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Hunter of Sherwood #1
Knight of Shadows
A GUY OF GISBURNE NOVEL
England, 1191. Richard Lionheart has left the realm bankrupt and leaderless in his quest for glory. Only Prince John seems willing to fight back the tide of chaos threatening England – embodied by the traitorous ‘Hood.’
But John has a secret weapon: Guy of Gisburne, outcast, mercenary, and now knight. His first mission: to intercept the jewel-encrusted skull of John the Baptist, sent by the Templars to Philip, King of France. Gisburne’s quest takes him from the Tower of London to the hectic crusader port of Marseilles – and into increasingly bloody encounters with ‘The White Devil’: the fanatical Templar de Mercheval.
Relentlessly pursued back to England, and aided by the beautiful and secretive Mélisande, Gisburne battles his way with sword, lance and bow to a bitter confrontation at the Castel de Mercheval. But beyond it – if he survives – lies an even more unpredictable adversary.
England, 1191. Richard Lionheart has left the realm bankrupt and leaderless in his quest for glory. Only Prince John seems willing to fight back the tide of chaos threatening England – embodied by the traitorous ‘Hood.’
But John has a secret weapon: Guy of Gisburne, outcast, mercenary, and now knight. His first mission: to intercept the jewel-encrusted skull of John the Baptist, sent by the Templars to Philip, King of France. Gisburne’s quest takes him from the Tower of London to the hectic crusader port of Marseilles – and into increasingly bloody encounters with ‘The White Devil’: the fanatical Templar de Mercheval.
Relentlessly pursued back to England, and aided by the beautiful and secretive Mélisande, Gisburne battles his way with sword, lance and bow to a bitter confrontation at the Castel de Mercheval. But beyond it – if he survives – lies an even more unpredictable adversary.
544 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 2013
44 people are currently reading
788 people want to read
About the author
Toby Venables
9 books34 followersToby Venables is a novelist, screenwriter and lecturer in Film Studies at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. He grew up watching old Universal horror movies when his parents thought he was asleep, reading 2000 AD and obsessing about Beowulf. There was probably a bit more to it, but he can't quite remember what it was.
He has since worked as a journalist and magazine editor—launching magazines in Cambridge, Peterborough, Oxford and Bristol—and once orchestrated an elaborate Halloween hoax for which he built and photographed a werewolf. He still works as a freelance copywriter, has been the recipient of a radio advertising award, and in 2001 won the Keats-Shelley Memorial Prize (both possibly due to typing errors).
His first novel (for Abaddon) was The Viking Dead—a historical-zombie-SF mashup which has been described as "A fantastic mix of history, violence and horror" and "ludicrous fun."
He has since worked as a journalist and magazine editor—launching magazines in Cambridge, Peterborough, Oxford and Bristol—and once orchestrated an elaborate Halloween hoax for which he built and photographed a werewolf. He still works as a freelance copywriter, has been the recipient of a radio advertising award, and in 2001 won the Keats-Shelley Memorial Prize (both possibly due to typing errors).
His first novel (for Abaddon) was The Viking Dead—a historical-zombie-SF mashup which has been described as "A fantastic mix of history, violence and horror" and "ludicrous fun."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
January 8, 2021
"You have heard no more news of Hood, I suppose?" added John, casually. Gisburne felt his insides clench at the mere mention of the name.
"Rumours," he shrugged. "Stories. Nothing certain."
"Oh, there are stories..." said John. "The comman man about Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire speaks of little else. He is becoming - what do they call it?- a 'folk hero'
"It's a pity they don't know him as I do," said Gisburne.
Toby Venables' Viking Dead was for me an entertaining good book, sadly ruined for good by one of the most disappointing endings I ever read in my life.
"One thing..." said Gisburne. John stopped, his eyes glinting through the narrow gap. "The guest at Dover. The one you contrived for me to meet. How am I to know them?"
"You will know them," said John. "And they you."
*May I at least be told who it is?"
John smiled. It was the smile of a man who had just played the winning stroke in a long and complex game. "Lady Marian Fitzwalher" he said, and closed the door.
After four years, and having purchased this paperback and the rest of the Hunter of Sherwood trilogy from Abaddon Books, it was time for me to give this author a second chance at last, and I'm really glad about it.
How could he tell her that everything Hood possessed - his title, his reputation, the loyalties of those around him - he had stolen?
How could he begin to explain to one so untainted by cynicism, that this symbol of the stout heart of England had no heart himself - that the black space where it should have been was a chaotic void that threatened everything they both believed right and good?
Hunter of Shadows is essentially an action-packed historical fiction retelling of Robin Hood from the point of view of Guy of Gisburne as main character and good guy, after so many appearances in 9th and 20th century variants of the Robin Hood legends as Prince John's hired killer, romantic rival for Maid Marian's love, Sheriff of Nottingham, sometimes friend to the Prince of Thieves, and much more.
The treaty of Falaise had lasted until 1189 - when another royal Lion named Richard, hungry for money to fund his crusade, had sold William back his castle, title and feudal rights in exchange for 10,000 silver marks. Richard had been unable to find a buyer for London. But he had, at least, managed to sell Scotland.
A funny entertaining read with lots of action, thrills and twists, from first to last page, higly recommended if you are in the mood of an historical fiction based adventure read with lots of action, pinches of romance and strong Assassin Creed's vibes: Llewellyn's "gadgets" are something reminded me a lot the ones Leonardo used to craft for Ezio Auditore in that franchise, just saying.
"So much for not drawing attention," said Galfrid as they ran.
"Thanks to you, I didn't get to see the Cathedral!"
"It's only half a cathedral anyway," said Gisburne. "Come back when you're eighty. They might even have the front door finished by then."
Just beware: if you are not a fan of back and forth flashbacks filled storytelling, or you can't stand a tale where King Richard and Robin Hood are a couple of bloodthirsty sociopaths, or suspend your disbelief in order to appreciate main character and his two allies surviving against every genre of odds, stay away from this book.
But that was the kind of challenge Locksley lived for.
He grinned wide at the suggestion. "I can," he said. He braced his left foot upon a rock, squinted at the figure framed in the yellow
tent, and sniffed at the air, as if measuring the breeze. Then, with the leader of the Muslim world in his sights, he lowered his arms and
upper body, and began to draw the creaking bowstring.
For what concerns me, I liked it so much that I'm going to forgive a few annoying word typed twice typos, giving this book four well deserved stars, and start immediately reading the following one.
Three days.
This would be his battleground. Here, he would build the engine of Tancred's destruction. And he knew that destruction must be total – the rogue Templar's vile nest and all in it reduced to ash.
It was time to embrace the forest. Time to put aside all gentility, all restraint.
It was time to become like Hood.
August 31, 2014
Thoughts on the Overall Book: This is the Robin Hood retelling I have been waiting for. As soon as I heard about it I wanted to read it. It's fresh, it's fun, and it keeps the traditional adventure of Robin Hood stories but without Robin as a protagonist, who I really get tired of.
Cover--Yea or Nay: It's cool, I don't have a problem with it, but it's not the one I would pick either. For the kind of book it is, it works.
Characters: Okay, so since I watched BBC's Robin Hood series, I have had a real soft spot for Guy of Gisburne and since Robin really ended up annoying me in that series, I have kind of gotten tired of him as a character in general. The last really good Robin Hood story I have read was Robin McKinley's Outlaws of Sherwood But this one has Guy as the main character, and he's the good guy. And he was genuinely, a good fellow. He wasn't an anti-hero, he was a black knight with a white heart. I really liked him a lot. Robin Hood on the other hand was a creep and portrayed very well as a villain and a sociopathic con man (the bad, dangerous kind). He's not even portrayed like that just because you're getting Guy's POV, there's hard evidence to that fact. I'm going to warn you now, that if you have a problem with Robin being portrayed as a bad guy, you're not going to like this book. I personally liked this fresh take on his character. I thought it was very well done. Galfrid was one of my favorite characters though. He was a kind of sardonic and cynical person and made a good companion to Guy. I didn't have anything against Melisande, though I was afraid I would at first. She ended up being the good kind of strong female character. She did the job she had to, but didn't try to do Guy's as well. Tancred was actually a scary villain when you got to know him. I wasn't quite sure he wouldn't disappoint at first but I think he did pretty well. I also liked how both Richard and John were portrayed. I personally agree in full on how Richard was portrayed. And John was actually not portrayed as an idiotic milksop either, which I think it more accurate.
The Romance: Not a whole lot of romance. Guy and Melisande do share feelings for one another, which can probably be guessed, but it takes up hardly any of the story at all, and only really comes about at the end.
Writing Style: While not the most spectacular, it was engaging, and fast paced, and good for the kind of novel it was. I actually really liked how this was geared as an adventure novel so it wasn't just a slog through historical details that so many medieval books set in this era are. It wasn't the actual swashbuckling thing you would normally expect from a Robin Hood book either, thankfully (because I'm kind of tired of that, it's overdone and wouldn't have worked here) but more almost like James Bond for want of a better description. Guy was working as a retrieval expert and under cover in this one, and there was the added almost steampunk flair with the cool inventions and things he carried. All in all, I thought it was fun and a definitely different take on the Robin Hood story.
