Robert Godfrey Bouvier Atheling of Locksley assumes different identities including Robin Hood and Daniel Delore. The story is told from his perspective, a life that weaves through major historical events of the reign of King Richard I and King John, in a time of violence and political intrigue.
Locksley is a novel I wrote with my brother, Chris, who was also a writer—much more prolific than me. We were sitting around one day, just talking, and I said, “What we need is a new version of Robin Hood.” He laughed but then thought about it, and said it might work—so we started doing the book almost as a joke. He’d write a chapter, then I’d redo it—often enough, changing it totally. In the middle, he moved away from Ottawa to Charlottetown, and I remember him calling me one day to describe a piece of action that involved a character I’d just killed off. Still, we got it done, though I expect Bell Canada claimed most of the profits. It’s a novel I’m fond of and quite proud of. We wanted to keep the “romance” of the legend, but give it a harder historical edge…and I’m going to say we succeeded. The book has long been out of print, but people who are fascinated with the legend still track it down. Here are a couple of comments taken from the goodreads site (http://www.goodreads.com)
”My favourite version of the Robin Hood legend. In this he is the younger brother of the man intended to be the heir. The two brothers uncover a plot against King Richard. Marian is not Robin's love, but his sister who was the lover of Little John. Robin was appointed the protector of Berengaria of Navarre, King Richard the Lionheart's intended, and of course fell in love with and lived with her under the pretence that they were brother and sister.
The book follows Robin's life from the time of the Third Crusade, through his outlaw days in Sherwood and his years as a respected innkeeper in London.
Through it all, he serves both Richard and John. It is noted that a king owes the people who serve him the same degree of loyalty, as they give him. It is shown that this rarely happens. (Chuck)
What a shame this is such a little known work that one sees remaindered about the place and can pick up often enough for fifty cents. It's got nothing to do with the quality of this first rate retelling of the story of Robin Hood. Who knows why these things happen: publishers must err occasionally, I suppose. Or perhaps the author really is, as I've read somewhere, a pair of brothers writing under a joint and singular pseudonym, and they've fallen out! Don't tell anyone you read that here. Instead, put pressure on someone to dig it out for you from somewhere, at any cost. It's probably one of the most under-rated books of the last century. And who can resist dear old Robin! (Owen)
Chris (left), Anthony (right), playing Robin Hood in Prince Edward Island.
