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The Custer Siblings #2
The Mad King
Set in the fictional European kingdom of Lutha, the protagonist is a young American named Barney Custer, of Beatrice, Nebraska, who is the son of an American farmer and a runaway Luthan princess, Victoria Rubinroth. Unaware of his royal blood, much less that he is a dead ringer for his relative Leopold, the current king of Lutha, Barney visits Lutha on the eve of the First World War to see for himself his mother's native land. As he arrives in Lutha, King Leopold has just escaped from his ten years' imprisonment at the hands of his scheming uncle, Prince Peter of Blentz. Much to his own and everyone else's confusion, Barney is naturally mistaken for the king, leading to numerous complications...
Kindle Edition
First published August 18, 1926
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About the author
Edgar Rice Burroughs
2,850 books2,738 followersEdgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
March 14, 2011
Being familiar with the story of the Prisoner of Zenda, when I picked this tale up in my teens, I thought it was a copy of that work. Little did I know that Hope's Zenda was copied in many places. Jack Lemmon and Flashie both live Ruritanian Romances and so wanting to research for a project I recently returned to this tale. Now available through the courtesy of Project Gutenberg for free.
We have our hero, visiting the land of his ancestors and finding that there are a great many evil machinations going on. But he is instantly caught up with a princess and falls for her so quick that this becomes the theme of the story. Even when we have the Austrians and Serbians poised against each other a in the entire last half of the book, the romance of our hero and the princess seems to me to eclipse the rest.
But no moment passes without action, including his escape from a firing squad. That the king he needs to impersonate in not only a coward but vindictive as well shows that our hero is the best of all choices for anything and that there is little need for him to even think of a role as Sydney Carton.
I think that there should be a renaissance of Ruritanian Romances now. The Mad King is a great place to start after you have done the Prisoner of Zenda. Well worth a read and then a reread some few years later.
We have our hero, visiting the land of his ancestors and finding that there are a great many evil machinations going on. But he is instantly caught up with a princess and falls for her so quick that this becomes the theme of the story. Even when we have the Austrians and Serbians poised against each other a in the entire last half of the book, the romance of our hero and the princess seems to me to eclipse the rest.
But no moment passes without action, including his escape from a firing squad. That the king he needs to impersonate in not only a coward but vindictive as well shows that our hero is the best of all choices for anything and that there is little need for him to even think of a role as Sydney Carton.
I think that there should be a renaissance of Ruritanian Romances now. The Mad King is a great place to start after you have done the Prisoner of Zenda. Well worth a read and then a reread some few years later.
January 2, 2020
An entertaining, albeit very like a "twin" (dare I say?) of The Prisoner of Zenda. The story is not identical to Zenda, which is a great favorite of mine, but has Burroughs' own particular style and twists. It is great fun.
I'm listening to the Librivox recording which is good.
I'm listening to the Librivox recording which is good.
February 8, 2017
Have you ever been mistaken for someone else? In the book, The Mad King by Edgar Rice Burroughs protagonist Barney Custer is mistaken as the King of the imaginary European city of Lutha. This book can be thrown under the category of historical fiction or even romance. Throughout the book, Barney Custer has to take a leadership role without much instruction or direction which shows how leadership is imperative to being a hero.
Barney Custer, a native of Nebraska, was born from a farmer and Princess Victoria Rubinroth of Lutha travels to his mother's land to get a feel of his mother's roots. Without realizing, Barney shows up and is an exact look alike as the current king who has just recently escaped prison. He is mistaken for him and under the pressure of a whole country must lead in the midst of the first world war. He is faced with antagonists such as Prince Peter of Blentz, The Austrian Armed Forces, and also the scheming King Leopold. The book also features an ongoing love story between Princess Emma Von Der Tann and Barney.
The author did a good job of describing the plot well and the setting but at times he veered off course and was boring at times. I also thought the storyline made by the author was creative. This story was written a long time ago and some of the styles of writing didn't appeal to me.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure novels during times of war. The book also has some romance in it as well. But most of the book features war strategy scenes and also adventure scenes with Barney. Overall, I really didn't enjoy this book very much.
Throughout the book, Barney Custer has to take a leadership role without much instruction or direction which shows how leadership is imperative to being a hero. This book can be put under the category of historical fiction or even romance. The plot is based during a war period and it gives the book an interesting plot. This book was decent and I would maybe recommend this book if you are into world war one and fantasy.
