This historical novel has quite an intriguing premise. In the reign of Richard II, a man called Prideaux who acts as an agent, trouble-shooter and assassin for the powerful nobleman John of Gaunt, son of Edward III, is sent on a mission to track down the writer of the poem Gawain and the Green Knight. This poem is one of the most important of the late middle ages and in fact only survives in one manuscript (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Gawain_and_the_Green_Knight. Its authorship has never been determined, although the writer is thought to have been a contemporary of Geoffrey Chaucer, writer of 'The Canterbury Tales'. Chaucer actually appears in the novel as a character, in fact bookending it in the first and last chapters.

In the novel, the King believes the poem is intended as a subversive text, unfavourably comparing his own corrupt court with the idealised, generous and pleasant one of the Green Knight. Prideaux is sent to track down and assassinate the author. His journey traces the course of Gawain in the poem, and he meets various characters and misadventures until it seems at last that he might have found his goal. But all is not as he expected, and he is to be changed radically by the experience.

The novel follows the classic hero's journey not only literally but in the changes undergone by Prideaux as a character. He starts off as obnoxious, even repellent, in his casual usage of women as sex objects. He is a violent man, although this stands him in good stead when he comes under attack on his journey. But he isn't corrupt, compared to the rather unpleasant brother and sister whom he encounters, their court being a nightmare mirror both to the Green Knight's court and Prideaux's eventual destination.

On the downside, the book would have benefitted from another edit. I understand it was the writer's first published work, so I don't want to be harsh, but there is quite a bit of repetition and some clunky phrasing throughout. The ending is a bit abrupt, and it seems odd that Prideaux leaves the companion of his journey without a thought. However, the section where he finds his goal and is changed by what he finds is quite touching and approaches lyricism in places. It was an interesting concept and all in all I would rate it at 3 stars. ( )