This is the English translation of a German classic from Wilhelm Hauff. It is a medieval tale set in early 16th century Swabia and is very much in the tradition of Sir Walter Scott. The work inspired a German count to build, in the 1840s, the castle Schloss Lichtenstein which had featured prominently in the novel. The castle is now a major tourist attraction.

The hero of the story is totally unsympathetic as is the Duke who he is fighting to return to power. I nevertheless found it particularly interesting to since I was reading it while hiking in the Swabian Jura featured in the story. Some days, I would read a chapter describing the scenery I had experienced earlier that day.

The e-book edition I read was from HardPress and was terrible. There were misspellings and other editorial flaws all over the book. An editor should have spent time cleaning up the edition before offering it for sale. ( )