So far in this little Thief miniseries we reviewed a kid who never really stole anything, and another who stole only books. This week we’ll be taking a look at a more traditional thief from a very traditional tale.

   Once upon a hundred and fifty-seven years ago, a man named Howard Pyle was born. I don’t expect you to recognise the name. He was an American illustrator, but he wrote a bit too. What he’s most famous for isn’t drawing or original writing though, but an adaptation.

   The name of Robin Hood has been around since the 1200s at least, but the character didn’t show up in writing until the 1400s, and has changed much over the centuries. There may have been an original Robin Hood, or someone he was based off of, but the character has so long been in folk tales that no one can tell.
   The first mentions of the name Robin Hood are simply references to the name, not songs or stories. The name was used an example of or reference to a lawless man or a thief. It’s likely that Robin Hood stories were being told at this time, but none were written down so there’s no record of them.
   It isn’t until the 1400s that we have anything written specifically about Robin Hood. Originally, Robin Hood was not a hero, he has always been an outlaw, but he was the figure of an outlaw. There wasn’t any of this “taking from the rich and giving to the poor” stuff, Robin stole and killed like anyone would expect of a bandit. By the 1400s, however, the character had been softened and made more into an antihero. He would still kill and steal, but he was a better person and there were references to that “giving to the poor” thing.
   The idea that Robin Hood was a noble didn’t show up until the 1600s. This is also when he is set to the time of King Richard and the crusades, a well as when his men start to get developed themselves.

   All of these stories led up to 1883 and the publishing of Howard Pyle’s The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood of Great Renown in Nottinghamshire. Howard Pyle took the previous stories and ballads and adapted and changed them to make a book of short stories about Robin Hood, written specifically for children. This book introduced the legend to more people and cemented Robin’s character (for the time being).
nbsp;  Of course these days there are countless adaptations, telling a variety of stories, starring many different Robin Hoods (some of which can even speak in a British accent), but this is where the Robin Hood and all those stories as we know them come from.

   The stories are written in an “olde English” kind of style (all “thou”s and “sayest”s) that isn’t really old English at all. It adds to the flavour of the stories once you get used to it, but on the other hand you could just find it annoying and hard to read. It’ll vary from reader to reader, personally I do find it a bit hard to follow because of the style. If you’re looking for a physical copy, you might want to look for an abridged version with easier reading.
   Besides that, the writing is okay. It follows Robin as he gets himself in or out of trouble, one thing happening after another. It jumps around a bit, not flowing quite as smoothly as other books. There is a lot of writing in the writing; there are a lot of words used to tell what’s happening and to move the plot along. It’s almost like purple prose without much extra description. It fits with the “olde English” flavour of the writing, though.

   The stories themselves follow a single plot, which Robin will wrap up with wit, skill, or a combination of the two. Some of his merry men will show up if he’s gotten himself in too much trouble. He generally outwits or outperforms whoever he’s against in each story, particularly if it’s the Sheriff of Nottingham. Robin does lose some too, he’ll get beaten in a fight, usually by someone who then join his band. There’s nearly nothing surprising in any story, though, even if we didn’t already know the outcomes to the more famous ones. They’re good stories, but feel fairly similar to each other.

   The main character is, of course, Optimus Prime Robin Hood. He’s the main character in each story and is a pretty well-rounded character. He’s good with weapons, but can be beaten, except in shooting. He’s witty, intelligent, resourceful, and a very likable character.
   Besides Robin, some of his men will be featured or introduced in a story. They get personalities and some backstory, but don’t get much. They’re there and explained and have a part in the story, but they don’t get elaborated on or developed much. Also to note, Maid Marian is mentioned all of twice and only with Robin thinking of her. She had been in ballads before this, though. Prince John is a very recent addition.

   There isn’t much focus on any moral or theme on any story. It’s Robin Hood being a noble thief, daring, and adventurous, defending downtrodden people, fighting the law where it’s misused, and generally being the lovable rogue he is.

   The setting is good. It’s probably way off from actual middle ages, but it was written long enough ago that it’s different enough from modern times to be believable. And it’s not really set in the middle ages, but an idealized, romanticised version of it. The “olde English” adds a lot to the setting and feel of it here. It’s a good land for adventure and adventure stories.

• Characters – 7.5/10
- All good and fun, but the stories really are about Robin. Everyone else is kind of flat.
• Setting – 8.5/10
- It’s the Robin Hood setting: merry adventures in Sherwood Forest. It’s helped out a lot by the writing and a bit of datedness, but good even without them.
• Plots – 7/10
- We already know a lot of them from the movies and cartoons we’ve seen, but that notwithstanding they’re still a bit repetitive and predictable. Yet still a good adventure.
• Themes/Feel – 8/10
- It’s all about Robin Hood being Robing Hood, which it’s good at.
• Writing – 7/10
- It’s a case of individual preference. It’s a bit annoying, and lacking in a few areas, but sets the tone and feel of the stories.

For a score of 3.8/5, deserving a nibbling on the Inkheart scale.

   The stories are classics, and great to read, but also suffer because of their age. There is better writing and better books these days, but I think The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood is still really worth checking out. Especially since it’s free and easy to access thanks to the wonders of Public Domain and Project Gutenberg.

Okay, so it doesn’t have ‘Thief’ right in the title, but it’s about an actual thief this time. Next article will make up for it, okay?

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