3.5 stars. In The Ghosts of Sherwood, the first of Carrie Vaughn’s two recent Robin Hood novellas, Vaughn revisits the lives of Robin of Locksley and Marian, some eighteen or twenty years after King Richard the Lionheart typically brings about the end of Robin Hood’s merrie (and highly illegal) adventures in Sherwood Forest. King John, for better or worse, has held the throne of England for many years now, and Robin and other barons have successfully pressed for the legal reforms that led to the signing of the Magna Carta. There are divisions between the nobles, however, and Robin of Locksley still has many enemies.

After an absence of many months, Robin and Marian are returning home to their three children: Mary, about age sixteen and a gifted archer; John, a few years younger, and Eleanor, about age nine, who is mute. The family is delighted to be reunited, though Mary and John have a habit of spatting and Marian is annoyed with Robin for arranging a marriage for Mary without consulting either her or Mary first, though Robin protests that he won’t force Mary’s hand. But the dust hasn’t even had time to settle before the three Locksley children are kidnapped.

The Ghosts of Sherwood is a light, quick read that captures the adventurous spirit of the classic Robin Hood tales, while adding some depth to the characters. Vaughn writes primarily from Marian’s and her daughter Mary’s points of view, splitting her time fairly equally between the two generations. She delves into the hearts of her characters, bringing them to life as they interact with each other and deal with the concerns of life in early thirteenth century England, and with the changes and new priorities that age and experience and family life bring.

"Twenty years ago Robin would have taken up the bow and shot the man’s cap off. Marian felt him tense beside her. Gathering up his civility like scattered coins. For a moment, she had no idea what he was going to do."

The Ghosts of Sherwood is similar in style to Robin McKinley’s 1988 novel The Outlaws of Sherwood, if rather less harrowing in the climactic scene. In her blog, Vaughn comments: “it’s fun. It’s light. Robin and Marian get to keep their happy ending, they love and support their children. It’s about friends and family and standing together against the world … No matter how dark things get, Robin still has hope and still fights.” That sense of hopefulness and togetherness permeate the pages of this novella. It’s escapist, but it also suggests that loyalty, courage and love go a long way toward combatting the evils of this world.

The Ghosts of Sherwood is over too soon: it feels more like the first several chapters of a longer work, than a stand-alone novella. And in fact, Vaughn has just published a second book in this ROBIN HOOD STORIES series, The Heirs of Locksley, which I dove into immediately upon finishing this one. Hopefully there will be more Locksley family stories to come!

This historical fiction novella follows Robin Hood’s children after he defeated Prince John and settling into life with Marian. Contains a little bit of politics, slim plot, easy charisma of familiar characters. Nothing extraordinary but easy to fall into it & to imagine RH as a dad with. clever kids.

I really enjoyed reading these stories! I loved reading about the kids of Robin Hood and Lady Marian, it was a really great concept. The fact that they're novellas means that we get a quick and easy read, stories that just fly by! I loved reading them! 

The first story is dealing with the fact that they are Robin Hood's kids, and he does have enemies. I loved how clever they were! It was a little sad, because there's the "ghost" and whether or not he's a ghost, he's not contacting Robin, and given that they were friends, that's sad.

Heirs of Locksley was interesting. There was a lot going on with John befriending the new King Henry III. There was a lot of politics, because he's a child, and someone wants to kill him. There were a lot of tense moments! 

Heirs also had a fun plotline for Mary. She's never met the guy she's kinda engaged to yet. And then she meets this guy over the course of all this going on. And then it turns out that he's the guy she has the engagement with. So that was fun to read!

These were really great stories, and I would love to spend more time with these characters! I would love one where Eleanor gets a chance to shine! I really think she has a story to tell!

The infamous Robin Hood and Maid Marian have settled down. Peace has generally reigned in Nottingham for years, and the Locksleys live happily on their estate with their three children. Robin and Marian return home from court ready to have a conversation with their daughter Mary, who is almost old enough to marry. Before they can come to a consensus, the three children are kidnapped. Robin and Marian call every ally for help, but Mary, John, and Eleanor might just have enough intelligence, bravery, and pluck to save themselves.

I've loved Robin Hood ever since I watched the Disney movie as a child. I'm always looking for new stories to try, and The Ghost of Sherwood was a quick, delightful read. I don't think it stays with readers for too long, but reading this story is an excellent way to revisit beloved characters and imagine how they might have changed with the passage of time. If you love Robin Hood, this would be a great way to spend an hour or two and a fun story to share with the next generation of readers looking to spend some time in Sherwood Forest. 

The Ghosts of Sherwood
The Robin Hood Stories #1
By Carrie Vaughn
Tor.com Publishing June 2020
112 pages
Read via Netgalley

2.75/5 stars.

I don't know if it is because this book is so short, but I could not connect to the story somehow. I didn't connect with the characters, as the action flew by, and had trouble figuring out what was going on. The idea of a Robin Hood retelling was appealing to me, but it ended up not being what I expected, sadly...

I liked this a lot. I'm a sucker for any and all retellings of the Robin Hood legend, and this one went in a different direction than any I've read, focusing more on the children of Robin and Marian. However, I wish there'd been MORE between the parents and kids; there was very little interactions with all of them, especially Mary and her father, which was a major focus. So I can't wait to read the sequel so I can hopefully get that!

Rating: maybe 3.5 stars

Vaughn revisits the characters of Robin Hood, Maid Marian, and the Merry Men twenty years after their legendary struggle against Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham.  The narrative focuses on the three children of Robin and Marian as they grapple with their parents' legacy.  This quick, light read seems like it might be a perfect fit for 5th grade through teen readers.  I was surprised to find that it's not being marketed to a YA audience, although it is the first in a series.

Carrie Vaughn is at it again, with a brand new series! The Robin Hood Stories kicks off with The Ghosts of Sherwood, and it is everything that fans of the classic tales would love. Especially if they wanted to know where the story continued, that is.

Twenty years after the events in Robin Hood, the infamous Robin, and Maid Marian have run off and married one another. This is not their story, not quite. It's the story of their children and the rest of the Locksley Children. As one might imagine, they have an inherited talent for getting into all sorts of trouble.

“The ghost of the forest had spoken to her before, always like this, creeping out of nowhere as if he'd been spying on her.”

The Ghosts of Sherwood is a brilliant fantasy novella worth diving into. As a fan of Carrie Vaughn's writing style, I pretty much knew that before I started. But I was still blown away by what I found within these pages.

Before I really dig into my review, I do want to preface this. Lately, I've been getting a bit tired of all the retellings out there (I blame the twenty retellings that have appeared in the last year focused on King Arthur). So part of me was hesitant to give this a go. Having read this novella, I don't regret giving it the time. Still, I know I'm probably not the only one that felt that hesitation, so I thought it worth bringing up.

There's a lot to love in this relatively short story. Actually, the fact that it was a fun and quick read is something I'm considering a positive. It was perfect for a nice break, and I easily devoured it in one sitting.

I love the idea of following Robin and Marian's children, it isn't something that I've personally seen and was overall a lot of fun. Especially when the rest of the elements are thrown into the mix – elements that made it feel a bit more like a fantasy.

On that note, I freaken love the title of this novella, The Ghosts of Sherwood. It's beautiful and eerie all in one, and could easily imply several different sorts of stories. I might be biased here, but I enjoyed the particular path that was chosen here.

Bonus: Robin and Marian are still a part of this story, just not the focal point. As such, we get a chance to see what their later lives looked like. At least, how they look in the mind of Carrie Vaughn.

All things considered, I enjoyed this quick and fun read. It was surprisingly full of details and depth, and that made the journey all the more interesting. Best of all, there's a sequel (The Heirs of Locksley), which I'm going to sit down and read next.

I love Robin Hood, so getting to revisit his story through the eyes of his children was incredibly fun! This slim novella packs a big punch and will appeal to a variety of audiences; I love a fantasy novella that I can handsell to readers who claim not to enjoy fantasy.

What a fun little adventure from from the children of Robin hood and maid Marian. Very quick read and excited to read the next part coming out

Despite being thoroughly of British descent, I had to admit that most of what I know of the Robin Hood story comes from the animated Disney adaptation where everyone was an anthropomorphic animal. I have picked up enough along the way, though, to get the gist of the legend and to not feel lost upon picking up this novella.

