Every Inch A King
by Harry Turtledove
Cover by
Bob Eggleton
It's Good to Be the King.
They say that everyone has a twin somewhere and when Otto of Schlepsig sees the
picture of Prince Halim Eddin, he realizes that he's not only found his twin,
but his ticket out of the third rate circus run by Dooger and Cark. Instead of
performing on a tightrope for the marks, he's taking his act to Shqiperi, where
the Prince has been invited to become their new king, a role that Otto is more
than happy to assume himself.
And so, Otto and his companion, the sword-swallowing Max of Witte, leave the
circus in search of the royal treasury...and royal harem...of Shqiperi. But
after traversing dangerous seas and facing incompetents, monsters, and pirates,
they now face their most dangerous challenge — the suspicions of Otto's new
subjects.
Shqiperi bargained for Halim Eddin, raised in a royal household, to be their
ruler. But when Otto, a rogue with very specific ideas about the duties of a
king, arrives in his place, they get something that they never bargained for. If
rank has its privileges, Otto intends to enjoy all of them.
Every Inch a King is a humorous fantasy filled with feats of derring-do,
wondrous magic, and beautiful maide... well, beautiful women. Otto and Max find
that they have entered a royal world that is truly fantastic.
And perhaps most fantastic of all, it is based on a true story.
Read a sample chapter
Comments on Harry Turtledove's work:
"The humor and action combine delightfully for fast-paced supernatural thrills."
—Carolyn Chusman, Locus
on The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump
"Turtledove has created an intriguing and elaborate setting and populated it
with interesting and unusual characters — both human and divine. He spins his
tale in prose that resonates to the rhythms of epic poetry. And he's not afraid
to grapple with seriouis issues. What would drive a man to contend against the
gods? What kind of god would create such a man in the first place?"
—L.D. Meagher, CNN
on Between the Rivers
"A delightful quasi-historical novel, with abundant action and humor."
—L. Sprague de Camp
on Agent of Byzantium
"Turtledove handles his cast well. Samuel Clemens sounds very realistic and Mark
Twain's voice keeps peeping through despite the fact that Turtledove wrote his
entire part."
—Steven Silver's Reviews
on How Few Remain
"It's a lighthearted, whimsical story, another solid entry in an entertaining
series"
—Booklist
"Turtledove keeps firmly in mind a fact that a writer should never forget —
everyone is the hero in their own story."
—S.M. Stirling
on Colonization: Down to Earth
"It's not for nothing that Harry Turtledove is called the 'Master' of his genre,
and he displays a virtuosity in portraying diverse cultures and classes with a
felicity that results in some of the most complete, well-rounded 'world'
building you're ever likely to see in alt-hist."
—Ashok K. Banker, Blogcritics.com
"Turtledove's skill at dramatizing historical forces proves magisterial once
more"
—Roland J. Green
on American Empire: Blood and Iron
Harry Turtledove is the author of more than seven dozen
novels, exploring the worlds of alternate history, science fiction and fantasy.
He won the Hugo Award for the novella "Down in the Bottomlands" and is twice the
winner of the Sidewise Award for Alternate History, for How Few Remain
and Ruled Britannia. He won the Golden Duck award for his alternate
history novel Gunpowder Empire.
In the Worldwar and Colonization series, he examined the results
of an alien invasion at the height of World War II. How Few Remain
started him on a massive series which traced the history of a North America
divided between Canada, the US and the Confederacy over the next eighty years.
He is married to novelist Laura Frankos. They have three daughters: Alison,
Rachel, and Rebecca.
The Harry Turtledove Web site is at http://www.sfsite.com/~silverag/turtledove.html.
(November 2005)
Bob Eggleton has won the Hugo Award for Best Artist eight
times. His artwork has been featured on the covers of books from every major
science fiction and fantasy publisher. With John Grant, he created
Dragonhenge. Eggleton's books also include Alien Horizons,
Greetings from Earth, and The Book of Sea Monsters. Eggleton was the
Artist guest of honor at Chicon 2000, the 58th
World Science Fiction Convention.
One of his interests is Godzilla, and he appeared as an extra in a recent
Japanese-made Godzilla film.
He is married to artist Marianne Plumridge.
(November 2005)
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