I was really pleasantly surprised by The Prisoner of Zenda. I've read a fair amount of 19th century literature, and it can often feel ponderous, weirdly racist, or just plain dull. Zenda is a book that holds up, with a fast paced adventure once you're past the first few chapters. Rudolf Rassendyll is an idle Englishman of the gentry. A trip to Europe to visit the fictional German principality of Ruritania on the eave of the coronation of its new king Rudolf IV leads to an amazing adventure. It turns out the two Rudolfs look almost identical, and when the king is drugged by his half-brother, the villain Duke 'Black' Michael, Rassendyll has to stand in for the coronation. And when the real King of Zenda is kidnapped, Rassendyll has to keep up the impersonation while working to free the king. He romances a princess, swordfights various blackguards, and executes daring raids on the formidable castle of Zenda. Rassendyll's honorable attitude is a real pleasure to read, an honest bravery that exemplifies the best of Victorian virtues.