The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope

(Book Review)

As mentioned in the previous post, since I was reading a parody of "The Prisoner of Zenda", I decided to use this as an excuse to read the real thing, and thus plug in one of the gaps in my literary background.

Actually, "The Prisoner of Zenda" has long been on my reading list anyway (as part of my reading project to work through the classics of pulp fiction--see also “Sherlock Holmes”, “The Martian Trilogy”, “The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu”, “Conan the Barbarian” and "The Scarlet Pimpernel").

This book was so pleasant, so easy to read, and so short, that I don't know why I didn't read it a long time ago.

My copy was only 152 pages, so I was able to finish it in almost no time at all.

It's a classic adventure story, with imaginary kingdoms, treacherous dukes, and beautiful princesses.

I suppose I should say something about "swashbuckling" in here, because it seems every review ever written about "The Prisoner of Zenda" must say "swashbuckling" at least once. The publishers introduction to my volume (Penguin Classics) goes a little nuts with the word "swashbuckling", mentioning it multiple times.

Well, there is plenty of action in the book, and lots of sword battles. So I guess "swashbuckling" is an apt adjective.

The book does have its flaws. Some of the sections on honor and duty I found a bit tedious. The love story seemed a bit forced and overly sentimental. But really, in a book that's only 152 pages, you can't really complain about anything. Nothing lasts too long for it to get annoying. The story moves quickly enough that the book is over before you know it.

Link of the Day
Noam Chomsky - Israel Apartheid 2010-03-02

The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope: Book Review (Scripted)