Accuracy/ Believability: Strangely, this book is classed as fantasy actually, but there wasn't really any fantasy elements apart from the cool contraptions Guy carries. It's not alternate history, there's nothing weird, but it's the kind of historical novel "true" students of history would probably would not like but I don't find they like much of any novels. Nothing jumped out at me as being inaccurate. But this is more meant to be a fun read and if it's not quite perfect, that's not the point.
Problems/What bothered me: Nothing really bothered me. There was a bit of language though scattered, and a couple moments of "adult content" but never graphic. Certainly, there was less of both than I have found in a lot of YA novels. I'll mention that there is gore for those of you who don't care for that. Typical medieval level but again, not too graphic, but I'm probably a poor judge of that. Still PG 13
Conclusion: 4 stars. I enjoyed this book a lot. it is now one of my favorite Robin Hood (or rather not Robin Hood) novels. I am excited to see where this series goes. I look forward to seeing more of Guy and Robin dueling it out.
Recommended Audience: Good guy read, but girls who like adventure and this kind of thing would also like it. If you are a fan of BBC's Robin Hood series, mainly because of Guy and are as tired of Robin as I am, this is definitely for you. Ages 18 and up.
Cover--Yea or Nay: It's cool, I don't have a problem with it, but it's not the one I would pick either. For the kind of book it is, it works.
Characters: Okay, so since I watched BBC's Robin Hood series, I have had a real soft spot for Guy of Gisburne and since Robin really ended up annoying me in that series, I have kind of gotten tired of him as a character in general. The last really good Robin Hood story I have read was Robin McKinley's Outlaws of Sherwood But this one has Guy as the main character, and he's the good guy. And he was genuinely, a good fellow. He wasn't an anti-hero, he was a black knight with a white heart. I really liked him a lot. Robin Hood on the other hand was a creep and portrayed very well as a villain and a sociopathic con man (the bad, dangerous kind). He's not even portrayed like that just because you're getting Guy's POV, there's hard evidence to that fact. I'm going to warn you now, that if you have a problem with Robin being portrayed as a bad guy, you're not going to like this book. I personally liked this fresh take on his character. I thought it was very well done. Galfrid was one of my favorite characters though. He was a kind of sardonic and cynical person and made a good companion to Guy. I didn't have anything against Melisande, though I was afraid I would at first. She ended up being the good kind of strong female character. She did the job she had to, but didn't try to do Guy's as well. Tancred was actually a scary villain when you got to know him. I wasn't quite sure he wouldn't disappoint at first but I think he did pretty well. I also liked how both Richard and John were portrayed. I personally agree in full on how Richard was portrayed. And John was actually not portrayed as an idiotic milksop either, which I think it more accurate.
The Romance: Not a whole lot of romance. Guy and Melisande do share feelings for one another, which can probably be guessed, but it takes up hardly any of the story at all, and only really comes about at the end.
Writing Style: While not the most spectacular, it was engaging, and fast paced, and good for the kind of novel it was. I actually really liked how this was geared as an adventure novel so it wasn't just a slog through historical details that so many medieval books set in this era are. It wasn't the actual swashbuckling thing you would normally expect from a Robin Hood book either, thankfully (because I'm kind of tired of that, it's overdone and wouldn't have worked here) but more almost like James Bond for want of a better description. Guy was working as a retrieval expert and under cover in this one, and there was the added almost steampunk flair with the cool inventions and things he carried. All in all, I thought it was fun and a definitely different take on the Robin Hood story.
Accuracy/ Believability: Strangely, this book is classed as fantasy actually, but there wasn't really any fantasy elements apart from the cool contraptions Guy carries. It's not alternate history, there's nothing weird, but it's the kind of historical novel "true" students of history would probably would not like but I don't find they like much of any novels. Nothing jumped out at me as being inaccurate. But this is more meant to be a fun read and if it's not quite perfect, that's not the point.
Problems/What bothered me: Nothing really bothered me. There was a bit of language though scattered, and a couple moments of "adult content" but never graphic. Certainly, there was less of both than I have found in a lot of YA novels. I'll mention that there is gore for those of you who don't care for that. Typical medieval level but again, not too graphic, but I'm probably a poor judge of that. Still PG 13
Conclusion: 4 stars. I enjoyed this book a lot. it is now one of my favorite Robin Hood (or rather not Robin Hood) novels. I am excited to see where this series goes. I look forward to seeing more of Guy and Robin dueling it out.
Recommended Audience: Good guy read, but girls who like adventure and this kind of thing would also like it. If you are a fan of BBC's Robin Hood series, mainly because of Guy and are as tired of Robin as I am, this is definitely for you. Ages 18 and up.
January 15, 2015
*quickie review
So this was really a 2.5 star book for me, but I rounded up because it showed promise.
This one wasn't BAD but it wasn't great either. This series looks like it will be an interesting fresh take on the whole Robin Hood thing, but much of that was only hinted at in this first volume.
Awkward flashback chapters didn't help develop the characters as much as I thought they were supposed to. The author's pace and style make for a quick read and the pages flew by. I do believe the next books in the series will get better so I'll stick with it for now.
*nice cover art/design too!
So this was really a 2.5 star book for me, but I rounded up because it showed promise.
This one wasn't BAD but it wasn't great either. This series looks like it will be an interesting fresh take on the whole Robin Hood thing, but much of that was only hinted at in this first volume.
Awkward flashback chapters didn't help develop the characters as much as I thought they were supposed to. The author's pace and style make for a quick read and the pages flew by. I do believe the next books in the series will get better so I'll stick with it for now.
*nice cover art/design too!
July 6, 2023
(english version below)
Dieses Buch hat es mir nicht so leicht gemacht.
Manche Kapitel waren für mich wirklich langweilig und haben sich extrem gezogen und manche Kapitel wiederum waren sehr spannend und ich konnte das Buch kaum aus der Hand legen.
Die Klischees, die doch relativ regelmäßig vorkamen, haben mich mehrfach die Augen verdrehen lassen.
Im Großen und Ganzen eine ganz nette Unterhaltung, jedoch bin ich mir noch nicht sicher, ob ich die Reihe weiterlesen werde.
This book did not make it easy for me.
Some chapters were really boring and dragged on and other chapters were very exciting and I could hardly put the book down.
The clichés, which occurred quite regularly, made me roll my eyes several times.
All in all, it was quite entertaining, but I'm not sure yet whether I will continue reading the series.
Dieses Buch hat es mir nicht so leicht gemacht.
Manche Kapitel waren für mich wirklich langweilig und haben sich extrem gezogen und manche Kapitel wiederum waren sehr spannend und ich konnte das Buch kaum aus der Hand legen.
Die Klischees, die doch relativ regelmäßig vorkamen, haben mich mehrfach die Augen verdrehen lassen.
Im Großen und Ganzen eine ganz nette Unterhaltung, jedoch bin ich mir noch nicht sicher, ob ich die Reihe weiterlesen werde.
This book did not make it easy for me.
Some chapters were really boring and dragged on and other chapters were very exciting and I could hardly put the book down.
The clichés, which occurred quite regularly, made me roll my eyes several times.
All in all, it was quite entertaining, but I'm not sure yet whether I will continue reading the series.
July 28, 2014
I’m familiar with Abaddon Books and thought it strange that they had branched into historical fiction. Turns out they haven’t – the back cover clearly states the genre as fantasy. Ever since Robin of Sherwood, elements of fantasy (eg. dragons, the undead) have appeared in tales of RH. Indeed one could make the argument they have been there from almost the beginning eg. A Little Geste.
Venables skilfully weaves fantasy and history such that you are never sure which is which. Is it the world turned upside down with ‘Bad King Richard’ and ‘Good Prince John’? (Then again reality was never quite so clear cut.) Guy being the agent of order and justice while RH is the embodiment of chaos? Melisande, the fictional grand-daughter of King Stephen, who has Hashashin training? (Did Assassin’s Creed provide inspiration? For that matter, the hordes of evil Templars put me in mind of Wolfenstein!) The enginers, building their war engines and other contraptions? (And Llewellyn, PJ’s enginer, is surely a nod to the actor who played Q from James Bond.)
Enough waffle – this a clever and entertaining read. A deft (and knowing) touch was how ‘current discussion of who is RH?’ was added. As I said, clever and entertaining! Can’t wait for book 2.
Venables skilfully weaves fantasy and history such that you are never sure which is which. Is it the world turned upside down with ‘Bad King Richard’ and ‘Good Prince John’? (Then again reality was never quite so clear cut.) Guy being the agent of order and justice while RH is the embodiment of chaos? Melisande, the fictional grand-daughter of King Stephen, who has Hashashin training? (Did Assassin’s Creed provide inspiration? For that matter, the hordes of evil Templars put me in mind of Wolfenstein!) The enginers, building their war engines and other contraptions? (And Llewellyn, PJ’s enginer, is surely a nod to the actor who played Q from James Bond.)
Enough waffle – this a clever and entertaining read. A deft (and knowing) touch was how ‘current discussion of who is RH?’ was added. As I said, clever and entertaining! Can’t wait for book 2.
deals
January 27, 201627 January 2016: $3.99 on Kindle
March 7, 2016
I have read a lot of Robin Hood novels, seen movies, TV shows. I've loved, hated, no cared about many different Robin Hoods. I LOVE Robin Hood. The mediveal (usually) setting, the chaos & warfare, the idea of stealing from corrupt evil nobles & give the stuff back to the poor oppressed peasants (again, usually) , the simple romantic idea of a "noble outlaw". & mostly just how many different ways the story can be told and retold. I've read over 65 different Robin Hood books, and I'm still not bored yet. :)
I have seen lots of different types of Robin Hoods in my reading adventures.
