A compact boys' adventure novel. A decidedly egalitarian, which is appropriate, story of Robin Hood's last days. No accepting a rightful king for this Robin Hood who would deny there was any such thing. It's kind of sad that the spirit in which this story flourished is pretty much absent the mainstream these days. I didn't find it a compelling read, but I'm not a tween boy with romantic ideals. ( )

When Dickon kills one of the king's deer, the young Saxon peasant boy knows that punishment will be swift and severe. Fleeing to the safety of Sherwood Forest, he joins the band of the outlaw Robin Hood, and soon finds himself involved in a series of exciting adventures, from carrying a coded message into Nottingham, to spying in the court of his former master, Sir Rolf D'Eyncourt. But Robin, not content to be a forest robber, has a vision for a new society, and soon the outlaws of Sherwood are leading a great rebellion...

Originally published in 1934, and revised in 1966, Bows Against the Barons was Geoffrey Trease's first book, and it is - as the author himself acknowledges in his afterword - a young man's story. The style is sometimes a little immature - the Sheriff of Nottingham actually twirls his mustaches at one point - and the tone rather anachronistic. Characters scoff at various aspects of medieval society - religious pilgrims, for instance - in a manner that feels very modern. The great conflict is not, as is so often the case in retellings of the Robin Hood legend, between Normans and Saxons, but between "masters and men," have and have-nots. In fact, Trease continually emphasizes this point, using language and ideas that would seem more appropriate in a story set in the industrialized world.

Of course, the Robin Hood legend is one that lends itself to many kinds of rebellion, continually reinvented and perennially relevant, so it should come as no surprise that this retelling seems heavily influenced by the inequities and social unrest of its own time. Trease's tale, more historical fiction than fantastic fairytale, is well-told and exciting, whatever his stylistic weaknesses. The reader feels invested in Dickon himself, and although some of the Sherwood folk (Marian, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet) are mentioned only in passing, Robin himself emerges as a charismatic leader and revolutionary thinker. Bows Against the Barons may not make my list of favorites, but it is definitely an enjoyable addition to my Robin Hood shelf! ( )