"A fine fantasy!"

Prince Melos is dead. He had been sent to the Masters as a child in order to save his life. He was a simple child and one day he just wandered off and never came back. Now a traveling actor has been staying with the Masters because he was recovering from an illness. The queen sent for Prince Melos because she?s dying and she has betrothed him to her Commander. Instead of telling the queen that the prince is dead the Masters make the traveling actor promise that he?ll be Prince Melos.

He agrees but not before he puts up quite a struggle about it. He also makes a bargain that Master Adrian has to accompany him to the palace. On the trip, several attempts on his life are made. He acts simple and dumb and has everyone in the party wondering about him. Then he gets to the palace and meets Commander Ravyn Malakar, his betrothed. He decides that maybe it?s worthwhile after all.

More attempts are made on his life and all sorts of things that could go wrong do. The other Masters show up and the head of the Masters puts spells on everyone. Then "Prince Melos?" mother shows up with her acting troop. "Prince Melos" sends her a hidden signal so she knows not to spill the beans about him but she tells him that she has something very important to discuss with him. What can this be and why doesn?t Ravyn want to go through with the betrothal ceremony? How are things going to end up?

I thought Prince Melos was quite comedic. He was quite the actor and fooled a lot of people. The queen kept telling him that she could see the family resemblance and he would silently chuckle about this because he knew there was no way this could be true. This book was action packed from first page to last. It seemed as if something exciting was happening on every page. For those who enjoy fantasy adventure this book is recommended.

Reviewed by Kathy Boswell
Posted February 17, 2002

Summary

Matt Southers isn't enjoying his low-paying job teaching at the local community college, and he misses his home, his friends and their cutthroat role-playing games. So when two oddly dressed men make him an unbelievable proposition, Matt is willing to hear more - especially when the hearing involves supper in a local greasy spoon and a great deal of beer.

But when Matt awakes in a castle on a distant world so obviously not his own, and everyone starts calling him 'Prince Methos,' he suspects that Verene the mage and Captain Imre weren't kidding about their offer - they've brought him here to Urrathe to take the place of the recently-deceased prince of the realm and to rally the troops against a dangerous menace.

This menace turns out to be the powerful wizard Gremian Brecc, who is close to taking over the land. With the help of his new friends, and the distant and enigmatic commander of the prince's guard, Ria Hawkmoon, Matt must scramble to learn all he can before he ends up in the same state as the real prince - quite uncomfortably dead!