See How They Run

New Tales from the Mabinogion #7

by Lloyd Jones

Small-minded, malicious academic Dr. Llwyd McNamara has a grant to research the rugby player known as Big M, one of Wales’ biggest heroes. However, as he does research in his office, McNamara quickly discovers a link between rugby star Dylan Manawyddan Jones, the tragic accident that killed his brother Ben, and his own the luxurious yet strange Hotel Corvo on the west Wales coast. Even more curious is that McNamara’s rival claims there is an association between rugby and the Celtic myths of the past, leading him to question whether it is just an outlandish theory or something more. Written with ingenuity and intelligence, this unique retelling of the Third Branch of the Manawydan, Son of Lyr is a hugely enjoyable tale.

Genres: Fiction, Retellings

241 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

Lloyd Jones is a contemporary novelist from Wales.

He formerly worked on a farm and as a newspaper editor, a lecturer and a mencap nurse. His first two novels were both published through Welsh publishing house Seren. Mr Vogel (2004), winner of the McKitterick Prize, was based partly upon Jones' walking completely around Wales, a 1000-mile journey (he is the first Welsh person to do so). His second book, Mr Cassini (2006), was partially inspired by his walking across Wales in seven different directions; it won the Wales Book of the Year award 2007. His third book, My First Colouring Book, a collection of short stories and essays, was published in October 2008. He published a novel in Welsh, Y Dŵr, with Y Lolfa in June 2009.

Reviews

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

' "How many versions of my life do you think there are?" asked Big M.

'He answered his own question. "Dozens, hundreds, thousands... there's a version of me for everyone I've met." '

When Dr Llwyd McNamara decides to research legendary Welsh Rugby star Big M, he becomes obsessed with the idea that no-one is able to write the definitive biography.

Jones' novella is a great read, with some great metatextual ideas.

[Røbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m really enjoying these books, it is enormously good fun to see how the the elements of the original stories have been updated, displaced and mirrored in the plot, characters, language and allusions in the new texts. Lloyd Jones’ has clearly also had fun writing this, a playful version of the 3rd branch of the Mabinogion which as well as the original story weaves in a meta layer about writing.

[Cai · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

Having not read the original tale I was a bit confused with this one at first. Once I understood that the main character was in fact meant to be the antagonist things became a bit clearer. I thought it was interesting but the multilayered writing came across as confused and unnecessary at times. He attempted to hype the audience into believing that there was some deeper meaning in every single part of the story that ultimately didn’t exist.
I did enjoy reading it though. The use of language was really beautiful at times.

[Kyri Freeman · Rating 2 out of 5]

In finding a series of books based on the Mabinogion, I was expecting to find historical fiction and fantasy, maybe some modern magic realism ... the stories retold as actual stories. Instead, the majority of them are modern fiction with little relationship to the medieval texts. If the goal was to take intriguing medieval tales and make them completely mundane and boring, the series succeeded admirably.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another wonderfully readable contemporary re-imagining of a tale from the Mabinogion. Lloyd Jones' prose sings from the page. I love his quirky metaphors, for example:

'He'd already put the Irish memory stick on his desk and took it up now ...In this light it looked like a tiny see-through mummy, embalmed in green plastic, with mechanical entrails and two blank little eyes...'

[Susan Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's some interesting imagery and some great characterisation in this novella however for me the bad outweighs the good.
The narrator is incredibly opinionated and generally unlikeable which can lead to compelling reading but he is never challenged in his views. This means we basically spend our whole time reading one perspective which we obviously can't trust and which I had a hard time relating to.

The big thing that bugged me about this book however was the sexual assault/rape motif. Both of the leads sexually harass women and the second lead Big M rapes at least one woman and is implied to have done more. The thing is neither of these men ever face any consequences for their actions in fact I fear in spite of him being a rapist we are supposed to like Big M (characters frequently call him a sex-god which is all kinds of gross
Perhaps this wasn't helped by me not feeling like I had a handle on any of the female characters in this book, none of the sexual harassment/abuse/rape victims get any characterisation outside of that victim hood. So that made me uncomfortable. I appreciate this might not bother everyone to the same degree but it really did bug me.

[David Grieve · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story specially commissioned as part of a series of modern interpretations of stories from the Mabinogion - a series of myths from Wales.

A self obsessed academic has the opportunity to write the definitive story of Big M, a Welsh rubgy legend. The novel follows this, interspersed with scenes from Big M's life. The connections with the original story - Manawydan, Son of Llyr - are obvious.

It is very poetic, rather than prosaic with loads of similes and metaphors. Appropriate, given that the whole thing is a metaphor anyway.

Unfortunately, the main character is pretty unlikeable and none of the other characters are sympathetic so it's not really an enjoyable read. Luckily it is only short.

[Nicky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a fan of this one. When the main character says he's a shit, is right, and doesn't alter his behaviour, while pursuing obscure revenge for something that goes unexplained for at least -- I didn't finish reading this -- half the novel, well... I love the story of Manawydan in the original Mabinogion and in Evangeline Walton's retellings, but nothing about this one interested me.