LOTS of Wronged nobles, forced to flee to Sherwood & fight for his lands back. Like my favorite TV Robin Hood in the BBC show. XD (the reason for my obsession!)
Boring cardboard cutout folk heroes from different classic retellings. Or like the Robin in "the tales or Rowan Hood"
Simple yoeman turned outlaw. Like in the "forest lord"
a Welsh Robin Hood during the invasion of William the Bastard in the "King ravens" trilogy.
A bitter noble hating teenage Robin from "the youngest Templar"
A survivor of the apocalyptic in "hooded man"
A stumbling drink in "will in scarlet"
A girl Robyn hood In a dystopian future in "shadows of Sherwood"
A nerdy girl from modern day Brooklyn in "the outlaws of Sherwood street"
A self aware Robot Robin Hood/video game character in "the Sherwood game"
A sociopathic anti hero from "the outlaw chronicles" the only other books on my Robin Hood shelf to rival my love of this one.
"Knight of Shadows" however is the first novel I have read where Robin Hood is actually a full on villain. Like a straight up, psychopath "I can do no wrong. I am THE best thing. I am invincible" kind of crazy bad guy. But, all so a very, very smart, Very very charming psychopath. The kinda a man everyone loves and admires but no one really realizes he's nuts until your already drinking the kool aid. Think Jim jones but with a long bow.
I think that's why I loved this so much. Because along with the many other things to love about "knight of shadows" it presents the Robin Hood legend to us I'm such a fresh new light. Sure, plenty of your basic parts to a standard Robin Hood tale are there. Set in the time of King Richard & Prince John, the crusades. An absent King, a prince getting all the blame, outlaws robbing. Even a brief mention of little John and tuck. Robin Hood went to the holy land.
But this tale turns it all on its head by showing us -in a very convincing way, I'm my mind- that Robin Hood wasn't the hero, but the villan. That the true protagonists of the myth were actually.... guy of Gisburne & Prince John..... What?
Yep. King Richard the absent, romantized "lionheart" is nothing but a overgrown spoiled brat, playing war hero at his kingdom's & people's expense while Prince John struggles to hold things together back home. While being blamed for all of the kings crusade taxes.
Robin Hood is a violent sociopath with a long history of violence. A egotistical maniac who views the world and people as playthings for his games and challenges.
& guy of Gisburne! So often he's nothing more than a bounty hunter or lackey of the sheriff. Here, he's the misunderstood hero. A logical, realistic guy who values chivalry & order & really just wants to be a knight, fighting for a truly Noble cause.
Set all this against a vivid historical background, acgreat sidekick, some über cool mediveal spy gear, and an awesome quest to steal the skull of John the Baptist & you have yourself a kickass novel.
Seriously, if you like your historical fiction well researched, realistically gritty & gorey this is definitely the way to go. From the battles, to the feasts, descriptions of fortresses & churches, even what the characters are wearing. It's all so detailed. Hell, even the smells & sights of the cities is wonderful. Disgustingly wonderful. Sometimes I think "man, I be it'd be cool to go back in time & see what it was like when Robin Hood might have lived." Then I read something like this, with such vivid descriptions of drafty stinky castles & shit being tossed out windows & I think "thank god for indoor plumbing & Irish spring soap." You can really tell how much the author cared for his historical research & his storytelling.
Like with the whole Richard & John thing. even if it was never as clean cut as Richard good, John bad, or King bad, Prince good as is here. In all honesty I'm sure they were both pretty awful. But it's really nice to see a more realistic version of the Lionheart even if he is a bad dude here. :) to see him as the kind of war hungry, battle happy nutcase he was is such a welcomed change form the usual good King on a holy mission wrongly having his beloved country destroyed by and evil sheriff & Prince.
The setting & historical stuff is great, but we must also look at other important elements of the story. Like characters, plot, and Writing. All three of which I throughly enjoyed.
Characters: Gisburne & Galfraid. I loved these two. They are great together & I absolutely adored following them on their journey. They were funny & it was great to see Gisburne really come to care for his unwanted squire over the course of the book. Some has done it! Made my favorite character human. Like I said, he's logical & honorable. Bad ass fighter. A bit of a loner, not wanting to work with others. Kind, but real rough around the edges. A man with the very clear senses of right and wrong something that while make his role as "a knight of shadows" (lol see what I did there?) rather difficult. Just what you'd what in a Robin Hood, but given to us as Guy instead. :D actually, my biggest problem with him is that at times, he can be a bit to badass. You know what I mean? Like, he's a great fighter & I love it. He actually has a reason be, actually being trained for years as a knight by one of the best. But there should be a point where it stops yes? The dude was hurt bad, almost drowned but three days later, he's able to trap ten plus of Tancred's men inevthe woods & fight his way out of a castle with only Melisande to help him?
Don't get me wrong, it was a great fight scene, the book is great for fight scenes. But even badass knight main characters need a weakness.
Galfraid's cynicism is simply great, and at times, he's actually really funny, a little shining star in a very serious book. Frankly, the dude is probably the best squire out there, cleaning guys gear
Even lesser characters like Prince John, Tancred, Gilbert, Marian & Melisande are good. Tancred was an appropriately creepy bad dude. Gilbert a loving mentor I just wanted to bawl at that one scene! Damn you Richard the Lionheart. Damn you to hell! The fangirl in me screaming "OTP! OMG I ship it!" About Prince John & Guy. (Really. That first scene? In the Tower of London after guy's "test"? I'm sensing major chemistry. ) Marian was sweet & strong, in a different way than Melisande, but strong nonetheless. I can't wait to see what happens with her & her interest in Hood. Melisande..... Well, while I love a strong female character as much as the next gal, I find her a bit.... "Meh." Sure, she's interesting & mysterious & all that jazz. But the fact that I know so little about her after 544 pages, really puts a damper on my ability to truly care about her.
How did she learn to fight? Why is so so interested in the skull & guy? Who is she really loyal to? I get that these questions were supposed to keep me reading & interested. & im sure some of my questions will be answered in book two, but for 544 pages, I'd like to have know far more about this kick ass gal. Especially when kick ass gal is from a time period where girls usually stayed in the kitchen & had were only good for making babies.
Plot: awesome. A bit fantastic , maybe even a bit far fetched at times, but it's well balanced by the historical bits. a quest to steal the skull of John the Baptist? Plots involving the knights Templar, the French King & Robin Hood? Sign me up! I
Writing: very good. wonderful discrpitions & details. It's maybe a little stiff at times, but it is very good. The dialogue is good to. Especially between Gisburne & Galfrid. Guy's little remarks during fights are priceless. John's was kinda over the top, as lot of the stuff he says is meant to set up the plot, telling guy how's he's off the steal the skull, than later how he'll probably have to continue with his spy like missions. & even saying stuff about how history might no remember the kindly. (Haha. He's talking about the future myths! XD.) it's not bad, just makes him sound more like a narrator for a history documentary than a character.
Over all, it's just wonderful. Definitely one of my favorite Robin Hood novels. If you liked "outlaw chronicles" "King raven" or "the forest lord" I highly recommend "knight of shadows." Can't wait to read book 2!
I have seen lots of different types of Robin Hoods in my reading adventures.
LOTS of Wronged nobles, forced to flee to Sherwood & fight for his lands back. Like my favorite TV Robin Hood in the BBC show. XD (the reason for my obsession!)
Boring cardboard cutout folk heroes from different classic retellings. Or like the Robin in "the tales or Rowan Hood"
Simple yoeman turned outlaw. Like in the "forest lord"
a Welsh Robin Hood during the invasion of William the Bastard in the "King ravens" trilogy.
A bitter noble hating teenage Robin from "the youngest Templar"
A survivor of the apocalyptic in "hooded man"
A stumbling drink in "will in scarlet"
A girl Robyn hood In a dystopian future in "shadows of Sherwood"
A nerdy girl from modern day Brooklyn in "the outlaws of Sherwood street"
A self aware Robot Robin Hood/video game character in "the Sherwood game"
A sociopathic anti hero from "the outlaw chronicles" the only other books on my Robin Hood shelf to rival my love of this one.
"Knight of Shadows" however is the first novel I have read where Robin Hood is actually a full on villain. Like a straight up, psychopath "I can do no wrong. I am THE best thing. I am invincible" kind of crazy bad guy. But, all so a very, very smart, Very very charming psychopath. The kinda a man everyone loves and admires but no one really realizes he's nuts until your already drinking the kool aid. Think Jim jones but with a long bow.
I think that's why I loved this so much. Because along with the many other things to love about "knight of shadows" it presents the Robin Hood legend to us I'm such a fresh new light. Sure, plenty of your basic parts to a standard Robin Hood tale are there. Set in the time of King Richard & Prince John, the crusades. An absent King, a prince getting all the blame, outlaws robbing. Even a brief mention of little John and tuck. Robin Hood went to the holy land.
But this tale turns it all on its head by showing us -in a very convincing way, I'm my mind- that Robin Hood wasn't the hero, but the villan. That the true protagonists of the myth were actually.... guy of Gisburne & Prince John..... What?
