![]() ![]() ![]() So you can definitely enjoy this story without having read the book upon which it is based, though I would venture if you were familiar with the original tale, Charles’ twist on the POV would be even more fun.Īnd this book is definitely fun. In fact, given that I was not at all familiar with the original story, I avoided reading that book’s summary until after finishing Henchmen so I was coming at this book totally cold, though Jasper references the original story and even quotes from it at times, so it pretty clear the basics of that book from reading this one. It gives the story a delightful spin that I could appreciate even not having read The Prisoner of Zenda. It is presented as the “true” version of the story, rather than what is detailed in Hope’s book, coming to light now after Jasper’s death as he reveals all about what really happened during the events of the original tale. Instead, Charles has given us a new version of the story told from the POV of a side character in the original, painting him and Jasper as the heroes. What Charles has done here is quite interesting, as this is more than a retelling that simply changes the gender/sexuality of the main characters. The Henchmen of Zenda is a gay/bi retelling of the classic story, The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope. Soon Jasper finds himself in the middle of a double cross (then triple cross, then quadruple) as he tries to stay one step ahead of Michael and his brother, protect his friend, hide his own actions, and keep himself and Rupert alive. Overthrowing a king without anyone becoming suspicious of Michael isn’t easy, especially when Jasper’s own goals are not totally in line. But as the men spend more time together, Jasper finds himself charmed by the younger, gorgeous, peacock of a man and staying away isn’t as easy as he anticipated. When a new man, Rupert of Hentzau, arrives to join the team, Michael warns Jasper to stay away from the him, and although disappointed, Jasper is determined to do that just he has higher goals he needs to focus on. But he must continue to be Michael’s loyal servant in public, both to advance his new aims, as well as to keep himself alive as Michael’s jealousy and need for absolute loyalty make anything else impossible. ![]() When Jasper arrives at Michael’s stronghold in the town of Zenda, he realizes that an old friend needs his help, and so while still ostensibly working for Michael, his goals now lie in a different direction. While Michael’s brother is next in line for the throne (given Michael is both a bastard and doesn’t have the requisite red hair to make folks forget that fact), Michael is interested in seeing himself take the crown and has hired Jasper and several other men to help him make that happen. Most recently, Jasper has been hired by Michael Elphberg, half brother to the future king of Ruritania. That doesn’t bother Jasper much, and he mostly travels around having adventures and getting into trouble, selling his services and his skills with the blade to the highest bidder. Jasper Detchard has disgraced his family, having been thrown out of the military and generally being a guy of questionable morality. ![]()
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