Everyone’s notion of the baroque, theatrical Versailles of Louis XIV is of a high point in European civilization. But I’m fascinated by the darker, seamier side – the rough politics, the sex, the scandals – even the occult.

And I thought: what if some small, innocent creature got caught in the tangles of that huge and not-at-all innocent world? And suppose he maneuvered his way into its innermost circles – to Louis himself, his mistresses, the political giants of the day?

Which is what my unsuspecting dwarf does – along the way unearthing his true identity – a bombshell revelation that threatens the foundations of the French monarchy.

All this is not without its comic angle. The hero’s escapades – from underneath card tables – helping gamblers cheat puts him within earshot of some wickedly funny court gossip. And the cast includes some ridiculously extravagant players.

“Brilliant irony and dark humor of the sort Mark Twain achieved,” one reviewer wrote. Another compared it to Swift and Rabelais:

“There is a loveable naivety, and there is optimism…which endears our physically abbreviated hero to the reader. Inspired by the author’s friendship with Hervé Villechaize – the dwarf on TV’s ‘Fantasy Island’ – Weidner’s sympathy and accurate knowledge of the problems of dwarf-hood shine through.”