A queer spin on Robin Hood could easily feel like parody, but that is not what this beautifully written book is. The author has done her homework and captures time and place with skill. The characters are richly drafted. Characters are imperfect and situations are nuanced. Greenwode is the first of a five book series. Book two is Shirewode.
The story of Gamelyn apparently predates that of Robin Hood, and some consider it to be an early version of the more familiar tale. Gamelyn was the third of a knight’s three sons. He is badly used by his older brother and ends up running off to the woods to join, and then become the chief of an outlaw gang. The gang steals from the wealthy/clergy and gives to the poor. J. Tullos Hennig cleverly weaves these stories together, including the conflict between the new Christian religion and the magic of the old druidic gods. Despite the existence of subtle magical elements, the story always feels rooted in a real sensibility. Marion is Rob’s sister and is a wonderfully fresh interpretation of the character.
I listened to the audio book. The narrator is excellent in capturing the accents and characters.
* * * * *
Daring the old gods. Defying the new.
The making of a legend—and a truly innovative re-imagining of Robin Hood.
Rob of Loxley and his older sister Marion have been groomed from birth to take their parents’ places within the Old Religion. Despite this, when Rob finds an injured nobleman’s son in the forest, neither he nor Marion understand what befriending young Gamelyn could mean for the future of their beliefs. Already the ancient spirits are fading beneath the iron of nobleman’s politics and the stones of Church subjugation. More, the druid elders warn that Rob and Gamelyn are cast as sworn adversaries, locked in timeless and symbolic struggle for the greenwood’s Maiden.
Instead, in a theological twist only a stroppy dissident could envision, Rob swears he’ll defend the sacred woodland of the Horned God and Lady Huntress to his last breath—if his god will let him be lover, not rival, to the one fated as his enemy.
But in the eyes of Gamelyn’s Church, sodomy is unthinkable… and the old pagan magics are an evil that must be vanquished.
The Purple Fantastic Steam rating gives this a 4 out of 5. It gets pretty steamy at times, but ALWAYS in context of plot and character. I never found it to be excessive, but it does not dance around the sexy bits. You can read more about the Steam Ratings on the About Page.
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