Where an Old Book Is Lots of Fun

The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Of course I've heard of this novel. Well, the movie, really. And it always sounded like an old movie that old people liked in old times, not something I would ever like. But I got the book on a whim and tried it out.

I loved it. This is a fun novel. I'm not saying it's good for its time or any other "grading on a curve" reason. No--it's just straight up a good book. This is like the "fun parts" version of a Scott or Dumas novel (both of which I love). Some action, some romance, some friendship and buddy stuff, some danger, some mystery... All good. It was super popular when it was published, and most of the other books he wrote didn't take off, but this stayed popular and got made into plays and lots of movies and so so many adaptations--radio shows, musicals, Bollywood versions, etc. And it's overdue for a Hollywood remake. Because it's good.

The novel is pretty slim at about 60,000 words. But that's cool. The writing is punchy, the pace is relentless, the characters are sympathetic on one side and villainous on the other, the story is engaging, and the ending is satisfying. It's a good romance in the older sense of the word. And the central conceit, that the MC resembles the King of Ruritania (who is technically his cousin) enough to impersonate him and handle his business after the king's been captured and imprisoned by his awful brother, could be awkward and distracting, but is well handled and is in no way ridiculous. In fact, throughout the story, the MC narrator addresses a number of sticky plot points in a natural way and makes it all seem reasonable, and I felt like my credulity wasn't unnecessarily strained. In many ways, despite it all, the novel feels pretty realistic.

I really think it holds up. Reading it reminds me of my experience with Stevenson's Treasure Island, which I always supposed was too old to be enjoyable. That was wrong. When I finally picked it up in my 50s, I found it to be really engaging and fun, and not in an ironic or nostalgic way. Just a good book. Stevenson's language can be somewhat demanding (especially for some young readers) but it is still modern enough to be quite readable for a lot of audiences. And The Prisoner of Zenda, being a little closer to us in time than Stevenson (and even closer than Dickens or Scott), and composed in language that is only slightly elevated compared to modern writing, feels like it could work for a lot of folks in 2024, including even younger and less sophisticated readers.

I liked it. No notes. I think I'm gonna go find one of those old movie versions that I never sat down to watch when I was a kid because now I think it might be really fun, and I'm gonna find other books by the author.

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