Which book sounds most compelling?

So the Knight Agency is running a Book in a Nutshell contest (
http://knightagency.blogspot.com/2009/03/enter-tkas-book-in-nutshell-com
petition.html ) where you describe your book in three sentences (total
length not to exceed 150 words), and the authors of best twenty entries
will get the described book read and commented on.

Only completed novel length works that have not previously turned down
by the Knight Agency are eligible. Deadline April 20th.

So, here are three sentences each on some of my eligible works... I was
kind of hoping you would tell me which ones you find most and least
compelling. (And any other comments are also welcome, naturally.) I'm
trying to figure out which ones still need some work.


BOOK ONE: Prince Asond values nothing that comes to him solely by
merit of being his father's son, not even himself. He is willing to
risk his life to save a ragged band of wanderers from unjust
accusations, enemy swords, and the winter wrath of a harsh northern
climate, but rescuing innocents is not enough to satisfy him. As long
as he doubts his own motivations, he will never consider his actions
truly heroic.

BOOK TWO: Lord Kide is charming, intelligent, suave, and very, very
poor. The emperor's daughter is kind, beautiful, rich, and magically
obsessed with the Art of Dance. Rescuing the princess from this most
exhausting curse will take every resource Kide has: an eye for art and
fashion, a razor sharp tongue, a bevy of young school girls, and a
were-monkey..

BOOK THREE: The problem with investigating the theft of a top-secret
alien artifact, is that nobody will tell you what its does -- or even
what it looks like. The problem with taking a case in a technological
preserve is that the criminals you are trying to catch have guns and
computers, and you have a measuring tape and a sword. And the problem
with saying 'so its a tough job, we can handle it!' is that you are
already up to your neck in trouble when the space pirates show up.

BOOK FOUR: A member of the Imperial Court of Borgim couldn't possibly
be anything less than perfect, so the empire's newest lord couldn't
possibly be an oversized ex-sailor with a salty tongue, a down-to-earth
attitude, and a forceful disposition. Nor could his dislike of courtly
affairs have made him the target of malicious gossip, gotten him engaged
to the wrong girl, or forced him to sing before the entire court. Most
particularly, he could not have brought forbidden magic into the court
or endangered the life of the emperor, because that isn't just less than
perfect -- it's high treason.


--
Michelle Bottorff -> Chelle B. -> Shelby
L. Shelby, Writer http://www.lshelby.com/
Livejournal http://lavenderbard.livejournal.com/
rec.arts.sf.composition FAQ http://www.lshelby.com/rasfcFAQ.html
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Which book sounds most compelling?
    ... curse will take every resource Kide has: an eye for art ... and fashion, a razor sharp tongue, a bevy of young school ... him to sing before the entire court. ... just less than perfect -- it's high treason. ...
    (rec.arts.sf.composition)
  • Re: Which book sounds most compelling?
    ... obsessed with the Art of Dance. ... exhausting curse will take every resource Kide has: ... or forced him to sing before the entire court. ...
    (rec.arts.sf.composition)