Nottingham

Both a gripping historical epic and fascinating deconstruction of the Robin Hood legend, Nathan Makaryk's Nottingham mixes history and myth into a complex study of power--one that twists and turns far beyond the traditional tale of Sherwood Forest's iconic thief.

No king. No rules.

England, 1191. King Richard is half a world away, fighting for God and his own ambition. Back home, his country languishes, bankrupt and on the verge of anarchy. People with power are running unchecked. People without are growing angry. And in Nottingham, one of the largest shires in England, the sheriff seems intent on doing nothing about it.

As the leaves turn gold in the Sherwood Forest, the lives of six people--Arable, a servant girl with a secret, Robin and William, soldiers running from their pasts, Marion, a noblewoman working for change, Guy of Gisbourne, Nottingham's beleaguered guard captain, and Elena Gamwell, a brash, ambitious thief--become intertwined.

And a strange story begins to spread . . . 

Title: Nottinham

Series: Nottingham (Book 1)

Author: Nathan Makaryk

Hardcover: 496 pages

Publication Date: 08/06/2019

Publisher: Forge Books (August 6, 2019)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1250195608

• ISBN-13: 978-1250195609

My Review

I. FINISHED. IT. 🤪

This novel was a bear of a read and masterfully constructed. Absolutely brilliantly written, though I didn't enjoy the entire ride of the book, admittedly. Neither a fan in particular of Robin Hood stories as such, nor clueless or uninterested, I picked his novel up because I needed a change in my reading pace; something meaty to chew on per se, and this was eyeing me from the shelves utterly intriguingly.

Right away, only a few pages into it, I knew I had found what I was looking for. The story begins with King Richard during the third crusade in 1191 at the port city of Acre, pressing in on Saladin. Sharp with deceit and intrigue, this novel starts very strong, full of wordplay and the promise of a captivating, intense plot.

In the meantime, back home in Nottingham, the funding of the crusade has taken a toll on infrastructure and the citizens are impoverished. When the trickle of war supplies runs low to King Richards army, Robin of Locksley is sent back from the front lines to investigate what could be the cause.

Many of the familiar tropes and parts of the tales of Robin Hood take place in the overall story of this novel, but the presentation by Makaryk is one examined under the microscope in this most detailed and very heavily character-driven novel. This is an amazing feat and there is so much detail to take in, that I wonder how it is possible to plan such an undertaking and master it with consistency as well as it was done.

Though this speaks for such utter brilliance, it doesn't come without a drawback, and that is, that the novel felt rather long in many parts.

What I did enjoy were the POV's of the different characters. A whole handful of a mixed cast, from the knifing ones to the good apples in the lot, their viewpoints and moments to shine brought a different dynamic to the table then a sole focus on Robin Hood himself. The rotation in characters turned the cogs of the plot unbeknown by others and at their own volition. While communication during this time wasn't what it is today, much speculation on the characters' part made for the perfect scenes of misunderstandings, misgivings, backstabberies, and individual triumphs and losses.

There is much to love about this in-depth look at Robin Hood, the legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore, though I did not really fall in love with any of the characters. The left-brained me was trying hard to grasp for something lovable or heart-wrenching in the story and all I found was the brilliance in writing, but not a deep connection to the characters despite the mounts of trials and tribulations.

There were so many clever moments, even some heartfelt things in there like loss or young love, but nothing deviated to stir my emotions far to either side of a linear path.

After all, this is a brilliant, detailed novel not to be missed. Just know, it takes time and requires patience. The payoff lies in the amazing craft on how it all comes together in the end while keeping the reader on their toes along the entirety of the novel navigating through the maze of the Sherwood Forest and the political intrigue.

I definitely recommend this novel if you enjoy historical fiction and character-driven plots rich in detail.

Happy Reading!

Be sure to check out the upcoming novel LIONHEARTS.