traits of the characters are revealed to us mostly through direct statements, not through their decisions and deeds.

This telling-dominated writing style, which is present throughout, is a major factor in why I didn’t enjoy this book better. It’s not like I was expecting a grandiose Hollywood-style story full of adventurous encounters and larger-than-life cinematic action. (If anyone wants that, watch the 1938 movie starring Errol Flynn.) But I also didn’t expect this somewhat bland narrative feel. The storytelling is very toned down on emotions, to the extent that inner monologues are far and few between. Many of the sentiments are expressed only through dialogues, and characters’ reactions to tough situations are minimal or missing. The matter-of-fact approach works excellently in history, not so much in historical fiction. It creates a distanced reading experience whereby we can only see what happened rather than feel the excitement and disappointment of the characters. There are so many scenes where I should have felt tension oozing from the pages, but it just didn’t happen.

One thing absent in the telling is the timestamp. We see that Robin is eighteen when the book begins. But the passage of time in his *contemporary* timeline isn't always clarified. Events occur in his life like episodes, so we move from one episode to the next without there always being a continuity. Further, some episodes are from other characters’ POVs, which also affects our perception of the timeline. (I hope I didn’t miss any time clues in the audio narration.)

Another factor that could be a hurdle to readers is that some of the content (especially but not only the dialogues) is written in old English. I don’t mean authentic medieval English; that would be incomprehensible to almost all of us today. But a generic old English style such as using thee/thou/thy as pronouns, or using “quoth/spake he” instead of “he said” or using some archaic words. These are understandable in context but act as speedbumps while reading. I think I would have handled this language much better if I were reading the book with my eyeballs, though it still might have been slightly distracting. But on audio, I struggled to keep my concentration on the plot as the language made the book feel even more academic. I do admire the author’s vocabulary though; the old-world vibe is steady throughout.

There is some disturbing animal cruelty in the book. To be fair, this is true to the times, but it is difficult to read.

The author’s note at the end is excellent, offering us clear evidence of her expertise on Robinhood and the ballads and legends (mostly) eulogising him. Robinhood was the subject of her graduate dissertation at the University of Nottingham, so we don’t even need to worry about the research as its authenticity shines through the book and the note.

That said, her background as a historian works both ways. It lends a strong historical basis to the book, ensuring that it sticks as closely as possible to the actual legends and also incorporates deviations within the same. However, it also creates a tonal dissonance in readers who pick this up with more typical expectations. After all, when we hear ‘Robinhood’, we don’t think ‘bland history’; we think ‘adventure’ and ‘wit’ and ‘rebellion’ and ‘’heroics’. All of these are present but in relatively small doses, with a greater focus on the whos and the whats than on the hows and whys. That is to say, the approach is more academic writing than fiction writing.

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:

The audiobook, clocking at about 8.5 hrs, is narrated by Joel Benedict. It took me a long time to figure out if my less-than-enthusiastic experience was because of the narrator or because of the writing style, but I eventually concluded that it was a bit of both. The narrator is good in general, but his narrative style is low on the exuberance needed for an adventurous legend. For a story so full of action and interaction, I would have preferred more emotional intensity and excitement in the narration. Further, there are minimal variations in the voices he uses for characters, which further increases the concentration levels required to keep track of who’s talking. This is tricky when there are many scenes with extended back-and-forth dialogues. The footnotes are read with a direct reference to them, as in “Footnote 1: …” Thankfully, there are just a handful of footnotes and none of them are lengthy, so this doesn’t detract from the flow. One thing that I appreciate about the narration is that he actually sings all the ballads. I don’t think I could have concentrated on a plain recitation of ballads, but the singing helped me *tune in* easily. That said, I know some readers don’t like narrators to sing, so this might go either way.

Overall, I think this book works more as an informative piece on Robinhood than as a mainstream historical fiction novel. To the average reader (those like me), it will deliver on the facts but not necessarily the emotions. To the nerdy readers who are fascinated by Robinhood and are enthused about an accurate representation of his legend instead of what is more commonly seen in popular culture, this book could work better.

Please note that mine is very much an outlier opinion, so much so that only one other reviewer has rated the book lower on Goodreads than I did. So please read through the numerous positive reviews and take a better call on the book.

Recommended to those wanting an authentic representation of the legend of Robinhood and aren’t particular about telling-vs-showing or old English. If possible, opt for actual reading.

My thanks to author A.E. Chandler for providing me with a complimentary audio copy of “The Scarlet Forest: A Tale of Robin Hood”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Sorry this didn’t work better for me.