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Erasmus Hobart and the Golden Arrow
In this time-travelling romp, Andrew Fish brings a new slant to the classic legend. Erasmus Hobart is the perfect new adventurer for fans of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett.
Robin Hood was a crook! But was he as good a crook as the legends suggest? That's what Erasmus Hobart – school teacher, history fanatic, time-traveller – wants to find out. In this, his first adventure, Erasmus takes his time-travelling privy back to mediaeval Nottingham in his quest for knowledge. But with homicidal knights, amorous female outlaws and mischievous squirrels complicating his investigation, will he uncover the truth in time to get back and mark 4A's history homework?
Robin Hood was a crook! But was he as good a crook as the legends suggest? That's what Erasmus Hobart – school teacher, history fanatic, time-traveller – wants to find out. In this, his first adventure, Erasmus takes his time-travelling privy back to mediaeval Nottingham in his quest for knowledge. But with homicidal knights, amorous female outlaws and mischievous squirrels complicating his investigation, will he uncover the truth in time to get back and mark 4A's history homework?
196 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 16, 2006
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July 7, 2014
Erasmus Hobart and the Golden Arrow opens up in the middle of a great action sequence, almost making the reader feel as if they somehow missed a few pages as the titular hero makes his way through a medieval marketplace being chased by a horde of angry whosits. He finally makes it into his time travel machine (which looks like an outhouse) and travels back to present day England…where he’s a teacher.
It’s not until we see him in his element during the original modern day segment where we, as readers, truly get a feel of what this story will entail. First, a clever narration who crafts a story in a fashion like humorous authors of the past, such as Mark Twain or Douglas Adams. The narrator never seems to take himself too seriously. But the real mark of this story’s greatness lies within the character of Erasmus. A bumbling idiot who is really only moved forward by scientific curiosity and his strict moral code…he’s not an idiot, but early scenes will definitely cause you to picture a Dick van Dyke-esque man as he stumbles his way through his daily life.
But the book doesn’t end its glory merely with its characters and tone, the actual tale itself is quite grand. A time travel story that keeps from getting too convoluted, this reimagined origin story of Robin Hood and his legend really does make the reader feel as though they are living the real history of this well-told time. Familiar characters make their necessary appearances, of course, such as Robin Hood, Maid Marian, and the Sheriff of Nottingham, but they are secondary to the real story and the real characters, like Erasmus, Maude, and Deloial. In fact, you almost see a parallel between the three characters of legend and the three characters created here. Although Erasmus should never be allowed the handle a bow.
It’s a brilliantly crafted story and I fully believe you’ll enjoy it as well.
It’s not until we see him in his element during the original modern day segment where we, as readers, truly get a feel of what this story will entail. First, a clever narration who crafts a story in a fashion like humorous authors of the past, such as Mark Twain or Douglas Adams. The narrator never seems to take himself too seriously. But the real mark of this story’s greatness lies within the character of Erasmus. A bumbling idiot who is really only moved forward by scientific curiosity and his strict moral code…he’s not an idiot, but early scenes will definitely cause you to picture a Dick van Dyke-esque man as he stumbles his way through his daily life.
But the book doesn’t end its glory merely with its characters and tone, the actual tale itself is quite grand. A time travel story that keeps from getting too convoluted, this reimagined origin story of Robin Hood and his legend really does make the reader feel as though they are living the real history of this well-told time. Familiar characters make their necessary appearances, of course, such as Robin Hood, Maid Marian, and the Sheriff of Nottingham, but they are secondary to the real story and the real characters, like Erasmus, Maude, and Deloial. In fact, you almost see a parallel between the three characters of legend and the three characters created here. Although Erasmus should never be allowed the handle a bow.
It’s a brilliantly crafted story and I fully believe you’ll enjoy it as well.
May 18, 2013
Erasmus Hobart and the Golden Arrow is a relatively short novel at 212 pages, but it is quite entertaining for all of them. Published through HarperCollins' Authonomy imprint, it is a delightful retelling of the Robin Hood legend through the eyes of a time-traveling history cum physics teacher. Erasmus Hobart is a young and well-meaning teacher, who has built his own time-travelling machine in a store room off his class room. In the hours after his pupils have gone home, Erasmus tinkers about with intricate calculations and the privy he remodelled into a time machine, all the while hiding what he does from the school's nosy head master. Inspired by the school play and some questions from his history pupils who he's teaching about Magna Carta, he travels back to the time of King Richard and King John to find out the truth behind the legend of Robin Hood.
