CarlAlves

The prisoner of Zenda is a tale of intrigue and adventure set in the late nineteenth century. Rudolf of Rassendyll is a prince who is kind of like a playboy, who goes through life with no real purpose doing things that interest him. He is drawn to the kingdom of Ruriritania, a fictional land located in Europe (most likely near Germany). His cousin is about to be crowned as the king when he is taken prisoner by his brother Black Michael, who would like to be the king. Since Rudolf looks exactly like the king, they use him to stand in the king’s place as they try to rescue him from Black Michael.

This was an enjoyable piece of adventure fiction. The writing had a nice flow to it. There was a lot going on underneath the surface, which wasn’t really noticeable while I was reading it because it was easy to get caught up in the story. The character of Rudolf had a certain charm to him that made him very likeable. Although Black Michael is ostensibly the antagonist, the more intriguing antagonistic character is Rupert of Henzau, who served as a good foil to Rudolf. The story was filled with intrigue. I also enjoyed the brevity of the novel. It moved quickly and there were few wasted words. There was a lot to like about this novel and not very much as far as drawbacks except for perhaps some of the language in spots. There is action, adventure, good characters, romance, enough for any reader of fiction to like.

Carl Alves – author of Two For Eternity