A coming of age story set in the mythical "golden age" of Spain. The titular character is excluded from the inheritance of the family castle on the grounds that given his expertise with sword and mandolin he should be able to win his own estate and bride. Setting out to achieve his place in the world, Rodriguez quickly acquires a Sancho Panza-like servant, Morano, and goes on to experience a series of adventures en route to his goal.
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!
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