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The novel wastes little time in getting to the story of how Robin Hood became an outlaw. When Robin was 18, the Sheriff of Nottingham held an archery match. The prize was a butt of wine. A talented archer, young Robin struck out for the Nottingham match from Locksley Town by way of the Sherwood Forest. Along the way, he encountered a group of drunken yeomen who ridiculed a man of his inexperience for having the audacity to enter the contest. Robin agreed to a wager against the men that he couldn’t slay the first deer they saw with a single arrow. When Robin won the bet, a fight broke out. Robin nearly escaped unscathed. Much to his dismay, along the way he had accidentally killed one of the men. And thus was he an outlaw - first degree manslaughter and poaching one of the king’s deer. It was a mistake of youth - a stupid error that resulted in Robin being branded an outlaw. He made the best of things - gaining a trademark sense of humor about it all. If he was to be an outlaw, then he would endeavor to help others from beyond the confines of normal legal behavior. It’s a really compelling origin for the character that doesn’t lay all of the negativity on an oppressive government or even a particularly evil or brutal sheriff. There’s clearly an unspoken complexity here.

In the course of the adventures that follow, Robin’s behavior seems to be a primer for future leaders. When the Sheriff sends a clever and arrogant tinker to arrest Robin, the hero sits to talk with him. Throughout the conversation, the Tinker is unaware that he is talking to the man he’s been sent to arrest. Rather than brashly challenging the Tinker to a duel or some such nonsense, Robin talks with the man, never volunteering his identity. It’s never really asked of him, either. Robin lifts the arrest warrant from the Tinker and goes about his merry way. Later, the Tinker is made aware of his gaffe and tracks Robin down once more. Rather than meeting the Tinker with force, Robin offers him the opportunity to join his group of thieves. The lesson: You and your competitor might benefit more from joining together than tussling it out. Something one might want to consider even if they’re confident that the competitor is not a threat.

Later on, the Sheriff is so upset with failed attempts to capture the outlaw that he launches an army into the forest to try to capture him. Robin Hood makes a very shrewd decision here: despite the fact that he and his men are probably better suited to combat in the Sherwood forest that is their home - though they could easily best the Sheriff and his men and have it generally much easier without them - Robin tells everyone to go into hiding. Combat would inevitably result in the slaughter of the Sheriff’s men. Robin may be a thief, but he’s not a murderer (or words to that effect). Contemporary action heroes seldom make this kind of decision, though it would make for a very interesting twist on the traditional summer action sequence. Suffice it to say, Robin’s pacifism pisses off the merry men a great deal, concerned as they are with being seen as cowards.

Later on, when a member of their party goes to gather intel from the world beyond the forest, he gets captured. The lesson here: doing what’s right may not only be unpopular, it may even put one at a strategic disadvantage and potentially result in the potential loss of a friend. Morality may sometimes have to outweigh personal concerns - not exactly the sort of thing that one would expect from modern children’s fare. Pyle’s work is filled with these interesting little bits of wisdom that never feel forced or overly obvious. The pacing of those elements and the overall episodic nature of the book make it exceedingly readable - light fare with a reassuring bit of substance to it.

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