Not Quite Scaramouche: A Guardians of the Flame Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

by Joel Rosenberg (Author) "It would be infuriating to a lesser man that the emperor didn't see things his way all the time..." (more)
Key Phrases: imperial proctor, baronial troops, baron minister, Walter Slovotsky, Jason Cullinane, Bren Adahan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This sequel to Not Quite the Three Musketeers (1999), part of the Guardians of the Flame series, is not quite honed to rapier sharpness. The story proper doesn't begin until 50 pages into the book, when a contentious group of protectors sworn to Baron Jason Cullinane sets out to transport Jason and his mother to a session of parliament convened by Emperor Thomen. The road to Biemestren, where the parliament is to congregate, is fraught with danger in the form of assassins from rival baronies. Along the way, modern colloquial expressions annoy more than amuse; slang and topical allusions used within this essentially fantastic realm fail to superimpose a contemporary sensibility on these mythic archetypes of dragons, swordsmen and wizards. The novel does contain patches of witty and vivid prose, such as the scene in which Baron Cullinane's guardians attempt to force a potential assassin to reveal his hiding place by using themselves as targets in a zigzag flight across an unnaturally silent meadow. Rosenberg may be off his mark this time, but he is quite capable of a smartly executed riposte in the next adventure in this series.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
The sequel to Not Exactly the Three Musketeers (1999) continues the picaresque adventures of ugly Pirojil and dapper Kethol, now accompanied by the brash young wizard Erenor instead of their old comrade, a casualty in Not Exactly, Durine. A certain tension hovers around the champions of House Cullinane, particularly since the dispute over the succession to the barony of Keranahan is anything but resolved. Most of the heirs are missing, and contention among the remainder threatens to set House Cullinane and imperial proctor Walter Slovotsky at daggers drawn against the Emperor Thomen. Fortunately, an acceptable next-best resolution materializes. With a little sleight of hand, Kethol will become baron and wed beautiful Leria. The plot would be too lightweight for a longer book, and even at this length many readers may feel they are just tagging along for the sake of developing relationships, intelligent world building and magic, and new encounters with the dragon Ellegon, a master of sarcasm. Still, it's a treat. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Tor Fantasy; 1st edition (June 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812574702
• ISBN-13: 978-0812574708
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #597,237 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gets better and better, December 12, 2000

By	Oscar Bartles (Why, I'm right here. Where are you?) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Not Quite Scaramouche: A Guardians of the Flame Novel (Hardcover)

Rosenberg just keeps reinventing heroic fantasy with apparently no effort at all. In Not Quite Scaramouche, he takes his three motley heroes into and out of palace intrigue, and back on the road again (where they clearly belong. I don't know why, but Rosenberg seems to do "on the road" scenes and chapters better than anybody else now writing).

In this one, Kethol, Pirojil, and the mildly competent and untrustworthy wizard, Erenor, are charged first with bodyguarding characters that readers of previous Guardians of the Flame books will remember fondly, and new readers will surely enjoy. Naturally, things don't go as planned -- our heroes end up having to hare off into the countryside to attempt to recover a missing heir. They, and we, never quite know what will be around the next bend, except that it will usually be dangerous for them, and always be entertaining for us.

I liked Not Exactly the Three Musketeers very much; this one is even better. The replacement of the stolid Durine with the untrustworthy -- but not entirely untrustworthy; Rosenberg is too clever for that -- Erenor reminds me in a perverse way of every time a good television ensemble drama, like Mash or NYPD Blue, replaces a good major character with a better one.

The only thing I missed was the cameo appearance by Rosenberg himself that I so much enjoyed in the last one. Maybe next time?

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Book 9, January 16, 2001

By	"azurehero" (utah) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Not Quite Scaramouche: A Guardians of the Flame Novel (Hardcover)

I finished this book in three days. But I am wondering if Pirojil is the new main character. If so, I'm going to miss the Walter Slovotski 1st person narrative. But I digress.

The new book is great. The chapters main characters keep switching from chapter to chapter, which is good. Some old characters pop there heads in. Henrad, Andrea's old apprentice for example.

I wanted more Ahira, who is my favorite charcter, so I guess that's no suprise.

If you've read all the other Guardian's books up unitl now, you have to read this one.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fantasy world with progression..., February 22, 2001

By	Troy McClure "troymcclure" (Tejas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Not Quite Scaramouche: A Guardians of the Flame Novel (Hardcover)

The one thing that sets Rosenberg apart from most fantasy writers is that he understands the aging process with respect to his characters and his world. This is the 9th book and many years have passed in his world since book one. His characters age, and he does a great job of demonstrating the aging process on these people. You see his characters mature.

I really enjoy watching some younger characters step up and start to put their stamp on his world. Jason Cullinane is his father's son and will be fun to read about in future books.

I'd recommend this to anyone that has enjoyed the other 8 in the series. Rosenberg keeps it interesting and fun. The fact that I'm still reading after 9 books says a lot.