The Black Arrow (1888) by Robert Louis Stevenson

 


The Black Arrow (1888) by Robert Louis Stevenson

I've always had an affinity for medieval adventures. Nothing beats following a knight into battle, sneaking through secret dungeon passageways, or encountering Robin Hood-esque sentries in an old-world woodland - and The Black Arrow satisfies on all fronts.

But what I didn't expect from the novel was such a deep character arc for the protagonist, which left me cycling through admiration, pity, and distaste the whole way through. Richard Shelton would be an entirely lost soul were it not for his knightly "quest for the fair maiden", having been betrayed by his closest friends and guardians, and holding little reasoned allegiance concerning his place in the York-Lancaster conflict. His aimless exploits in pursuit of his Juliet, Joanna Sedley, win him both renown and animosity as he takes, ruins, and endangers scores of lives in due course of his only resolute goal.

For the reader, his ultimate merciful turn and repentance at his own villainy provide some relief, but the cost of his journey there is still hard to stomach. This novel isn't the lighthearted romp I bargained for, but it's all the better for that reason. Could it go toe-to-toe with earlier medieval classics like Ivanhoe and The Once and Future King? Probably not - but I personally hold it in higher regard than Stevenson's more widely-acclaimed Treasure Island.

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