Yep. King Richard the absent, romantized "lionheart" is nothing but a overgrown spoiled brat, playing war hero at his kingdom's & people's expense while Prince John struggles to hold things together back home. While being blamed for all of the kings crusade taxes.
Robin Hood is a violent sociopath with a long history of violence. A egotistical maniac who views the world and people as playthings for his games and challenges.
& guy of Gisburne! So often he's nothing more than a bounty hunter or lackey of the sheriff. Here, he's the misunderstood hero. A logical, realistic guy who values chivalry & order & really just wants to be a knight, fighting for a truly Noble cause.
Set all this against a vivid historical background, acgreat sidekick, some über cool mediveal spy gear, and an awesome quest to steal the skull of John the Baptist & you have yourself a kickass novel.
Seriously, if you like your historical fiction well researched, realistically gritty & gorey this is definitely the way to go. From the battles, to the feasts, descriptions of fortresses & churches, even what the characters are wearing. It's all so detailed. Hell, even the smells & sights of the cities is wonderful. Disgustingly wonderful. Sometimes I think "man, I be it'd be cool to go back in time & see what it was like when Robin Hood might have lived." Then I read something like this, with such vivid descriptions of drafty stinky castles & shit being tossed out windows & I think "thank god for indoor plumbing & Irish spring soap." You can really tell how much the author cared for his historical research & his storytelling.
Like with the whole Richard & John thing. even if it was never as clean cut as Richard good, John bad, or King bad, Prince good as is here. In all honesty I'm sure they were both pretty awful. But it's really nice to see a more realistic version of the Lionheart even if he is a bad dude here. :) to see him as the kind of war hungry, battle happy nutcase he was is such a welcomed change form the usual good King on a holy mission wrongly having his beloved country destroyed by and evil sheriff & Prince.
The setting & historical stuff is great, but we must also look at other important elements of the story. Like characters, plot, and Writing. All three of which I throughly enjoyed.
Characters: Gisburne & Galfraid. I loved these two. They are great together & I absolutely adored following them on their journey. They were funny & it was great to see Gisburne really come to care for his unwanted squire over the course of the book. Some has done it! Made my favorite character human. Like I said, he's logical & honorable. Bad ass fighter. A bit of a loner, not wanting to work with others. Kind, but real rough around the edges. A man with the very clear senses of right and wrong something that while make his role as "a knight of shadows" (lol see what I did there?) rather difficult. Just what you'd what in a Robin Hood, but given to us as Guy instead. :D actually, my biggest problem with him is that at times, he can be a bit to badass. You know what I mean? Like, he's a great fighter & I love it. He actually has a reason be, actually being trained for years as a knight by one of the best. But there should be a point where it stops yes? The dude was hurt bad, almost drowned but three days later, he's able to trap ten plus of Tancred's men inevthe woods & fight his way out of a castle with only Melisande to help him?
Don't get me wrong, it was a great fight scene, the book is great for fight scenes. But even badass knight main characters need a weakness.
Galfraid's cynicism is simply great, and at times, he's actually really funny, a little shining star in a very serious book. Frankly, the dude is probably the best squire out there, cleaning guys gear
Even lesser characters like Prince John, Tancred, Gilbert, Marian & Melisande are good. Tancred was an appropriately creepy bad dude. Gilbert a loving mentor I just wanted to bawl at that one scene! Damn you Richard the Lionheart. Damn you to hell! The fangirl in me screaming "OTP! OMG I ship it!" About Prince John & Guy. (Really. That first scene? In the Tower of London after guy's "test"? I'm sensing major chemistry. ) Marian was sweet & strong, in a different way than Melisande, but strong nonetheless. I can't wait to see what happens with her & her interest in Hood. Melisande..... Well, while I love a strong female character as much as the next gal, I find her a bit.... "Meh." Sure, she's interesting & mysterious & all that jazz. But the fact that I know so little about her after 544 pages, really puts a damper on my ability to truly care about her.
How did she learn to fight? Why is so so interested in the skull & guy? Who is she really loyal to? I get that these questions were supposed to keep me reading & interested. & im sure some of my questions will be answered in book two, but for 544 pages, I'd like to have know far more about this kick ass gal. Especially when kick ass gal is from a time period where girls usually stayed in the kitchen & had were only good for making babies.
Plot: awesome. A bit fantastic , maybe even a bit far fetched at times, but it's well balanced by the historical bits. a quest to steal the skull of John the Baptist? Plots involving the knights Templar, the French King & Robin Hood? Sign me up! I
Writing: very good. wonderful discrpitions & details. It's maybe a little stiff at times, but it is very good. The dialogue is good to. Especially between Gisburne & Galfrid. Guy's little remarks during fights are priceless. John's was kinda over the top, as lot of the stuff he says is meant to set up the plot, telling guy how's he's off the steal the skull, than later how he'll probably have to continue with his spy like missions. & even saying stuff about how history might no remember the kindly. (Haha. He's talking about the future myths! XD.) it's not bad, just makes him sound more like a narrator for a history documentary than a character.
Over all, it's just wonderful. Definitely one of my favorite Robin Hood novels. If you liked "outlaw chronicles" "King raven" or "the forest lord" I highly recommend "knight of shadows." Can't wait to read book 2!
April 16, 2020
Fantastic book. I've been looking for my next historical author in the same vein as Cornwell, Cameron, Iggulden, Low, Kane, etc. And I think I've found him. I instantly liked Guisborne and rooted for him through his many trials. Looking forward to book 2.
July 21, 2015
I ended up reading the second book in this series first, so I may have spoiled myself for some of the things that happened in this one.
The book stars Sir Guy of Gisbourne, a villain in the Robin Hood legend. The author turns this idea on its ear by making Guy a misunderstood hero. He's also actually pretty accurate as to the historical knowledge about King Richard and Prince John, which isn't necessarily what the Robin Hood story would have you believe. Robin Hood is also a lot scarier in this book, even as he remains merry.
The plot involves the gem-encrusted relic of John the Baptist's head. It's a holy relic, yes, but it's also worth a lot of money, so its gifting between powers has several layers of meaning. For reasons, Guy is tasked to steal this skull.
While I did enjoy the book, I found the second one in the series had benefited from the author's experience writing the first one, so this book came off as a bit of a rougher effort. Still worth reading, though, and definitely go on to the second one. I hope more are coming.
The book stars Sir Guy of Gisbourne, a villain in the Robin Hood legend. The author turns this idea on its ear by making Guy a misunderstood hero. He's also actually pretty accurate as to the historical knowledge about King Richard and Prince John, which isn't necessarily what the Robin Hood story would have you believe. Robin Hood is also a lot scarier in this book, even as he remains merry.
The plot involves the gem-encrusted relic of John the Baptist's head. It's a holy relic, yes, but it's also worth a lot of money, so its gifting between powers has several layers of meaning. For reasons, Guy is tasked to steal this skull.
While I did enjoy the book, I found the second one in the series had benefited from the author's experience writing the first one, so this book came off as a bit of a rougher effort. Still worth reading, though, and definitely go on to the second one. I hope more are coming.
December 22, 2013
So, the concept is first class, the cover is striking, the publisher weighs in with the best, the author is of top quality stock. Knight of Shadows certainly has a lot to live up to. I’ve always loved the tales of Robin and his band of merry men, right from being a very young child and first reading the children’s novels of their adventures through the many reinventions and new takes on Robin of Sherwood. Venables, though, takes a look at it from another perspective, what if what we had been told was a VERY one sided view and in reality this known outlaw and thief was really a bit of a horror? Right from the off I was absolutely enthralled following Prince John doing his best to hold a kingdom together and Guy of Gisburne being possibly the ultimate anti-hero. Exceptional writing, great characters and a plot full of twists and turns has made this one an absolute essential of 2013.
January 11, 2015
Extraordinary medieval thriller!
A longtime fan of the various takes on Robin Hood, this foray into the legend took my breath away.
Venables has turned the legend upside down and given Guy of Gisburne a completely new and believable place.
A medieval thriller. A rich, tightly woven plot that never falters and takes us from England to the mercilessness of the Crusades and back, complete with religious artifacts and renegade, fanatical Templars.
A longtime fan of the various takes on Robin Hood, this foray into the legend took my breath away.
Venables has turned the legend upside down and given Guy of Gisburne a completely new and believable place.
A medieval thriller. A rich, tightly woven plot that never falters and takes us from England to the mercilessness of the Crusades and back, complete with religious artifacts and renegade, fanatical Templars.
January 4, 2017
Knight of Shadows cover isn’t anything ground-breaking, but it gives the reader exactly what they would expect to see on such a novel: the recognisable figure of an archer. My only gripe is that it doesn’t really differentiate too much from the cover of the sequel. Or the omnibus. The blurb, whilst very intriguing and informative, verges on the realm of spoilers. Reads more like a mini synopsis rather than a tantalising blurb.
Being from Leicestershire (a stone’s throw away from Nottinghamshire) I have a great fondness for Robin Hood and his adversaries (Prince John and Guy of Gisburne). So, naturally, when a novel popped up on bookbub displaying Robin Hood as a traitor and Gisburne as a hero, I jumped at the chance to get stuck in to this different spin on the classic tale. And I’m very glad that I did.
From the get go, the story moves at a good pace and the author uses good language to convey the historical setting. Nothing worse than a historical fiction with modern slang. Thankfully there’s none of that here. Has a very authentic feel. This is helped along by the fun writing style Venables possesses.
