By far the best retelling of the Robin Hood stories I have ever read.

Robin Hood is not remade into a contemporary hero; the book is set in the mediaeval England of Edward II and Robin Hood is of that time. The stories are faithful retellings of old legends of Robin Hood, however, Robin Hood, the other merry men, and the villains are all well delineated characters and never caricatures.

The book has many subtly humorous passages and makes use of a number of sophisticated literary devices. The illustrations by van Abbe are arresting; the line drawing are outstanding.

The book evokes a distant place and time wonderfully and is by turns funny, tragic, grim, and triumphant. ( )