VANITY: The Fugitive of Bern

by Justan Autor

All he wants is a hot bath, a clean cravat, and to never see a dung-heap again. What he gets is a one-way trip to the gallows.

Switzerland. 1791. Conspiracy tears through the Confederacy. WANTED posters plaster every village. A nameless fugitive races for Zürich, clutching a scroll that could prevent war.

Alas, a blow to the head erases his past, his purpose, and — nay! — his common sense, too. Now washed up in a rural backwater hell, he’s convinced of one thing alone: he is meant for a life of exquisite luxury, not domestic drudgery. Natch, his past comes a-calling: assassins, bounty hunters, and a French invasion are all closing in. And as he bumbles through ambushes, cannonballs, and disasters aplenty, the ultimate irony dawns: the WANTED traitor may be the fool in the mirror.

Insufferable, blundering, and ludicrously bold, he might just change the course of history — provided his colossal vanity doesn’t doom them all first.

“Glory, jest, and riddle of the world!” — Alexander Pope

If you love the deadpan absurdity of Jonas Jonasson’s accidental heroes, the gleeful historical mischief of Christopher Moore, and the roguish, anti-hero antics of George MacDonald Fraser’s Flashman, you’ll adore this slow-burn 18th-century intrigue.

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.
🏚️ Reverse Rags to Riches: A noble forced to endure peasant life.

271 pages, Paperback

Published April 11, 2026

About the author

A 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!

Reviews

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fugitive of Bern by Justan Autor sets up a rather long series (six!) featuring a mostly unnamed Hero. The book opens with a roar as he is racing away from danger and to deliver an important message, but through a series of circumstances, winds up with amnesia. He feels as though he doesn’t belong in such low settings, that his breeding is above that. Is it? Who is he exactly?

Negative thought:

-The use of more archaic words to world build is fun but in some instances it’s overblown to the point it overwhelms.

Mixed thought:

~I really enjoyed the Fugitive’s madcap escape and rush to deliver the scroll for almost half the book and then there’s…the rest of the book. It essentially figures out to him snarling at this family, the mother of the family threatening him with a broom, him trying to leave, then being tethered back again under the belief he’s supposed to be attached romantically to the daughter of the house. It just goes in circles, threatened with capture, released, and then more squabbling.

Positive thoughts:

+When the language is NOT too thick, it can create lovely little images, like this: “This account, at first eliciting murmurs of assent from fellow tradesmen, drew prodigious gasps, which, so deep, sucked in several tobacco clouds, clearing several pockets of air, through which Edmunda’s shame was easily espied.”

+I like that families all share a letter name. Jago and Johannes. Hans and Harris. Emil, Elizabeth, Edmunda, and Ernest.

+The Hero grows throughout the book. He’s incredibly vain and pompous and arrogant all throughout, and far too important to do menial work, but his attitude starts to change, especially near the end of the book. He was fun when he was not a nice person, and he was fun when reflecting on his character.

Recommended for people who enjoy books with text that reflect the time periods in which they are set.

I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fugitive of Bern is a fun historical fiction that feels in many ways of a different time in its use of words and phrasing and of course its historical setting. This period charm has elements, in particular how our hero’s plight unfolds, that make me think of Mission Impossible with a splash of Mr. Bean, in the best ways possible. While I enjoyed the deployment of archaic language and descriptions that illustrate to our heroes often pompous behavior through word choice, it does not lend itself to quick reading.

We follow our hero, his true identity unknown, as he attempts to deliver an important scroll and presumably preserve peace in Switzerland while also being wanted for murder. Unfortunately for him, he ends up with amnesia and is thrown into all manner of follies trying to regain his memory, outwit would-be captors all while being presumed a buffoon, thief, valiant, and/or brave in various measure and often vacillating wildly while ensconced in a small town in Switzerland. It does not help that others take advantage of his memory loss to pursue their ends further confusing the situation and causing our hero grief.

This is the first book in a series that follows the same protagonist through French Revolution era Switzerland and unravels a plot thick with political intrigue. I very much enjoyed this story, its pacing and delivery was great that upon finishing I immediately launched into Book 2, The Cabal in the Canton. I hope others find the series and work of Justan Autor. Mr. Autor has a very particular voice that is quite singular in what is currently being published, but I love both language and odd/interesting/quirky tales.

I am grateful to BookSirens and to the author for providing me with this free advance review copy of this book. I have read and honestly reviewed this book voluntarily.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Vanity: The Fugitive of Bern we follow a fugitive on a mission to Zürich amidst a backdrop of complex political manoeuvrings and the threat of civil war. The fugitive’s misadventures are chaotic and we’re treated to a comedy of errors where he suffers amnesia, becomes embroiled with a local family, is roped into various jobs to pay his way and is penultimately pegged as a buffoon by the community before finally proving himself to be brave and invaluable. I did, however, find the section after he lost his memory to go round in circles a bit, with repeated run-ins with the law, guards etc that felt repetitive.

The writing style relies on archaic language to situate you in the period and although pervasive, it is not inaccessible. It also aids in the characterisation of the main character with his overly verbose and pompous way of speaking which had a certain comedic effect resulting in a surprisingly endearing figure.

This is the first in a series and the ending left me with enough to whet my appetite. I look forward to following our beloved fugitive as more escapades befall him.

I received an eARC from BookSirens and I am voluntarily leaving this review.