Outlaw is the first novel of the five-part Outlaw Chronicles series by British

British people

The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...

 writer of historical fiction

Historical fiction

Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...

, Angus Donald

Angus Donald

Angus Donald is a British writer of historical fiction. As of 2011, he has released three books that loosely follow the story of Alan-a-Dale.-Biography:...

, released on 10 July 2009 through Little, Brown and Company

Little, Brown and Company

Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...

. The début novel was relatively well received.

Plot

The plot centres around a character named Alan Dale, based on the historical Alan-a-Dale

Alan-a-Dale

Alan-a-Dale is a figure in the Robin Hood legend...

. When he's caught stealing by the Sheriff of Nottingham

Sheriff of Nottingham

The Sheriff of Nottingham was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order in Nottingham and bringing criminals to justice. For years the post has been directly appointed by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham and in modern times, with the existence of the police force, the position is...

, Sir Ralph Murdac; the possible actual sheriff of the time, Alan flees into the company of Robin Hood

Robin Hood

Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....

, notorious and infamous outlaw.

Reception

The novel has been relatively well received by reviewers and authors alike. Gareth Wilson, of Falcata Times, stated that "The tale is not only well written but told with a freshness that has a sense of history injected as the tale clearly shows". Author Faith L. Justice stated in her blog that she found Outlaw to be "fast-paced with well-developed characters, plot twists, and an exciting climax. I read the second half of the book straight through. It’s a well-told tale. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction and enjoys a different take on an old story.". Justice also felt, however, that she "didn't want to read about another selfish person being held up as a hero. I want a modern-day Robin Hood (or better yet thousands of Robin Hoods) to stand up to power and make things better. Donald’s mafia boss Robin didn’t do it for me."

Conversely, fellow historical fiction author Ben Kane

Ben Kane

Ben Kane, is a novelist, known for his novels in the historical fiction genre. He is best-known for The Forgotten Legion and Hannibal Enemy Of Rome which reached number 4 in the Sunday Times best seller list in 2009....

stated that "Outlaw is a thoroughly welcome addition to my bookshelf", describing Donald's depiction of 13th century England as "excellent, well researched and full of detail; so too are his gripping fight scenes. His torture scenes are excruciatingly well written – I found myself cringing at two of them in particular." It was also accredited as the "Début of the month" by Lovereading for July 2009.