Historical Robin Hood Retellings
Retellings really never get old, do they? They’ve been around as long as storytelling itself has been. Oral storytelling traditions were all about retellings, after all. Even Chaucer and Shakespeare reimagined classic tales as their own. It’s unstoppable as a storytelling convention and a genre.
I love retellings, the more inventive, the better. Because that’s what a good retelling should do. It shouldn’t just rehash the story in the same ways we’ve seen it before. A retelling should do something new. It should add something to our understanding of the story or make us think about it in a new and compelling way.
I’ve read a lot of good retellings over the years, but one story that I think writers often struggle do do justice to in a retelling is Robin Hood. For whatever reason, few stories seem to capture the magic of the original (something I associate with my first introduction to the story: Disney’s animated Robin Hood). But in the last few years, I’ve discovered a couple of historical Robin Hood retellings that get it right. Let’s talk about that,as well as some new releases and other bookish fun. Come on. Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day.
Bookish Goods
Robin Hood Book Safe from Hollow Books by RP
Keep your trinkets safe with this clever carved Robin Hood book safe. $35
New Releases
House of Shades by Lianne Dillsworth
Release date: July 16, 2024
Lianne Dillsworth returns to Victorian London as in her debut novel, Theatre of Marvels, but this time she’s exploring the story of a Black female doctor willing to risk everything for her family. Hester Reeves believes she’s being called on to help cure an ailing man when she’s brought to Tall Trees, a foreboding house in Fitzrovia. Instead, she’s asked to help a slave owner. Owning enslaved people is supposed to be illegal now in England, but Gervaise Cherville continue to enslave people regardless. Now, he believes he’s being haunted by the cries of three who escaped to freedom.
When the World Fell Silent by Donna Jones Alward
Release date: July 19, 2024
A lieutenant in the Canadian Army Nursing Corp during WWI, Nora Crowell longs to do more with her life than only be a wife and mother. She hopes that by joining the Nursing Corp, she’ll be able to serve overseas. Charlotte Campbell is also hoping to escape, but her circumstances are more dire with a dead husband, an infant daughter, and relatives who treat her like a servant. Neither woman knows that disaster is about to strike in the Halifax Harbor, changing both of their lives forever.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
It’s no secret I love a good retelling. I’ve written about them a lot here on Book Riot. Like, a lot. From gender-flipped retellings to the best fairy tale retellings of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Little Red Riding Hood, it’s a topic I’m always fascinated by. I love the way these classic stories continue to be reinterpreted over the years in new and creative ways to suit modern audiences. One classic folk tale I’ve seen retold numerous times — but only done well a few — is Robin Hood. I’ve been reading Robin Hood retellings since I was a teenager, but it’s only recently that I’ve discovered two historical Robin Hood retellings that captured the heart of the original in compelling and creative new ways. Let’s talk about them.
Travelers Along the Way by Aminah Mae Safi
In Aminah Mae Safi’s distinctive take on the story of Robin Hood, two sisters fighting against invaders in the Holy Land during the Third Crusade decide to take on a queen. Rahma al-Hud would follow her sister anywhere, even to war. All she really wants is to bring them both home alive. But when their company is killed, Rahma realizes the only way to stop the fighting is to take out the self-purported queen of Jerusalem, Queen Isabella herself. Along with an eclectic band of fellow travelers, including a Mongolian warrior, an Andalusian scientist, and an English chaplain trapped behind enemy lines, they use every ounce of wit and cunning at their disposal to finally put an end to the fighting.
Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher
Following Lex Croucher’s YA take on King Arthur, Gwen and Art are Not in Love, they return to the world of queer historical retellings with this story following the granddaughter of Robin Hood. Mariel is a captain in the Merry Men, but she can never seem to live up to her father’s expectations — or her own. And when she and her troupe kidnap a young healer named Clem, she begins to see the gaps in her understanding of what the Merry Men are and what they should be. The band of once-benevolent thieves are more concerned with territory skirmishes and rank now than helping the poor. But can a group of ragtag young people shift the balance of power once again?
If you want to check out even more great retellings here on Book Riot, might I recommend:
10 Dark and Twisted Fairy Tale Retellings
30 Must-Read Queer Fairy Tale Retellings
If you want to talk books, historical or otherwise, you can find me @rachelsbrittain on most social media, including Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy.
Right now, I’m reading Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy, an enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel about rival magicians who are tied together through an accidental curse.
