The Prisoner of Zenda, by Anthony Hope
A few years ago, I read a book by Edgar Rice Burroughs, called The Mad King. It was about a switcheroo between the king and another man, in order to save the kingdom. About a year later, as I was on an elliptical at the gym, there was a black and white movie playing on one of the tvs, and I could have sworn it was The Mad King. I discovered that it was actually The Prisoner of Zenda. I had to look into this and I discovered that Burroughs' book came after Zenda, and was a blatant rip-off of it.
Last year, I went to a flea market, and found this beauty on a table, for only $3. It was printed in 1898 and is in good enough condition for me. I put it into Mount TBR and got it read in April.
I really enjoyed this one. The writing style is old fashioned. as is most writing from the late 19th century, but it was a fun read. It's about a gentleman who lives in England but has distant blood relation to royalty in a far off little country called Ruritania. He ends up visiting the country and the king's men discover he is a dead ringer for the king. The king invites him to visit at his hunting lodge and the king ends up drunk, drugged by his brother, so he will miss his coronation. The king's men decided to switch the king and his distant cousin, just until the king can wake up again. Sounds easy peasy, but while they are away at the coronation, the king gets kidnapped, and so they have to devise a plan to save him.
Very fun, and if you get a chance, watch the movie, too. Then read The Mad King, by Edgar Rice Burroughs and see the similarity.
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