Barney Custer, a native of Nebraska, was born from a farmer and Princess Victoria Rubinroth of Lutha travels to his mother's land to get a feel of his mother's roots. Without realizing, Barney shows up and is an exact look alike as the current king who has just recently escaped prison. He is mistaken for him and under the pressure of a whole country must lead in the midst of the first world war. He is faced with antagonists such as Prince Peter of Blentz, The Austrian Armed Forces, and also the scheming King Leopold. The book also features an ongoing love story between Princess Emma Von Der Tann and Barney.
The author did a good job of describing the plot well and the setting but at times he veered off course and was boring at times. I also thought the storyline made by the author was creative. This story was written a long time ago and some of the styles of writing didn't appeal to me.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure novels during times of war. The book also has some romance in it as well. But most of the book features war strategy scenes and also adventure scenes with Barney. Overall, I really didn't enjoy this book very much.
Throughout the book, Barney Custer has to take a leadership role without much instruction or direction which shows how leadership is imperative to being a hero. This book can be put under the category of historical fiction or even romance. The plot is based during a war period and it gives the book an interesting plot. This book was decent and I would maybe recommend this book if you are into world war one and fantasy.
October 20, 2012
If you read a description of this book, you'll think it's just another telling of the Prince-and-the-Pauper story, because it does involve a mistaken identity. But read the book, because the amount of tension and nail-biting action will astound you. I could not put this book down whilst reading it, it's just such a good story and so well told. It's a very unique story for ERB in that sense, and frankly unique among books in general. This is one of THOSE stories.
December 22, 2013
I simply had to put this book down after it ended, because I needed my hands for stuff. Otherwise I was totally stuck in this most most endearing of adventure tales.
Is it derivative? Probably. But I frankly don't give a damn, and you probably won't either, what with the breakneck pace and all.
Is it derivative? Probably. But I frankly don't give a damn, and you probably won't either, what with the breakneck pace and all.
June 5, 2023
eponymous sentence:
p4: The mad king had escaped.
This is one of those books where it is ultimately better to just enjoy the ride. The sequel better answer the questions, though.
p4: The mad king had escaped.
This is one of those books where it is ultimately better to just enjoy the ride. The sequel better answer the questions, though.
December 17, 2016
Edgar Rice Burroughs' The Mad King (published 1926) is true to the Ruritanian Romance genre popularized by Anthony Hope's The Prisoner of Zenda (published 1894).
A ruler (usually of a small European country -- although Robert A. Heinlein's Double Star takes it galactic and won his the Hugo Award in 1956) is somehow incapacitated, imprisoned, kidnapped, etc. You get the idea. Enter the, unsuspecting (or hired), look-alike who steps in to save the day (usually because of the beautiful woman who is promised to the ruler). His true identity is discovered (by the enemies of the true ruler) and semi-chaos ensues whereupon our hero must continue plus thwart the enemy until the real king (or other VIP) can return to his position. Besides the ensuing battles of wit and luck, there is the sub-plot of whether the princess-figure is in love with the true king or with the imposter (and how much she is aware of the ruse and the necessity for it.) Not to mention the question of who gets the girl at the end of the story -- and why.
Back to The Mad King itself... My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this example of the genre. A lot of our enjoyment was in the humor of this book which especially evident when the American Barney Custer of Beatrice, Nebraska meets the Luthanian Princess Emma Von Der Tann (promised in an arranged marriage to King Leopold). She thinks he is mad for claiming to be an American when he is so obviously her intended. He thinks she is escaped from a madhouse because she insists upon treating him as the king.
In the meantime, the Bad Guys -- led by Prince Peter of Blentz who is next in line to inherit if Leopold isn't crowned when he comes of age -- are holding Lutha's rightful ruler captive in the castle and have convinced the populace that he is mad.
Set before and during WWI, the plot also involves Prince Peter allying with the Austrians to take over Lutha for himself. On the opposite side Barney (in his role as Leopold) invites the Serbian Army to aid him in reclaiming 'his' country from the Austrian invaders.
While much of the fun we had with this novel was because of our own family sense of humor (and smart aleck comments during the reading) I would recommend it as an amusing read.
