Ambrogio Smythe is a hypochondriacal British nobleman living in a miserable world of his own creation. The frail aristocrat is obsessed with memories of gypsies from his childhood, plagued by delusions of grandeur.

During the war between France and England, Ambrogio willingly strands himself in Tuscany with his faithful yet filthy servant, Antonio. In truth, he fled because he could not stand by and watch the woman he loved accept the hand of another.

While in Tuscany, Ambrogio endeavors to write his version of a swashbuckling tale based on a scrap of parchment purchased from a wandering storyteller. In the style of The Princess Bride with a heavy dash of The Bard and a large pinch of Monty Python, author Noble Smith weaves an adventurous, laugh-out-loud tale within a tale.

Magicians, spells, ravishing beauties, unlikely heroes, pirates, demons, and a useful glossary of archaic terms all serve to make Stolen From Gypsies an enjoyable read. Why it hasn’t been printed seven by seven times, bound in fine Morocco leather, and sent to the finest universities in Europe is beyond me.