Review of “The Ballad of Allyn-a-Dale” by Danielle E. Shipley

This book was exactly what I needed.  It’s rare that I wish I could rate a book over 5 stars, but this is one of them.  It’s a perfect blend of action, humor, quirky twists on mythology, and great characterization.  I literally laughed out loud more than once, and this book was a pure pleasure the whole way through.

We all know some other attempts at modernizing the legends of Robin Hood and also Merlin/Arthur, but this one was nothing I expected.  Dropping these characters into our contemporary world is a recipe for hilarity, and how the author had them interact with cars, electric guitars, fast food drive-thru’s, a certain national retail store, etc. was nonstop entertainment.   I also really liked that the author flat-out had them say some of the stories about them were wrong – Guinevere and Lancelot, for example.   Maid Marian was also much different and (for my vote) better than we’re used to seeing her.   Robin Hood, Will Scarlet (my personal favorite source of comedic relief), Little John, and the rest were also recognizable as “themselves” with their common attributes but also portrayed as fuller characters.

Then there’s Allyn-a-Dale himself.  This is where the author got to play around with a bit of originality thrown into the story, and everything with Allyn really adds to the plot and tension of the story.  I loved that he seems to naturally fit with the others and yet holds his own ground.  I loved the use of his dead father as an internal catalyst.  Everything that Allyn brings with him from his world into Avalon added a dimension that kept the book fresh and original, and the twists of how these worlds interacted was great.

If you like a little goofiness in your Fantasy and you’re at all a fan of Robin Hood’s Merry Men, give this a read.  It’s not long at all, but it completely brightened my day and I look forward to more adventures to come.

See it on Amazon!