Not Really the Prisoner of Zenda: A Guardians of the Flame Novel [Hardcover]

Joel Rosenberg (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tom Doherty Associates Books | Publication Date: June 1, 2003

Kethol is an adventurer with an easy smile, a man who is quick with a quip and quicker with a sword.

His partner, Pirojil, the ugly one, looks impressive and deceives people into thinking he's stupid to their sorrow-for his might and loyalty are worth a kingdom.

And the fledgling wizard Erenor, a man who tries to stay two steps ahead of his enemies, as well as one step ahead of his friends.

Loyal retainers they are, sworn to Jason Cullianane, a man who walked away from a crown, and who has been trying to convince all the almost-warring factions that he doesn't want the job back. Their lives aren't very easy, what with keeping Jason from getting killed by yet another conspiracy, rescuing some damsel or whatnot in distress, and squirreling away something for the ever-diminishing prospect of retirement.

And now it looks like our heroes might wind up succeeding in none of their schemes, for there are plots within plots, and Kethol has been forced into a disguise not of his own making. There is magic aplenty in the air (and on the ground), and in order to save a kingdom, they may have to pull off a complicated scheme that could kill them all--or land them in positions of supreme power.

But, hey, whoever said that a soldier's life was a cakewalk?

Set in Joel Rosenberg's bestselling Guardians of the Flame series, Not Really the Prisoner of Zenda is the third adventure of the journeymen soldiers of Castle Cullianane (and their sometimes ill-fated leader) in all their raucous glory. A fun, fast-paced read, it's a rollicking roller coaster of a book that will have fantasy fans reaching for more.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The mood of Rosenberg's third absorbing Guardians of the Flame novel (after 2001's Not Quite Scaramouche) darts between aggressive whimsy and deep introspection, sometimes within a single page. Of the trio of soldiers and friends, only Pirojil remains. Durine is dead, and Kethol has magically adopted the shape of Forinel to prevent Forinel's younger half-brother from inheriting Barony Keranahan. The trio's original dream of someday founding the Three Swords Inn seems further from reality than ever. Stuck with running a barony, Kethol really wants to be a woodsman and soldier. Of course, there are the fringe benefits, like Leria, the nobly born girl he can now marry and who's helping him with the deception. And Kethol has free access to the palace, something useful when you're trying to prevent the Dowager Empress from having the man you used to work for assassinated. Rosenberg's quirky style is on impressive display throughout, but the book is also a serious meditation on identity. Pirojil, Kethol and Leria must come to grips not only with what they must do but with what that means for who they are. Yet for all the philosophical musings, Rosenberg never allows the fun, breezy narrative his readers have come to expect to flag, closing with a twist that fits both the story and the style perfectly.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The new three musketeers (see Rosenberg's Not Exactly the Three Musketeers, 1999) are tailbone-deep in alligators. Kethol the woodcutter's son must magically masquerade as exiled Baron Forinel to keep Forinel's half-brother Miron from seizing the barony, to the detriment of Jason Cullinane and Emperor Thomen. The young wizard Erenor, quick as ever with both a spell and his mouth, helps maintain Kethol's disguise. Ugly Pirojil, probably the deadliest of the three, has a full-time job guarding the others' backs against various local potentates who would just as soon that the baron were Miron. Throw in the emperor's mother, Berelyn, with her own bloody agenda; expect a thoroughly intelligent piece of fantastic entertainment; and get it! Walter Slovotsky and Ellegon the dragon--other regulars in Rosenberg's pastiches of famous swashbucklers (see also Not Quite Scaramouche, 2001)--are also at hand, and if young Thomen survives his mother, he may become a formidable warrior of virtue. A delightful continuation of the Guardians of the Flame. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (June 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076530046X
• ISBN-13: 978-0765300461
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,464,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More twists and turns than a two-lane highway!, September 17, 2003

By 

David "DaveFla" (Kalamazoo, MI, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Not Really the Prisoner of Zenda: A Guardians of the Flame Novel (Hardcover)

Rosenberg wraps up the "Not Musketeers" trilogy in fine style with 'Zenda,' which continues his story of characters at once broadly drawn and yet detailed enough to be endearing. A mixture of one part military/action novel, one part suspense thriller, and one part mystery, Rosenberg also adds just enough political intrigue to satisfy any reader of Clancy or Fleming, though the genre is quite different.

Readers of previous entries in the series may see this trilogy as an unwanted departure from the earlier story lines of "Guardians," but they stand alone quite well. 'Zenda' maintains the standard of quality set in the first two, and surpasses them in terms of surprises. Highly recommended to any Rosenberg fan!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo!, August 24, 2005

By 

Rondall Reynoso (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Not Really the Prisoner of Zenda: A Guardians of the Flame Novel (Tor Fantasy) (Mass Market Paperback)

I first got turned onto the Guardains of the Flame series ten years ago and have really enjoyed reading all ten books. What first hooked me was the original premiss of modern people being transported to a fantasy world. It is a fantasy that many of us have had. But, in his recent books Rosenberg seemed to forget the original premiss and get caught up with this story arch involving characters who had no dirrect tie to the Otherside. While I still very much enjoyed the books I was lonnging to have the earlier concept picked up again and to find out the answers for some of the questions Rosenberg seemed to have forgoten.

Not Really The Prisoner of Zenda didn't pick up on those old storylines but it brilliantly finished off a three book long subplot. And, at the same time he reminded the reader that he hasn't forgotten the the old intreagues. Jason Cullinane finally once again picks up the subject of the Sword of Arta Myrdhyn. Wow was I relied. The Old Emperor and father of Jason, Karl Cullinane, had died just after finding out about the sword and then the subjuct wass almost complete dropped. We've been waiting for severl books to find out about this sword and while this book doesn't deal dirrectly with the sword at least Rosenberg lets us know that the theme will once again be picked up.

This was an excellent book with terrific twists and turns and an encouragement to fans of the series who were afraid that story plots had been dropped never again to be found.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A ~great~ story, but Rosenberg frustrates me..., August 9, 2004

By 

K. Weld "Kaltros, Bandit King and General Nui... (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Not Really the Prisoner of Zenda: A Guardians of the Flame Novel (Tor Fantasy) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was possibly the best "finisher" book of a series (the three-book story arc in what is an eight book series right now) that I've had the pleasure of reading.

Joel Rosenberg has some amazing talent. He's also incredibly trying and frustrating to read, sometimes. There are scenes in this book where Joel's describing every door, every wall, every dust bunny in the scene, regardless of whether these things are involved in the story. That irks me, because it's obvious how good a writer he can be.

The last eighty pages of this book had me flipping through them like a fiend, muttering to myself as I forced myself to read one line at a time, so as not to give anything away.
I distracted my girlfriend from her video game. This often takes an Act of the Cosmos.

The end of the book made my jump and cheer, and I was utterly amazed at how appropriate it was.

Joel's characters are good, if all a bit overly-suspicious and yet fatalistic. There's a dark edge to this series that I appreciate, and I think it does an excellent job of smudging the line between light fantasy and dark fantasy. Real things pop up, minor things go wrong, amazingly beneficial things go right, and you never know what it's going to lead to.

Despite Joel's need for a stern editor, he was able to take me through the gamut of emotions as we bid farewell to a long friendship, watch the death of a noble and witness the greatest Just Desserts scene I've ever read.

If you've read the other Guardians of the Flame novels, especially the last two before this, you will not, must not, miss this book.

If you liked Glory Road, Not Exactly the Three Musketeers and/or A Game of Thrones, you will probably love "Not Really the Prisoner of Zenda".