Customer Reviews

The Unhandsome Prince

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Unhandsome Prince took me by complete surprise. It is hilarious. I'm really glad I picked up this book, because my humor, at least, is fully engaged with this novel.

This book does something I've never seen another fantasy book do: the characters are amazingly modern. The ladies, instead of going out on a noble quest or having some innate, amazing talent, talk about dresses, boys, make-up, and hair. Some of the things they say are absolutely ridiculous and yet so normal that they're downright hilarious. There are a few pokes at modern society that are light-hearted and entertaining, a few more at the timeframe of the book, and definitely some of Mr. Moore's own quirky humor appears and I love it.

The characters, even though they're set up to be like normal teenagers, are extraordinarily charming... perhaps because they don't have the same degree of meanness as the modern teenagers on which they're based. At any rate, I really fell in love with the quirky characters, even some who I thought I would hate in the beginning.

The only thing that disappointed me was the romance. It just isn't at all satisfying. Other than that, this book is a wonderful read. I wish I could say more about the story and its characters, but I honestly don't wish to spoil this novel for future readers. (: At any rate, I'll definitely be reading more by Mr. Moore.

I bought this book and was *entirely* delighted with it. I've been recommending it to my friends, and will probably be giving a few as gifts. It is fun, with a wryly sweet sense of humor.

There is some strong language and some sexual concepts that may make it inappropriate for young children, but I think it's perfect for young adults and over.

I'm disheartened to see a negative review on the basis of it's being anti-Semitic. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course, but I strongly disagree with that interpretation. I'd much rather see a book where the historical events are explained ... as long as the heroes take a strong stand against injustice. The heroes of this fairy tale refuse to allow innocent people become pawns of economics. Kudos to Moore for taking an opportunity to broaden the understanding of the next generation.

makes for a great combination in my book (no pun intended). I'm of the opinion that many of the present-day "fantasy" authors take themselves and their books much too seriously, believing that the bigger and more melodramatic their books are, the better. While I have read a number of those 800 pg doorstops, and actually liked some of them (GRRM and the early Jordans, did not care for the later Jordans, Goodkind or Robin Hobb), there will always be a place in my cluttered bookshelves for authors like John Moore.

Moore writes with a style that doesn't take anything too seriously, least of all himself or his characters, and that's what a true fantasy book should be in my opinion. Very refreshing in this over-the-top PC day and age. You may disagree if you like, after all I'm not taking this review all that seriously either. So be it.

But if you like fantasy books with a clearly defined sense of right and wrong, where you know the good guys are going to win in the end, crack some good jokes along the way and do all the above in 300 pgs or less, give The Unhandsome Prince or Heroics for Beginners a try. Or, if you're lucky enough to find it cheap in a used bookstore somewhere (as I did), Slay and Rescue. You won't be sorry.

Like in his first book SLAY AND RESCUE, the author parodies the world of fairy tales with a one-two punch. First he parodies the elements of the tales themselves and then finishes them off by adding a dash of reality to them.

In this book we meet Caroline who has just gone through a lot of trouble and kissed a lot of frogs to rescue Prince Hal. But Hal is not as promised. He is neither handsome nor likely to ever sit on the throne and rule. Caroline feels gypped and wants reparations from the estate of the witch that turned Hal into a frog.

This early set up send Caroline and cast to the big city where they find out some of the truths of how the world really works. There are two truly handsome princes, either of whom might rule, glitz, glamor, magic, Rapunzel, Rumplestiltskin, and the expulsion of a minority. It all wraps up in satisfactory fashion although maybe not as the reader thinks it will.

This is a very funny book that delivers laughs as well as a quick read. If you have read SLAY AND RESCUE and enjoyed it, you will want to read this one. If you have enjoyed this one, you will want to check out SLAY AND RESCUE.

John Moore joins the ranks of Terry Pratchett, Mark E. Rogers, Craig Shaw Gardner, Mary Gentle, Ester Freisner, Robert Rankin and Tom Holt(to name a few off the top of my head)in the ranks of writers of good comic fantasy. It's a shame that so few authors can make a living writing comic fantasy and when somebody does it well we should support them and buy buy buy. The Unhandsome Prince even manages to keep you laughing without resorting to the evil practice of the repeated pun. Story telling is an art and John Moore is worth keeping on your must read list.

