Iain Hawkes’s Reviews > Nottingham > Status Update

Iain Hawkes
Iain Hawkes is on page 428 of 496
On another note, I think the work does a good job of contrasting law with anarchy, as in, the actual philosophy of anarchism. It's all very well for Robin to "stick it to the man" (so to speak), but the desparation one sees outside Nottingham...well, a lot of it has to do with Richard's tax levies, but it does highlight how anarchism might seem nice, but it effectively means everyone fending for themselves.
Feb 20, 2026 07:12PM
Nottingham

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Iain’s Previous Updates

Iain Hawkes
Iain Hawkes is on page 428 of 496
Still, the novel doesn't come down hard on any one side - no-one has their hands clean at this point.
Feb 20, 2026 07:12PM
Nottingham


Iain Hawkes
Iain Hawkes is on page 428 of 496
This is mostly good. I'll get the elephant out of the room, the interaction between Prince John and William is weird. I know John isn't on the level, and there's some good menace here, but still, it's 'off.' Still, that aside, everything else in this 'read session' carries a good deal of menace that hangs over everything, the idea we're building up to something terrible. Poor Guy's sinking into a moral cesspool. :(
Feb 20, 2026 07:10PM
Nottingham


Iain Hawkes
Iain Hawkes is on page 377 of 496
Still good. Prince John shakes up things. I feel Alan's unrequited love for Elena too. :( The interlude with Gilbert Whitehand is decent, but it feels superfluous (incidentally, quite a few of the interludes feel superfluous).
Feb 18, 2026 07:24PM
Nottingham


Iain Hawkes
Iain Hawkes is on page 346 of 496
Well, that got dark. Anyway, still good - true to the thesis of the novel (so to speak), there's no "good" or "bad" side at this point. Characters are mostly solid.
Feb 13, 2026 08:22PM
Nottingham


Iain Hawkes
Iain Hawkes is on page 289 of 496
Feb 07, 2026 02:18PM
Nottingham


Iain Hawkes
Iain Hawkes is on page 187 of 496
Still good.
Feb 06, 2026 07:05PM
Nottingham


Iain Hawkes
Iain Hawkes is on page 132 of 496
Well that escalated quickly. 0_0 In seriousness, I'm still enjoying it. Robin's an asshole - not just an asshole, but a person who's pretty much the opposite of how he's traditionally depicted. Still, I'm counting on a character arc. Still a good sense of scene, and good moral ambiguity.
Jan 30, 2026 07:13PM
Nottingham


Iain Hawkes
Iain Hawkes is on page 79 of 496
Loving it so far. Characters merge together a bit, but the dialogue flows well. Strong sense of time and place, as we bounce back and forth between Acre and England. Feels true to the time period it takes place in.
Jan 30, 2026 04:07PM
Nottingham


Iain Hawkes
Iain Hawkes is on page 24 of 496
Good so far.
Jan 29, 2026 10:44PM
Nottingham


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