A ruler (usually of a small European country -- although Robert A. Heinlein's Double Star takes it galactic and won his the Hugo Award in 1956) is somehow incapacitated, imprisoned, kidnapped, etc. You get the idea. Enter the, unsuspecting (or hired), look-alike who steps in to save the day (usually because of the beautiful woman who is promised to the ruler). His true identity is discovered (by the enemies of the true ruler) and semi-chaos ensues whereupon our hero must continue plus thwart the enemy until the real king (or other VIP) can return to his position. Besides the ensuing battles of wit and luck, there is the sub-plot of whether the princess-figure is in love with the true king or with the imposter (and how much she is aware of the ruse and the necessity for it.) Not to mention the question of who gets the girl at the end of the story -- and why.
Back to The Mad King itself... My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this example of the genre. A lot of our enjoyment was in the humor of this book which especially evident when the American Barney Custer of Beatrice, Nebraska meets the Luthanian Princess Emma Von Der Tann (promised in an arranged marriage to King Leopold). She thinks he is mad for claiming to be an American when he is so obviously her intended. He thinks she is escaped from a madhouse because she insists upon treating him as the king.
In the meantime, the Bad Guys -- led by Prince Peter of Blentz who is next in line to inherit if Leopold isn't crowned when he comes of age -- are holding Lutha's rightful ruler captive in the castle and have convinced the populace that he is mad.
Set before and during WWI, the plot also involves Prince Peter allying with the Austrians to take over Lutha for himself. On the opposite side Barney (in his role as Leopold) invites the Serbian Army to aid him in reclaiming 'his' country from the Austrian invaders.
While much of the fun we had with this novel was because of our own family sense of humor (and smart aleck comments during the reading) I would recommend it as an amusing read.
October 10, 2016
On the eve of World War I, American Barney Custer undergoes a series of unlikely adventures in a small Balkan country that is undergoing a crisis of succession to its throne.
I was listening to David Stifel’s audio version of this story on his excellent podcast, The Fantastic Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Some kind of glitch occurred in my iPhone and I lost my downloads after listening to a little over half of the story, and the missing episodes are no longer available on the podcast feed. I felt little inclination to obtain even a free copy for my Kindle app. I love ERB, but it turns out that his tried and true formula, complete with its over reliance on coincidence, is just too tiresome without the distractions of monsters and lost worlds.
I was listening to David Stifel’s audio version of this story on his excellent podcast, The Fantastic Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Some kind of glitch occurred in my iPhone and I lost my downloads after listening to a little over half of the story, and the missing episodes are no longer available on the podcast feed. I felt little inclination to obtain even a free copy for my Kindle app. I love ERB, but it turns out that his tried and true formula, complete with its over reliance on coincidence, is just too tiresome without the distractions of monsters and lost worlds.
May 14, 2021
This story reminded me of the serials that we used to see before the Saturday matinee when I was a kid. It's kind of a Prince and Pauper scenario; two cousins, one a king, one a American citizen; the king of Lutha has been kept a prisoner by his regent for 10 years and the American, Barney Custer, on a vacation to see his mother's home country, is mistaken for the king. Lots of adventure, a beautiful princess, all you want from a Edgar Rice Burroughs story.
February 8, 2008
I downloaded this onto my smartphone, where I do most of my light reading, from U. of VA's E-book site.
It's a good rollicking, deus ex machina, early 20th century action novel.
I make no claims about having high brow reading preferences, or not. But in any case, on a deep level, there's a lot to be said for fairytales.
It's a good rollicking, deus ex machina, early 20th century action novel.
I make no claims about having high brow reading preferences, or not. But in any case, on a deep level, there's a lot to be said for fairytales.
February 15, 2009
Wish I cold give it 2.5 stars since it's the definition of okay.
July 17, 2013
It was an interesting and decent book, felt a bit long, maybe long winded too but I didn't feel I had wasted my time.
August 17, 2014
Attractive and incorporating story about mistaken identity which leads into capture, escape, love and betrayal.
December 7, 2014
Free or real cheap on Kindle. Overwrought plot, clearly a boys' adventure story.
May 19, 2015
I expect a prince and pauper story to be a bit contrived, but this was way over the top. I'd give it 1.5 stars, if I could.
December 1, 2016
A fun pulp adventure in the "Ruritanian" genre.
September 30, 2020
Man, that was fun!
Starts as a "homage" to the 'Prisoner of Zenda' and then morphs into a crazy cliffhanger serial.
The villains are irredeemably evil, the heroes are good and noble, the romance is sweet, the action is great and it has a nice sense of humor.
