Found: Older Fantasy Story - or a fever dream...
Original topic subject: Older Fantasy Story - or a fever dream...
Talk Name that Book
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1Vicky.Newton
Any help identifying if this is an actual book or some kind of fever dream would be greatly appreciated.
It's an older book, possibly 1970s or 80's (90's at a push), which was a standalone novella length.
Main protagonist is a carnival conjureer particularly known for use of slight of hand and flash bombs to replicate fire magic. He's hired as a magically empowered body double of a prince who has fire magic to stand in for him during the inheritance rituals because he is being poisoned. Main protagonist must find out who is posioning the prince, who killed the king and generally survive in a magical castle which is out of control (because the king is dead and there is no one of the blood to control it).
In the end the magic used on the main protagonist actually gives him the princes fire powers and royal blood, or maybe he had them all along as the bastard son of the king, and he takes the castle.
Notable elements. There are three royal children each with elemental powers. Daughter (who was the one who murdered the king) controlled air, another son whi controlled water (notably he has a magic room with walls of water and sea life living within their depths, this may even have been the character that was the posioner) and said prince with fire magic who was totally sadistic and ended up being the last royal standing before the main protagonist killed him and took his place.
Another notable event is a room that eats the nobles who were living in it and there is a dinner party attacked by ravens/ flying monsters which are killed by the princess sucking the air out of their lungs (this is how main protagonist worked out she killed the king).
Last scene is of the now king sitting on a throne with main female lead flirting, about to tell her the truth as to who he actually is. Side note, I'm pretty sure her father hired the main protagonist in the first place and was the one who suggested that the main protagonist was the bastard son of the old king hence being entitled to take the throne. This character dies before the end of the book.
I wish I could remember the name of the book, because I'd like to revisit it and see if it is as compelling as I remember.
Thanks for taking the time to read, and thanks in advance for any help or advice.
It's an older book, possibly 1970s or 80's (90's at a push), which was a standalone novella length.
Main protagonist is a carnival conjureer particularly known for use of slight of hand and flash bombs to replicate fire magic. He's hired as a magically empowered body double of a prince who has fire magic to stand in for him during the inheritance rituals because he is being poisoned. Main protagonist must find out who is posioning the prince, who killed the king and generally survive in a magical castle which is out of control (because the king is dead and there is no one of the blood to control it).
In the end the magic used on the main protagonist actually gives him the princes fire powers and royal blood, or maybe he had them all along as the bastard son of the king, and he takes the castle.
Notable elements. There are three royal children each with elemental powers. Daughter (who was the one who murdered the king) controlled air, another son whi controlled water (notably he has a magic room with walls of water and sea life living within their depths, this may even have been the character that was the posioner) and said prince with fire magic who was totally sadistic and ended up being the last royal standing before the main protagonist killed him and took his place.
Another notable event is a room that eats the nobles who were living in it and there is a dinner party attacked by ravens/ flying monsters which are killed by the princess sucking the air out of their lungs (this is how main protagonist worked out she killed the king).
Last scene is of the now king sitting on a throne with main female lead flirting, about to tell her the truth as to who he actually is. Side note, I'm pretty sure her father hired the main protagonist in the first place and was the one who suggested that the main protagonist was the bastard son of the old king hence being entitled to take the throne. This character dies before the end of the book.
I wish I could remember the name of the book, because I'd like to revisit it and see if it is as compelling as I remember.
Thanks for taking the time to read, and thanks in advance for any help or advice.
2MissSquish
Blood and Honor by Simon R. Green.
3Vicky.Newton
>2 MissSquish: Amazing, thanks MissSquish!
4sueelleker
>3 Vicky.Newton: Excellent synopsis. And yes, it was the magic that gave him the powers, as it turned him into an exact duplicate of the prince. There are other books in the series, which is the "Forest Kingdom" series.https://www.fantasticfiction.com/g/simon-r-green/forest-kingdom/
