JOHN O' THE GREEN

Pretty poor Farnel. Of course, one can always count on a liberal supply of the attributes of cloak and sword romance, but this seems to bury the story in a maze of dialogue, couched in Chaucerian prose. The central figure is a Robin Hood type of outlaw, and at the story's opening, he is given the chance by his liege lord, to win freedom for himself and his men, by undertaking a mission to a recalcitrant woman who reigns over a neighboring duchy. Just how he loses his heart and betrays his trust, how his men come to his aid, and his honor demands that, after rescuing his lady in distress, he give himself up to his master -- makes a novel which is laborious reading, with small spark of freshness.