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Really The Prisoner Of Zenda (Guardians Of The Flame book 3) by Joel Rosenberg check out website: www.tor.com
It may well be that someone
who had read the earlier books, which I gather include 'Not Exactly The Three
Musketeers' and 'Not Quite Scaramouche', would enjoy it more but if you have not
read the earlier books you can still enjoy this one. Anyone who has read Antony Hope's 'The Prisoner Of Zenda' will know this is the story of a commoner who fortuitously bears an uncanny resemblance to the King of Ruritania.
This commoner has to take on the role of monarch when the king himself is kidnapped. The plot is complicated because the king is betrothed to the Princess Flavia to whom the hero, an English Edwardian gentleman, himself becomes enamoured. The commoner proves a far more effective king than the man he replaced but, as an honourable man, both rescues the real king from the clutches of his rascally half-brother, returns him to the throne and then fades into the background. The first
advice I would give is to read the original 'Prisoner Of Zenda'. Joel Rosenburg
has cleverly followed the outline of this original plot in his book, as I gather
he has followed other classic plots in previous books in the series. The
Emperor Thomen is beset by problems and has no need for a major crisis arising
from the death of an important member of the nobility, Baron Forinel. The heir
to the Barony, Forine's half-brother Miron, is an unpleasant, unprincipled and
disloyal individual. A simple solution, as few know Forinel is dead,
is to have someone impersonate him. This scheme is thought up by followers of
Jason Cullinare who had previously abdicated as Emperor. Many, including the current
Emperor's mother, the Dowager Empress Berayn, suspect that at some stage he will
snatch the throne back. Jason Cullinare, the warrior Kathol, Pirojil
and the wizard Erenor are clearly characters from earlier books in the series. He suffers a degree of angst as he wonders whether this lady, whom he has long worshipped from afar, would care for him if she knew who he was. He also suffers from the malevolence of Florinel's half-brother and the hostility of the Dowager Empress. This book is the story of how he overcomes these dilemmas. This is an intelligently
written, exciting adventure full of swordplay and some sorcery. If you enjoy this
genre then you will enjoy this book. Paul Hanley
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OTHER REVIEWS - September 2004
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This
is the ninth book in the series 'Guardian Of The Flame' by Joel Rosenburg. I have
not read any earlier books in the series so I can say, first of all, that this
book successfully stands alone as a good read.
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