In 1216, England is divided between King John and rebel barons who have invited a French prince to claim the crown. Robin Hood and Alan Dale enter the First Barons’ War carrying the accumulated enemies, debts and loyalties of three decades. The political settlement promised by Magna Carta has failed, and invasion turns the struggle into a war for the survival of estates, families and reputations.
Robin attempts one final series of deceptions and military risks while age and injury narrow the escapes that once made him legendary. Alan’s narration confronts the difference between the heroic outlaw remembered in song and the violent, generous and manipulative man he actually followed. The original eight-book sequence ends by bringing the legend of Robin’s death into the history of John’s final year.