Books

Robin Hood 2.0

EC novelist’s latest melds classic hero, cybernetic future

Tom Giffey |

Considering Jaron Lee Knuth’s blue-collar approach to writing – he labors at it eight hours a day, five days a week and has self-published six novels since 2009 – perhaps it was inevitable that he turned his attention to the original working-class hero: Robin Hood. (Wearing out his childhood VHS copy of The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn probably had something to do with it too.) His latest book, Nottingham, which was published electronically in July, also owes a debt to the Eau Claire writer’s love of sci-fi and the real-world financial crisis of recent years. Nottingham takes place in a dystopian, underground metropolis where the rich enjoy luxury and technology while the poor starve in the streets. Enter a legendary hero who sticks up for the little guy. Knuth promises “a fun, action-packed adventure with cybernetic heroes and biologically-modified criminals fighting robotic soldiers” – as well as food for thought. “Class warfare, economic inequality, social responsibility, even immigration. It’s all touched upon somewhere in between the flying cars and sword fights,” he says. If you’d like some swashbuckling with your cyberpunk, Nottingham is available in electronic and paperback formats via numerous online retailers, including Amazon.com.