Thursday, March 02, 2006

The Prisoner of Zenda, by Anthony Hope

The Prisoner of Zenda, by Anthony Hope

The Prisoner of Zenda tells the story of Rudolf Rassendyll, a dilettantish Englishman who happens to be a dead-ringer for the king of a fictional Balkan State. The king is captured (becoming the prisoner of the title) and our hero masquerades in his place in order to thwart the kidnapper. It reminded me a lot of The Man in the Iron Mask for obvious reasons but instead of trying to replace a debauched ruler, here we are trying to save a sovereign. Zenda started a bit slowly, but once it got rolling I had a hard time putting it down.

First Sentence:
“I wonder when in the world you're going to do anything, Rudolf?” said my brother’s wife.

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