From Publishers Weekly

Fantastical historian Turtledove (_Settling Accounts: The Grapple_) puts a merry spin on the true tale of circus clown Otto Witte, who enjoyed a brief and glorious reign over Albania in 1913 thanks to a case of mistaken identity and the help of sword-swallower Max Schlepsig. Here, Turtledove reimagines Albania as Shqiperi, Otto Witte as Otto of Schlepsig, Max Schlepsig as Max of Witte, and disguises various other people and places in more (Ottoman Empire: Hassocki Empire) and less (Macedonia: Fyrom) obvious ways, while the seas are populated with serpents, and turn-of-the-20th-century technology is replaced by wizards. Masquerading as Prince Halim Eddin, Otto bullies and bluffs his way with Max across the continent in fine style. They enjoy the many pleasures of the Shqiperi palace, plundering its harem and treasury before making good their escape. Fictionalized reality requires top-notch style to balance the lack of suspense, and while Turtledove provides credible wordplay and commentary, he's no Terry Pratchett. Nonetheless, this stand-alone novel is a fun romp through an undeservedly obscure moment in history. (Feb.)
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Review

“Turtledove is a master at weaving details of ordinary life into a much bigger canvas to produce a world that so easily could have been our own.”
–Tulsa World, on Blood and Iron

“Turtledove manages the difficult feat of telling a story that is consistently funny–and wistful, exciting, tragic and swashbuckling at the same time. The characters are intensely human and the setting marvelously Ruritanian, down to the smallest impeccable detail conveyed with a master's economical brushstroke.”
–S. M. Stirling