The whole thing just feels like ERB was just having fun.
Gets a bit too busy at the end and then rushes to wrap everything up in a page, but otherwise, just a fun romp.
Starts as a "homage" to the 'Prisoner of Zenda' and then morphs into a crazy cliffhanger serial.
The villains are irredeemably evil, the heroes are good and noble, the romance is sweet, the action is great and it has a nice sense of humor.
The whole thing just feels like ERB was just having fun.
Gets a bit too busy at the end and then rushes to wrap everything up in a page, but otherwise, just a fun romp.
November 28, 2017
When I was in Junior High and High School, Edgar Rice Burroughs was one of my favorite authors. I read everything (including this book) I could. Of course, it didn't take long to realize ERB had many faults as a writer. Virtually all his heroes could be identified by the fact they had "black hair and steel gray eyes". You knew who were going to get married at the end of the novels because whenever the man and woman touched, they'd feel a spark of electricity at the touch. And, of course, Burroughs reused the same plots and plot elements over and over and over. But that was okay. Because you knew ERB wasn't trying to write great literature. He was writing manly man macho adventure stories. Some of which are referred to as Science Fiction, but the Science in these books was crap even at the time Burroughs wrote them. It's more accurate to say ERB wrote Fantasy Adventures.
Occasionally, Burroughs would venture into other genres, however. The Western genre was probably his second most commonly genre forays. Occasionally, he'd try his hand at History Adventure novels. But then there are those books like "The Mad King" that might be best categorized as a Medieval Adventure tale except it takes place in contemporary times. (Well, contemporary to Burroughs anyway.)
"The Mad King" takes place in the mythical country of Lutha. (Unlike other made up lands by ERB, this one doesn't have its own language. Part of the fun of Burroughs is learning the languages of the outrageous places he created.) Lutha's king had died some ten years prior to the start of the book and according to evil regeant, Peter of Blentz, the king's son, Leopold, then ten years old, went a bit crazy upon his father's death. This necessitated Peter locking the child away in an asylum. Peter of Blentz of course, enjoys ruling the kingdom of Lutha and and in order to insure he still rules Lutha, decides after ten years of living in an asylum, young King Leopold must die. (Why wait so long? Why didn't Peter kill Leopold 5, 6, 9 and a half years ago?) Just before Peter of Blentz can carry out his plan to kill the rightful king of Lutha, Leopold escapes. A description of the king is circulated for his recapture.
Enter the novel's hero, Barney Custer of Beatrice, Nebraska. (Unlike most Burroughs heroes, Custer has blondish red hair. But he has the "steel gray eyes".) Due to a bet he lost, Custer now sports a beard which along with the rest of his physical appearance, has him matching the vague description of King Leopold. Due to a joke Custer makes to Princess Emma Von der Tamm (of course, when Custer meets her, he doesn't know she's a princess. And of course, he falls in love with her instantly. And vice versa. These are usual ERB tropes.) and how he matches the vague description, Custer is mistaken for the king. (Custer compounds matters by saying he won't shave the beard as "a matter of honor" and it was either the beard or a wear a green bonnet [another possible penalty for losing the bet]. Why Custer doesn't explain he lost a bet and has to wear a beard for a year instead of saying it's a "matter of honor" is beyond me. At any rate, by phrasing it this way, Barney Custer comes across as a bit crazy to Emma.)
The book (divided into two parts) then revolves around Custer not only being mistaken for the king, but Barney acting as the king to save (twice) the kingdom of Lutha. Along the way, Custer has many adventures, rescues the princess, realizes he's of the same royal blood as King Leopold and eventually marries Emma Von der Tamm. Oh, and he repeatedly (in the first part of the book) tries to explain he's not the king. No one believes him, though you'd think Barney Custer would have a tell-tale American accent noticeable to the Germanic natives of Lutha. Not to mention that at one point in part one he provides evidence that convinces somebody he's not the king, evidence he's had with him all this time but never uses until this one time.
Edgar Rice Burroughs is a writer that as I grew more familiar with his works, I became more aware of his flaws. I still enjoyed reading his books, but I was aware of the flaws. Eventually, Burroughs became the writer I read when I wanted to park my brain in neutral and not think. Just enjoy the adventure. The problem with "The Mad King" is there are so many plot holes and lapses in logic, they jump out at you. It's hard to overlook them. It's not like reading a Barsoom book and knowing Mars isn't like that. These are flaws where characters have to act like idiots in order to advance the story. Because of this, while the adventure in "The Mad King" is fun, it's not as fun or interesting as a Tarzan or John Carter story.
