Lady of the Forest by Jennifer Roberson

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc. 

Okay, so everybody knows the story of Robin Hood, right? I guarantee you've seen at least one cartoon or film adaptation based on the story but to my knowledge, there really aren't a ton of books out there (besides Robin McKinley's Outlaws of Sherwood) that adequately tell the story of how a nobleman turned thief, gathered a loyal band of 'merry men' and fell in love with that stunner, Maid Marian. Jennifer Roberson does just that (and does it really well) in her stunning tale, Lady of the Forest - which lays the foundation for all the lawless adventures of Robin Hood to come. Thanks to Angie, who highlighted Lady of the Forest one Retro Friday a while back, I've had this retelling on my list ever since and was just waiting for the right mood to strike.

Switching back and forth from a variety of perspectives of Robin, Marian, the Sheriff of Nottingham, Will Scarlett, Alan of the Dales, and even fat Friar Tuck, Lady of the Forest beautifully unfolds the story of the young Marian, orphaned after the death of her father in the Crusades, and the much-heralded Robert of Locksley, recently returned from the same conflict. Broken and battered in soul and body, Robin is struggling to simply remain functioning when the beautiful Marian steps forward, bringing his mind suddenly to the present and to his duties in England. What follows is a brilliantly complete tale of the couple's legendary story of love at first sight amidst the tyrannical rule of Prince John and his lackey, the evil Sheriff of Nottingham while King Richard remained a prisoner of war.

I simply cannot recommend Lady of the Forest enough. The language alone was enough to send me into giddy fits of excitement. But coupled with the slight tweaking of the character's personalities and I was a goner. Take Robin for example - traditionally cock-sure, brash, and witty, Roberson's Robin is in turn a broken man. BROKEN! He's been to war, witnessed its horrors first-hand and cannot seem to find his way back. From our very first glimpse of Robin, you immediately get a sense of something not being quite right with our hero.

Robert of Locksley, heir to vast wealth, an ancient title, and his father's brand-new castle, sat very quietly on the edge of the chair, holding himself perfectly still. If he didn't move, if he did not so much as twitch, the chair wouldn't break.

And neither will I.

From that point on I knew this was a tale worth sticking around for. Never once was I bogged down by its' heftiness (600+ pages); the political maneuverings and intrigues were fascinating and Roberson never stooped to overly glamorizing life in medieval Britain. All the gritty details were there, unjust as they were. Lady of the Forest has something to offer any fan of historical fiction, romance, epic retellings, or just lovers of the written word.

series reading order:
~ Lady of the Forest
~ Lady of Sherwood

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Angieville review 
The Book Lover review
That's All She Read review

book source: purchased

Literary Love: Brenda Loves Books

Now for another full-filled Literary Love guest post! Today we welcome Brenda of Brenda Loves Books to our ranks. Brenda's not only a prolific reader and reviewer of young adult and fantasy books, she also happens to be a supreme movie buff - enjoying anything and everything that happens to tell a good story.

Don't forget to vote for your top Literary Love couples before Valentines Day!

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Let me just start off by saying that I'm not a typical girl. I would take an action movie with stuff blowing up over a chick flick any day. I'd much rather read science fiction or fantasy than romance. I love reading comic books. I love playing sports. Try to get me to sew or scrapbook or craft, and we're not going to get along very well. So you can imagine that when I'm asked my favorite literary love couple, besides the obvious (Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, anyone?), nothing readily comes to mind.

But here's the thing about reading fantasy. I like all the action, and being in a different world and stuff, but if there's not some type of romance, I start to feel a little antsy. So maybe I'm a girl after all. I'm one of those who wants it all. I want an alpha male who will still bring me flowers. Who doesn't want that, though? There are a lot of good romances in the fantasy genre. One of the most recent ones I've read was Fire and Brigan, from Fire by Kristin Cashore. But I had to go a little older when picking my favorite, to an author who is definitely a staple in the fantasy genre, Robin Hobb. If you read fantasy, and you've not yet read Robin Hobb, get to it. I consider her one of the masters.

My favorite couple comes from the Liveship Traders trilogy. And in case you're wondering, yes, it takes all three books for these two to get their act together. In Ship of Magic, Althea joins a ship's crew to prove she is a capable sailor. Brashen just happens to be the first mate on that ship, and they don't really hit it off right at first. But the astute reader can see that there is something there. Or, if they're like me, they just really hope there is because that reader needs to have her romance!

And, of course, there is something there. This is not a major plot point, so don't worry that I've spoiled something important. And that brings me to my next thing that I like about fantasy. There is usually some romance, but it takes a back burner to the action. So, when it does pop up, it doesn't necessarily surprise me, but it's like an unexpected treat.

So, here we get to the third book in the trilogy, Ship of Destiny, and if I may, I'd like to share with you a favorite passage. It's a scene with Althea and Brashen (obviously), where they finally DO get it together. Or, at least, when Brashen finally declares his love.

He struggled desperately to retain his control. "I have great faith in you, Althea. You've stood beside me and we've faced crimpers and serpents . . . . We put this damn ship back in the water together. But during the battle, I just . . ." His voice tightened in his throat. "I can't do this," he said suddenly. He lay his hands, palms up, on the table and studied them. "I can't go on like this anymore."

"What?" She spoke slowly, as if she hadn't heard him correctly.

He surged to his feet and leaned over the table. "I can't go on pretending I don't love you. I can't pretend it doesn't scare me spitless to see you in danger."

She shot to her feet as if he had threatened her. She turned from him but two strides carried him to stand between her and the door. She stood like a doe at bay. "At least hear me out," he begged. The words rushed out of him. He wouldn't consider how stupid they would sound to her, or that he could never call them back again. "You say you can't perform your duties without my repsect. Don't you know the same is true for me? Damn it, a man has to see himself reflected somewhere to be sure he is real. I see myself in your face, in how your eyes follow me when I'm handling something well, in how you grin at me when I've done something stupid but managed to make it come out all right anyway. When you take that away from me, when . . ."

I won't tell you Althea's reply. I can't give you everything. Just believe me when I say these books are worth reading. It's definitely not romantic fiction. In fact, these are three very thick books, and romance only plays a little tiny part. But if your tastes are anything like mine, and you prefer your romance cushioned in a whole lot of action, you'll love Robin Hobb.

series reading order:
Ship of Magic
Mad Ship
Ship of Destiny

Other books by Robin Hobb