Subject: THE FANTASTIC ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD edited by Martin H. Greenberg

From: [email-masked]
Date: 23 Jul 91 14:10:51 GMT

THE FANTASTIC ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD edited by Martin H. Greenberg
                     A book review by Evelyn C. Leeper
		      Copyright (c) 1991 Evelyn C. Leeper

     With all the fuss about Robin Hood generated now by the release of
ROBIN HOOD, PRINCE OF THIEVES, it's not surprising that an anthology of
Robin Hood stories would be released.  And just as the movie failed to live
up to its expectations, so does the book.

     Part of the problem may be the cover blurb, which bills this as
"Thirteen Fantastic Writers Offer Glimpses into Alternate Worlds." I guess
alternate histories must be popular if that's what the blurb writers think
will sell the book, but these are *not* (with one exception) alternate
history stories and shouldn't be billed as such.  (Not to mention the
misleading cover of Robin Hood dressed in Sherwood green against the New
York City skyline -- only two stories even come close to matching that cover
-- and they don't.) Mostly the stories are old ideas: Robin Hood's Jewish
mother complaining to her mah-jongg group about her son (frankly, I thought
the complaining Jewish mother stereotype had been laid to rest a while ago,
but no, it's trotted out here in a totally inappropriate context), Robin
Hood comes back to teach a boy how to fight off the bullies, what appears to
be a Robin Hood role-playing game as a security system on a computer (I
swear I'm NOT making this up), and so on.  And while the first "Muffy
Birnbaum" story may have been cute, if I never see another one again it will
be too soon (a shopping duel?!).

     There are some acceptable stories.  "One-Eyed King" by Nancy A. Collins
features the sex and gore that have come to be associated with her name
(let's hope the parents of the teenagers who buy this don't read this one!)
and is well-done, but too graphic for my taste.  (I also found the ending
unbelievable, but I could be wrong.)  Laura Resnick's "Avant Vanguard" was a
lot of fun, even if something similar was done a hundred years ago by S. C.
(M. T.).  (I'm trying to avoid spoilers here; if you read the story this
will make sense.)  On the other hand, two good stories do not an anthology
make, and like the movie that inspired this, THE FANTASTIC ADVENTURES OF
ROBIN HOOD is a big disappointment.

%B      THE FANTASTIC ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD
%E      Martin H. Greenberg
%C      New York
%D      June 1991
%I      Signet
%O      paperback, US$3.99 [1991]
%G      ISBN 0-451-17053-9
%P      285pp

Evelyn C. Leeper   |   +1 908 957 2070   |   att!mtgzy!ecl or [email-masked]