Reading Moore's book was an unexpected delight, and should be a treat for any fan of the movie Shrek, the novel Stardust by Neil Gaiman, or William Goldman's The Princess Bride. Moore is able to interweave Rapunzel, Rumpeltstiltskin, The Frog Prince, and a few other fairy tales into an entertaining laugh-out-loud narrative that's sure to have you smiling and wishing Moore would hurry up and get his third novel out already.

I finished this book in less than a day (even hiding in my office so I could finish the last 20 pages without being disturbed), and heartily recommend that anyone in the mood for a Princess Bride type fix get a copy immediately.

Frog-Prince riffs seem to be popular the past few years, but this is one of my favorites so far. I borrowed it from the library but now I'm going to have to buy a copy.

The fair maid kisses the frog but then complains he is not up to her standards. She threatens to sue the daughter of the witch who did the frog-spell for breach of contract. The former frog-prince, Hal, the fair maid, Caroline, and the witch's daughter, Emily, set off for the big city to set things straight. There, Caroline is surprised to find the kingdom going broke -- not at all the wealthy future she had envisioned when she started kissing frogs.

Then in a serious turn, the Jewish minority is about the be expelled so the crown can seize their assets. Together Caroline, Hal and Emily set out to prevent this injustice. Everyone makes a sacrifice, but it all comes out right in the end.

Deby Fredericks
author of "The Magister's Mask"

Once upon a time in the charming backwater village of Ripplebrook in the Kingdom of Melinower, the Sorceress Amanda turned Prince Hal into a frog for daring to break into her castle. Caroline, the most beautiful female in the village and perhaps the kingdom, spent seven weeks in the swamp kissing frogs until she found the princely one. When she kissed him, she expected a handsome royal to marry, but instead found the returned human Hal looked like a dweeb.

The Prince was not thrilled with Caroline though she rescued him from an amphibious life of insects as he felt her husband criteria too shallow for Hal. However, he reluctantly agrees to take her and her friend Emily to the capital so the younger can apprentice to a wizard and Caroline can search for a handsome noble to marry. If she fails to wed within a prescribed time as a stipulation of the original spell, Hal converts back to a frog prince.

THE UNHANDSOME PRINCE is an amusing and adorable adult fairy tale. Caroline matures over the course of the novel so readers come to eventually like her and hope she finds her true love, an unlikely event since she lacks a dowry (who says money can't buy happiness). Emily is smitten with the Prince, but she must remain chaste during her apprenticeship or else. Hal is too worried about his short swampy future to take a leap in thinking of having a family. The interrelationships of the characters showcase John Moore's magical writing skills.

Harriet Klausner

There are three princes, Kenny, Jeff, and Hal. It is Kenny, the evil one, who wants to expel the Jews for exactly the same ignoble reasons Ferdinand and Isabella expelled the Jews from Spain, to sieze their assets and get out of paying money owed to them (see Charles Kimball, When Religion Becomes Evil: Five Warning Signs, p. 150). Princes Hal and Jeff get together and foil Kenny's evil plot.

Caroline wanted to marry a Handsome Prince, so, knowing that a prince has been turned into a frog, she systematically kissed every frog in the swamp until, after kissing hundreds of plain frogs, she finally kissed the right one, but Prince Hal is anything but handsome in Caroline's opinion; she considers him "rather dorky," and feels cheated.

Caroline and Hal set out for the royal palace along with Emily, the daughter of the deceased sorceress who cursed Hal to frogdom. After the order of expulsion is rescinded, Caroline persuades prince Jeff, who is about to become the new King, that he should knight a Jewish ally to demonstrate his support of fairness. Hal's comment is priceless; read the book and enjoy it.

watziznaym@gmail.com

John Moore's The Handsome Prince is best devoured on one happy day so the mood does not dissipate. It is a remarkable blend of opposites in that it maintains all the rather hoary traditions of the fairy tale, but views those traditions through a cynical modern eye. One eye only, you note, because the other is closed in a wink. We all know about the kiss that returns the frog to his human form, but have we ever considered a determined kisser who maps the swamp and sector by sector kisses all the frogs she can find and then releases them in a distant river so she won't have to kiss them twice? She even captures and expels the tadpoles! This is only one of the fairy tale traditions that has been completely changed for us by John Moore's cheerfully jaundiced eye. This was my first of his books, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest.