Disclaimer: I was provided a free e-book copy of this anthology in exchange for reviewing it; however, I was not obligated to give a favourable review.
Title: Perchance to Dream
Edited by: Lyssa Chiavari
Publisher: Snowy Wings Publishing
Romeo and Juliet. Hamlet. Macbeth. Everyone has heard their names. Everyone knows their stories. But you've never seen them like this.
In this collection, some of the hottest names in YA today—including bestselling authors Alicia Michaels (author of BELLAMY AND THE BRUTE) and Heather Dixon (author of ENTWINED)—reimagine ten of Shakespeare's best-known plays and sonnets for a new audience. From sci-fi adventures on distant moons to modern magic found in everyday places, these updated myths pay homage to the Bard's timeless storytelling while spinning fresh and original tales that will captivate readers all over again.
If you're interested in buying this anthology, here's a link to the editor's website where there are links to various places you can download it, as well as a free sample to try.
http://www.lyssachiavari.com/books/ptd-anthology/
This anthology was very interesting to me. I've always been a theatre nerd, and I've loved Shakespeare's plays since I was first
Averaging my ratings of the individual stories in this anthology (reviewed below in as spoiler-free of a way as I could), I give this anthology 4/5 stars!
"Rosemary for Remembrance", a Hamlet adaptation by Jess R. Sutton
"Rosemary for Remembrance" brings the classic plot line of Hamlet to a modern world, with a magical twist. The story follows 16-year-old Mel in the aftermath of her mother Rosemary's apparent suicide. Mel's aunt and uncle move into the house she shared with her mother, and Mel is convinced she's seen her mother's ghost telling her that her Aunt Clara murdered her. Mel's obsession with proving this drives wedges into her relationships and threatens to derail her life.
I love Hamlet; one of my fondest memories is reading it in my twelfth grade English class - is that weird? Probably. But this story has all the things you expect from Hamlet, set in a modern-feeling society that just so happens to have magic. The way magic is incorporated into the story and the setting is masterful; Sutton weaves it seamlessly into everyday life. Protagonist Mel works for an art studio where kids come after school to use kinetic paints that bring art to life on the page, and in the back of the studio she brews potions to do things like increase energy, and, quite notable in the plot, a new, untested potion to reduce the physical symptoms of grief.
One of the things I loved the most about this story is how Sutton incorporates Hamlet's breakdown in the play into Mel's character. It's not quite as extreme as Hamlet's in the play, nor does it have quite the same disastrous results (although having two characters in a modern day setting just whip out swords for a duel would be hilarious - just me? Okay.). But I enjoyed it nonetheless. The characters aren't quite as developed as I think they could become in a longer work, but that's to be expected in a story of this length. There also isn't a character in this story to match up with every character in Hamlet, because if there were, my goodness this would be a crowded short story. It's fairly obvious who some characters stand in for, and others who could be different characters or multiple rolled into one. I won't speak to that, because I think that removes some of the fun of reading the story itself.
Overall, I give this story 4/5 stars!
"Shoulders of Giants", a Titus Andronicus adaptation by Jon Garett and Richard Walsh
"Shoulders of Giants" sets the plot of Titus Andronicus to a futuristic, possibly alien (I wasn't sure if it was meant to be an alien world or just a futuristic version of earth, but perhaps I didn't pick up on something) world. The main characters are two brilliant young people from the rival nations of Basland and East Albion; Bridget and Hank, a scientist and a soldier.
I will admit, I've never read Titus Andronicus, but I did read the SparkNotes (I'm sorry, I know, I hated the kids who did that in high school too, but I haven't had the time to get my hands on a copy of the play a read it yet, so I'll have to do that when I get the chance. I loved the nod to the title of the play in the names of the mech-suits the rival nations create near the end of the story, though.
Let me just say: this is a massively toned-down version of the plot; it keeps the basic "cycle of revenge" plot with significantly mellowed violence. The revenge is mostly between the two nations rather than between two people, which makes the plot very interesting but makes it difficult to identify characters from the book specifically as characters from the play. I did find it very interesting how Bridget and Hank are both, to me at least, helpless in the hands of their respective nations, but think themselves independent. I can't say much more without spoiling, but the ending I found kept the spirit of the original play but commuted it wonderfully to the world Garett and Walsh chose for their story.
3.5/5 stars for this one!
"Lisbeth", a Macbeth adaptation by Selenia Paz
"Lisbeth" adapts the plot of Macbeth to a modern world. The story follows Lisbeth and Bianca, two young Mexican girls. On the Dia de los Muertos when they're 10 years old, they go into a tent at the cemetery and meet three fortune-tellers, who give them a prophecy that they will do great things. As they get older, Lisbeth remains obsessed with finding out the end of the prophecy; she glimpsed it on the scroll but could not read it. The girls' grandparents send them to live in America with Lisbeth's aunt, Lenna, and the girls work hard to become the best they can be in their classes. They both are accepted for a prestigious program that will send them into space as part of Operation Hecate.