What we get in Fish's tale is a funny, entertaining look at time travel and its consequences, because of course Erasmus' arrival in Sherwood Forest complicates matters and changes the Robin's legend forever. In fact, Fish emphasises that even if we don't interact, just our being there can change things. The characters are quite entertaining if a bit droll at times. I especially loved Maude, Erasmus' medieval love interest, or perhaps it's more correct to say he was her love interest. She was funny and capable and I love that she's the one who saves him every time he gets himself into a mess. A pair that made me laugh every time they made it on page were the two information brokers at the inn. Not only were they hilarious, but they had a very cool part in the story. Also, the inn made me think of the Snuggly Duckling, the inn from Tangled, which made me chuckle. Marian and Robin are definitely not the people we've come to know and love from the legend and I found especially Marian and her maidens refreshing. They can take care of themselves and are even more bad-ass than Robin and his Merry Men.
Erasmus Hobart and the Golden Arrow is the perfect read for a dreary weekend or on holiday. It's fun, it's quick, and most of all it's light -hearted. Yes, there are some ponderings of time travel problems, but these are secondary to the comedy aspect of the story. I look forward to seeing more of Erasmus' adventures in the future.
This book was provided for review by the publisher.
What we get in Fish's tale is a funny, entertaining look at time travel and its consequences, because of course Erasmus' arrival in Sherwood Forest complicates matters and changes the Robin's legend forever. In fact, Fish emphasises that even if we don't interact, just our being there can change things. The characters are quite entertaining if a bit droll at times. I especially loved Maude, Erasmus' medieval love interest, or perhaps it's more correct to say he was her love interest. She was funny and capable and I love that she's the one who saves him every time he gets himself into a mess. A pair that made me laugh every time they made it on page were the two information brokers at the inn. Not only were they hilarious, but they had a very cool part in the story. Also, the inn made me think of the Snuggly Duckling, the inn from Tangled, which made me chuckle. Marian and Robin are definitely not the people we've come to know and love from the legend and I found especially Marian and her maidens refreshing. They can take care of themselves and are even more bad-ass than Robin and his Merry Men.
Erasmus Hobart and the Golden Arrow is the perfect read for a dreary weekend or on holiday. It's fun, it's quick, and most of all it's light -hearted. Yes, there are some ponderings of time travel problems, but these are secondary to the comedy aspect of the story. I look forward to seeing more of Erasmus' adventures in the future.
This book was provided for review by the publisher.
July 12, 2015
I didn't know what to make of this book. I thought it was going to be funny, but it wasn't really and I had hoped that the time travel aspect would play more of a role as the beginning of the book seemed to set out, but once Erasmus had travelled back to try and find out the truth about Robin Hood, that was it. Sadly, what he did there wasn't actually that interesting either. I think I was disappointed from the outset as the author had claimed he loved Douglas Adams and the blurb said that this was like Douglas Adams, but it really wasn't. So although it kind of missed the mark all around - it wasn't exciting, it wasn't that funny, it wasn't really that action filled. Perhaps it just wasn't for me.
March 15, 2018
Full review to come!
July 15, 2015
This book comes out of Harper-Collins' Authonomy project, a means of crowdsourcing manuscripts in which users vote for their favourites and the winners get published. It's a kind of American Idol of books. It appears, in both cases, that the wisdom of crowds produces fairly bland, commercial light entertainment, though in this case it's lacking a bit of polish.
The Golden Arrow is entertaining. I found it amusing, though not to the point of actually laughing (I'm a tough audience). The hapless protagonist, the hostile squirrels, the classic comedy duo of the men in the pub, all worked for me. Unfortunately, the light comedic tone did also undermine any tension the author set out to create with the protagonist's separation from his time machine in medieval England. I was never in any doubt that everything would come out fine.
Time travel stories are hard to do well. For one thing, the past is a lot more foreign than most modern people realise, and often time travel stories (particularly comedic ones) deal with this by ignoring it. In this case, the people who should have been talking late Anglo-Saxon/early Middle English or Anglo-Norman French just speak modern English with a limited vocabulary, and there are no major issues with the protagonist understanding them or vice versa. I wouldn't place a lot of reliance on anything else about the history, either, but I don't think we're meant to (after all, it is about the Robin Hood legend).
