Continuing the journey through Ruritania, but jumping back a century and a half to the days of Rudolf III (of whom one hears briefly in Zenda) and his sister Osra. From this book we learn:

- men are like lemmings;
- Henry the Lion was a dangerous nutter even by Ruritanian standards;
- everybody is somebody else's cousin.

The book is based on a premise, namely, everyone falls in love with Princess Osra, that becomes rather tiresome, but I continue to have a massive crush on the Bishop of Modenstein.

Re-read.

Re-read, because it's awesome - though, as always, I am thrown by the narrator not being Rudolf Rassendyll (not that I have anything against Fritz; it's just confusing). And I blush to admit it, but the end still makes me cry. A bit. Next up: The Heart of Princess Osra. I wonder whether anyone's reprinted that recently?