Review - Rhydian's Quest by V.S. Jones (Book Guild)

Rhydian's Quest by V.S. Jones

Published by Book Guild

Hardback – 200 pages

Published April 2011

Review copy given by Book Guild Publishing

Out of ancient Wales rides Rhydian, a raw, untried young knight with a great deal to prove and an arduous journey to make, both physically and spiritually.
On the way, he must face jealous enemies, shape shifters, spirits from other ages, enchantresses and a fabled sword and scabbard, which can render its user invincible but can also lead him into temptation and to craving power at any cost. 
To help him, he has his faithful warhorse, his clever hound and his beautiful lady, blessed with second sight. Rhydian needs not only incredible courage but also humility, forgiveness and friendship if he is to conquer lust, hate, anger and vainglory and achieve true knighthood. 
The rich, clear, simple verse will catch, enthral and ultimately uplift the reader. The pace is exciting, the wonderful landscape vividly drawn and all the characters touchingly human.  

Rhydian's Quest has a very unusual format, and it is this format that works to the book's detriment. Most of the story is written in what appear as quatrains, but when the story is read there is no poetic rhythm. It's an odd form of prose poetry that doesn't really work on either level; if the story is read as prose, the line breaks and stylistic quirks of the format make for slightly harder reading, and if it is read as verse the story is completely lost as the reader is so focused on trying to shoehorn each line into some form of rhythmic meter.

 Jones has definitely done her research for this story. The landscapes and geography are detailed and give a very accurate overview of Medieval Wales. The journey is such that it would be possible to plot the progression of Rhydian's Quest on a modern map of Wales from the numerous landmarks, castles and forts that are presented in the story (just from using two locations - Castell y Bere and Castell Du, a quick stop on Google Maps shows that Rhydian travelled at least half the length of Wales). Most of the story could easily be read as historical fiction, though the very unexpected, confusing and out of place science fiction epilogue completely throws this out the window.

Where the world and landscape excel, the characters falter. Every character is a one dimensional archetype - Rhydian is the chivalrous knight with honour and courage, whose only flaw is that he is unable to take another person's life (i.e. he is too nice for his own good). Also present in the story are the typical wise man Emrys, the helpless love interest Gwen, the faithful and devoted companion Alain Throughout the story, everyone either immediately falls in love with Rhydian or they hate him instantly out of jealousy. These characterisations might be in keeping with the kind of tale that a bard would craft for a Medieval knight, but it makes for very stale reading.

The focus of Rhydian's Quest is very much in the travelling, and there is almost no conflict to drive the plot forward. Any hint of conflict, be it internal or external, is extinguished in the same sentence as it began. Again, this is likely in keeping with Rhydian's 'perfect' image and reluctance to kill, but it also means that there is nothing in the story to excite or quicken the blood  - all that is left is the journey itself.

Rhydian's Quest seems to take its style and inspiration from older tales, but the one dimensional characters and slow pace do not gel well with a modern audience. Though it is a very accurate depiction of Medieval Wales, the strange format and lack of conflict make the journey through this landscape a slow one indeed.