Book Review: William Shakespeare`s the Tempest by Marianna Mayer

I like that The Tempest can easily be converted into a children’s book, which I think I’ve mentioned before. But apparently we should stay away from this one. “There’s little wonder, and less of Shakespeare, however, in this leaden picture-book adaptation of the famous romance.” Oh.

The other night I asked Katherine (who is 3) if she wanted Daddy to make up a story on the spot. She said yes. So I told her the story of a little girl named Miranda who lived on an island with her daddy, a magician named Prospero. Long story short she got very confused, very fast (and did ask where Miranda’s mommy was). Since I was winging it I didn’t have good consistent answers for all of her questions. But it does give me hope that she’s getting to an age where she can understand just a story, without pictures to back it up.

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I would never have known about this series of books if not for the friend who gave it to me as a gift. Lost in a Good Book, by Jasper Fforde, is probably the first science fiction / historical literature crossover I’ve ever encountered. Imagine a world where not only is it possible to travel through time, but also to jump directly into the pages of classic literature. Imagine a world where Richard III is performed Rocky Horror style where the audience dresses up like their favorite characters and shouts out the lines. Thursday Next is a “literary detective” in this world, typically following up on misdemeanors such as over-zealous performances of the Fool in King Lear. But when Archeron Hades, super villain, starts stealing and killing characters from works of literature, she’s put on the case.

There are several books in the series, I’ve read the first two — The Eyre Affair, and Lost in a Good Book. While neither is Shakespeare specific, the Shakespeare references abound. Listening to the audio book in the car I almost had to pull over out of traffic when she got to the bit about the “Baconians”, going door to door with their literature trying to convince people who really authored the plays. The existence of lost work “Cardenio” also plays a major role in Lost in a Good Book.
If you’re in the mood for something different, and especially if you’re a geek who hates having to bridge the gap of choosing either something literary or something science-fictiony, I seriously suggest you go check these out. They’re heavier on the lit than the science, I’ll admit – all the time travel stuff is pretty slushy – but the entire concept is just so downright silly and fun at the same time that they’re great.

You don’t get many opportunities to talk about Cymbeline, one of Shakespeare’s later plays, so check out this summary and review for a quick synopsis.

Drop the name Cymbeline the next time your know-it-all coworker mentions Hamlet or Midsummer Night’s Dream and watch the eyebrows go up.