Don Rodriguez [Paperback]

Lord Dunsany (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 31, 2003

Lord Dunsany's first novel, "Don Rodriguez: Chronicles of Shadow Valley conveys its young disinherited protagonist through a fantasized Spain, gifting him with a Sancho Panza companion, good luck with magicians, and a castle" [The Encyclopedia of Fantasy]. It is a landmark tale for Dunsany, beginning his move from the otherworldly short stories for which his reputation is justly famous to novels, such as the follow-up The King of Elfland's Daughter and The Charwoman's Shadow. L. Sprague de Camp has said: "Dunsany was the second writer (William Morris in the 1880s being the first) fully to exploit the possibilities of . . . adventurous fantasy laid in imaginary lands, with gods, witches, spirits, and magic, like children?s fairy tales but on a sophisticated adult level." But more than this, Dunsany was probably the single greatest influence on fantasy writers during the first half of the 20th century. Lovecraft, in early fiction, like The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, imitated him, and very well. Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan the Barbarian and founder of the popular Sword

Product Details

• Paperback: 286 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press (January 31, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587156350
• ISBN-13: 978-1587156359
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,819,926 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich writing and swashbuckling plot, November 15, 2006

By 

Matthew Schwarz (Bridgewater, nj United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don Rodriguez: Chronicles of Shadow Valley (Paperback)

This is the first novel by Lord Dunsany (aka Edward JMD Plunkett), a turn of the 19th/20th century author who was a pioneer in what was to become the genre of "Fantasy". His writing is some of the richest, most beautiful English I've ever read and his novels are a treasure for that reason alone. He also has an insight and storytelling skill that rates his writing as "literature" - much more so than all but the best fantasy authors (such as Ursula LeGuin).
That being said, this novel is notable for being a little more "fun" than his high fantasy that follows - it has a lot of humor and derring-do in it and is somewhat reminiscent of Dumas's "Three Musketeers" in that element. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard while reading such excellent prose! The plot revolves around the adventures of a young Spanish gentleman, who not being the eldest son will not inherit his father's property must seek his own fortune.
I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys Dumas, Stevenson, "The Princess Bride", or Zorro!