Item - Outlaws of Sherwood Forest

I don't think I truly had a a bad experience at summer camp until after I read OoSF. Nevertheless, I identified with the protagonist, who dislikes Camp Yochee-Chowee ("Yucky-Phooey") but at least learns to be good at archery. Not perfect, though. One of the arrows you shoot goes off into the forest, and you go hunting for it and enter a fairy ring.

The mechanics of how and when you move between eras is hidden at first, but there's a side passage that reveals it. I remember being pleased guessing it right, after talking to the magician Nilrem (a reference to T. H. White's Once and Future King, I think) who explains solemnly what it is, in general terms. There's an on-your-honor choice later that asks if you took the time to talk to him, which is life-and-death. I didn't check the why and how of all the time shifts rigorously as an adult, but they overall seemed to work.

The strength of the book is not the faithfulness to Robin Hood--I liked that sort of thing when I was younger and still do, but it all blends together, since there are certain chords the author has to hit. Though the best part here was meeting King Richard and the plans to sneak into the castle to depose King John. Trying to figure how and why to return to the present (it seems random at first) adds tension, and there's someone who helps you--well, sort of. A minstrel leads you to a fairy queen who gives you riddles. One attempt at a solution allows for a fourth wall scenario that, well, it's sort of like Bill and Ted meeting their future selves at the Circle K. Not quite as funny, but satisfying after running around the whole book. The conversation, indeed, makes more sense the second time through, regardless of which side you saw first. Trying to fool her with a sly generic answer results in a very funny double-cross where she in turn obeys the letter of your request but not the spirit. I find her, and the minstrel who leads you to her (she ruined his voice) more memorable than the Robin Hood characters.

There's also some "lo it is odd magic" moments related to you bringing your camera along, and there's a Canterbury Tales reference I had no chance of getting the first time through, but it made me laugh as an adult. I've found CYOA has hidden those things to look up (e.g. UFO 54-40--what does 54 40 mean?) and maybe it was a bit too subtle to look up unless you are fishing for nostalgia. But I'm glad I went back.

The author has moved on to writing bigger and better things, but her books from what I remember seem to capture the angst and hope of being a kid especially well. OoSF may not be an ultimate masterpiece, but re-reading through all the CYOAs, I'm pleased to see that it was worth remembering for more than the fragment that stayed with me, the ending where you escape execution. It's thrown in a surprising amount of wisdom and jokes that went over my head as a kid, which I value. Perhaps OoSF is at fault for my daydreaming at lousy summer camp and not trying harder to find cool activities. Or perhaps said daydreaming helped save my sanity or brought vibrancy to my solo explorations. Either way, I am very glad I read it before my interest in CYOAs fell off, and it was worth the wait for more than just verifying that yes, indeed, this was the one where you magically escaped execution, and there were a lot of other fun bits, too.

More reviews by andrewschultz

Fairy rings seem a popular gamebook plot device. In any case, this is a decent book; the writing style is a bit more lively than is generally the case in this series, and there are occasional moments of humor. The book's use of the Robin Hood legend is fairly standard (not nearly as original as that seen in the first Knightmare book), but at least Maid Marian's portrayal is a bit odd. Undoubtedly, the book's most original contribution to the genre is a sequence in which you run into yourself, only the other you has made a different choice! The book also features some rather nice illustrations, a few of which contain some cute and subtle details; you have to love the gargoyles on page 18!

More reviews by Demian

There's at least a hint of magic in every Ellen Kushner Choose Your Own Adventure, and Outlaws of Sherwood Forest revels in its identity as a fantasy/time-travel story with a few genuine surprises. You are attending Camp Yoochee-Koowee, where you have no friends and almost no appealing activities to choose from. You'd be going crazy had you not discovered archery and learned you're a natural with a bow and arrow. One day while practicing, your arrow goes astray in the woods. You have to find it, but you end up lost. Stranded alone, you fall asleep in a circle of flowers...and wake up staring at a huge man clad in green. He asks why you're in Sherwood Forest and if you're in league with the Sheriff of Nottingham. Does he actually believe he's one of the legendary Robin Hood's Merry Men? Should you indulge his delusion for the moment or take off running?

Once you identify the man as Little John, he relaxes. You were sleeping in a fairy ring controlled by the Fair Folk, he says, and leads you to meet the Merry Men. All is not well in Nottingham; Maid Marian has been captured and will be forced to wed Sir Guy of Gisborne. Robin Hood won't let this injustice proceed, but is a direct assault on the castle best, or a covert operation? If you opt for direct attack, a stranger known as the Black Knight arrives with Robin. None of the Merry Men can best the Black Knight in combat; is he the right man to lead the charge for Maid Marian? A clandestine rescue might be more fruitful, with you as the infiltrator tasked with locating Maid Marian. Go disguised as her elderly nurse, and you'll slip past dangerous foes everywhere in the castle. Talk your way into Maid Marian's bedchamber and the two of you can cook up a scheme to win the day. Disguising yourself instead as a lowly page provides an in-depth look at the castle, including one mysterious encounter. You must evacuate Maid Marian before the Merry Men give up on you, or you may get caught in the crosshairs when they lay siege to the castle. If all goes well you'll have a chance to help depose Prince John so his heroic brother, King Richard, can reclaim the throne of England.

If you ran from Little John before being properly introduced, the first of the Merry Men you officially meet is Robin Hood himself. You all gather around the campfire that night, but one aged man stands out to you. Can "old Nilrem" get you back to the modern world? Robin and Little John outline two different missions for the next day: you can accompany Robin to Brampton to distribute gold to the poor, or go with Little John to rob the dishonest taxman. If you play your role precisely in Little John's plot, all goes smoothly, but improvise and you'll be captured. Getting taken away by the guards places you in jeopardy of execution or lifetime imprisonment. Go with Robin rather than Little John, and you get to see him in action as a supposed beggar secretly distributing gold to citizens squeezed by Prince John's taxation. When a spy tips off the authorities, can you get Robin out of Brampton? You could lead an impromptu revolt, but what will you do after the Sheriff of Nottingham brands your townsfolk allies as traitors to the crown? Perhaps instead you and Robin can claim sanctuary within the church, but you'll be trapped there. Robbing the rich to pay the poor seems exciting, but a lot can go wrong.

For most of this book, I was prepared to declare it a failure. Internal continuity is spotty at best, Maid Marian's anachronistic behavior renders her cliché, and too many endings stop before the story is anywhere near completion. All of this is frustrating, but a short narrative path near the beginning somewhat changed my mind about the book. If you wait to search for your lost arrow under the moonlight instead of right away, and then get transported to Sherwood Forest and fall in with a minstrel named Raven, you have the chance to meet the Fair Folk queen. Her riddle to you is a shard of innovative storycraft that elevated my appraisal of this book. Outlaws of Sherwood Forest has so many flaws I would never call it a great Choose Your Own Adventure, but Ellen Kushner's propensity to surprise is just enough to make this a book I'll seek out again.

More reviews by KenJenningsJeopardy74