Occasionally, Burroughs would venture into other genres, however. The Western genre was probably his second most commonly genre forays. Occasionally, he'd try his hand at History Adventure novels. But then there are those books like "The Mad King" that might be best categorized as a Medieval Adventure tale except it takes place in contemporary times. (Well, contemporary to Burroughs anyway.)
"The Mad King" takes place in the mythical country of Lutha. (Unlike other made up lands by ERB, this one doesn't have its own language. Part of the fun of Burroughs is learning the languages of the outrageous places he created.) Lutha's king had died some ten years prior to the start of the book and according to evil regeant, Peter of Blentz, the king's son, Leopold, then ten years old, went a bit crazy upon his father's death. This necessitated Peter locking the child away in an asylum. Peter of Blentz of course, enjoys ruling the kingdom of Lutha and and in order to insure he still rules Lutha, decides after ten years of living in an asylum, young King Leopold must die. (Why wait so long? Why didn't Peter kill Leopold 5, 6, 9 and a half years ago?) Just before Peter of Blentz can carry out his plan to kill the rightful king of Lutha, Leopold escapes. A description of the king is circulated for his recapture.
Enter the novel's hero, Barney Custer of Beatrice, Nebraska. (Unlike most Burroughs heroes, Custer has blondish red hair. But he has the "steel gray eyes".) Due to a bet he lost, Custer now sports a beard which along with the rest of his physical appearance, has him matching the vague description of King Leopold. Due to a joke Custer makes to Princess Emma Von der Tamm (of course, when Custer meets her, he doesn't know she's a princess. And of course, he falls in love with her instantly. And vice versa. These are usual ERB tropes.) and how he matches the vague description, Custer is mistaken for the king. (Custer compounds matters by saying he won't shave the beard as "a matter of honor" and it was either the beard or a wear a green bonnet [another possible penalty for losing the bet]. Why Custer doesn't explain he lost a bet and has to wear a beard for a year instead of saying it's a "matter of honor" is beyond me. At any rate, by phrasing it this way, Barney Custer comes across as a bit crazy to Emma.)
The book (divided into two parts) then revolves around Custer not only being mistaken for the king, but Barney acting as the king to save (twice) the kingdom of Lutha. Along the way, Custer has many adventures, rescues the princess, realizes he's of the same royal blood as King Leopold and eventually marries Emma Von der Tamm. Oh, and he repeatedly (in the first part of the book) tries to explain he's not the king. No one believes him, though you'd think Barney Custer would have a tell-tale American accent noticeable to the Germanic natives of Lutha. Not to mention that at one point in part one he provides evidence that convinces somebody he's not the king, evidence he's had with him all this time but never uses until this one time.
Edgar Rice Burroughs is a writer that as I grew more familiar with his works, I became more aware of his flaws. I still enjoyed reading his books, but I was aware of the flaws. Eventually, Burroughs became the writer I read when I wanted to park my brain in neutral and not think. Just enjoy the adventure. The problem with "The Mad King" is there are so many plot holes and lapses in logic, they jump out at you. It's hard to overlook them. It's not like reading a Barsoom book and knowing Mars isn't like that. These are flaws where characters have to act like idiots in order to advance the story. Because of this, while the adventure in "The Mad King" is fun, it's not as fun or interesting as a Tarzan or John Carter story.
March 30, 2023
Edgar Rice Burroughs' contribution to "Ruritanian Fiction" is a fun book, full of narrow escapes, chases (including what must be an early example of a car chase in fiction), battles and a lot of humor. Especially in the first half, Burroughs has quite a bit of fun with Barney Custer's resemblance to the recently escaped "mad king" of the country of Lutha. This is especially true in the first few chapters, when he meets the Princess Emma. Emma thinks Barney is the king and that his denials of this is a sign of his supposed insanity. Barney, in the meantime, comes to the conclusion that Emma is herself nuts and probably an escapee from an asylum.
But matters quickly grow serious as Barney, still mistaken as the king, is captured by villains hoping to seize the throne. The first half of the book deals with Barney, who conducts himself with courage and thorough honesty (even when it would be to his benefit to be dishonest) sorting this out and learning something about the ingratitude of kings.
