As I’ve mentioned before, I love Christopher Moore for his ability to make me forget the troubles of the world. If he has to do that by making me laugh at the most sophomoric humor imaginable, so be it. With Serpent of Venice, though, Moore surpasses this admittedly low bar by adding two other components that I dearly love: Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe. At a book signing I attended, Moore explained that he got the idea for setting a monster story in Venice while […]
Exit, pursued by a wampa.
This second jaunt into Ian Doescher’s Shakespeare/Star Wars hybrid imaginary universe, entitled William Shakespeare’s The Empire Striketh Back, only solidifies my opinion that these adaptations are more than gags and novelties to be gifted to nerdy friends (although they can be used for that purpose as well). I purposely use the word ‘adaptation’ here because Doescher’s attention to detail and his thoughtful approach to both the story and to Shakespeare’s forms and techniques clearly illustrate that although the results for us as readers may be fun […]
“O help / Me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, / Thou art / Mine only hope.”
Holy shit. This is one of the nerdiest books I’ve ever read. It is glorious. I was initially wary of yet another book that seemingly capitalized on mish-mashing two beloved cultural entities together (see: the shitstorm surrounding the release of Pride & Prejudice & Zombies), but a good review by someone I trust convinced me to give this a shot. So glad I did. Shakespeare and Star Wars, it turns out, go absurdly well together. Like cheese and crackers, cookies and milk, pizza and beer […]
Wait until she sees my rich golden shaft
I recently saw Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, with Mark Rylance, on Broadway, in an all-male performance. It was sublime. We are seeing it again next week, so I read the play in preparation. I haven’t read the play – perhaps any Shakespeare – for at least 15 years. It turns out reading Shakespeare is like riding a bike. (Although if you have to get onto a bike after 15 years, it is far scarier than reading Shakespeare.) Viola and Sebastian are twins, shipwrecked and separately rescued. […]
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