So many tales have already been told of Robin Hood. Already he's the hero with a thousand faces. First, forget everything you've heard. Robin was no prince, and he was no dispossessed lord; he didn't fight in the Crusades; he never gave a penny to the poor.
His real name wasn't even Robin Hood. Marian called him that as a kind of joke. Sir Robin of the Hood. A name Robin would cling to when he was losing grip of everything else. Mind you, one thing you've heard is true. He was blind.
No, that's not right. Let me put that another way. Truer to say, Robin Hood didn't see with his eyes. In fact he was the only one who saw clearly in this place of illusion and lies.
The first book of the trilogy, Shadow of the Wolf, is set in Sherwood Forest in medieval England. In it, Tim Hall presents a Robin Hood more heroic and horrific than ever before: a fourteen-year-old, blind, ruthless assassin and elemental creature of the forest, hell-bent on a mission to avenge his father's death and the brutal abduction of his soul mate Marian. It is a breathtakingly original - and utterly compelling - retelling of the Robin Hood legend.
My thoughts
Shadow of the Wolf isn't really my sort of book. I don't read fantasy novels at all as a rule so it is rare for me to have enough patience to get through one.
This book however managed to hold my attention to get through it. It is beautifully written, rich in its detail and when I wasn't reading it I wanted to get back to it and know more. It is an original and unique retelling of Robin Hood and there were several points whilst reading it where I was left with a lump in my throat and falling just a little bit in love with this poor unfortunate boy.
If you love Robin Hood, Fantasy novels or Game of Thrones you will adore this book
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