Robin of Sherwood: The Time of the Wolf

Robin of Sherwood #4

by Richard Carpenter

The English folk hero Robin Hood has more adventures.

The final episodes of Series Three (The Cross of St Ciricus, Rutterkin, and The Time of the Wolf Parts 1 & 2)

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published August 25, 1988

About the author

Richard Michael "Kip" Carpenter (14 August 1929 – 26 February 2012) was an English screenwriter, author, and actor who created a number of British television series, including Robin of Sherwood and Catweazle.

Reviews

[John Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like The Hooded Man, this only adapts a few episodes, and this means that it can devote more space to each episode. That makes it more than just a synopsis or transcript, and the writer takes advantage of the book format, e.g. by revealing what characters are thinking without them having to speak out loud. The trade-off is that there are several TV episodes which were never novelised; according to Wikipedia, those are the episodes which Richard Carpenter didn't write.

There is one particular example of clumsy writing/editing. The Sheriff is approaching an abbey; what he doesn't know (but the reader does) is that the bad guys (including Gisburne) have killed the monks and taken it over. So, this presents a bit of dramatic tension. We then get this text:

Little John was bound, and then the Sheriff led his men up to the abbey where he dismounted in front of the main gate.
It was all a very great shock for him.
'Dismount!' commanded Gisburne.
The Sheriff did as he was told.

Ok, so what exactly happened there? Did the Sheriff dismount twice? Where did Gisburne come from? E.g. did he open the gate or leap out from the bushes before the Sheriff got that far?

This isn't a huge issue, but little things like that do break my immersion in the story.

Apparently the TV series was intended to continue, so there were a few dangling plot threads left at the end of the final episode. This book addresses that with a short epilogue, effectively saying what would have happened in later episodes, so if you liked the series then it's probably worth reading just for that. In brief, the Sheriff and Gisburne realised that they had a fake corpse before they presented it to King John, but they got out of trouble by giving him money and claiming credit for getting rid of the dangerous enemy (the Sons of Fenris).

[Carol Gibson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I truly enjoy the TV series this book is based on. And I think if you are fan you will enjoy the book. But if you are not then skip it. The book is not well written and is choppy in so many parts. The scene would change with no warning and I would have to stop go back and make sure I didn't miss anything.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't resist getting this to complete my collection of Robin of Sherwood books. A quick read of course, but once again written by the show's creator which I always appreciate. I especially liked the 'Mad Mab' story and the reappearance of Gulnar. I might just have to break out the DVDs and watch it now!

[Arlene Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grandest TV show obsession of all time.