The Prisoner of Zenda

tags: fantasy, historical fiction, satire

⭐⭐⭐⭐

From Goodreads

Best known for his political fairy tale, The Prisoner of Zenda, which saw four major screen adaptations, including the acclaimed 1937 incarnation starring Ronald Colman, Anthony Hope was one of the few novelists to achieve wide popular and critical admiration during his lifetime. Regarded by many critics as the finest adventure story ever written -- and certainly one of the most popular -- The Prisoner of Zenda (1894) tells the story of Rudolf Rassendyl, a dashing English gentleman who bears an uncanny resemblance to the ruler of the fictional kingdom of Ruritania. Rassendyl masquerades as the king in order to save the country from a treacherous plot and secures the release of the wronged prisoner. In the process he wins the heart of the beautiful princess Flavia, but ultimately surrenders the crown and the hand of his beloved princess to the rightful ruler. Full of swash-buckling feats of heroism as well as witty irony, these adventure tales are also wonderfully executed satires on late nineteenth-century European politics.

I liked the novelette's swashbuckling with plenty of dead men, evil half brother, and a bit of romance. Highly recommended. 

I'm currently watching the 1987 series available on Amazon streaming and it looks accurate to the book.

Uncharted

 

tags: action, adventure, based on video game, Magellan's lost treasure, Netflix streaming

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

A very short synopsis from IMDB

Street-smart Nathan Drake is recruited by seasoned treasure hunter Victor "Sully" Sullivan to recover a fortune amassed by Ferdinand Magellan, and lost 500 years ago by the House of Moncada.

I love it! 'Nuff said. Can't wait for the sequel.

The Princess Bride

tags: adventure, book within a book, fantasy, romance, satire
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

from GoodReads

Once upon a time came a story so full of high adventure and true love that it became an instant classic and won the hearts of millions. Now in hardcover in America for the first time since 1973 (in its native Florin, it has been on the Florinise Times bestseller list continuously since the week it was published), this special edition of The Princess Bride is a true keepsake for devoted fans as well as those lucky enough to discover it for the first time. What reader can forget or resist such colorful characters as Westley- handsome farm boy who risks death and much, much worse for the woman he loves; Inigo- the Spanish swordsman who lives only to avenge his father's death; Fezzik- the Turk, the gentlest giant ever to have uprooted a tree with his bare hands; Vizzini-the evil Sicilian, with a mind so keen he's foiled by his own perfect logic; Prince Humperdinck- the eviler ruler of Florin, who has an equally insatiable thirst for war and the beauteous Buttercup; Count Rugen- the evilest man of all, who thrives on the excruciating pain of others; Miracle Max- the King's ex-Miracle Man, who can raise the dead (kind of); The Dread Pirate Roberts- supreme looter and plunderer of the high seas; and, of course, Buttercup- the princess bride, the most perfect, beautiful woman in the history of the world.

S. Morgenstern's timeless tale--discovered and wonderfully abridged by William Goldman--pits country against country, good against evil, love against hate. From the Cliffs of Insanity through the Fire Swamp and down into the Zoo of Death, this incredible journey and brilliant tale is peppered with strange beasties both monstrous and gentle, and memorable surprises both terrible and sublime.

Fictional William Goldman is given the job of abridging the original book which he deems the best book he has never read. His fictional father read it to him when he was a little boy. In shortening the novel, he decides to leave only the best parts. According to him, this book has everything you could possibly want in a novel

Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles.

I love the movie and I equally love the book. The story of Inigo Montoya becoming a mercenary and out for revenge on Count Rugen is explained better in the book and will make you love his character even more. I like how Goldman created fictional characters of himself, wife, son, and grandson. 

The Tower Of Fools

tags: adventure, dark humor, fantasy, historical fiction, medieval, Polish, religious wars

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

from GoodReads

Reinmar of Bieława, sometimes known as Reynevan, is a doctor, a magician and, according to some, a charlatan. And when a thoughtless indiscretion finds him caught in the crosshairs of powerful noble family, he is forced to flee his home.