In The Ghosts of Sherwood, Robin and Marian have settled into a life that looks less like rebellious outlaws and more like everyday domesticity, if everyday domesticity involved being nobility in 12th century England. The story centres around their eldest daughter, Mary, old enough to be considered of marriageable age even if her parents aren’t fully sure they want to hand her over to somebody else just yet. Mary is prone to taking trips into the wood for some alone time, at on one such trip, accompanied by her younger brother and sister, the trip are kidnapped by a band of men seeking vengeance against Robin Hood. Will Robin Hood and his men reach the children on time, or is it up to the kids to see to their own salvation?

It always interests me to see the stories of those who live in the shadows of legends, especially those who don’t let the pressure of that legend overtake who they themselves are. It can’t be easy, having an outlaw hero for a father. Mary, though, seems to find the thought of running a household more daunting than living in her father’s shadow. She isn’t the sort of character who’s all, “Being female is a horrible thing; I’d much rather be running wild and doing archery!” which was good to read because such characters are frankly uninteresting to me. Give me someone who will work with what they have in order to live their best life, even if it isn’t their ideal, rather than somebody who will rant and rail against the system and nothing else. Mary seemed to me to be far more of the former than the latter, as she knew her skills, knew some of what life held for her, and even if she didn’t quite know what she wanted, knew enough of what she didn’t know to hold off on making decisions either way. She was sensible, and I loved that.

I loved the way Mary tried to bluff her way away from the kidnappers. I love the way she was given an impossible task and succeeded at it, against all odds, even when she knew that the bargain would not be honoured. I love the way, again, she used what she had to best advantage, even when what she had was out of her hands and instead of the hands of her sister. I could read more stories about Mary, I really could.

The Ghosts of Sherwood was a quick short story that I may not have too much to say about in the end, except that I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the sequel, The Heirs of Locksley. The characters was memorable, the concept of “what happens next” was interesting, and the balance struck between providing an interesting glimpse into the lives of the heroes of children while also not trying to set them up to all be heroes themselves was well struck. This is the first work of Vaughn’s I’ve read, and I have to say it was a pretty good introduction. If you’re a fan of the Robin Hood story, or — as I am — a fan of the whole “what about the people who live in a hero’s shadow?” idea, then this low-investment story will yield high rewards.

The Ghosts of Sherwood has the story set in the time of Robin Hood’s children, the eldest of whom, Mary is 16. Years have passed since his rebellion, and he has an uneasy truce with the current King, that is tested occasionally at royal gatherings. While the main character is Mary and her siblings, it also tells the story from the parents’ side, partly to fill in some blanks but also to sort of tell their story in an ‘after the ending’ sort of way. Mary grew up listening to her parents’ legends, but she is not sure if they are all true, or whether the ghost of Sherwood is an actual ghost. When she and her siblings are kidnapped by Robin’s enemies, she has to work to protect her siblings from the kidnappers’s wrath, while Eleanor, the youngest, has some tricks up her sleeve. The story is pretty straightforward – first establishing the tensions at court, the uneasiness around Robin’s presence and then the kids being taken, followed by their rescue/getting away. It feels very short and more like an introduction than a whole story, and yes, it is a novella, but I’ve read novellas that were substantial with their short lengths, too.

Quiero que todos tomemos un momento para admirar esa preciosura de portada. ¿Listo? ¿La apreciaron? Bien, pues le hace justicia a la historia que precede. Es una novela bastante corta que se lee en nada de tiempo, pero que tiene giros creativos y personajes muy atractivos. Mary es digna hija de Robin, y tanto ella como sus hermanos tienen sus trucos.
Reseña completa: https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2020/07/resena-review-ghosts-of-sherwood.html

I want us all to take a moment to admire that gorgeous cover art. Done? Did you appreciate it? Well, it does justice to the story it precedes. It's a fairly short novel that can be read in no time, but it has creative twists and very attractive characters. Mary is Robin's worthy daughter, and both she and her siblings have their tricks.
Full review: https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2020/07/resena-review-ghosts-of-sherwood.html

Many thanks to NetGalley, Carrie Vaughn, and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review of The Ghosts of Sherwood. My thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.


