Robin McKinley has written a variety of novels, mostly in the fantasy genre. Several of her novels are her own personal renditions of classic fairy tales with a "feminist twist". These retellings usually feature a strong female protagonist who does not wait to be rescued but instead takes an active role in determining the course of her own life. "Beauty" and "Rose Daughter" are both versions of Beauty and the Beast, "Spindle's End" is the story of Sleeping Beauty, and "Deerskin" and two of the stories in "The Door in the Hedge" are based on other folk-tales. Besides adapting classic fairy tales, McKinley wrote her own rendition of the Robin Hood story in her novel "The Outlaws of Sherwood".