The King and the Seed

When King Karnak realises that he is approaching death without an heir to his throne, he challenges the high and mighty of the land to prove their right of succession, not by the expected trial of mortal combat, but by growing the best plant possible from the seed he hands to each contestant. Jack the Farmer’s lad decides to have a go, but in spite of all his green-fingered care, he fails to coax forth a single sprig. Nevertheless, there is something about the nature of his failure that distinguishes his efforts from all floribundant triumphs of the gentry.

Master storyteller Eric Maddern brings the same direct narration and intriguing charm to this traditional Mandarin Chinese story that has made earlier collaborations with Paul Hess on retellings of traditional tales such rewarding experiences, Nail Soup and Death in a Nut being my personal favourites. Hess’ boldly painted and idiosyncratic perspectives on the stock iconography of medieval court romances are very entertaining, and in the final spread, florid imagery and simple prose unite in an Eden regained.