But once he passes beyond the city borders, he finds that there are dangers ahead as well as behind. Strange mystical forces are gathering in the shadows. And pursued not only by the affronted Stercza brothers, bent on vengeance, but also by the Holy Inquisition, Reynevan finds himself in the Narrenturm, the Tower of Fools.

The Tower is an asylum for the mad, or for those who dare to think differently and challenge the prevailing order. And escaping the Tower, avoiding the conflict around him, and keeping his own sanity might prove a greater challenge than Reynevan ever imagined.

I've watched and liked but never read Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher. After reading the synopsis of the newly translated from Polish to English The Tower Of Fools, I got the book because I love novels set in the Middle Ages. It became an instant favorite and I'm eagerly awaiting for the second book, Warriors of God.

This book is the first of a trilogy set in Silesia during the late Middle Ages Hussite Wars - Christians against Christians. The names and places are Polish and it took me longer to finish reading because I had to familiarize myself with the correct pronunciations. For example, the city of Wrocław is pronounced Vrotswahf. There are also plenty of passages in Latin and other languages with no English translations, much like Umberto Eco's novels. The passages are not that hard to understand if read in context. I didn't spend too much time in understanding songs and poems in Latin or German as they don't affect the overall story. The language in the book is a bit modern for the period and it has a tolerable amount of cussing.

Reynevan is a 23 year old doctor of medicine [studied in a university in Prague] who also dabbles in herbal medicine and simple magic. Reynevan, because of his age, is very foolish falling in love with a married girl, got caught by her husband's brothers who vowed to capture Reynevan in order to torture him to death. He tries to elude them, yet he continues acting irresponsibly throughout the whole novel putting his two companions/protectors and himself constantly in peril. He always gets rescued by the two and twice by the fair and beautiful Katarzyna of Bieberstein who insists in calling him "my Aucassin" and herself Nicolette. Reynevan is a male Damsel in Distress. 😏

I love that the novel is bursting with action and gore, a little magic, plenty of dark humor, fantasy, satire, witches, real historical people such as Johannes Gutenberg and Master of the Playing Cards, plus a scary creepy shapeshifter assassin and some odd characters. One of his companions, Samson Honey-Eater, is a giant who looks like a half wit. He at first reminds me of the characters the giant Turk Fezzik in The Princess Bride and the monk Salvatore in The Name of the Rose. The difference is, Samson actually is erudite, knows several languages, and is agile. He pretends being dumb when necessary. The most interesting are the inmates in The Tower of Fools, one in particular reminds me of Umberto Eco's weird characters. 

Highly recommended for historical fiction and fantasy readers.

Tathea

 

tags: adventure, allegory, fantasy, mystery, philosophical, spirituality

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

from Amazon

Exiled from her palace by a bloody coup, an empress travels the dangerous wilds of her kingdom in search of enlightenment—and righteous vengeance

The empress Tathea is awakened by the sounds of insurrection. The army, the aristocracy, and the royal guard have all turned against her husband, and stained the palace with his blood. Were she an ordinary ruler, she might follow him to the grave, but Tathea is a child of the wild lands. She comes from the desert, so to the desert she flees.
 
Across the kingdom she travels, searching for shelter, friendship, and an explanation for the tragedy that destroyed her old life. As she fights to stay alive, she finds a book whose message might tip the scales in the battle between good and evil, changing the world forever. If her life is to have meaning, Tathea will have to spread the word.

I like it better after rereading because I seem to understand the story more. It's over 500 pages, yet the story easily pulled me in and I couldn't put it down. Tathea is a combination of fantasy, adventure, self discovery, and friendship while forming and spreading a religion, trying to survive from evil forces. The book is written well and I love the colorful description of the fictional countries and their people. Some of the scenes in the book eerily describe the ongoing chaos, destruction of properties, and anarchy going on in the USA and around the world. I find it prophetic and I see the devil in someone's face *cough G. S. cough*. 

It sometimes reads like a sci-fi novel but with heavy religious themes. This book is not for everyone and might trigger readers who don't like religion specially Christianity, or any mention of God. Anne Perry has been a long time member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon Church. The Book of Mormon might be the inspiration in writing this book. I will read the sequel, Come Armageddon, and will review it next month.