The Duchess of Kneedeep

by Atanielle Annyn Noel

The Duke was a madman...

So Sidonee, newly wed Duchess of the planet Kneedeep, discovered on her wedding night. She fled in terror--accompanied only by her trusted Assistance Interface Device, a spherical, levitating robot named Bret. Together they plunged across Kneedeep's endless oceans, stumbling upon lairs of poisonous insects, eerie sea creatures, and odd, menacing humans--in a series of adventures as hilarious as they were savagely dangerous.

Then a mysterious stranger offered Sidonee a way out...and she set off in search of heart's desire...

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy

170 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1986

About the author

A pseudonym of Ruth S Noel.

Reviews

[Lizz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t write reviews.

And while I enjoyed this story on a basic level, if found parts lacking. World-building wasn’t happening. Humour attempts fell flat. Characters were flat as paper. Yet I enjoyed the fast-pace safe-style adventuring. Did I love it? No way, Jose. Did I hate it? Nein, nein, Lichtenstein.

[Derek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jack Vance's Gaean Reach stories cast a long shadow, and this doesn't do much to distinguish itself in that space. It has neither the grand characterization nor the baroque societies of Vance's work, and its wit and banter don't have the sharpness.

In exchange it has a sort of well-worn pleasantness, the sense that the Oriel-Mossmarching Empire in general and Kneedeep in particular is a decadent society facing no outside threats--its problems are all self-manufactured mostly for the amusement of its citizens.

The story has the air of a Shakespearean comedy, where nobody is any particular danger and the assorted hijinks will come to a pleasant end.

[Jean Triceratops · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read the first sixty and the last twenty pages of The Duchess of Kneedeep. Tepid jokes and shallow characterization got nothing on the pervasive use of violence—often sexual—against women as a plot device. Worse, the tone is flippant and satirical. It seems this book is meant to be read mostly as a comedy.

“Hahaha, the protagonist nearly was raped and murdered again!”

I read the last twenty pages to see if the conclusion somehow made up for the first sixty pages—it did not.

Hard pass.

(I read old fantasy and sci-fi novels written by women authors in search of forgotten gems. See a full-length review of this novel at forfemfan.com)

[le-trombone · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very funny novel, set on the planet of Kneedeep, so-called because the oceans tend to be very shallow and, well, knee-deep.

Noel uses and makes fun of the Regency romance style of writing, as the newly married Sidonee flees her husband on their wedding night when she finds that he has a peculiar fondness for knives. As she wades to her escape (Kneedeep is dotted with islands), she encounters all sorts of eccentric natives and tourists, who live on islands with names like Billionaires Beach, Dammit, Whatbitya, Swami Rock, and Falloffaraft.

The most loyal of them is Bret, an AID (a floating beachball robot) who disobeys the rules of artificially intelligent devices and slugs his employer after he tries to seduce her, badly. Between the two of them we travel from island to island, discovering the importance of the uselessness of the upper class and the reason why the AID liberation movement has practical problems. And, of course, the importance of finding True Love.

It's a fun little romp. I probably would have caught more jokes if I knew more about Regency romances, but even with my limited knowledge I laughed quite a bit.

Atanielle Annyn Noel is a pseudonym of Ruth Helen Swycaffer Noel.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another silly read. Sidonee might have been a typical blubbering chick, but she actually got up and got things done. Naturally, she wouldn't have survived without the strapping hero... in this case the robot Bret. But it was a fun, quick read full of tropes and silly names. The perfect pulp sci-fi.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent little lighthearted romp. I'd say this is right on the edge of being three stars for me, but I'm going to round down because I think if you're in the mood for this type of tone in a science fiction/fantasy novel from a similar time period, you should probably look into something by Craig Shaw Gardner, Robert Asprin, or John DeChancie.

[Helen Pembrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mother read this to me when I was a child. I re-read it a few years ago after finding it in a box while cleaning out my parents home.
It's a charming sci-fi bit of story, not exactly as I remember (I think my mom might have redacted a bit here and there) but enjoyable all the same.

[bobtheacorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very funny very fast read that enamored me start to finish! 100/10

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

One word to describe this novel: fun. I will even venture to add another adjective: ridiculously fun. I had a blast devouring this book – the pace kept me turning pages and the situations had me laughing. Sidonee was naïve enough to be a believable duchess but she was also strong and resilient which made her likeable. The other minor characters provided a lot of comic relief while not being entirely comedic (most of them). The great thing about this novel was that the author was able to straddle the humour with actual tension. Though I never really expected anything terrible to happen to Sidonee, it wasn’t just a silly farce; it was a legitimate quest novel with elements of apprehension. I was always genuinely concerned when Bret was harmed, because he was my favorite character.

I loved the setting. The names of the places were rather ridiculous, but the idea of the waterworld with its kneedeep pools was intriguing and I couldn’t wait to see where Sidonee would end up next.

And everything tied together in the end – even little things like who the clones were cloned from and why they were so loyal to the Duke, for example. True, you had to pay attention to catch that stuff as it was generally described in passing, but it was all there.

Now, I’m not saying this was a fantastic novel by any means (I can't give it 5 stars), nor am I saying that everyone will like it, but one of my favorite genres is “pulp sci-fi with terribl[y awesome] covers” and this one pretty much hits the mark for what I was expecting and wanted to read. I’d buy that for a dollar! (I did)

(spoiler)

I also thought the ending wasn’t bad, because it made sense. It totally de-vilified the Duke and was funny in its own right. And it was almost smart in the sense that Sidonee had to experience all the things about the world before she got married, to understand why the Duke was the one for her. In a sense, it turned the entire thing into a coming-of-age story. It also taught Sidonee to be self-sufficient – she was ready to marry the Duke now because she could exist without him. Her journey made him her own person, not just a “duchess”. And I’m reading way into this, but hey, that’s what I do.

Yet, there is a part of me that wishes Sidonee had fallen for the robot in the end. Oh well. Someday I’ll find a sci-fi that does that. Maybe I’m looking in the wrong places…

[Thetillybird · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is kind of terrible, but it is also kind of amazing. This book plays into so many tropes and its main character is a bit of a Mary-Sue but is also seems to be aware of that and likes to poke fun at itself. The humour is simultaneously over the top and very dry.

Also the ending is somewhat brilliant in a ridiculous manner.

I would recommend this to anyone, especially those who are looking for a light read.

It kind of feels like a b-level knock of of Rocky Horror, Diskworld, and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

[Wolverina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of fun. A self rescuing princess in an almost Pratchett-esque satire of science fiction and fantasy. The ending is a bit shit plot wise but otherwise excellent fun.

[Abby]

I'm not rating this because it was fun but decidedly not good. More thoughts here.