| The Pixilated Peeress | |
|---|---|
first edition of The Pixilated Peeress |
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| Author(s) | L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp |
| Cover artist | Romas |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books |
| Publication date | 1991 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 208 pp |
| ISBN | 0345367324 |
| OCLC Number | 23287924 |
| Dewey Decimal | 813/.54 20 |
| LC Classification | PS3507.E2344 P53 1991 |
| Preceded by | The Incorporated Knight |
The Pixilated Peeress is a fantasy novel written by L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp. It is the second book in a sequence of two, following The Incorporated Knight. It was first published in hardcover by Del Rey Books in 1991, and in paperback by the same publisher in 1992. An E-book edition was published by Gollancz's SF Gateway imprint on September 29, 2011 as part of a general release of de Camp's works in electronic form.[1][2]
Contents |
Soldier Thorolf Zigramson of Rhaetia gains a burden rather than gratitude by rescuing the self-important Countess Yvette of Grintz from the forces of the avaricious Duke of Landai, occupier of her fief and aspirant to her hand. To protect the countess from her enemy Thorolf takes her to the enchanter Doctor Bardi, who undertakes to magically disguise her features but instead turns her into an octopus by mistake. To reverse the spell Thorolf resorts to the shady wizard Doctor Orlandus, which only makes things worse; he mesmerizes Yvette as part of his scheme to take secret control of the government of Rhaetia. On top of that, the hapless warrior finds himself under suspicion of murdering Doctor Bardi. He seeks sanctuary with the trolls, whose price for protection is wedding one of their number. Should he refuse, he will be eaten. Now he has the unenviable task of saving not only Yvette and his country, but himself as well.
The Pixilated Peeress and its predecessor The Incorporated Knight are both set in the medieval era of an alternate world sharing the geography of our own, but in which a "Napolitanian" (Neapolitan) empire filled the role of Rome and no universal religion like Christianity ever arose, leaving its nations split among competing pagan sects. The Rhaetia of which Thorolf is a citizen roughly corresponds to our world's Switzerland. In keeping with the character of de Camp's fantasy world as a cognate of our own, its place names tend to echo those of the real world. For instance, there was an actual Rhaetia in the region de Camp places his that was a province of the Roman Empire. His Landai may be intended to represent the actual Landau in southwestern Germany.
| Preceded by The Incorporated Knight |
Incorporated Knight sequence The Pixilated Peeress |
Succeeded by None |