Rupert of Hentzau was published in 1898, and takes place three years after the events of the first book. It's been adapted into several films, but has never been as popular as The Prisoner of Zenda.
The narrator is no longer Rudolf, for reasons that will become clear when you finish the book, but instead his friend Fritz. Unfortunately, Fritz isn't as good a narrator as Rudolf. This book doesn't bring the reader to the edge of their seat the way Zenda does.
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
Flavia is now Queen of Ruritania and married to King Rudolf. She and her husband have never loved each other, however, and she's still in love with not-king!Rudolf, who she hasn't seen for three years. She writes him a letter to give him a permanent farewell, and gives it to Fritz to deliver to Rudolf. Fritz is ambushed along the way by Rupert of Hentzau, who's still up to his old tricks. Rupert reads the letter and immediately sees a way to ruin Flavia and both Rudolfs. A race against time starts to retrieve the letter and foil Rupert's plots.
From the beginning, I knew this story wouldn't be as good as the original. But I was determined to give it a try, and I ended up enjoying it a lot. I admit spent most of the time impatiently waiting for Rupert's next appearance, though 😊 That's one problem with this book. Even though he's the title character and main villain, Rupert of Hentzau has far too few appearances for my liking.
In fact, Rupert is the most likeable character in this novel. He makes no pretensions to being anything other than a villain. The supposed heroes, meanwhile, have become a collection of jerks since the end of the first novel. I used to like Flavia, but the whole plot starts because she writes a love letter to a man who isn't her husband, and so I was very disappointed in what this novel did with her character. Not-king!Rudolf is no longer the awesome if out-of-his-depth hero of the first book, and Fritz and Sapt are just... dull.
The book still has some moments of drama. The death of King Rudolf took me completely by surprise. And it has its comical moments, like the embarrassing moment when not-king!Rudolf is seen climbing through a window by a whole crowd of aristocrats who think he's the king.
I have mixed feelings about Rupert's death. On the one hand, he was already defeated when Rudolf shot him. On the other, he had just tried to kill Rudolf, and would have tried again if he lived. On the other hand (I know, that makes no sense), I'm disappointed Rupert died at all. Yes, he richly deserved it, but he was such an awesome villain!
The last few chapters were the most dramatic and enjoyable. The weakest moment is when the author kills Rudolf off without revealing what his choice was. I understand why he did it, but it's still an anti-climax.
Yet I still cried all the way through the final chapter. I couldn't help it. I wasn't even sure what I was crying at -- Rupert's death, Rudolf's death, or the aftermath of Rudolf's death. But the funeral was so poignant and tragic that I burst into tears and kept crying even after the last sentence 😭
Is it available online?: Yes, on Gutenberg.
Rating: 6/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment