The Unbeheaded King: #3

This final novel in The Reluctant King trilogy (preceded by The Goblin Tower and The Clocks of Iraz) is the most entertaining read of the three. I had already come to respect and feel comfortable with the good and brave Jorian, unbeheaded king of Xylar, and his wizard friend Karadur, and I had been waiting the equivalent of several hundred pages to read about Jorian's long-planned, very dangerous mission to rescue his chosen wife Estrildis from Xylar. As always, Jorian's adventures are, much to his own chagrin, fraught with danger and excitement at every turn, and the events of this novel are certainly no exception. For two years the Xylarians have pursued Jorian because he had escaped the kingdom with his head at the end of his five-year reign and thus thrown the politics of the country into turmoil. In Xylar, each king is beheaded after five years, and the next king is chosen by throwing the passing king's head into the crowd to see who catches it. Jorian's plan to reenter Xylar in an effort to get his chosen wife back is incredibly dangerous, but true love makes any good man risk his own life in its pursuit. In the way of all Jorian's plans and wishes, however, things never go quite the way he hopes.All three novels in the trilogy can be characterized as humorous fantasy, but The Unbeheaded King is by far the funniest. The action begins with Jorian and Karadur flying into Xylar in a large golden bathtub (the explanation for which can be found in The Clocks of Izar); amazingly, Jorian enters the tower where his lady resides and comes close to succeeding in his objective at the beginning of the novel. Then he trips and causes an alarm to ring out, forcing him to shimmy back up to the hovering bathtub and flee forthwith. Undaunted, Jorian, back in the neighboring land of Othomae, seeks other means for achieving his overriding aim. When he asks a sorcerer to summon a demon to attempt a rescue, the banter between the unhappy demon and the sorcerer is well-nigh hilarious, with the demon complaining about being summoned from his plane unjustly and threatening to foment his fellow demons into an attack on the human plane of existence after he finishes his assignment. Very humorous examples of why you should never underestimate a demon's capacity for stupidity produced many a laugh on my part. Several of Jorian's famous escapes from danger are, as usual, fantastic and highly entertaining, and the miscellaneous stories we hear from Jorian's lips as well as those of his friends (both human and, in one case, a ghost) bring even more humor to this enchanting work of fantasy. I am sad to see this trilogy end. I would gladly read novel after novel based on the times and trials of good Jorian and his reluctant ally Karadur. De Camp is a fantastic writer, bringing to vivid life the lands and peoples of his fictional world, steering his fantasy along at full steam, never allowing for dull moments. You do not read about De Camp's imaginative real

Third and last book in the trilogy which was later published in one volume as the Reluctant King, this volume picks up after Jorian has escaped the seige of Iraz and represents the last attempt to rescue his lady love Estrildis from captivity. Xylar will exchange her gladly for his head; as ex-king he blocks them from gaining a new king becuase their political system requires the king's head be chopped off after five years and tossed into the crowd to see who catches it and becomes the lucky person for the next five year term.Novaria, the setting of the trilogy and several other books, is explored more. And provides the mishaps that get in his way: a demon too busy to do his job right, lasso men from Xylar trying to pull him back, evading said men while trying to sneak back, and assorted other perils. In the end Jorian does discover true love. Albeit you'll never figure out how if you are used to reading save-the-princess-kill-the-monster romances.One thing I like about de Camp's writing is that it's fairly well thought out and detailed. Novaria is a real world with it's own character. Jorian himself is a story teller and that in itself indicates the dedication to story telling de Camp possesses because, unlike some books, Jorian actually can mesmerize the audience with stories. Unique tales at that.