The characters are very well fleshed-out, sometimes painfully so. As good as the backstories are, Venables does have a tendency to make the flashback periods detailing past events last far longer than perhaps they should and, on occasion, far longer than pieces set in the present. These parts can make the piece feel as if it is a bit hard-going, but I often found that, after getting through it, it was worth it. A lot of the fleshing is done in the form of quotes from Guy’s old mentor (Guilbert de Gaillon) who seems to have a quote for every possible thing a knight may face. And why not, the man was a knight for many years, makes sense that he would have faced the same troubles. These little quotes add something great to the piece. Little nuggets of wisdom.
One gripe I do have is the amount of typos/spelling mistakes in the first five percent of the novel. They are scattered throughout the book, but the first pages are what an author (I know this from experience, being one myself) sends out to a prospective agent or publisher, so you really would expect them to be airtight. Makes it feel sloppy when it happens so frequently. Another thing that gives it a bit of a sloppy feel is the author’s lack of understanding of how to use hyphenated words. For instance a character was almost ‘half blinded’ instead of ‘half-blinded’. I am probably just being very nit-picky (see, it really isn’t hard to hyphenate) as these were the things that were highlighted to me (in painful detail) when I first started submitting to publishers.
Fear not, the negatives are almost over. There is but one more I feel the need to raise: the author’s continuous use of a certain way of dumping enemies into the plot. I lost count of how many times the main characters stop due to ‘Templars blocking their way in the road’. It’s not just me that seemed to notice. One of the characters literally says: “But of course, bunch of Templars on the road. About time we had that again.” I know the author was probably doing it for the comedic effect, but it just came across as uninventive. Thankfully, the ways the characters deal with the situations do differ. So it still makes these enjoyable sections.
I don’t often think this when reading books; but with ‘Knight of Shadows’ I genuinely think it would translate excellently to a television show. The action scenes almost remind me of the Musketeers (BBC TV series) in a way due to the high-octane pace of the fighting etc … The backstory parts would also work tremendously on-screen. Added to the fact that it is very vivid and, in parts, graphic, you have a cracking TV show.
Even with all the negatives I have mentioned, the story is well worth your time. It is an enjoyable, fast-paced, thumping good read. For those who like your violence on the more aggressive end of the scale, it has that in spades. Especially near the end. It is quite easily one of the more exciting endings to a novel I have read in years. Genuinely loved the ending. It is, in fact, the ending, along with the enjoyable writing style and solid story, that saves it from the negatives and pulls the score up to a 4 out of 5.
Being from Leicestershire (a stone’s throw away from Nottinghamshire) I have a great fondness for Robin Hood and his adversaries (Prince John and Guy of Gisburne). So, naturally, when a novel popped up on bookbub displaying Robin Hood as a traitor and Gisburne as a hero, I jumped at the chance to get stuck in to this different spin on the classic tale. And I’m very glad that I did.
From the get go, the story moves at a good pace and the author uses good language to convey the historical setting. Nothing worse than a historical fiction with modern slang. Thankfully there’s none of that here. Has a very authentic feel. This is helped along by the fun writing style Venables possesses.
The characters are very well fleshed-out, sometimes painfully so. As good as the backstories are, Venables does have a tendency to make the flashback periods detailing past events last far longer than perhaps they should and, on occasion, far longer than pieces set in the present. These parts can make the piece feel as if it is a bit hard-going, but I often found that, after getting through it, it was worth it. A lot of the fleshing is done in the form of quotes from Guy’s old mentor (Guilbert de Gaillon) who seems to have a quote for every possible thing a knight may face. And why not, the man was a knight for many years, makes sense that he would have faced the same troubles. These little quotes add something great to the piece. Little nuggets of wisdom.
One gripe I do have is the amount of typos/spelling mistakes in the first five percent of the novel. They are scattered throughout the book, but the first pages are what an author (I know this from experience, being one myself) sends out to a prospective agent or publisher, so you really would expect them to be airtight. Makes it feel sloppy when it happens so frequently. Another thing that gives it a bit of a sloppy feel is the author’s lack of understanding of how to use hyphenated words. For instance a character was almost ‘half blinded’ instead of ‘half-blinded’. I am probably just being very nit-picky (see, it really isn’t hard to hyphenate) as these were the things that were highlighted to me (in painful detail) when I first started submitting to publishers.
Fear not, the negatives are almost over. There is but one more I feel the need to raise: the author’s continuous use of a certain way of dumping enemies into the plot. I lost count of how many times the main characters stop due to ‘Templars blocking their way in the road’. It’s not just me that seemed to notice. One of the characters literally says: “But of course, bunch of Templars on the road. About time we had that again.” I know the author was probably doing it for the comedic effect, but it just came across as uninventive. Thankfully, the ways the characters deal with the situations do differ. So it still makes these enjoyable sections.
I don’t often think this when reading books; but with ‘Knight of Shadows’ I genuinely think it would translate excellently to a television show. The action scenes almost remind me of the Musketeers (BBC TV series) in a way due to the high-octane pace of the fighting etc … The backstory parts would also work tremendously on-screen. Added to the fact that it is very vivid and, in parts, graphic, you have a cracking TV show.
Even with all the negatives I have mentioned, the story is well worth your time. It is an enjoyable, fast-paced, thumping good read. For those who like your violence on the more aggressive end of the scale, it has that in spades. Especially near the end. It is quite easily one of the more exciting endings to a novel I have read in years. Genuinely loved the ending. It is, in fact, the ending, along with the enjoyable writing style and solid story, that saves it from the negatives and pulls the score up to a 4 out of 5.
December 31, 2017
I really enjoyed this. It's not simply a Robin Hood story focussed on Guy of Gisburne; Robin Hood is actually just a minor character here, and Guy has plenty of other things to occupy his time.
There are strong characters, and a good plot. I was able to visualise all the action scenes, although it will help if you're familiar with medieval weapons/armour because they're not all described explicitly in the text. (For instance, do you know what a mangonel is?) There are also some genuinely funny bits that made me laugh. ("What is that smell?")
I haven't read any of the author's other books (yet), but I'm aware that he wrote Viking Dead and I think there was a subtle reference to that in this book when the characters discussed some strange rumours from the north about warriors who didn't stay dead. However, you don't need to have read that book to follow this one, and that scene would still work even if you've never heard of it, so I think that's the right way to handle this situation.
The story is non-linear, i.e. the main storyline is set in the "present day" (1191) but there are also flashbacks to Guy's youth. So, we see the man he is now, and then we see the events that led him to that. This works well, and it reminded me of Highlander. However, there are also a few cases where the story goes back and forth over a shorter period for no apparent reason. E.g. the characters arrive somewhere, then the next chapter starts 3 days after that, then it goes back to 2 days prior (just after they arrived). I think that's needlessly confusing, so I'd have preferred the past/present to keep moving forward.
There are some plot points which may not come as much of a surprise if you're familiar with the genre. For instance,
Some words seemed to be spelt wrong, but I assume that this is deliberate to match the period, e.g. "Serjeant" and "Enginer". However, I'll still quibble about using "decimated" to mean "almost completely destroyed" (p225); if anything, I think that the older the setting, the more likely characters should be to use the traditional Roman meaning (killing 1 in 10).
There are also a couple of typos in my copy:
p75: "hebe" -> "he be".
p186: "plash" -> "splash".
p225: "had sense" -> "had a sense".
As I've mentioned in other reviews, this seems to be an unfortunate trend in ebooks.
There are strong characters, and a good plot. I was able to visualise all the action scenes, although it will help if you're familiar with medieval weapons/armour because they're not all described explicitly in the text. (For instance, do you know what a mangonel is?) There are also some genuinely funny bits that made me laugh. ("What is that smell?")
I haven't read any of the author's other books (yet), but I'm aware that he wrote Viking Dead and I think there was a subtle reference to that in this book when the characters discussed some strange rumours from the north about warriors who didn't stay dead. However, you don't need to have read that book to follow this one, and that scene would still work even if you've never heard of it, so I think that's the right way to handle this situation.
The story is non-linear, i.e. the main storyline is set in the "present day" (1191) but there are also flashbacks to Guy's youth. So, we see the man he is now, and then we see the events that led him to that. This works well, and it reminded me of Highlander. However, there are also a few cases where the story goes back and forth over a shorter period for no apparent reason. E.g. the characters arrive somewhere, then the next chapter starts 3 days after that, then it goes back to 2 days prior (just after they arrived). I think that's needlessly confusing, so I'd have preferred the past/present to keep moving forward.
There are some plot points which may not come as much of a surprise if you're familiar with the genre. For instance,
Some words seemed to be spelt wrong, but I assume that this is deliberate to match the period, e.g. "Serjeant" and "Enginer". However, I'll still quibble about using "decimated" to mean "almost completely destroyed" (p225); if anything, I think that the older the setting, the more likely characters should be to use the traditional Roman meaning (killing 1 in 10).
There are also a couple of typos in my copy:
p75: "hebe" -> "he be".
p186: "plash" -> "splash".
p225: "had sense" -> "had a sense".
As I've mentioned in other reviews, this seems to be an unfortunate trend in ebooks.
