Long ago in the kingdom of Esquaveta, which was set between the French and Italian influences, little Princess Tullia was betrothed to Prince Dalrympl of Oxatania. All does not go smoothly in this fantasy fable about THE MAGICIAN OF TIGER CASTLE.   During the Renaissance period, princesses were sometimes betrothed for over a decade, to stave off invasions and promise a way out of poverty, or more politely, to unite families and landholdings. If the prospect of a better match came along, the betrothal could be broken. But Tullia will be lucky to marry even a scoffing, bullying prince like Dalrympl, because when she turns fifteen, she announces that she has fallen in love with an apprentice scribe called Pito. The hapless lad did nothing but help her with books in the library. He’s well-read, knows a few languages and plays chess. The monarch orders Pito imprisoned, of course, and Anatole, the clumsy court magician, is called. Anatole, our narrator, is ordered to brew a potion to make the princess forget her love and obey her parents. Opium will do fine.   This is a difficult story to categorise. So far, it seems like young teens would be interested, but suddenly we’re into how to make the harmful opium drug, while various body parts, references to expectations on the wedding night and general attitudes don’t seem appropriate for YA readers. Nor, when we come to it, is the process of the plot, which mainly involves Anatole sitting alone, tinkering with various unpleasant ingredients and feeding the brews to mice, servants, condemned prisoners, or himself. Or, in a pinch, to the nobles, once he learns that the visiting prince wronged him in the past. Revenge is more of a motive for him than saving anyone.   The king was gifted a tiger, which was released into a dry moat around the castle, hence the name Tiger Castle. An interesting view is given to us of the same castle in modern day, as Anatole tells us he sits listening to tourism trail legends and enjoying a cappuccino, wearing a hoodie and jeans. The active adventure part comes in the second half of the story, but it is still relayed by the bald magician who constantly falls, steps in something stinking, and drops glassware. Heroic he’s not.   Louis Sachar is, of course, famous for the YA book Holes – and many other stories. He states that this venture is his first adult book. THE MAGICIAN OF TIGER CASTLE will certainly give adults food for thought and may inspire a laugh. The glum obligation to obey the ruler, on pain of death, is well portrayed, along with aspects of life in a Renaissance castle.