Blood Royal [Paperback]

When Richard Chandos cuts free of the apron strings of Jonah Mansell chaos is bound to ensue. This should read like a painful re-hash of Anthony Hope. Somehow the book rises above its derivative roots to become quite the best of the Chandos series. All of the characters are human in scale, from the petty Prince Paul to the lovely Princess. A race against time to do what is right, even though it may not be in the best interests of Chandos, nor of Yates' fictional Balkan principality. This is heroic literature for the age of the League of Nations.
Further confirmation that Yates' skill was in making the most trite situations live again with his wonderful pose.

A REVIEW OF 'BLOOD ROYAL' BY DORNFORD YATES

The third of eight thrillers penned by Dornford Yates and narrated by his character, William Chandos, 'Blood Royal' (1929) is a far more satisfying read than its two predecessors, and stands up as an excellent example of an inter-war thriller, holding its own against similar works by John Buchan and Sapper.

The plot revolves around the efforts of Chandos and his sidekick , George Hanbury (plus their invaluable servants Bell and Rowley) to ensure that the rightful heir to the throne of the fictional country, Reichtenstein, is able to secure the crown rather than a villainous usurper. In the process, Chandos finds himself falling in love with the beautiful and resourceful Grand Duchess Leioni. Indeed, it is her charms which are the principle motivation behind his acts of bravery a daring.

The Germanic setting and the narrative style are similar to the first two Chandos novels, 'Blind Corner' and 'Perishable Goods'. However, 'Blood Royal' trumps them both for a variety of reasons. Firstly, Chandos is free to operate as the book's principle character and finally emerges with some personality and guile. In the first two adventures he was often little more than the sycophantic sidekick of Jonathan Mansell, and the hero-worship was rather grating. In 'Blood Royal', Mansell is nowhere to be found and even fails to get a mention. This creates a far more rewarding first-person story, much like Buchan's best Richard Hannay stories. Secondly, 'Blood Royal' really moves. Whereas, 'Blind Corner' in particular and (to a lesser extent) 'Perishable Goods' were rather static in terms of their scenery, 'Blood Royal' allows our troop of heroes to make full use of the Rolls Royce and rev up the pace and motion. Yates delivers a trio of set-pieces, the first two of which (set in a night club and a border control) are first-class episodes of tension, action and excitement. Indeed, the passages relating the rough-and-tumble antics at 'The Square Of Carpet' club are surely as good as anything this genre of book can deliver. Finally, the love-story element is rather well-handled. Rather than slowing down the adventure with unnecessary treacle, the attraction that Chandos feels for Leioni (whom he soon gallantly refers to as 'my lady') drives the plot convincingly. Without this 'incentive', the heroes' support of the conniving and arrogant (but highly entertaining) Duke Paul would be nonsensical.

Not everything in 'Blood Royal' strikes thriller gold. Just when I was about to award 5-stars, the final set-piece (based in the castle immediately before the dying Prince's successor is unveiled) falls foul of Yates's ponderous logistical descriptions which marred 'Blind Corner'. So many words are used describing who and what is where, that it soon becomes apparent that not a great deal is happening. In fact, Chapters 7 and 8 are crying out for some condensing.

However, one minor quibble aside, 'Blood Royal' is excellent stuff! Although very much of its time, it brings in some of the best elements of swash-bucklers such as 'The Prisoner Of Zenda' and offers a compelling blend of adventure, action and romance. After some initial scepticism, it is becoming increasingly clear why Dornford Yates was a such a favourite among boys'-own-adventure fans in his day. I am pleased to write that I have my copy of the next Chandos tale ('Fire Below') ready and waiting. Will round 4 provide that elusive 5th star, Mr Chandos?

Barty's Score: 8/10

See my review of "Blind Corner" this is the second in the series and is a quite complicated story which involves the love of the hero with a princess and ensuring the accession to the throne of a unworthy prince. I did love it although the plot lost me at times.