Beltane the Smith. By Jeffery Farnol. (Sampson Low, Marston, and
Co. 6s.)—We are inclined to think that pure romance is the only variety of fiction at all in tune with the present state of affairs. A " modern " novel, if it ignores the war, is quite unconvincing ; if it brings it into its plot, it is sentimental and as a rule aggressive ; historical novels of the good old days seem inadequate and old-fashioned. But a vividly coloured romance of indefinite period, filled with ideal- ism; with sharply defined virtue and vice, with love and war and heroism, holds nothing to jar us, and, if it is only brilliant enough, may serve to take us away for an hour from the tragedies of every day. Mr. Farnors is certainly brilliant ; but it is impossible for a reviewer to say whether it is worth reading or not : it is simply a matter of taste. There are no less than seventy chapters in the book, from " How Beltane Lived within the Greenwood" to "Which Speaks for Itself," and we are given even more than the usual allowance of archaisms and duels. Of course we have read it all before, but Beltane's adventures are still as fresh as ever, and finely written ; and we enjoyed it all.
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