Long ago as a teenager, I enjoyed this swash-buckling romantic adventure. In this re-read (decades later) one of my new impressions is that author Anthony Hope may well have written a satire on late nineteenth-century European politics. As such, it is a rollicking adventure, including over-the-top derring do.

The original plot was clever, the twin to a king successfully masquerading to hide the fact the real crown prince was incapacitated by his villainous brother to prevent the coronation. Unfortunately, I found so much of the fantastic action became tedious and unrealistic. By current standards, it reads as rather turgid, repetitive sequences with too-abrupt changes in pacing and a plot with obviously fated love. By all means, it will appeal to readers who enjoy cavalier, rambunctious action somewhat like the action in The Scarlet Pimpernel, which Baroness Orczy wrote in 1905. ( )

SPOILER: i was excited to learn that there was a sequel and hoped that at last that true love wouldn't have to yield to honor and responsibility. Instead, what I remember from reading the sequel is that the structure is very like the original and we never learn what the main character decides. ( )

If identical strangers, random European kingdoms, scheming relatives, and political intrigue sounds like a plot you've heard before, that's because The Prisoner of Zenda is the mother of all political adventure novels.

Rudolf Rassendyll, like many of his forefathers, is living proof of the infidelity of one ancestor's wife with a prince of Ruritania, a small Central European kingdom. But he never realized how much until he travels there himself and meets the crown prince (conveniently also named Rudolf) . . . who could easily be his twin. Which comes in handy when said prince is drugged the day of his coronation as king, and Rudolf has to fill in. It's even more convenient after the king is kidnapped by his scheming half-brother Michael, and Rudolf is forced to play king while plotting his rescue. Considering that he's fallen head over heals in love with the kings prospective wife, not all of these duties are particularly burdensome for him. But how will he tell her that he's not the Rudolf she thinks he is, and what will happen if he can't rescue the royal prisoner from Zenda? Find out in this 1894 bestseller.

If you like classic adventure stories or enjoy novels set in fictional European principalities, this one may be for you. But don't get me started on Rupert of Hentzau . . ( )

One of my all-time favorites, chiefly for Prisoner --Rupert is too sad for me. I can still recall reading it I suppose about 50 years ago. I also love the movie versions. ( )

Prisoner of Zenda was fantastic, very enjoyable, with great humor and pacing. Rupert of Hentzau lacked all its charm and was awful.