"A punny fantasy"
After a particular horrific vacation, all Master Lizard-
Maker Finn wants to do is work on mechanical lizards at his
store in Fyxedia and enjoy the charms of his beloved Letita
Louise, his wife in everything but name. Unfortunately,
his sovereign, Prince Aghen Aghenfleck the Fourth, does not
take his wishes into account. The prince wants Finn to
travel by hot air balloon to Heldessia to deliver a lizard
clock to the king. This order makes no sense to Finn because Fyxedia and
Heldessia have been at war for over seven hundred years.
Since the matter is of some urgency, Finn leaves the next
day and when he lands in Heldessia, he finds Letita Louise
and Julia Jessica Slagg (his mechanical thinking and
talking lizard) waiting for him. Getting into the palace
is not easy but leaving is even harder because they keep
stumbling into plots and making enemies everywhere they go. THE TREACHERY OF KINGS is a very funny book especially
when the author gets on the topics of the Newlies and
mechanical lizards. The Newlies are a species of animals
that were was changed into near humans seven hundred years
ago. There is a lot of action and derring do in the
exciting sword and sorcery novel but it is the eccentric
and colorful cast of characters that make this fantasy a
first class winner. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted July 1, 2001
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