Euro Preview — ‘Nottingham Volume 3: Robin’ Continues Thrilling Twist On The Classic Robin Hood Tale

by Richard Bruton

Nottingham takes the Robin Hood saga of old and really changes things up, bringing something fresh and fascinating in this thrilling medieval swashbuckler.

You all know the legend, right? Good Robin of Sherwood, along with his merry men, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, all much to the ire of the evil Sheriff of Nottingham.

But what if history had it wrong? What if things were a lot more complicated? And what if Robin Hood was also William, Sheriff of Nottingham?

Yes, there’s the hook right there, a hook that turns the entire idea on its head and gives the three volumes of Nottingham real excitement and a fresh take on an old, old tale.

It’s 1192 and Richard, King of England, hasn’t returned from the Crusades. In his place England is ruled by the Regent, Richard’s brother John Lackland, whose plots to take the throne are running apace. But to do that, John needs the support – and the money – of the Kingdom’s Sheriffs.

One of those Sheriffs is William, Sheriff of Nottingham… although not the Sheriff you usually meet in these tales, doing what he can, officially and unofficially, to resist John’s plotting.

Meanwhile, deep inside Sherwood Forest, Marian, young Saxon Lady, tries to convince a family of outlaws to join her in fighting the prince, with the help of a mysterious man in a hood – none other than the Sheriff of Nottingham himself.

Volume 3 opens with an incorruptible Judge coming to Nottingham by the regent to investigate the recent troubles of the city. At the same time, the rumours of the theft of the Royal treasure have reached the darkest parts of Nottingham, with the Troglodytes, the cave-dwelling gangs living deep in Nottingham’s caves, venturing into the forest in search of the riches.

All told, the Judge and the Trogs will cause terrible trouble for both The Sheriff and The Hood and leave the Merry Men of Sherwood Forest broken by the end of this volume.

It’s a rip-roaring thing, well worth picking up for the fun and the thrills that all come off the interesting twist on the tale. But after the twist, the fun really comes from the historical adventuring done so well by Brugeas & Herzet and Dellac & Bechu.