“The Symphony of Ages” is a long cycle, and so far, I’ve read the first four novels and the last one. I know how it began, and I know how it ended. And, despite its drawbacks, I consider this series one of my favourite fantasy sagas. Why? Because nowadays, you don’t have so many readable long stories with a big backstory in the genre. There is something Tolkienesque in Haydon’s novels, and that’s another thing I miss in more contemporary fantasy books.
Not to spoil too much: Rhapsody, the protagonist, escapes her abuser with her two friends, the giant Grunthor and the assassin Achmed. Traveling underground, they cross times and places, finding themselves on the other side of the world, 1400 years in the future. There, they learn that Serendair, their family island, had been drowned and that they had to confront the fire demon F’dor and consolidate people descending from Serendarian refugees, here known as Cymrian. Additionally, Rhapsody meets Ashe/Gwydion, a mysterious exile, unaware that he also travelled in time… to meet her when they were both teenagers in her own timeline.
Does it seem convoluted? Well, sometimes I had the impression that the central intrigues in the story were quite pretextual (the pretext was to show new locations, concepts, and customs). But this isn’t necessarily bad. You may get confused about who was from which group of Cymrian refugees or who belongs to which magical race, but guess what? At least, these ideas are Haydon’s own. There may be references that sound very Numenor- and Arnor-like, but the core of the concept is original. I’ve read many stories in which backstories weren’t events on their own but RPG-like backgrounds. After this, the epic, complicated backstory of these novels is refreshing. I don’t mind Tolkienesque vibes either, because they feel more like homage than plagiarism. And guess what is also Tolkienesque there? Celtic inspirations. Certain names, such as Gwydion, Anwyn, or Manwyn, are literally Welsh. Certain fictional races, such as Firbolgs, are inspired by Irish myths. Additionally, you have the caste of filids, the nature-devoted priests. These inspirations are rich and consistent, which I like too.
Another good thing is that many characters are surprisingly complex in these novels and that Rhapsody’s marysueism isn’t irritating. Yes, she is extremely brave, clever, kind, and beautiful, but she also has friends and allies, such as Achmed, Grunthor, the Lirin Queen Olaena, and the general Anborn, who are well-drawn and interesting as people on their own. And, honestly, we haven’t gotten rid of Mary Sues in the genre, so why should I pretend that Haydon’s story is worse or more poorly written in that aspect? Often, fantasy heroines are either bland or extraordinary. Rhapsody, at least, is memorable.
Maybe the style of the series isn’t unique, but it is more than decent, and captivating. Hello, if I have to read purple prose, I prefer it in past tenses. Also, there are just moving, genuine moments there. If a story stirs the emotions it intended to stir, it’s a good story.
You may ask, then, what was wrong in “The Symphony of Ages”. And I’d tell you that it was the romance part. Ashe, our Main Love Interest, isn’t evil, right? But he isn’t good partner material either. Although he and Rhapsody have a slow-burning romance and he respects her boundaries, descriptions of their love and the vibes you get from it are sometimes alarming or, well, dated. Why? We are being informed over and over that Ashe, as part-dragon, is possessive. He strives to treat Rhapsody like his partner, but his dragon nature makes him think of her as his treasure. He wants to possess her rather than desire her. I know that even in some pop culture romances, such things are normalized, but I’m still disappointed because, overall, “The Symphony of Ages” is better than that paranormal romance stuff. It’s better; it should have delivered a better love story, too. Another thing is how we imagine a love idyll and how it looks in these books. Well, the idyll is that Rhapsody does things for Ashe, not that they do things for each other. She cooks and makes breakfasts for him, but he never does it for her. Maybe I’m cynical, or maybe I’ve grown up among people who never romanticized women’s unpaid reproductive work, so I don’t see anything idyllic there.
It doesn’t mean that these books are toxic (and I could have found more jarring threads and examples from these series). It just means that, like every text, you can find contradictions and paradoxes there. I still don’t think that Rhapsody is less emancipated than certain passive heroines who make more feminist declarations. Neither do I think that “The Symphony of Ages” is too derivative. No, it’s just a long story in a Tolkienesque style, something I miss a lot from the newer fantasy stories.
Left Hand of Fiction 