January 7, 2021
I
Introduction
7 January, 2021
I WANT TO START with how I came to be here, reading this book. It all started with a channel on youtube called "Modern History TV", with a video in which the channel's host, Jason Kingsley, proffered this book and author, because they have used his unique firsthand knowledge of things such as "horse fighting action" and included a character based off of Jason himself.
Most intriguing to me however, being a viewer of his channel (exploring with histortical accuracy the lives and wonders of medieval people, knights, and their horses), was the implication of a book set in those medieval times with knights and feudalism, and written with dedicated, real-life historical accuracy.
I did not know much about the Robin Hood legends; in fact, the only thing I was familiar with was the animated Disney movie with anthropomorphic animals (that I haven't seen in over a decade). That's to say, this book instigated my first introduction to the character of "Guy of Gisburne". I'll elaborate on the use of merely 'instigated' in a moment.
The point I want to make is how what initially drew me in, combined with being dark on the Robin Hood legend in general, painted my naive preconception of what I would be in store for in reading this book.
II
Guy of Gisburne
FIRSTLY, THIS WILL BE very subjective and opinionated.
Secondly, I expound upon why this book only 'instigated' my first impression of this character. I don't often "dive in blind" when I do anything, and this is no exception. I looked up the character, and the first thing I saw was the BBC T.V series' take on him. I did not watch any of the epidsodes, I merely read the character's page on a wiki site. I did not like what I saw nor read about the character or the narrative of the T.V series. I make mention of this, because I'm somewhat certain that the existance of this show colored the author as he wrote this book; and that is a major downside that I unfortunately only became aware of later on.
Now, I went into this book with the notion that it would, despite the fairytale origins of the story, be told with some mature, real-life gravitas. And on the surface it appears that way, with the attention to historical accuracy (which I've no expertise on, so none of this will be spent on "correcting" any percieved accuracy mistakes). It is definitely decent and very detailed with depicting real-life medieval history into a fictional setting. It's not, however, as decent with the depiction of the characters.
The character, Guy of Gisburne, I was entirely with him in the beginning. Focused, at odds with his dark, cold surroundings, drifting perilously on a black river before the stark white Tower of London. This is where the book had me the most, right at the beginning. I was curious, intrigued, and interested to see this character come to the light (be revealed more with description and dialogue). He seemed tangible en—Who is John Brekespere? Why should I care, I know unbeknownst to him that Guy is down below ploting on him, but why should I have to read this whole long chapter where he decides to absent-mindedly recall his entire life and career on this very night?—And we're back to Guy and the quiet, harrowing action! Again, I felt everything with the entire chapter telling of his surmounting that insurmountable white tower. It was quite an indelible introduction to his character and the story, just him in solitude with his fears and wits as he carries out the daunting task at hand. That's the best part. It, for me, was all downhill from there on.
Then, the official introduction to his character. This is where it started to fall apart for me. In tandem with the chapters from Brekespere, they coaleased to create this sudden, comical shift in tone. Brekespere is depicted as incapable and, almost quite frankly, a bumbling tall idiot. I quite literally felt his growing inferiority to the main-stay character of Gisburne. That threw me out of the narrative at break-neck speed in the scene next where, from Brekespere's perspective, they come face to face with our Guy.
Here's my issue; I thought this was going to focused more on a 'realistic historical' tone, and not so much fall into the "typical larger-than-life protagonist" whom is somehow always better than everyone else (which is not conducive to realism at all). I expected Guy to be a relatable, tangible character, as much as the rest. That's not what I got, and thus was confirmed to my horror with his description. Yes, this is one of "those" stories. You know who is important or villainous by their appearance. Handsome = Good/Misunderstood and Ugly = Bad/Irredemable. You know everyone's "part to play" in this story already. He's the dark, rugged, handsome anti-hero. Whatever.
Large Frame (exact quote: "He was tall and broad-shouldered,")
Tall (exact quote: "He was tall and broad-shouldered,")
Handsome (exact quote: "features were chiselled and handsome,")
Dour/Hostile Expression (exact quote: "but hard and impassive")
Black Cloak (exact quote: "hooded like the habit of some dark monk.." "thick—like leather, but of such a rich black.." "like the feathers of a crow..")
Intimidating Sword (exact quote: "gleamed the double-edged blade of broadsword")
Demon/Shadow Resemblance ("looming over… like a great shadow, stood the Devil" "In the midst of this shadow," "horns of some demonic creature")
With this kind of description, he seems like a cartoon character in one of those "into the real-world" episodes. Or a character in a teenage girl's fanfiction. Or any dark male love-interest in a YA romance novel. He's a strange power-fantasy machination in a seemingly mundane, realistic setting. And you might think, well, that's just his appearance! He's got a nuanced, humble, respectable personality! You'd be wrong and I'm glad to walk you through why.
Firstly, the author seems to only be on Gisburne's side. Everytime there is another male character on the scene, they must be unmanned someway to aggrandize Gisburne's features. Whether it be height with Prince John (exact quote: "He had forgotten how much shorter John was than he.") or the very notably tall Brekespere (exact quote: "Brekespere actually seemed to diminish in size") and even his squire Galfrid (exact quote: "Before him, perhaps a foot shorter than he,"). And where he menaces another man whose nose he had just broken (exact quote: "As Gisburne passed through the open door, the guard scrutinised his attacker with a kind of timid resentment, hastily breaking eye contact when he realised Gisburne would not."). That's comical to me. This is not what I would have wanted to see, this blatant narrative dog-whistling to elevate the protagonist's greatness. And take for instance in another scene, another man, Matthew De Clere, is dismissively tagged as 'handsome' as well, and here we actually see Gisburne himself, for no honest to God reason, tearing down his appearance in a rather long, rather detailed harangue.
"De Clere himself cut a superficially impressive figure. He was tall, broad shouldered – every inch what was expected of a knight. Some, apparently, considered him handsome. Yet, to Gisburne’s eyes, his forehead was somehow too high, his teeth too gappy, his lips too moist and petulant to warrant such praise. Scrutinising his face now, Gisburne was reminded of dough that had swollen rather ludicrously beyond its required size, his eyes two currants stranded in its midst."
See the difference, perhaps, in the way this character, also tall and handsome, is put forth in the narrative compared to Gisburne? Why must everyone else be flawed and ugly in some way, but Gisburne is not? Is Gisburne not just as narcissistic, egotistical, and shallow as them? Reading this only made me sneer at Gisburne's character more than the one he and the author were trying to downplay. There's more of this kind of stuff in this chapter too, where Gisburne is also making juvenile jabs at the man's wife for seeming "manly" and being, of course, "ugly" in his and the supposed audience's eyes for merely being on the wrong side of the narrative.
And then, he's always whinging and complaining about things. Like about how castles are cold and foul-smelling (I can't speak for this, but many reiterate that "castles are cold dungeons in the winter and furnaces in the summer" is a very, very common misconception):
"But an English winter turned every one of them into damp, dark, freezing, inhumane dungeons – and every one of their inhabitants into prisoners. None but the most low and desperate would countenance living in a stinking, clammy cave. Yet the high-born of England clamoured to build such conditions for themselves, at huge expense."
So, to witness this character blabbering on and on about how stupid and vain the noblesse is at every instance, while then showing his own stupidity and vanity, only soured me to his character more and more.
And the cherry to top this, is his additude towards his squire, Galfrid. He reveals himself to be such a prideful manchild, desperate to prove something to the more stalwart and composed Galfrid. I honestly, rather quickly, ended up prefering Galfrid's character to Gisburne!
"He stood in silence for a moment, absorbing the fact that he was stuck with this irritating little man. That every part of the journey ahead, as he had imagined it, would now be different. He hated partnerships – had hated them for a long time. Since the Holy Land. Since that. He worked alone."
(Sounds like some grizzled ex-cop, good lord.)
“The ship for Calais leaves on the morning tide,” he said, deadpan. “Have your accoutrements ready by first light.” Gisburne stared in amazement, irritation swelling inside him once more. Shouldn’t he be telling this Galfrid to do that?"
(Galfrid is serious about the mission, Gisburne is grumpy, confused, and sulled like a toddler.)
"He was used to trusting no one, relying on no one. But also, today, it was partly pride – a note of defiance. That he should feel the need to defy a squire – that he had one at all – seemed absurd. But there it was."
(Why does Gisburne's character strike me as so adolescent? Not what you would expect from the man, after all we keep being told about him.)
"“It’s the latest thing,” said Gisburne. “It’s called a ‘horse’.” Galfrid’s eyes narrowed at that."
(Here Gisburne is throwing a sarcastic tantrum like a teenager, and this continues on for the rest of the chapter, with Galfrid having to remind him of the harrowing importance of this mission, telling him why he can't bring his big black horsie like a Mother tells her child they can't bring their phone!)
It's all a very sudden and stark far-cry to the mystique of the tone set by the opening chapter. It's vapid and without much substance, which is why it seems like the "pages just fly by" when you read it. I'm a slow reader, I like to take my time and truly imbibe the message of each sentence, to each paragraph. It's an absolute waste of my time when it's all meaningless filler that just makes me disdain the main-character even more.
