Not Really The Prisoner of Zenda

Guardians of the Flame #10

by Joel Rosenberg

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.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, High Fantasy

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Note: This is a different person than the political/thriller author, Joel C. Rosenberg

Joel Rosenberg was the author of the bestselling Guardians of the Flame books as well as the D'Shai and Keepers of the Hidden Ways series. He made his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Reviews

[Taddow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been holding off on reading this book for a while, partly because it’s the last in the series and partly because there can never truly be another book in the series. The Guardians of the Flame is one of my favorite fantasy book series (maybe even my best). A lot of this has to do with the nostalgia I have for the series reading it when I was a lot younger, the chance introduction to the first book and losing it but seeming miraculous finding it again after combing bookstores for hours with only a vague memory of a book cover to go on, only to then find it sitting next to a bunch of 1st edition AD&D books at a thrift store, to the interesting mix of our world and this other world in the continuing story. I’ll admit the later books weren’t as exciting as the beginning ones, but I liked how the story kept going with older characters and newer characters and this gave it a realism (as much as can be considered in a fantasy series).

This story wasn’t the best in the series, but it was enjoyable and had a sense of closure. I enjoyed the the cat and mouse of the politics and the easy to read familiar writing style of the author. In was a different kind of story than those in the beginning but it kept enough aspects of those to make it fit.

[Johnny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not having read a Joel Rosenberg book before my brother gave me the tenth? volume in the Guardians of the Flame novels, I’m not the most qualified to review Not Really The Prisoner of Zenda. I found it interesting, but not mesmerizing. I was glad I read it, but it wasn’t the kind of page-turner I expected it to be. I can see how the cast of co-protagonists (or does one assume that Pirojil is the protagonist with Kethol, the not really eponymous character in this title, the late Durine, and the wizardly Erenor, in many senses a puppet-master being the curtains, as supporting characters?) could easily have served as Not Really The Three Musketeers (with Erenor as the fourth?) or be caught up in the commedia dell’arte concoction of revenge to be assumed in Nor Really Scaramouche. In fact, I enjoyed this book enough that I wouldn’t hesitate to read its predecessors at some point.

Having admitted my lack of credentials, it is still my suspicion that if Joel Rosenberg identifies with any of the four major characters, it is probably Erenor. Why? Because there is a recurring phrase in the novel that Erenor likes things complicated. And, the plot of Nor Really The Prisoner of Zenda seems far more complicated than its inspiration. Erenor loves splashy entrances and Rosenberg loves abrupt revelations. Erenor often provides the stage direction for the most vital moments in the book and, let’s face it, authors enjoy blocking out the stage direction for their characters.

As opposed to the convenient similitude of the original story, the imposter upon whom the story turns in Not Really The Prisoner of Zenda has been magically transformed into the politically influential noble’s place. One doesn’t originally quite understand the goal of this replacement noble, but it becomes clear soon enough. Along the way, there is fantasy (though not a great deal, just a functional amount and I sure would have liked to have seen more of the dragon than the deus ex phantasia for which he is used here), romance, intrigue (the heart of the matter), and adventure (with a moderate amount of swordplay).

An epilogue was necessary to deal with an otherwise inexplicable loose end, but otherwise Not Really The Prisoner of Zenda provides a satisfactory, though sometimes plodding, experience.

[Doris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is the ending of the Guardians of the Flame series, and although I really wanted to love it, I struggled to finish it.

My favorite part of the story is that the author did not have his aging characters ageless. (adult children - with children - is a giveaway there!) What do I mean? In some stories, the 50+ aged men are cavorting as if they are teens, leaping and womanizing and doing deeds of daring, in a way that most men couldn't do in their twenties. Very well done!

My least favorite part was that the character Miron was never well built although the story treated his fate as deserved.

My favorite character was Erenor the wizard. His handling of the Dowager Empress was extremely well done, and although I might have preferred a different result, his solution was good.

Overall, a good read for some, but for me it was only okay.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I have not read this series in anything like the proper order, I have enjoyed each volume that I have read, thus far. This particular run (about 3/4 of the way through the major story arc) is pretty darn good. The mixture of technology and fantasy adds to the fun.

What I gather is that the character named Walter stumbled from the modern world to a fantasy world-- bringing along with him secrets like telegraph communication - and gunpowder. There is a wonderful mind-reading dragon character-- Along the way is a ton of machinations and clever noble schemes-- assasination plots-- and just enough magic to remind you that you are reading a fantasy novel...

Good stuff, but probably should be read from the beginning to get the real comprehension of the storyline...

[Lidor Bashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the last entry in the story of the "three musketeers" this book is great, its fast paced, filled with the antics I came to expect of the protagonists and gives a satisfying ending to their arc.
I find the whole sub-series of them very entertaining and well written on it's own, however, as this arc closes I can't help but feel that Rosenberg was done with a "breather" and was getting ready to give the readers the true final arc of the series. Knowing that he didn't get the chance to write more of those gives reading the final pages a bitter sweet feeling that has nothing to do with the story.

[Acidrazzor · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the ending to the series and at least we got an ending even if some things are still unresolved and there are questions still unanswered. It was an interesting ride to get here and I'll not lower my opinion of this series even though the first half was better than the last half. I still enjoyed the books enough to read them even when I was questioning why, why are we wandering around book after book with no direction. I still enjoyed that scenic route and will come back to this series again in a year or three to refresh my memories. Again an audio format version is something that would make the whole series better.

[L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An okay ending, I guess, since it's not as if we're getting any more of them..

[Ronnie Cross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixing two worlds is very smart! J.R. Is able to make references to pop culture stuff that lends credibility to the dialog and the sarcasm is at its finest. Well done sir!

[Trevor Pratt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't feel like the book itself went anywhere

[Chance Whitmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

i miss Rosenberg and his writing. I wish he would have had the opportunity to answer some of the questions left by this series.

[Ed Nemo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book in the series and it was pretty good. It took me a bit to warm up to the new characters but they were written well and were interesting enough in their own way to be compelling. Joel Rosenberg's Guardians of the Flame series is one of my favorites and he did what the comic book publishers never did...he let the characters get old and be replaced. Great stuff!

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joel Rosenberg ends his Guardians of the Flame series with a pretty good finale. It wraps up the loose ends of the previous two books pretty well, and how the loose strings get tied up is pretty interesting.

The series as a whole was worth reading, although I felt there were several novels that added virtually nothing to the series, there were other books that were quite good fantasy reads.

[Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

good series but he didnt end it well. they never make it back to there universe

[Fatbaldguy60 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one a good bit.

[Anne Deegan]

Should be under Joel Rosenberg.