The Grandfather Paradox (in the guise of a many-greats-grandmother paradox) is invoked in order to justify why Erasmus, the protagonist, doesn't sleep with medieval Maude, who has a crush on him for no actually justified reason apart from that he's the protagonist. However, it's presented in the form of "You might be influenced by your memory of me not to form a relationship with someone else, and the two of you might have otherwise been my ancestors." Erasmus doesn't seem to think about the fact that she could become pregnant and he could thus become his own ancestor, or, for that matter, that encouraging her, and others, into danger for his own ends could result in the death of someone who was destined to be his ancestor. When he does muck up the timeline, it's not through any of these major meddlings but just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
There's a "Great Man" theory of history at work, a very old-fashioned take, which goes so far as to suppose that events as remote as the English Civil War and the suffrage movement wouldn't have happened at all had Robin Hood's legend been different. Historically speaking, this transparent attempt to raise the story stakes is bunk, and since it seems to be presented seriously it doesn't get the comedy pass.
There's an attempt at physical comedy in prose which doesn't work, about trying to get a longbow through a low doorway. If you imagine the scene, it's clear that just holding the thing horizontally would remove the whole problem (or if it wouldn't, that wasn't effectively conveyed).
Kudos, though, for the quiet feminism which a) assumes, without discussion, that Marion's band of women would be just as effective as Robin's band of men, if not more so, and b) also assumes that patriarchy would successfully suppress this fact and reduce Marion to the love interest, while forgetting her followers entirely.
Harper-Collins retains its unenviable title of "Major Publisher Most Likely to Publish a Badly-Edited Book" with this one; I marked almost 30 errors of grammar, usage or word choice, some of the more significant being "more knowledgeable than his years would usually belie", "seemed to comprise of" and a couple of number agreement errors along the lines of "all attempts at silence was discarded". Along with the only mildly amusing story balanced out by the poorly-thought-through premise, this results in only three stars from me.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
The Golden Arrow is entertaining. I found it amusing, though not to the point of actually laughing (I'm a tough audience). The hapless protagonist, the hostile squirrels, the classic comedy duo of the men in the pub, all worked for me. Unfortunately, the light comedic tone did also undermine any tension the author set out to create with the protagonist's separation from his time machine in medieval England. I was never in any doubt that everything would come out fine.
Time travel stories are hard to do well. For one thing, the past is a lot more foreign than most modern people realise, and often time travel stories (particularly comedic ones) deal with this by ignoring it. In this case, the people who should have been talking late Anglo-Saxon/early Middle English or Anglo-Norman French just speak modern English with a limited vocabulary, and there are no major issues with the protagonist understanding them or vice versa. I wouldn't place a lot of reliance on anything else about the history, either, but I don't think we're meant to (after all, it is about the Robin Hood legend).
The Grandfather Paradox (in the guise of a many-greats-grandmother paradox) is invoked in order to justify why Erasmus, the protagonist, doesn't sleep with medieval Maude, who has a crush on him for no actually justified reason apart from that he's the protagonist. However, it's presented in the form of "You might be influenced by your memory of me not to form a relationship with someone else, and the two of you might have otherwise been my ancestors." Erasmus doesn't seem to think about the fact that she could become pregnant and he could thus become his own ancestor, or, for that matter, that encouraging her, and others, into danger for his own ends could result in the death of someone who was destined to be his ancestor. When he does muck up the timeline, it's not through any of these major meddlings but just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
There's a "Great Man" theory of history at work, a very old-fashioned take, which goes so far as to suppose that events as remote as the English Civil War and the suffrage movement wouldn't have happened at all had Robin Hood's legend been different. Historically speaking, this transparent attempt to raise the story stakes is bunk, and since it seems to be presented seriously it doesn't get the comedy pass.
There's an attempt at physical comedy in prose which doesn't work, about trying to get a longbow through a low doorway. If you imagine the scene, it's clear that just holding the thing horizontally would remove the whole problem (or if it wouldn't, that wasn't effectively conveyed).
Kudos, though, for the quiet feminism which a) assumes, without discussion, that Marion's band of women would be just as effective as Robin's band of men, if not more so, and b) also assumes that patriarchy would successfully suppress this fact and reduce Marion to the love interest, while forgetting her followers entirely.
Harper-Collins retains its unenviable title of "Major Publisher Most Likely to Publish a Badly-Edited Book" with this one; I marked almost 30 errors of grammar, usage or word choice, some of the more significant being "more knowledgeable than his years would usually belie", "seemed to comprise of" and a couple of number agreement errors along the lines of "all attempts at silence was discarded". Along with the only mildly amusing story balanced out by the poorly-thought-through premise, this results in only three stars from me.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
March 13, 2015
I wanted to love this book, I really did. I’ve become somewhat obsessed with Arthurian legend retellings, mostly because we’ve binge-watched Merlin on Netflix for the last month, and I’m pretty sure I want to be a lady in King Arthur’s court as my new career. So when I was offered this on NetGalley, I downloaded it immediately. Robin Hood, modern times, what could go wrong?
As it happens, lots could go wrong. This story is about Erasmus Hobart, a time-traveling history professor, who goes back in time in a converted privy (read: outhouse) to find out what really happened in history. His first choice, after getting a passionate response from his students, is to find out who Robin Hood really was and what really happened in that time. So off he goes to Nottingham Castle where he’s welcomed by outlaws, sheriffs, soldiers, and all sorts of mayhem and madness.
It’s an interesting premise, and really, the story itself is entertaining. Robin Hood turns out not to be who Erasmus Hobart had dreamed he was, and he goes on a quest to set the legend right with the help of his future knowledge of what should have happened. But, the novel was all action. Fish didn’t spend any precious words on character development, which frustrated me.
I didn’t really get a sense of who Erasmus Hobart was, other than a professor mocked by his students and his colleauges. There was no backstory, and in the end, when Fish tried to wrap up the story with a happy bow, it felt false and forced. But, the action flowed smoothly, and I read most of it in anticipation of the next move, with no pause to catch my breath.
authonomy, a part of Harper Collins, allows writers to submit manuscripts and then relies on crowdsourcing to make choices about what to publish. Erasmus Hobart won in its year. While the story does show promise and I understand authonomy’s premise means that it is a popular book, it could use with some professional editing to make it really top-notch and compete with other legend books.
It’s not a terrible book, but it’s not the best Robin Hood story I’ve read either. If you are a fan of action and time travel, you will find this book entertaining. It’s free on the Nook Store on B&N, so I would get it and check it out for yourself.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
As it happens, lots could go wrong. This story is about Erasmus Hobart, a time-traveling history professor, who goes back in time in a converted privy (read: outhouse) to find out what really happened in history. His first choice, after getting a passionate response from his students, is to find out who Robin Hood really was and what really happened in that time. So off he goes to Nottingham Castle where he’s welcomed by outlaws, sheriffs, soldiers, and all sorts of mayhem and madness.
It’s an interesting premise, and really, the story itself is entertaining. Robin Hood turns out not to be who Erasmus Hobart had dreamed he was, and he goes on a quest to set the legend right with the help of his future knowledge of what should have happened. But, the novel was all action. Fish didn’t spend any precious words on character development, which frustrated me.
I didn’t really get a sense of who Erasmus Hobart was, other than a professor mocked by his students and his colleauges. There was no backstory, and in the end, when Fish tried to wrap up the story with a happy bow, it felt false and forced. But, the action flowed smoothly, and I read most of it in anticipation of the next move, with no pause to catch my breath.
authonomy, a part of Harper Collins, allows writers to submit manuscripts and then relies on crowdsourcing to make choices about what to publish. Erasmus Hobart won in its year. While the story does show promise and I understand authonomy’s premise means that it is a popular book, it could use with some professional editing to make it really top-notch and compete with other legend books.
It’s not a terrible book, but it’s not the best Robin Hood story I’ve read either. If you are a fan of action and time travel, you will find this book entertaining. It’s free on the Nook Store on B&N, so I would get it and check it out for yourself.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
March 1, 2015
This book reads a bit like an extended episode of Doctor Who, minus aliens (unless you count the squirrels, who do exhibit an otherworldly malice at times). It has similar levels of humor and depth. It also felt a bit "Boys' Own Adventure", with the smart yet slightly bumbling Erasmus getting into it in ye olde Sherwood Forest, coming-of-age even though he's already an adult, and a schoolteacher at that.
