Don Rodriguez: Chronicles of Shadow Valley

Don Rodriguez: Chronicles of Shadow Valley (1922) is a picaresque fantasy novel by Lord Dunsany, set during the waning years of the Golden Age in Spain. The story follows young Don Rodriguez, the eldest son of a dying nobleman who inherits nothing but his father's ancient Castilian sword and a mandolin. Sent forth by his father's last commandment—"The sword to the wars. The mandolin to the balconies"—Rodriguez sets out on a quest through a Spain touched by magic, seeking the wars where he might win a doormez and a name.

Accompanied by his loyal and earthy squire Morano, Rodriguez encounters a treacherous innkeeper at the Dragon and Knight, a mysterious Professor of magic in the mountains, and the enigmatic King of Shadow Valley who commands a hundred bowmen in the forest. Along the way, he falls in love with the beautiful Dona Serafina of the Valley of Dawnlight in the village of Lowlight, and the narrative weaves between his romantic pursuit and his adventures through enchanted mountains, magical houses, and the battlefields of a distant war.

Rich with Dunsany's trademark lyrical prose and gentle humor, the novel is both an homage to and gentle parody of the chivalric romance tradition, evoking the spirit of Don Quixote. Its twelve "Chronicles" trace Rodriguez's journey from a penniless young gentleman to the lord of Castle Rodriguez, built for him by the King of Shadow Valley's bowmen, culminating in a fairy-tale ending where love and adventure are rewarded in full measure.