This is a deceptively silly book about destiny and the nature of fantasy
fiction. I picked it up on a whim, based on the cover description,
thinking that it was more likely to be really bad, but if good might be a
lot of fun.

It’s the story of a young man named Apropos, the son of a prostitute and
the child of an unknown father. He’s got a mishapen and useless leg
(a birth defect), a flame shaped book mark, and a bad attitude; he’s a
classic anti-hero in the style of Harry Flashman. In fact, the book
reads rather like a mixture of Harry Flashman with
Monty Python and the Holy Grail. For a period of time,
Apropos is squire to Sir Umbrage of the Flaming Nether Regions (the name
describes his manor, not his person); at one point he encounters the
dreadful Harpers Bizarre.

Except that sometimes it’s more serious than that.

I began the book skeptically; I grew to enjoy it; by the end, after
numerous twists and surprises, I was really rather pleased. The closing
scene is as good a close as I’ve seen in quite awhile.

There’s a sequel out in hardcover, The Woad to Wuin; I’m
looking forward to it.