There are some very funny scenes, and I particularly enjoyed the parts where some activity during the adventure is related back to Erasmus' childhood, as when having to cross a log bridge prompts a flashback to gym class balance beams, but I wish there was more about Erasmus' life in modern day times in general before he builds his time machine. This would have fleshed the character out a little more and (perhaps?) have made him feel like less of a Marty Stu.
Although a short book, it sometimes feels a little repetitive, with Erasmus constantly crossing the forest back and forth between Nottingham, Robin Hood's camp, and Marian's camp.
Yes, Marian gets her own camp and her own gang of bandits! They are somewhat awesome, and I wish we got to know them better in lieu of scenes with all of the 'big names' of the Robin Hood legend, like Friar Tuck and such. The women are awesome, but alas they are also "othered" a bit. It's a if author Fish wants to have his cake and eat it too, in terms of women being independent and badass but also swooning over the men whenever convenient. It's also disappointing that, once Erasmus "corrects" the course of history, the women don't get their due. (There's also an odd meet-cute near the beginning of the book, with Erasmus and a female teacher at his school, that I was expecting to get a callback at the end but it's entirely forgotten).
So, overall: entertaining, but not without its flaws.
** I received a Review Copy of this book via NetGalley **
(2013 HarperCollins UK digital edition)
There are some very funny scenes, and I particularly enjoyed the parts where some activity during the adventure is related back to Erasmus' childhood, as when having to cross a log bridge prompts a flashback to gym class balance beams, but I wish there was more about Erasmus' life in modern day times in general before he builds his time machine. This would have fleshed the character out a little more and (perhaps?) have made him feel like less of a Marty Stu.
Although a short book, it sometimes feels a little repetitive, with Erasmus constantly crossing the forest back and forth between Nottingham, Robin Hood's camp, and Marian's camp.
Yes, Marian gets her own camp and her own gang of bandits! They are somewhat awesome, and I wish we got to know them better in lieu of scenes with all of the 'big names' of the Robin Hood legend, like Friar Tuck and such. The women are awesome, but alas they are also "othered" a bit. It's a if author Fish wants to have his cake and eat it too, in terms of women being independent and badass but also swooning over the men whenever convenient. It's also disappointing that, once Erasmus "corrects" the course of history, the women don't get their due. (There's also an odd meet-cute near the beginning of the book, with Erasmus and a female teacher at his school, that I was expecting to get a callback at the end but it's entirely forgotten).
So, overall: entertaining, but not without its flaws.
** I received a Review Copy of this book via NetGalley **
(2013 HarperCollins UK digital edition)
February 25, 2013
Originally posted on my blog: http://stephinlondon.com/2013/02/25/e...
I'll be the first to admit that I know pretty much zilcho about the legend of Robin Hood and his band of merry men. What I do know is that they weren't a bunch of foxes and other such forest animals running around and having a good time conning the sheriff out of the taxes. But that's about where my knowledge ends. Pretty sad, really.
Erasmus Hobart and the Golden Arrow was a brilliant book in many respects—I learned more about the legend of Robin Hood than I originally knew before reading and the book made a very important point—history is the perception of those who write it.
Think about it… how do we know Robin Hood really stole from the rich and gave to the poor? We don’t… it’s someone else’s legend. And that’s exactly the subject matter in Fish’s novel. Erasmus Hobart (I freaking love that name) goes back in time via a kitted out wooden privy (think Tardis!) to see what Robin Hood was really like. And boy is Erasmus shocked at what he finds. I won’t say much more than that because I’m not one to publish spoilers, suffice to say the truth Erasmus finds is a lot more interesting than legend.
The book itself is quite clever and easy to ready, even if it’s something that’s been done before—and for 99p on the Kindle you really can’t say no! I enjoyed the romp through Sherwood Forest with Erasmus and look forward to seeing what Fish has in store next for the kooky time travelling teacher. You can count me in as a fan if it branches into a series!
I'll be the first to admit that I know pretty much zilcho about the legend of Robin Hood and his band of merry men. What I do know is that they weren't a bunch of foxes and other such forest animals running around and having a good time conning the sheriff out of the taxes. But that's about where my knowledge ends. Pretty sad, really.
Erasmus Hobart and the Golden Arrow was a brilliant book in many respects—I learned more about the legend of Robin Hood than I originally knew before reading and the book made a very important point—history is the perception of those who write it.
