Brokedown Palace opens in a medieval setting where a young man lies with grave wounds beside a river.

The land of Fenario, on the borders of Faerie (read:Dragaera) is ruled by King Laszlo, oldest of four brothers.

Desperation at things' ending, joy at new beginnings, and the way in which we choose to separate the two, are central themes of the novel.

The character of Devera is a nine-year-old girl with brown hair, who frequently inhabits Steven Brust's novels.

Orson Scott Card reviewed the novel favorably, praising "the flow of Brust's language" and concluding that Brokedown Palace is "Traditional, but never, not for a moment, ordinary.