Stevenson's second novel Prince Otto followed the wildly successful Treasure Island. Though the plot boasts a little turbulence, it is a much more poetic, comic, and philosophical work. Mixing romance, political drama, character study, and humour, it follows the last few days of a small (fictional) German kingdom before the populace revolts against its ineffectual sovereign.We first meet Otto when he's off on a little incognito excursion through his lands to hear what the people are saying about him. We learn quickly that they see him as an oblivious, pleasure-seeking blunderer whose wife and prime minister are misgoverning the country and having an affair behind his back. He tries to regain control of his family and his kingdom, but true to character, he intends much more than he accomplishes, and he is only good for witty repartee. His honest desire to change struggles against his habitual self-effacement and self-doubt.
It's a testament to Stevenson's prose that this fairly simple, uneventful story still commands interest, and in several scenes, excitement. On the whole, though, I think the plot and characters, while rendered perfectly for what they are, do not offer as much as Stevenson's other books. The story arc is intended for some sort of redemption for Otto, if not as a prince then as a husband, but his self-abnegating qualities that led him into error are difficult to correct.
Arbitrary rating: 4 out of 5 ineffectual sovereigns
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