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VANITY: The Fugitive of Bern - A Satirical Historical Adventure of Amnesia & Mistaken Identity
Part Suspense, Part Madness, and a Dash of Gruel.
For our hero, disaster has struck — and this is merely the beginning.
1791. Switzerland. Conspiracy tears through the Confederacy. War looms. Somewhere between the Alps and anarchy, pursued by regiments, rascals, and ruthless bandits, a nameless fugitive runs — clutching a scroll that could stop it all.
There’s just one little problem: a blow to the head erases his past, his purpose... and — nay! — his common sense, too. Now stripped of his memory, he is convinced of one thing alone: he is a man of supreme importance, exquisite taste, and decidedly better breeding than his current company.
Hence outwitted by peasants, undone by vengeful fowl, loathed by every tradesman, and assailed by ruffians he can’t even recall, he stumbles through outlandish intrigues, mistaken identities, muddy battlefields, and a deadly political powder keg, in the hopes of... well, something.
Yet, with his amnesia a ticking clock, the questions only compound: will he remember who he is? Or will Switzerland fall? Is he the traitor they seek? Or simply history’s hapless fool?
Vain, blundering, ludicrously bold, and probably the most WANTED man in the Confederacy, he might — just might — change the course of history... provided he doesn’t make matters infinitely worse.
“Glory, jest, and riddle of the world!” — Alexander Pope
For fans of rich historical, picaresque adventure served with the sharp wit and chaotic farce of the literary classics. A compass, not a comparison: blending the satirical cadence of Henry Fielding and the swashbuckling thrills of Alexandre Dumas with the deadpan absurdity of Patrick deWitt, expect slow-burn 18th-century intrigue, morally messy families, and a protagonist who has to earn every inch of ground.
Themes & Tropes:
⚔️ The Accidental Anti-Hero: Arrogant, vain, and gloriously out of his depth. 🧠 Amnesia & Quest for Identity: A mystery where the missing puzzle piece is himself. 🎭 Mistaken Identity: A classic farce of spies, bandits, lovers, and impostors. 🏃 Fugitive on the Run: A high-stakes chase across the Alps with a Ticking Clock. 📜 The MacGuffin: A secret scroll that holds the key to Saving the Nation. 🗳️ Political Intrigue: Spies, lies, and 18th-century chaos. 🏚️ Reverse Rags to Riches: A noble forced to endure peasant life. Rich Historical Setting: The powder keg of 1790s Switzerland.
For our hero, disaster has struck — and this is merely the beginning.
1791. Switzerland. Conspiracy tears through the Confederacy. War looms. Somewhere between the Alps and anarchy, pursued by regiments, rascals, and ruthless bandits, a nameless fugitive runs — clutching a scroll that could stop it all.
There’s just one little problem: a blow to the head erases his past, his purpose... and — nay! — his common sense, too. Now stripped of his memory, he is convinced of one thing alone: he is a man of supreme importance, exquisite taste, and decidedly better breeding than his current company.
Hence outwitted by peasants, undone by vengeful fowl, loathed by every tradesman, and assailed by ruffians he can’t even recall, he stumbles through outlandish intrigues, mistaken identities, muddy battlefields, and a deadly political powder keg, in the hopes of... well, something.
Yet, with his amnesia a ticking clock, the questions only compound: will he remember who he is? Or will Switzerland fall? Is he the traitor they seek? Or simply history’s hapless fool?
Vain, blundering, ludicrously bold, and probably the most WANTED man in the Confederacy, he might — just might — change the course of history... provided he doesn’t make matters infinitely worse.
“Glory, jest, and riddle of the world!” — Alexander Pope
For fans of rich historical, picaresque adventure served with the sharp wit and chaotic farce of the literary classics. A compass, not a comparison: blending the satirical cadence of Henry Fielding and the swashbuckling thrills of Alexandre Dumas with the deadpan absurdity of Patrick deWitt, expect slow-burn 18th-century intrigue, morally messy families, and a protagonist who has to earn every inch of ground.
Themes & Tropes:
⚔️ The Accidental Anti-Hero: Arrogant, vain, and gloriously out of his depth. 🧠 Amnesia & Quest for Identity: A mystery where the missing puzzle piece is himself. 🎭 Mistaken Identity: A classic farce of spies, bandits, lovers, and impostors. 🏃 Fugitive on the Run: A high-stakes chase across the Alps with a Ticking Clock. 📜 The MacGuffin: A secret scroll that holds the key to Saving the Nation. 🗳️ Political Intrigue: Spies, lies, and 18th-century chaos. 🏚️ Reverse Rags to Riches: A noble forced to endure peasant life. Rich Historical Setting: The powder keg of 1790s Switzerland.
273 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 11, 2026
About the author
Justan Autor
20 books2 followersA partisan to the picaresque and pastiche. Not for fans of simple sentences.
Justan Autor came late to the wicked joy of novels, having first tried his hand at most of the civilised arts: he painted pictures, trimmed hedgerows into obedience, stitched respectable garments, and wooed a pianoforte into confessing melodies. Only thereafter did he discover that narrative mischief suited him best.
A devotee of the 18th and 19th‑century masters, he writes in a classical key with a modern tempo—history that crackles, characters with inconvenient desires, and a burlesque glint when daggers flash. His first novel ushers readers into 1790s Switzerland: mountains, intrigue, and a hero who frequently collides with his own better judgement.
If you fancy Dumas for the dash, Fielding for the grin, Austen for the bite, and Dickens for the sweep—served with present‑day verve—do make his acquaintance.
Pray, if any of this author's works have earned your good opinion, a kind word on GoodReads (even Amazon) would be a most welcome reward. Should this author's works have failed to please, pray, let your judgement be rendered with mercy!
Justan Autor came late to the wicked joy of novels, having first tried his hand at most of the civilised arts: he painted pictures, trimmed hedgerows into obedience, stitched respectable garments, and wooed a pianoforte into confessing melodies. Only thereafter did he discover that narrative mischief suited him best.
A devotee of the 18th and 19th‑century masters, he writes in a classical key with a modern tempo—history that crackles, characters with inconvenient desires, and a burlesque glint when daggers flash. His first novel ushers readers into 1790s Switzerland: mountains, intrigue, and a hero who frequently collides with his own better judgement.
If you fancy Dumas for the dash, Fielding for the grin, Austen for the bite, and Dickens for the sweep—served with present‑day verve—do make his acquaintance.
Pray, if any of this author's works have earned your good opinion, a kind word on GoodReads (even Amazon) would be a most welcome reward. Should this author's works have failed to please, pray, let your judgement be rendered with mercy!
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