Think about it… how do we know Robin Hood really stole from the rich and gave to the poor? We don’t… it’s someone else’s legend. And that’s exactly the subject matter in Fish’s novel. Erasmus Hobart (I freaking love that name) goes back in time via a kitted out wooden privy (think Tardis!) to see what Robin Hood was really like. And boy is Erasmus shocked at what he finds. I won’t say much more than that because I’m not one to publish spoilers, suffice to say the truth Erasmus finds is a lot more interesting than legend.
The book itself is quite clever and easy to ready, even if it’s something that’s been done before—and for 99p on the Kindle you really can’t say no! I enjoyed the romp through Sherwood Forest with Erasmus and look forward to seeing what Fish has in store next for the kooky time travelling teacher. You can count me in as a fan if it branches into a series!
April 15, 2014
reviews.metaphorosis.com
3.5 stars
Erasmus Hobart is a history teacher and physicist who develops a time machine and uses it to visit Robin Hood and Marian.
I downloaded this for free from Amazon. Based on the cover, I assumed it was meant for children, but the target audience seems to be more Young Adult.
I'm not generally a big fan of time travel adventures - I've read the paradoxes enough times that I don't find them intriguing anymore. Happily, Mr. Fish does away with most of that element with some simple handwaving. Instead, he focuses on the story - the time machine is more of a Connecticut Yankee-type of gimmick. It's a wise decision, and Mr. Fish has fun with it. His writing is smooth, and his characters engaging.
Unfortunately, Robin Hood is as tired a subject as time travel, and Erasmus' slapstick escapades simply don't breathe enough life into the story to carry it along. In fact, I found a distinct Hollywood flavor to the book - as if it were designed for video rather than prose. The author also sometimes skimps on credibility in favor of fun - perhaps a little too often. It's a bit surprising in an author who clearly knows his period fairly well.
All in all, it's a pleasant story, and Mr. Fish is clearly a good writer. I wish that he had found a more interesting and original plot to apply his skills to. But if you aren't yet sated with Robin Hood, this is a fun way to get some more.
June 2, 2015
Erasmus Hobart and the Golden Arrow is a hilarious tribute to time travel and the Robin Hood legend, written in a style reminiscent of the late Douglas Adams. I thought it ironic, and strangely fitting that Erasmus Hobart is a time traveling primary school teacher, with the tendency to get into odd situations. Douglas Adams was a frequent writer for Doctor Who, but his episodes injected little of his characteristic humor. Don't think that this book is a pale imitation of Doctor Who. Andrew Fish has created a novel of which Douglas Adams would be proud, both slapstick and erudite.
Erasmus Hobart is a primary school teacher who has created a time machine out of a wooden privy. At long last ready for his first trip, he decides to go to Nottingham and find out the truth behind the Robin Hood legend. Needless to say his arrival causes history to go awry, and many fascinating mishaps occur as Erasmus tries to put history back on track.
I don't want to hand out any spoilers, but I simply loved the chase sequences. I haven't laughed this much reading a novel in a long time. Erasmus Hobart and the Golden Arrow is simply brilliant. I really hope that Andrew Fish writes more books about Erasmus and his adventures in time.
I received a copy from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review
--Crittermom
Erasmus Hobart is a primary school teacher who has created a time machine out of a wooden privy. At long last ready for his first trip, he decides to go to Nottingham and find out the truth behind the Robin Hood legend. Needless to say his arrival causes history to go awry, and many fascinating mishaps occur as Erasmus tries to put history back on track.
I don't want to hand out any spoilers, but I simply loved the chase sequences. I haven't laughed this much reading a novel in a long time. Erasmus Hobart and the Golden Arrow is simply brilliant. I really hope that Andrew Fish writes more books about Erasmus and his adventures in time.
I received a copy from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review
--Crittermom
November 18, 2013
Short, smart and funny - I hope there will be more from this author.
I guess if you are from the area, Robin Hood was a natural choice, but maybe not the best, because it has simply been done too many times. Still, getting something new(ish) out of the tale – let's call this one the Maid Marian-angle – is an achievement, but where Fish excels is in his original creations: the 'argg' information merchants, the running gag with the squirrels, some minor characters and the anti-hero history teacher.
Who cares there are logic holes to derail a coach, lots of unexplained issues (heh, it's fantasy) and an abrupt ending?
Compared to Terry Pratchett's first novels, Erasmus Hobart and the Golden Arrow does not have to hide.