And another side note that draws back to why I aliken this to the T.V. series; besides his over-the-top appearance, it's the entire scene with Gisburne and Marion. Absolutely pathetic and strange. I went into this story with the hopes that the usual romantic conceits of this popular legend would not make any notable appearance here. Why did this love-triangle between Guy, Marion, and Hood have to be in this narrative, a long, historically accurate, plot-driven triology that really didn't need it? She's just the carrot on a stick plot-motivator for Gisburne. I did not like seeing what was left of my respect for this character being used to mop the floor after that entire chapter of drivel dedicated to his lovelorn pining for her.
III
The Writing
The saving grace, in my opinion. It's the writing: his use of words, his use of detail, that historical accuracy mentioned earlier, and in some delectable moments, it's his fluid style of writing (which I feel was at it's best during the action sequences). I found myself drawn in just as much by the fantastic writing.
My biggest gripe here would have to be with his liberal use of the long dash "—". I did a small experiment with a section of one chapter and it turned out that, in six whole pages (on Kindle), he used that dash about 36 times, with an average of 7 times per page. That's far too much, even if it's 'just the writing style'.
Another thing is the perspective and the way it's told. It's written in this very "telling" (as opposed to "showing") floaty, detatched third person, like a neanderthal storyteller by fireside; he could be talking about himself, or telling of someone else, you'd never know.
"Gisburne knew this would be a long day." or "Gisburne did that, but did not feel like.."—It just feels incredibly strange to read! Like it would have been better off if it was written in first person instead.
IV
To Be Continued
I'm only past the first ten chapters as I decide to put the book down and bloviate in this review. I am not finished reading it yet, nor with writing this review, but as of right now: I am finished with this book. I dread whenever the thought arises to read another chapter. I think that's a sign enough to stop.
March 31, 2017
Anyone expecting a throwaway adventure whose sole selling point is the twist of making Guy of Gisburne the hero and Robin Hood the villain will find themselves either disappointed or very pleasantly surprised by Knight of Shadows, the first in Toby Venables ‘Hunter of Sherwood’ trilogy.
In my case it was the latter. I had gone in with the assumption that this would simply be a re-tread of standard Robin Hood myth but with the Hood and Gisburne roles reversed. Instead what I discovered was an intelligently plotted story that not only handles the role-reversal element cleverly but also provides many other less expected twists on the traditional stories of Hood and his Merry Men.
The biggest of these is the fact that Hood himself, although always looming over proceedings as a distant threat, actually plays a very small direct part in this first Hunter of Sherwood novel. It would have been so very easy for Toby Venables to simply have pitted his heroic Guy of Gisburne against Hood in a rushed, one dimensional adventure and thereby quickly satisfied reader’s expectations. Instead he takes the bolder but ultimately more satisfying option of sending his Gisburne off on an adventure seemingly unrelated to Hood, thereby allowing this version of Guy the time to develop as a character in his own right and to introduce us to the wider version of the medieval world that both he and Robin inhabit.
For make no mistake, Venables hasn’t simply flipped Hood’s and Gisburne’s roles around whilst leaving all the other familiar elements in place. Nor has he just plonked them down in an unrealistic Prince of Thieves or Errol Flynn version of Ye Olde England. He has gone to the trouble of reinventing all the supporting characters we are familiar with, from Friar Tuck (here named Took) to Prince John to the Sheriff of Nottingham, and placing them within a portrayal of medieval Europe that feels all too real and historically accurate.
The result is a novel that defies expectations and feels genuinely original in nearly every respect. It also manages to be by turns exciting, dramatic, romantic, complex and unpredictable. Having read this first adventure of Guy Of Gusburne, Hunter of Sherwood I would immediately have gone out and bought the second had I not been fortunate enough to have bought the Omnibus edition containing Books 1 and 2.
In my case it was the latter. I had gone in with the assumption that this would simply be a re-tread of standard Robin Hood myth but with the Hood and Gisburne roles reversed. Instead what I discovered was an intelligently plotted story that not only handles the role-reversal element cleverly but also provides many other less expected twists on the traditional stories of Hood and his Merry Men.
The biggest of these is the fact that Hood himself, although always looming over proceedings as a distant threat, actually plays a very small direct part in this first Hunter of Sherwood novel. It would have been so very easy for Toby Venables to simply have pitted his heroic Guy of Gisburne against Hood in a rushed, one dimensional adventure and thereby quickly satisfied reader’s expectations. Instead he takes the bolder but ultimately more satisfying option of sending his Gisburne off on an adventure seemingly unrelated to Hood, thereby allowing this version of Guy the time to develop as a character in his own right and to introduce us to the wider version of the medieval world that both he and Robin inhabit.
For make no mistake, Venables hasn’t simply flipped Hood’s and Gisburne’s roles around whilst leaving all the other familiar elements in place. Nor has he just plonked them down in an unrealistic Prince of Thieves or Errol Flynn version of Ye Olde England. He has gone to the trouble of reinventing all the supporting characters we are familiar with, from Friar Tuck (here named Took) to Prince John to the Sheriff of Nottingham, and placing them within a portrayal of medieval Europe that feels all too real and historically accurate.
The result is a novel that defies expectations and feels genuinely original in nearly every respect. It also manages to be by turns exciting, dramatic, romantic, complex and unpredictable. Having read this first adventure of Guy Of Gusburne, Hunter of Sherwood I would immediately have gone out and bought the second had I not been fortunate enough to have bought the Omnibus edition containing Books 1 and 2.
November 30, 2013
Someone has done the unthinkable: made Sir Guy into a humane person.
Why did it take so long? Why?
This book was the perfect beginning of a series.
Why did it take so long? Why?
This book was the perfect beginning of a series.
April 12, 2015
Unlike other reviewers, I knew nothing of Robin Hood aside from the Disney cartoon and a few additional tidbits I've heard over the years. King Richard was better than his brother John, and I had never even heard of Guy of Gisburne.
Instead, what drew me to the book was its cover, and then its synopsis. It's not something I typically read, although action-filled historical fiction has been interesting me more over the years. Despite this, I found it to be a very easy read and something I practically flew through.
For me, this is a twist to what I have known through the tales of Robin Hood. I was doing some research as I read and came to know that most of what is in this book is fact (or just about so).
- King Richard barely spoke English and has left the land in bankruptcy. He and his army ravage and rape the lands, homes and people.
- John did indeed love the ornate, and he conspired against Richard because he wanted to do better for his country. He hires Guy of Gisburne as a personal mercenary.
The quest in this book is for Guy and his new squire, Galfrid, to steal the skull of John the Baptist. The Knights Templar are bringing it to King Philip of France as a peace offering between England and France. This didn't seem to happen in real life (or if it did, it happened much later in time) but it is nice to have some fiction in the history lesson. Guy isn't happy with the thought of stealing (he is a very just character) or with Galfrid at first.
The novel portrays the power of the Templars extremely well. Tancred is a very calculating and pretty frightening person who does things in the name of God and the Templars.
Melisande is a very interesting character.
The ending was intriguing. It makes me want to continue the series, even though halfway through I still wasn't sure.
Instead, what drew me to the book was its cover, and then its synopsis. It's not something I typically read, although action-filled historical fiction has been interesting me more over the years. Despite this, I found it to be a very easy read and something I practically flew through.
For me, this is a twist to what I have known through the tales of Robin Hood. I was doing some research as I read and came to know that most of what is in this book is fact (or just about so).
- King Richard barely spoke English and has left the land in bankruptcy. He and his army ravage and rape the lands, homes and people.
- John did indeed love the ornate, and he conspired against Richard because he wanted to do better for his country. He hires Guy of Gisburne as a personal mercenary.
The quest in this book is for Guy and his new squire, Galfrid, to steal the skull of John the Baptist. The Knights Templar are bringing it to King Philip of France as a peace offering between England and France. This didn't seem to happen in real life (or if it did, it happened much later in time) but it is nice to have some fiction in the history lesson. Guy isn't happy with the thought of stealing (he is a very just character) or with Galfrid at first.
The novel portrays the power of the Templars extremely well. Tancred is a very calculating and pretty frightening person who does things in the name of God and the Templars.
Melisande is a very interesting character.
The ending was intriguing. It makes me want to continue the series, even though halfway through I still wasn't sure.
June 4, 2014
This novel transforms the usual order in Robin Hood storytelling by relegating Robin to the sidelines while elevating his traditional nemesis, Sir Guy of Gisburne, to the role of hero.
It doesn't work perfectly. The author represents the character as an agent of Prince John, and if Guy is to be a hero, he cannot work for an evil man. Therefore, Prince John is also reformed here to be the true defender of the English while evil King Richard first exploits and then neglects his kingdom. For the reader to accept this, a great deal of disbelief needs suspending. Nevertheless, the author pulls it off fairly well, reinterpreting history to a degree but not to incredible extremes. Interesting.
The plot is a bit far-fetched, but it's really just an excuse to get Guy moving and flexing his muscles. And the story does move. Guy is not only propelled from the midlands to London to Dover, but across France and even into the Mediterranean Sea (literally). All the while, flashbacks reveal bits of Guy's backstory selectively and intriguingly throughout.
The supporting characters of the story, from Prince John to King Richard to Robin Hood to Galfrid the Squire to Countess Melisende and Guy's mentor, Gilbert de Gaillon, are well-drawn and interesting. The villains are the larger than life and nasty pieces of work the story calls for. Prince John's armourer is Llywellyn, a character who stands in like James Bond's Q, and I am sure it is no accident that the author chose a name for him that aligns to the actor who famously portrayed 007's gadget-maker in so many films.
