A collection of over 100 honest and moving poems spanning five decades reflecting the poet's deep concern for the future of the natural world together with his comments on various contemporary issues and events.

Casgliad gonest a chyffrous o 100 o gerddi yn cwmpasu cyfnod o bum degawd yn adlewyrchu pryder dwfn y bardd am ddyfodol byd natur ynghyd â'i sylwadau ar ddigwyddiadau a materion cyfoes.

Ward’s concise but beautifully deep collection of poetry substantially showcases his delicately crafted but uncompromising style in work from over the last five decades. Twisting his strong moral ideals into a firm focus and sprinkling flakes of far-reaching concerns across the framework, he explores countless ethical spectrums to make his point, leading the reader to question values of human acceptance, the decline of our natural paradise, understated answers of faith and much more. His poems are technically tight, often sheared with an intelligent slice of wit.

Having collected his work chronologically, Ward’s journey as a poet is illustrated with sizeable nuggets from his six previously published works as well as some previously uncollected material. Much of his work is sublime; the overall passionate power of Elegiac stands out, as does the stark, image-heavy prose featured in London Welsh v. Bridgend. Merging wonderful phraseology with an obvious gift for rhythm and sparkling semantic choices, it is likely that some of these verses will inspire the general reader to explore this particular poet’s art further.

Towards the end, I feel some of the work lacks the usual impressive control Ward exudes in the earlier stages of the book. In the final section he seems to focus more on contemporary word play and a slightly forced alphabetic unconformity, arguably to the overall detriment of the final product. However, this unusual style may attract readers who need a fresh edge to their poetry and should at least be sampled.

The book as a whole is a fascinating, original and at times wonderful volume.

Jack Clothier

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgement should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio’r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatad Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.