I guess if you are from the area, Robin Hood was a natural choice, but maybe not the best, because it has simply been done too many times. Still, getting something new(ish) out of the tale – let's call this one the Maid Marian-angle – is an achievement, but where Fish excels is in his original creations: the 'argg' information merchants, the running gag with the squirrels, some minor characters and the anti-hero history teacher.
Who cares there are logic holes to derail a coach, lots of unexplained issues (heh, it's fantasy) and an abrupt ending?
Compared to Terry Pratchett's first novels, Erasmus Hobart and the Golden Arrow does not have to hide.
May 9, 2015
I received a copy of this from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
if you think a book about a history/physics teacher who invents a time machine from a humble Privy sounds like a fun thing then this is the book for you!!
The start of this book finds our time travelling teacher being chased by Lady Godiva and the fun doesn't stop there!! He then spends time back in Nottingham to find out if the stories of Robin Hood were true and you may be shocked to read what he found out when he spent time with Robin, Marian and the Sheriff of Nottingham!!
Thoroughly enjoyable romp through history with many laugh out loud moments and I just hope the Privy time travelling machine gets to go out on more explorations through time!!
Highly recommended!!
if you think a book about a history/physics teacher who invents a time machine from a humble Privy sounds like a fun thing then this is the book for you!!
The start of this book finds our time travelling teacher being chased by Lady Godiva and the fun doesn't stop there!! He then spends time back in Nottingham to find out if the stories of Robin Hood were true and you may be shocked to read what he found out when he spent time with Robin, Marian and the Sheriff of Nottingham!!
Thoroughly enjoyable romp through history with many laugh out loud moments and I just hope the Privy time travelling machine gets to go out on more explorations through time!!
Highly recommended!!
April 26, 2015
I'm afraid I didn't finish this book. As a fan of time-travel stories I thought the premise interesting, but a time machine which travels in time AND place needs at least a little explanation, and there was none. Also there was no language barrier at all on the main character travelling back to medieval times, and the medieval characters' dialogue was too modern. The final straw was the poor grammar - whenever I read the dreaded 'he was sat .../she was stood ...' etc, then I find it hard to keep going, as I know that more poor grammar and unedited material is coming. It seemed like a children's book, and could be successful as such, if brought up to a professional standard with good editing.
Review of a preview copy from the publisher.
Review of a preview copy from the publisher.
June 25, 2015
This book was absolutely fantastic! I’ve always liked the retelling of fairy tales and legends, and I’m a sucker for a time travel story. This story has both. I was a little concerned, sometimes I have difficulties reading authors from the United Kingdom, but this was not the case.
Lots of action through out, this book is a page-turner. The titular character has a certain level of dry humor, and we almost see the world through his eyes. The writing reminds me of Douglas Adams, but without the over-the-top antics.
The beginning of the book is a little slow, but once the protagonist makes it to Sherwood Forest, it becomes a humorous romp through the pages.
I selected this book for review from NetGalley based solely on it being a time-travel story, and I’m glad I did.
Lots of action through out, this book is a page-turner. The titular character has a certain level of dry humor, and we almost see the world through his eyes. The writing reminds me of Douglas Adams, but without the over-the-top antics.
The beginning of the book is a little slow, but once the protagonist makes it to Sherwood Forest, it becomes a humorous romp through the pages.
I selected this book for review from NetGalley based solely on it being a time-travel story, and I’m glad I did.
January 18, 2013
What would you do with a time machine? Well, as a history teacher, Erasmus Hobart takes the opportunity to do a bit of hands-on research. So what was Robin Hood really like?
Andrew Fish handles time travel very well, setting his ground rules and sticking to them. There's a rich seam of humour running through the entire book. He's been compared by some to Douglas Adams, and there's a little of the Arthur Dent in Erasmus Hobart.
It's a quick read, it's a fun read, and it's worth every penny.
I look forward to the further adventures of Erasmus Hobart
Andrew Fish handles time travel very well, setting his ground rules and sticking to them. There's a rich seam of humour running through the entire book. He's been compared by some to Douglas Adams, and there's a little of the Arthur Dent in Erasmus Hobart.
It's a quick read, it's a fun read, and it's worth every penny.
I look forward to the further adventures of Erasmus Hobart
December 31, 2013
I'm so glad I didn't give up on this book. The first two chapters are abysmal but after that it's a different book, it flows well, the writing seems much more natural and only one error jumped out at me.
