The Ghosts of Sherwood

paperback, 112 pages

Published June 8, 2020 by Tor.com.

ISBN:: 978-1-250-75211-6

(1 review)

Everything about Father is stories.

Robin of Locksley and his one true love, Marian, are married. It has been close on two decades since they beat the Sheriff of Nottingham with the help of a diverse band of talented friends. King John is now on the throne, and Robin has sworn fealty in order to further protect not just his family, but those of the lords and barons who look up to him – and, by extension, the villagers they protect.

There is a truce. An uneasy one, to be sure, but a truce, nonetheless.

But when the Locksley children are stolen away by persons unknown, Robin and Marian are going to need the help of everyone they’ve ever known, perhaps even the ghosts that are said to reside deep within Sherwood.

And the Locksley children, despite appearances to the contrary, are not without tricks of their own…

1 edition

WardenRed reviewed The Ghosts of Sherwood by Carrie Vaughn (The Robin Hood Stories, #1)

None

4 stars

Stand like this, watch where your hips are, your shoulders—aim doesn’t come from the arms alone, but from the whole body. Do not look at your hand, the bow. Look at the target and send your will there. Once you have drawn, do not force the shot—simply let go. Breathe out, release.

A beautiful story about life extending past the legend, brimming with atmosphere and heart. I loved all the Locksley kids, and the relationship between Robin and Marian now that they had a family to look after, and all the shadows and secrets of Sherwood. Something about this tiny book felt like coming home.

I did feel there was too much set-up for the story this size, which also made me feel like there was too little resolution although now that I look back, I think all the threads that needed wrapping got wrapped, or brought to the point …

Stand like this, watch where your hips are, your shoulders—aim doesn’t come from the arms alone, but from the whole body. Do not look at your hand, the bow. Look at the target and send your will there. Once you have drawn, do not force the shot—simply let go. Breathe out, release.

A beautiful story about life extending past the legend, brimming with atmosphere and heart. I loved all the Locksley kids, and the relationship between Robin and Marian now that they had a family to look after, and all the shadows and secrets of Sherwood. Something about this tiny book felt like coming home.

I did feel there was too much set-up for the story this size, which also made me feel like there was too little resolution although now that I look back, I think all the threads that needed wrapping got wrapped, or brought to the point where it's clear there's more to come but a pause is logical. But all the flashbacks and asides that continued well past the midpoint really had that vibe of the first few chapters of a novel building up to the inciting incident. Against that backdrop, the actual action felt rushed and underdeveloped.

So all the stars to this book for the vibe, the heart, the characters, and the setting, but I have to take away at least one because of how the story's constructed.