The second half takes place after the start of World War I, with the weak-willed king about to sell out his country to Austria. Barney once again gets drawn into a situation where he must pose as the king to save the country, which leads to an epic battle scene near the book's climax. Barney continues to conduct himself with honor and honesty, even to the point of risking his life to save a king who hates him.
Great adventure story rife with themes of honor, self-sacrifice and honesty.
But matters quickly grow serious as Barney, still mistaken as the king, is captured by villains hoping to seize the throne. The first half of the book deals with Barney, who conducts himself with courage and thorough honesty (even when it would be to his benefit to be dishonest) sorting this out and learning something about the ingratitude of kings.
The second half takes place after the start of World War I, with the weak-willed king about to sell out his country to Austria. Barney once again gets drawn into a situation where he must pose as the king to save the country, which leads to an epic battle scene near the book's climax. Barney continues to conduct himself with honor and honesty, even to the point of risking his life to save a king who hates him.
Great adventure story rife with themes of honor, self-sacrifice and honesty.
July 9, 2011
Burroughs can be a real hoot at times...those times when the ole willing suspension of disbelief gets tweaked and tweaked and tweaked again and again, or just the one or two times. But life can be like that, we all know, coincidences abound.
There's some nice plot elements in this one...hollow castle walls and then some. Political intrigue. w/o the attendant mediot explanation for what events are unfolding and why they are important.
Late in the story, the cousin of the willing suspension of disbelief...dunno if any of the big heads ever put a word on it....touchstone? no, that's not it...ummmm. whatever....but things happen and instead of getting even something resembling a play by play...there is enough ambiguity involved that your...ummm, nipples being to itch. tweaked....
still, the story floes and floes, even if one comes away w/the feeling that Burroughs is tweaking with you.
Not one king, right, but two....one of those situations where 2 peoples look alike...
Yeah, well, Harry Crews had twins at the end of Car....so eat it! go on and eat it! as the song goes.
good read, good story, worth a read.
There's some nice plot elements in this one...hollow castle walls and then some. Political intrigue. w/o the attendant mediot explanation for what events are unfolding and why they are important.
Late in the story, the cousin of the willing suspension of disbelief...dunno if any of the big heads ever put a word on it....touchstone? no, that's not it...ummmm. whatever....but things happen and instead of getting even something resembling a play by play...there is enough ambiguity involved that your...ummm, nipples being to itch. tweaked....
still, the story floes and floes, even if one comes away w/the feeling that Burroughs is tweaking with you.
Not one king, right, but two....one of those situations where 2 peoples look alike...
Yeah, well, Harry Crews had twins at the end of Car....so eat it! go on and eat it! as the song goes.
good read, good story, worth a read.
December 26, 2013
This book is exactly what you would think of when someone says they are telling a yarn. Not particularly well written and perhaps a tad predictable (even in its attempts to be unpredictable), it is nevertheless engaging. The story takes place in the fictional kingdom of Lutha, lying somewhere between Austria and Serbia (although with more of a Bavarian feel to it than a Slovenian one), roughly around the early 20th century. There, Barney Custer, a traveling American, becomes embroiled in local politics. First he is mistaken as the local, soon to be murdered, monarch and must fight to free himself and the aforementioned monarch to put him on the throne and then after a brief interlude back in Beatrice, Nebraska, Barney returns to maintain Lutha's independence from Austria. The end is a given but fun nonetheless. Definitely a pulp style read but a quick and entertaining one nonetheless. This was more like 3.5 stars, but I decided to round up on this one :) If you can find it then pick it up of the shelf--no longer in print!
February 7, 2015
Oh, fun! This is a boy's book. Barney, the hero, is in one scrape after another, always managing to get out of it somehow. Yes, at times his delivery is a bit incredulous, but the story moves well. There is mistaken identity, a love story, and a variety of villains from suave diplomats to petty personalities and ambitious royalty who will even use murder to further their ends. And of course there is action, lots of it with war, kidnappings, auto wrecks, personal fights, and so much more. I remember reading this years ago but had forgotten most of the story. It was a great read the second time. Be adventuresome and have some fun reading The Mad King, and then pass it on to a young boy who will see a red-blooded American hero rise to the top and hopefully be inspired to do so in his own life.
February 26, 2016
The book 'Prisoner of Zenda' has inspired many other works and adaptations including the film 'Dave' with Kevin Kline. Its hard to know where this version sits. I could call it a reimagining, or a parody or a blatant ripoff.
