The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood

By: Howard Pyle

Narrated by: David Case

Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

A beloved legend of all time, Pyle's The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood tells the compelling tale of the brave, good-humored outlaw and his cohorts Friar Tuck, Little John, and Will Scarlet, as they cavort about Sherwood Forest.

However, it is not all sport. Robin Hood and his band must also outwit the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham, who will stop at nothing to rid the forest of the outlaw.

©1992 Phoenix Recordings (P)2004 Tantor Media

A Merry Adventure

The most enjoyable book I have heard. The contemporary movie, "Robin Hood - Men in Tights" captures the light-hearted nature of this tale. I wish it would never have ended.

A merry tale

It’s been around twenty years since I’ve read this book, and I found it more lighthearted than I remembered. I’d remembered it being a more fun read than most movie adaptations would lead you to believe, but had forgotten how much Robin and his men truly seemed to enjoy life in Sherwood Forest. It was a very fun book to listen to. Until the end with the death of Robin, I nearly cried.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in hearing more of Robin Hood, in particular I recommend an audiobook for anyone who might find the older more flowery language difficult to read through themselves.
The reader was enjoyable to listen to, he read clearly and uses different tones for different characters, but not so much that it comes out jarring. He also actually sang all the songs, which I appreciated, because some readers don’t even try to read them in a vaguely musical way, and there was quite a bit of singing.
As mentioned before, the conversations of the characters are more poetic and leaning towards older English, though the rest of the narration is easier to understand. There’s some pretty descriptions of scenery that I liked. There is also much talk of love between characters, they say it so often that it seems humorous, but it’s also nice to read/hear of affection between friends spoken of so freely.
There’s nothing vastly offensive that I can remember in this book which would prevent you from reading with children. Some talk of death, though not what I would consider graphic. The language can be confusing, but is mostly understandable. There’s not even any romance for the majority of the characters, including Robin. Though there are mentions of the pretty girls they meet, there’s nothing blatant.
The book is really just about Robin and his men having fun adventures, and I do recommend it for those interested in the genre.

The Merry Adventures

This book is very enjoyable, entertaining, and jolly. The narrator speaks clearly, and the story is also fun to listen to. Great book.

The general Robin Hood legend, but...

This contains the general Robin Hood legend, but some of the Merry Men and how they met and came to follow him--even the story of who Guy of Gisbourne was before working for the Sheriff of Nottingham--are very different to the point of disorientation. Also, the narrator puts on voices for each character, some of which are so gravelly they're difficult to understand at nighttime volume or in busy traffic.

Another big note: The author uses a lot of period dialogue, all of which I assume is correct because I knew some of it (e.g., "merry," to mean, "I agree," or "that sounds good," et al.), but there is a lot that is unfamiliar to the general reader who isn't a seasoned consumer of this period's literature--and this is coming from someone who's somewhat of a savant/fast learner/so-so contextual absorber (ASD hinders that some) with linguistics, cognates, jargon, etc.

My main issue was the performance. That said, narration is performance art and therefore subject to the individual experience and interpretation. Other listeners may find it truly enjoyable.

If you love Robin Hood , read this book

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood depicts the REAL Robin Hood. It's written in olde English dialect so it's a little easier to listen to than to read, but either way you'll catch on after a few stories.
The narrator is great and does an excellent job changing his voice for different characters. This is a must read/listen for the avid Robin Hood fan. Be prepared though... there's no Maid Marion. Stealing from the rich to give to the poor and partying with the guys didn't leave much time for women. Enjoy.