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.
Genre: Fantasy
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.
Genre: Fantasy
Used availability for Harry Turtledove's Every Inch a King