Whatever you call it, all i care about is whether its any good and for a while there it was.
The first half of it which is the rewrite of 'Prisoner of Zenda' is quite fun and actually a little more entertaining than the original in my opinion.
The second-half based on the sequel to Zenda (i'm assuming) however just really outstayed its welcome and i got quite bored with it by the end. It has several major plot errors as well which don't help, and many more coincidences and Deus ex machina's than the first half.
There's an excellent version of this on Libravox which i started listening too, once i got bored with reading it.
Whatever you call it, all i care about is whether its any good and for a while there it was.
The first half of it which is the rewrite of 'Prisoner of Zenda' is quite fun and actually a little more entertaining than the original in my opinion.
The second-half based on the sequel to Zenda (i'm assuming) however just really outstayed its welcome and i got quite bored with it by the end. It has several major plot errors as well which don't help, and many more coincidences and Deus ex machina's than the first half.
There's an excellent version of this on Libravox which i started listening too, once i got bored with reading it.
March 20, 2014
A rip-roaring page turner, like a Saturday-morning serial of yesteryear. In the same vein as The Prisoner of Zenda, this is a cracking adventure story about a royal lookalike who finds himself embroiled in internal strife of a small country when he visits Europe from the USA.
A hundred years since its publication, I find its Americans-are-best attitude a little hard to swallow, but if you take that as ironic, it adds to your amusement of this book. The protagonist is a kind of Richard Hannay figure albeit a Yank, and every chapter ends with a cliffhanger or moment of high drama.
A sensational read - E R Burroughs's style is lucid and cinematic, from a time before cinema had developed its visual language.
Track it down if you can and enjoy!
A hundred years since its publication, I find its Americans-are-best attitude a little hard to swallow, but if you take that as ironic, it adds to your amusement of this book. The protagonist is a kind of Richard Hannay figure albeit a Yank, and every chapter ends with a cliffhanger or moment of high drama.
A sensational read - E R Burroughs's style is lucid and cinematic, from a time before cinema had developed its visual language.
Track it down if you can and enjoy!
March 4, 2015
I'm not sure who is the mad king over here... You have the real king, who is a pussy, and the american, who is actually more kinglike than the king.
During this book the american gets confussed for the king by the princsess en everybody else because they look so alike.
The american gets the chance a few times to 'steal' the throne, however, he doesn't. I think this is supposed to be a moral statement, to only take what is yours.
I must say sometimes is was a bit confussed to who was who, as the american sat on the trone a couple of times as well..
But although the book is old (1914 and 1915) the story is still fun to read.
During this book the american gets confussed for the king by the princsess en everybody else because they look so alike.
The american gets the chance a few times to 'steal' the throne, however, he doesn't. I think this is supposed to be a moral statement, to only take what is yours.
I must say sometimes is was a bit confussed to who was who, as the american sat on the trone a couple of times as well..
But although the book is old (1914 and 1915) the story is still fun to read.
March 24, 2011
Fun swashbuckling sort of adventure set in fiction European country. Our stalwart hero looks like the imprisoned king who's fighting the evil grand vizier or something for the throne in the first part. In the second, he must return and prevent a war, save the girl, and defeat his enemies once again. Super fun.
December 17, 2012
Luckily this book is now public domain, because it's not easy to find in used bookstores anymore. I read this in high school and really enjoyed it. I have recently reread it and can say, it's not a book that's going to change your life, but it is a fun read with maybe ONE too many twists and turns.
February 9, 2012
Edgar Rice Burroughs had his books that were in a series and then a number of titles that were stand alone. This is a stand alone title.
A young man moves from being an outcast to becoming the king of a small European country. It isn't the best of Burroughs, but it is fun if you already like Burroughs.
A young man moves from being an outcast to becoming the king of a small European country. It isn't the best of Burroughs, but it is fun if you already like Burroughs.
July 10, 2013
This tale was ok, but its definitely not a preferred Burroughs book for me... I guess I just think the Mars stories are better...
However, it is said that the King of Lutha is mad and on the 'loose' and it so happens that a look-alike American named Barney is around ... Sounds like Prisoner of Zenda, hey...
However, it is said that the King of Lutha is mad and on the 'loose' and it so happens that a look-alike American named Barney is around ... Sounds like Prisoner of Zenda, hey...
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