Fantasy Fiction, Horror, Historical Figures - Fiction, Thrillers, Historical Fiction

Shakespeare Undead

Name: Shakespeare Undead
Author: Lori Handeland
ISBN: 9780312641528

by Lori Handeland

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Overview

Something wicked this way comes . . . and it keeps coming and coming and coming. . . .

William Shakespeare was one of history’s greatest writers, a master of words with a body of work that is truly impressive . . . some may say a little too impressive for a single man to accomplish in one lifetime. Perhaps, as many have speculated, he had assistance. Or perhaps the explanation is more . . . unusual.

Who was William Shakespeare?

Who was the Dark Lady of the Sonnets?

Why are the undead stalking the alleyways of London?

And can they be stopped?

Something is definitely rotten in the state of Denmark.

So brace yourself for a wild ride through twisted streets and shadowed graveyards of Elizabethan London, where you’ll discover how the Bard got his Bite.

Synopsis

Something wicked this way comes . . . and it keeps coming and coming and coming. . . .

Who was William Shakespeare?

Who was the Dark Lady of the Sonnets?

Why are the undead stalking the alleyways of London?

And can they be stopped?

Something is definitely rotten in the state of Denmark.

So brace yourself for a wild ride through twisted streets and shadowed graveyards of Elizabethan London, where you’ll discover how the Bard got his Bite.

Publishers Weekly

In this rather clumsy historical mashup, bestseller Handeland (Chaos Bites) pairs zombies and vampires with another perennially popular figure: Shakespeare. Zombies have invaded 1592 London and it’s up to William Shakespeare, whose genius with a quill comes from his extended life as a vampire, to stop them. Aided by Katherine, a zombie hunter to whom he is consummately, perilously attracted (and who bears considerable similarity to Viola in the film Shakespeare in Love, down to her horrible fiancé and goofy nurse), Will is soon embroiled in a mysterious plot that endangers all of London. Handeland blends Elizabethan and contemporary language skillfully and mostly unobtrusively, and the romance sizzles between the intriguing leads. Unfortunately, the novel is hampered by excessive shout-outs to the Shakespearean canon and a rushed ending. (June)

About the Author, Lori Handeland

Lori Handeland is a USA Today and New York Times bestselling author. She lives in Southern Wisconsin with two sons, a husband, and a yellow Lab named Elwood. Visit www.lorihandeland.com.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

Library Journal

In this delightful literary mashup by two-time RITA Award winner Handeland (Blue Moon; The Mommy Quest), Shakespeare in Love meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer with the quick wit and dark humor we expect from the master himself. Our tale begins as Will finds himself murdered by a young man who mistakes him for a zombie. But the Bard can't be killed by normal means. Compelled to learn more about the youth who nearly took his head, Will discovers the truth beneath the chasseur's disguise. Vampire necromancers and zombies riddle this romantic tale of London's great poet and his mysterious muse, the Dark Lady; it is also splattered with seamless nods to contemporary pop culture—Obi Wan, Dorothy, and her little dog, too, add to the merriment as the adventure unfolds. VERDICT Handeland's foray onto the monster-lit stage deserves a standing ovation. Sure to appeal to fans of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Jane Slayre, but paranormal romance fans will cheer the loudest. [Library marketing campaign.]—Jennifer Anderson, Texas A&M Univ., Corpus Christi Lib.

Kirkus Reviews

The Bard struggles with madness and monsters in this risque literary burlesque from paranormal romanticist Handeland (Apocalypse Happens, 2009, etc.). As one of his famous creations might note, the William Shakespeare who creeps through this book is well-armed with "[t]houghts black, hands apt, drugs fit, and time agreeing." Indeed, Hamlet's inner demons are no match for Will's as he struggles with vampirism. The novel opens in 1592 in London's Southwark neighborhood. Shakespeare walks through the shadows, only to get his throat sliced from ear to ear by young Katherine, an amateur chasseur (French for "hunter") trained by her Haitian nanny to stalk and kill the undead. But Shakespeare is hardier than he seems and soon thrusts himself upon the boy he believes Katherine to be. (Academics across the world just punched the air in triumph.) It turns out that Shakespeare has quite the long history, which leads to some laugh-out-loud moments. Immediately after kissing his newly discovered "Dark Lady," Will muses, "The last time he'd felt like this about a woman, he'd lost her. First to Caesar, then to Antony, then to an asp." For the most part, the book is shameless fun, with a decent grounding in the Bard's work-the denouement echoes Romeo & Juliet-and a crisp, humorous bite. It's when Handeland indulges her romance background that the novel suffers: "He would lick that skin; he would let the heat of her wash over him, then bask in that heat like a cat in the morning rays of the sun." Ouch. Christopher Moore does much better work with both vampires and Shakespeare, but this bawdy send-up should slake the thirst of mash-up lovers a little longer.