Erasmus is a peculiar character but I felt he was quite strongly portrayed, the other characters less so. It is a real pity considering the depth that could have been added with a little more focus on his relationship with Maude - how he felt is never really addressed.
I'd like to see a sequel to this though I don't know if Erasmus would time travel again after his experiences.
Erasmus is a peculiar character but I felt he was quite strongly portrayed, the other characters less so. It is a real pity considering the depth that could have been added with a little more focus on his relationship with Maude - how he felt is never really addressed.
I'd like to see a sequel to this though I don't know if Erasmus would time travel again after his experiences.
dnf
April 16, 2015This was a DNF at 20%.
ERASMUS is written in an intelligent, yet whimsical and humorous style. It's a fun, and light-hearted read. What would you do if you could visit any time in history? Where would you go? Erasmus is a history professor - who spends his spare time traveling to historic events, trying not to stir up trouble as he learns in the best way you can - hands on.
Honestly, I have no complaints - I just didn't connect with Erasmus himself, or fully with the style of writing. I may try the book again in the future.
ERASMUS is written in an intelligent, yet whimsical and humorous style. It's a fun, and light-hearted read. What would you do if you could visit any time in history? Where would you go? Erasmus is a history professor - who spends his spare time traveling to historic events, trying not to stir up trouble as he learns in the best way you can - hands on.
Honestly, I have no complaints - I just didn't connect with Erasmus himself, or fully with the style of writing. I may try the book again in the future.
February 7, 2015
Very amusing, English-wit-drily written book about a slightly more in-the-world Professor Branestawm-like character —a rather oblivious absent-minded-professor type who builds a working time machine. Since he disguises it as an outdoor privy and keeps it in a storage shed at the school where he teaches, no one is the wiser. He takes a couple of very eventful trips back in time to Merrie Englande—where he learns a lot and almost deconstructs history and legend as we know them.
September 10, 2015
Erasmus Hobart was an enjoyable read to what could easily be a series. He's a likable fellow on a fun time-traveling ride with the expected missteps that lead to changes in history that he has to rectify or else history as we know it will be changed forever.
The book and storytelling had a charm to them that made for a fun read. It will be interesting to watch Fish's writing and career develop.
A Netgalley Review.
The book and storytelling had a charm to them that made for a fun read. It will be interesting to watch Fish's writing and career develop.
A Netgalley Review.
December 25, 2013
I was totally captivated by this book and the characters within it. I found it extremely well written, and the style seems a hybrid of Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and Tom Holt. The plot line was throughly enjoyable with a good dose of hmour sprinkled throughout. I certainly hope that Erasmus Hobart will enjoy more adventures. I will be disappointed if they are not any more
February 19, 2015
This is a really inventive story: a school teach travels back in time in a wooden privy to find out the real story of Robin Hood. It started out really strong, but began to lose momentum about halfway through. I think it might have been more fun if he had gone to multiple places/times instead of just to Robin Hood's time.
December 24, 2012
This was thoroughly entertaining and amusing, though it can be slightly embarrassing when you laugh on the underground. I also found I really had to watch I didn't miss my stop as the story and characters are so engaging. I really enjoyed this and I'd really like to read more from the author.
January 13, 2014
Interesting concept, but could definitely do without the overly long pseudo philosophical babble. Would have flowed nicer, too. The character isn't dynamic, though he does learn a bit about tinkering with history.
January 22, 2014
Loved this book enough to hope that there are (or will be) more adventures of Erasmus Hobart and his time-traveling privy. Very funny and clever.
December 31, 2013
A thoroughly engaging and enjoyable book from start to finish, with some interesting ideas, a well-developed central character, and witty delivery.
April 30, 2014
Very entertaining, loved the slant on the legend that is Robin Hood. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.
March 8, 2014
A British history and physics teacher makes himself a time machine out of a wooden privy and travels to midieval Sherwood to lean the truth about the Robin Hood legend. Adorable story!
tbr-later
January 29, 201529 January 2015: $0.00 FREE on Kindle
unfinished
March 12, 2015A month later, and still haven't read more than the first chapter. That is usually not a good sign, so I'll put this one on hold until it catches my attention enough to start all over again.
June 8, 2014
Only ok. History teacher. Time travel. Robin Hood. Too much lecturing.
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