If you enjoy historical adventure novels, this just might be for you. Rollicking good fun.
It doesn't work perfectly. The author represents the character as an agent of Prince John, and if Guy is to be a hero, he cannot work for an evil man. Therefore, Prince John is also reformed here to be the true defender of the English while evil King Richard first exploits and then neglects his kingdom. For the reader to accept this, a great deal of disbelief needs suspending. Nevertheless, the author pulls it off fairly well, reinterpreting history to a degree but not to incredible extremes. Interesting.
The plot is a bit far-fetched, but it's really just an excuse to get Guy moving and flexing his muscles. And the story does move. Guy is not only propelled from the midlands to London to Dover, but across France and even into the Mediterranean Sea (literally). All the while, flashbacks reveal bits of Guy's backstory selectively and intriguingly throughout.
The supporting characters of the story, from Prince John to King Richard to Robin Hood to Galfrid the Squire to Countess Melisende and Guy's mentor, Gilbert de Gaillon, are well-drawn and interesting. The villains are the larger than life and nasty pieces of work the story calls for. Prince John's armourer is Llywellyn, a character who stands in like James Bond's Q, and I am sure it is no accident that the author chose a name for him that aligns to the actor who famously portrayed 007's gadget-maker in so many films.
If you enjoy historical adventure novels, this just might be for you. Rollicking good fun.
December 3, 2024
Prince John wants the skull of John the Baptist and there's only one person who has the skills required to acquire it: Sir Guy of Gisburne. After years of disappointment and a ruined reputation, Sir Guy prefers acting alone, but on this mission, he requires allies and he does not know who to trust.
I immensely enjoyed this take on the characters of the Robin Hood tale. I found the character of Gisburne to be very believable and sympathetic. In this book, he's not portrayed as the evil character described in other versions of the Robin Hood tale. The author wrote him extremely well, making me want to find out more about him. I wanted to cheer him on. Very well done.
This is one of the better takes on the Robin Hood tale that I've read. And if you're looking for a new twist on the tale, then this is the book for you.
I immensely enjoyed this take on the characters of the Robin Hood tale. I found the character of Gisburne to be very believable and sympathetic. In this book, he's not portrayed as the evil character described in other versions of the Robin Hood tale. The author wrote him extremely well, making me want to find out more about him. I wanted to cheer him on. Very well done.
This is one of the better takes on the Robin Hood tale that I've read. And if you're looking for a new twist on the tale, then this is the book for you.
January 10, 2014
Finaly I finished reading my paperback copy which stands for 544 pages and not of 384 pages as shown here on GOODREADS.
WOW! I'm a lucky reader. This is the third book I read in 2014 and like the two other ones it is a really good one.
It definitely exceeded my expectations.
Toby Venables did a great job with is characterisation Of Guy of Gisbourne, Robert of Locksley, Prince John and King Richard.They all appear authentic and to follow their development in form of flashbacks within a persuading, powerful and fascinating story is most convincing.
I wish to read more stories with Toby Venables' Guy of Gisburne!
WOW! I'm a lucky reader. This is the third book I read in 2014 and like the two other ones it is a really good one.
It definitely exceeded my expectations.
Toby Venables did a great job with is characterisation Of Guy of Gisbourne, Robert of Locksley, Prince John and King Richard.They all appear authentic and to follow their development in form of flashbacks within a persuading, powerful and fascinating story is most convincing.
I wish to read more stories with Toby Venables' Guy of Gisburne!
January 27, 2019
Impressive! I ended up with two books for the price of one in my opinion. In the present, we have the story of Guy of Gisburne and his mission for Prince John. During flashback sequences, we get a less fantastical version of the crusades.
I really really liked this book and I'm excited to read the next two. It's a great perspective on the classic tale of Robin Hood. The writing was good and just how I like it. I never felt bored or uninterested, in fact the more I read, the more I wanted to! There were a couple twists that I really enjoyed, and I got the ending I was hoping for, so that's a bonus too.
I really really liked this book and I'm excited to read the next two. It's a great perspective on the classic tale of Robin Hood. The writing was good and just how I like it. I never felt bored or uninterested, in fact the more I read, the more I wanted to! There were a couple twists that I really enjoyed, and I got the ending I was hoping for, so that's a bonus too.
October 29, 2014
This is a great take and unique story based on the Robin Hood stories... Guy of Gisburne is the good guy... If you like Robin Hood stories or maybe just like crusader type stories you need to give this one a try.
March 23, 2020
Finally picking back up the pace of my reading challenge with this book, and what better thing to do when you're stuck at home during this whole #coronavirus pandemic that to read :-)
This is an engaging novel about Guy of Gisburne, initially a would-be knight, but one that would early on in his quest become disillusioned by the crusades, or rather the kings, princes, knights and noblemen he encountered that would prove to be dishonourable in their ambitions and deeds. Gisburne struggled with his strong sense of duty for his country pitted against his disdain for king Richard the head of England who was out gallivanting the globe on quests of riches and power. This opens up an intriguing opportunity in which Gisburne ventures on a secret mission for prince John (brother to king Richard and also a man with grievances towards the king) to steal the jewel encrusted skull of John the Baptist.
Set in a medieval background and the time of the crusades, the novel is often fast paced and captivating, but it didn't cover any significant details I was hoping for regarding the crusades and templar knights. It was however always fun to read the infamous "God wills it" phrase, as noblemen engaged in questionable acts. I also enjoyed how Gisburne's story intertwined with the story of Robin Hood, painting a completely different and much more sinister version of the hooded bandit than we’re traditionally used to – this was a great twist I've still not recovered from.
My Verdict:
An enjoyable read though a bit long winded in some parts – Too many flashback chapters, obviously intended to draw out suspense, but I found them distracting and not really sticking.
It doesn't detail much about the crusades and templar knights which I think was a lost opportunity but it was engaging in the twists and turns along the journey to steal the skull of John the Baptist. Worth a read.
#2020readingChallenge #survivingCornaVirus
This is an engaging novel about Guy of Gisburne, initially a would-be knight, but one that would early on in his quest become disillusioned by the crusades, or rather the kings, princes, knights and noblemen he encountered that would prove to be dishonourable in their ambitions and deeds. Gisburne struggled with his strong sense of duty for his country pitted against his disdain for king Richard the head of England who was out gallivanting the globe on quests of riches and power. This opens up an intriguing opportunity in which Gisburne ventures on a secret mission for prince John (brother to king Richard and also a man with grievances towards the king) to steal the jewel encrusted skull of John the Baptist.
Set in a medieval background and the time of the crusades, the novel is often fast paced and captivating, but it didn't cover any significant details I was hoping for regarding the crusades and templar knights. It was however always fun to read the infamous "God wills it" phrase, as noblemen engaged in questionable acts. I also enjoyed how Gisburne's story intertwined with the story of Robin Hood, painting a completely different and much more sinister version of the hooded bandit than we’re traditionally used to – this was a great twist I've still not recovered from.
My Verdict:
An enjoyable read though a bit long winded in some parts – Too many flashback chapters, obviously intended to draw out suspense, but I found them distracting and not really sticking.
It doesn't detail much about the crusades and templar knights which I think was a lost opportunity but it was engaging in the twists and turns along the journey to steal the skull of John the Baptist. Worth a read.
#2020readingChallenge #survivingCornaVirus
July 26, 2020
Richly detailed historical fiction
This novel turns the familiar take of Robin Hood upside down, and introduced an even more adventurous hero. The author has obviously done exhaustive historical research. My only quibble is that multiple make characters have names starting in G and to two main female characters have names starting in M. There is some grisly detail in the big battle scene, in which animals are harmed.
This novel turns the familiar take of Robin Hood upside down, and introduced an even more adventurous hero. The author has obviously done exhaustive historical research. My only quibble is that multiple make characters have names starting in G and to two main female characters have names starting in M. There is some grisly detail in the big battle scene, in which animals are harmed.
June 3, 2020
New spin on a known tale
I don't usually like "new" versions of Robin Hood, but this one as worth it. It was highly recommended and I am glad I listened, despite being a traditionalist. Robin is not the main character this time, it is from the perspective of Guy of Gisburne. Will definitely continue the series.
I don't usually like "new" versions of Robin Hood, but this one as worth it. It was highly recommended and I am glad I listened, despite being a traditionalist. Robin is not the main character this time, it is from the perspective of Guy of Gisburne. Will definitely continue the series.
January 1, 2025
It's complicated.
While there is mention of sexy times both consensual and non, this is not a romance. It is a epic re-imagination of historical events. I did stop and look up persons, battles, and words. The story telling weaves known facts with possibilities. I enjoyed it.
While there is mention of sexy times both consensual and non, this is not a romance. It is a epic re-imagination of historical events. I did stop and look up persons, battles, and words. The story telling weaves known facts with possibilities. I enjoyed it.
January 10, 2018
I really enjoyed this Robin Hood story. Can't wait to read the next one!
May 29, 2020
3.5 I think. Enjoyed the retelling of the Robin Hood story and it's very different. Just a taaaaad too long.
January 23, 2023
Great series! I love Guy of Gisburne POV. Lots of action, laughs and adventure. The author is well versed in Europe's history and medieval culture and warfare.
I'd love to see this in a movie!
I'd love to see this in a movie!
did-not-finish-or-start
June 19, 2023DNS 6/19/23
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