In Sherwood Forest, the legendary outlaws have a new strategist—and she isn't waiting to be rescued.

This witty and irreverent tale from 1822 turns the classic Robin Hood legend on its head. Long before she was a "damsel in distress," the noble Matilda Fitzwater—better known as Maid Marian—was a fierce archer and shrewd negotiator.

When her wedding to the Earl of Huntingdon is forcibly interrupted by the King's men, she fights her way from the stifling walls of her father's castle to join the merry band of foresters.

Peacock's Marian is a clever heroine who outwits the Sheriff of Nottingham and defends Sherwood Forest shoulder-to-shoulder with the merry men. Brimming with delightful songs and comic absurdity, you'll experience the legendary forest through a new lens—where the wit is as sharp as the arrows and the adventure belongs to Marian.

From the Purple House Press edition