.jpg) First edition cover | |
| Author | Jennifer Roberson |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Anne Yvonne Gilbert |
| Cover artist | Anne Yvonne Gilbert |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical fiction Romance[1] |
| Publisher | Zebra Books |
Publication date | September 1992 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 593 |
| ISBN | 0-8217-3919-0 |
| OCLC | 646570599 |
| Followed by | Lady of Sherwood |
Lady of the Forest: A Novel of Sherwood is a 1992 historical fiction novel by American author Jennifer Roberson. A re-telling of the Robin Hood legend from the perspective of twelve characters associated with the legend, the story centers around English noblewoman Lady Marian FitzWalter's encounters with Lord Robert of Locksley and his scheming rival the Sheriff of Nottingham amid the backdrop of Prince John's schemes – he aims to increase his own wealth and power at the expense of post-Conquest England and his brother, King Richard.
Roberson wrote her novel as a prequel to the known legend. Understanding that Robin Hood lacked a single origin story, she decided to create an original narrative that depicted how "seven very different people from a rigidly stratified social structure came to join together to fight the inequities of medieval England." Roberson spent a year researching and writing the story, and sought to combine fact and legend in developing the motivations for certain characters.
The novel was published in September 1992 by Zebra Books, with a cover designed by illustrator Anne Yvonne Gilbert. Lady of the Forest received generally positive reviews, and has been analyzed by Robin Hood scholar Stephen Thomas Knight, who observed that Roberson's Marian is a "strong woman" who helps Robert, a traumatized veteran of the Crusades, adjust to his life in England; Knight connects this to the "post-Vietnam" mood that existed when the novel was written. Roberson released a sequel, Lady of Sherwood, in 1999.
- ^ Adamson, World Historical Fiction, p. 161.