Robin is all grown up and married to Marion. They have three children and life is busy. The king is dead and in his place is King John. Although they were enemies, Robin has sworn fealty to him in order to keep his men, the villagers, and anyone else who was loyal to him safe. Peace is precarious at best. Mary, his eldest child, is growing and at an age to be married. She is more like Robin every day, headstrong, brave, and an excellent shot with a bow and arrow. She loves to wander the woods. She is aware of a strange ghost that appears when she wanders the woods but she never feels danger from him, but rather a protective spirit. On one of her journeys into the woods, her younger brother and sister follow her. They are captured by bandits who want to use the children as leverage to get Robin’s allegiance and obedience. 

The children are in grave danger to be sure. Robin and Marion have no idea where they could be. Does the band of merry men get back together to help find them? Or will Robin be forced to trade his allegiance for his children’s lives?

This is a short novella that hopefully will set up a series of adventures for Robin’s children. Robin and Marion are still deeply in love so that was very satisfying. They are now bound by grown-up things and can’t wander the way they used to. The children have forced them to settle down in ways that having children do. Mary was an excellent character and would be able to take the lead in a new story. The youngest child doesn’t speak but proves to have wit, character, and bravery so I would love to know more about her. The least interesting child was John, although I’m not sure if he is just young, didn’t have a chance to develop in this story, or is just uninteresting, although that would be a shame.

We get to catch up with a few of the men from the original group. It was just enough of a tease of what they are doing to keep me interested in finding out more. Just because they are older, doesn’t mean they can’t be interesting. I would love for them to be included in future books. Of course, the villains are still around and they have even more power now.

Hopefully, there will be more. If not, this is a wonderful glimpse into the life that Robin and Marion have made for themselves. It is a bit of nostalgia and makes me want to go back and read the original “Merry Adventures of Robin Hood” by Howard Pyle. Do you want to read about Robin and Marion as adults with children? Would you read a series of Robin’s children and their adventures? Let me know in the comments.

Short quick read about what happened Robin Hood and Marian" "happily ever after." Three children and an ordinary life running an estate happened, but the legends never die, and the lure of Sherwood is drawing Robin's oldest daughter to the mysteries of the forest. When the children are abducted by a political enemy, Robin's old companions rally to him, but when he arrives to the rescue, the youngsters have pretty much rescued themselves.

The first of a two-bok series of Robin Hood's children. It's a quick, exciting read, suitable for older children and adults. With plenty of action, several of the Merry Men and a trio of engaging children, I really enjoyed the book.

The Ghosts of Sherwood is a novella and nothing really great happens until around 70% into the story then you just don't want to put this book down. I will not say anything to ruin the story but now I need the next book.

It is good and I would read the next book.

I've read a ton of Tor.com's wares over the years to know that there is a ton of story that can be packed into the short form. Unfortunately, there just wasn't much to be had here. As intrigued as I was by the premise, this one fell short.

It's not that I didn't like this book. It was a nice story about Robin Hood and Lady Marian's life and family in the reality of the infamous Prince John becoming King after the death of Richard the Lionhearted. Years after their heroic exploits, Robin and Marian have settled down and have had a family. When her parents return from visiting the King, Mary Locksley learns that she is to be wed to a nobleman she's never met. Soon thereafter, she and her siblings are kidnapped while walking in Sherwood Forest. She, her brother and her sister must call upon the wit. cleverness, and bravery inherited from their parents to escape whatever fate awaits them before it is too late. 
What I really enjoyed about this book were the characters. They were all pretty well-developed and likeable. I liked seeing these characters I loved in the classic stories once they've received their "happy endings." Unfortunately, I found the plot to be rather boring. No twist and no plot point really stood out to me and gripped me in a good way. It was really kind of bland. I may have enjoyed it more if it was a longer book, but the book is barely over 100 pages. So I found myself bored with this book, even though I certainly didn't hate it or the concept. The pacing and the plotting of this book left a lot to be desired. If you're looking for a light and short read that does harken back to the legends, this book may be for you.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*

Robin Hood & Marian have had their happily ever after and now have three children. The eldest, Mary, is supposed to be married soon, but all three kids are kidnapped in the woods... 

I am way to old for this book. I might've liked that when I was...7-10 years old and I didn't expect that. It was quite predictable, written quite simple, and somewhat entertaining in its brevity, but I expected something different. Something more mature, I don't know. It's weird. 

2,5-3 Stars because I belive that I would've liked it when I was waaaay younger.