Sherwood Shenanigans: WOLF'S HEAD by Steven A. McKay

Wolf's Head by Steven A. McKay

I was in the mood for this book when I came to it. Perhaps that is why I caved in and did a very rare thing. A rare thing for me that is. I accepted this self published book (and its follow on) in exchange for a review of each.
Yes, yes, I know that some of you are now picking yourselves up off the floor. It is a surprise and I am sorry to sling it on you in such a sudden manner. Accepting copies of Self Pub and Indie books  in exchange for a review is out of character for me I know (I have personal reasons for it). But hey, I have a weakness for the setting. What more can I say?  It is a one off.  So, dust yourself off, put your monocles back on and let's get down to the business of book reviews....

Fiends of the forest, highwaymen, pirates. They lend themselves well to the pages of our fiction and the plots of our movies and tv shows. Most of us grew up with the tales of Robin Hood, in all their varied forms, like cartoon Disney foxes or dashing, debonair swordsmen swinging from chandeliers And for the young and impressionable, such as myself, it sparked a life long interest in the theme as fantasy. Fantasy of the mind, where I might live for a while, escaping the stress that was life through school, young adulthood and then adulthood. I am an adventurer in the mind, not so much in the feet.
(I may dream of jumping out of a plane. I will not actually go and jump out of a plane...you get my meaning? IN the mind, not in the feet.)

I find that there really are not enough of these kinds of adventure criminal stories being written today. I can name the ones I know, that have been written in the last ten years, on two hands. And if you want to narrow that down to just Robin Hood, then I am forced to count them on one hand, with Wolf's Head being one of them, Hood by Stephen R. Lawhead another and Outlaw by Angus Donald the next. There are scant more that I can name off the top of my head. Hood to me is young adult and I do not like young adult books, so where does that leave me?? With two book choices. 
Are you seeing now why I broke my own golden rule and accepted this book in exchange for review?

I did not think a great deal of Outlaw by Angus Donald, but I can see why some would love it. If that is the kind of story you crave - loose retellings of Robin Hood in action adventure style - then I would recommend Wolf's Head to you quick as a flash. They are not that dissimilar in writing style, truth be told. Which is a mix of the simplicity, naivete and inexperience so many debut writers suffer from. A little uncomplicated for my tastes, but still able to carry a story well enough and easily devoured by readers who aren't as snobbish as I am about writing techniques and wordsmithing.

  Still, I was surprised by the book when I first started reading it. I actually expected it to be really badly written and I can honestly say that while uncomplicated it isn't badly written. That sounds a little like a mixed message, but the experienced fiction readers amoung you will know what I mean. Simple doesn't always mean bad. It just means the techniques are a little raw and the breadth of word use is not there. But what is there, is not messy and ill formed. I expect as the books come down the line from Steven A. McKay over time, that simplicity will be overcome by experience.
 I think this book will continue to find its audience in the ebook market place and will continue to rate highly there too. It is a perfect light and easy read for those looking to download the diamonds in the rough on Amazon.  

Going off what I have given two stars to over the years, I find this book was better than some of those.  So, three stars officially and two and a half stars on my personal scale.


- MM