May I first say: I am a massive Macbeth nerd. Is that a weird sentence? Probably. I still have trouble forcing myself to say the word Macbeth, because of the curse (short version: don't say Macbeth in a theatre unless you're saying dialogue from the play, or else something bad will happen. If you mess up, go outside as fast as you can, spin around 3 times and spit. I say go outside because don't spit in a theatre, that's nasty.) I was in a production of Macbeth in grade 10 - maybe I'll do a blog post on it sometime, it was a good time. The curse is totally real, though, that's all I'm gonna say right now. But I digress. I absolutely loved how Paz adapted the plot of the play to her characters and setting. The ending is wonderfully done; I found the entire story to be done very well. It was a riveting read overall, and the characters were well-written as well. This was one of my favourite stories in the anthology.
5/5 stars!
"A Midsummer Night's Brainwashing", a Midsummer Night's Dream adaptation by Allan Davis
"A Midsummer Night's Brainwashing" brings the basic idea of A Midsummer Night's Dream to a world where complex virtual reality simulations are a, well, a reality. The plot follows Robin Goodfellow Tucker, or Tuck, as he's called by friends, in his quest to make his crush, Heather, love him by giving her a love potion in the simulation.
If you know A Midsummer Night's Dream, you can probably guess how well that goes. The answer: it doesn't. Tuck manages to make two of his friends fall in love, though. I found this story kept the spirit of the original play, and it was a very short and quick read. I feel like it could have been expanded on more, however; I enjoyed it, but I would've liked some more context as to the nature of the internship that lets Tuck access the simulations, which apparently are owned by the government and allow some kind of mind-control. I like the ending where it was, but the 180 Tuck seems to pull confused me, although again it's possible I missed something critical. I think this story was good as-is, but it definitely would have had potential to grow into something more.
3/5 stars!
"Mark Corey", a Coriolanus adaptation by Patricia Scott
Mark Corey adapts the plot of Coriolanus to a modern day world, and makes it much more accessible to a modern audience. The main character, Mark Corey, is a high school senior obsessed with baseball. He lives, eats, and breathes the sport, in his own words. His only goal in life is to play baseball at the college level, and then move on to become professional. He knows everything about every team in the area, and strategizes his pitches to invariably defeat them all.
Coriolanus is another of Shakespeare's plays I haven't yet had the chance to read, but from what I understand about the play, this story brings the essence of the plot to a modern world and context almost effortlessly. Mark reads as a cocky - perhaps overly so - teenager, and although the ending is obvious nearly from the beginning, the writing keeps the reader from losing interest. I greatly enjoyed the parallels to the play, as well as the way Scott makes it much more relatable and modernizes it well.
4.5/5 stars!
"Angel and Demon", a Romeo and Juliet adaptation by Heather Dixon
Angel and Demon adapts the star-crossed lovers plot of Romeo and Juliet to a fascinating world where angels and demons are sent on missions by Heaven and Hell, respectively. The story jumps between places and time periods as the angel Julianne and the demon Rubix compete against one another to save or condemn people.
Romeo and Juliet is one of the most, not over-done, but the most commonly done plots out there. I'm not saying that's a bad thing; the tale of star-crossed lovers is so prevalent in literature and film that I doubt anyone could trace it back to where it started. This rendition of the plot, however, was one of the freshest and most inventive I've ever encountered, and I loved it. I devoured the story in one sitting; the historical aspects of it were fascinating to me, as was Dixon's depiction of the main characters. The ending, as well, was touching. It's a very feel-good story, rather in contrast to the original Romeo and Juliet.
5/5 stars!
"Onyx", an Othello adaptation by Alicia Michaels
Onyx takes the tragedy of Othello, and puts it into space. That's the simplest way to explain it, but this story is so much more. It is set in a post-apocalyptic future, where humanity's population has dwindled to around a million people, all of whom live on space stations after the destruction of Earth. The space stations are under constant attack by hostile alien species. Onyx himself is an alien, an Ethellien, and the last of his kind. He's married to Dia Tian, the daughter of a colonel aboard the station, and faces discrimination due to his alien heritage.
The story more or less follows the basic plot of Othello, but slightly shortened and tweaked to fit the world Michaels has created. Othello is another one of my favourite Shakespearean plays, and I think this story really did it justice. The characters stayed true to their inspirations, but still came across as believable and real for a modern/futuristic setting.
5/5 stars!
"The Taming of the Dudebro", a The Taming of the Shrew adaptation by Jane Watson
"The Taming of the Dudebro" brings the plot of The Taming of the Shrew to a relatable modern setting, and honestly it's a really funny story. I haven't read The Taming of the Shrew yet, but I understand the basic plot, and I think this story did it justice. Main character Patricia and her best friend Grizz are putting on a play Grizz wrote for a student festival, and their teacher assigns "surfer-boy" Kurt to their group, to save his grades and his chances at college and playing water polo.
The story follows the basic plot of the play, but updates it for a modern setting and the concerns that a high-school senior would have. Part of the reason why I loved this story so much is because I was very much one of the "theatre kids" in high school, and it drove me crazy when people who didn't care about the plays got roles just to fulfill the "Creativity" hours we needed for the International Baccalaureate program (not that I'm still bitter, or anything). Between that and being the one everyone wanted to be paired up with in group projects (because I would do everything myself to avoid a poor grade, if my group members refused to work), I found this story very relatable. I wish that those situations had ended as well for me as they did for Patricia and Grizz, but hey, I survived anyway.
This story was humorous and light-hearted, and, to me, very relatable.
5/5 stars!
"Star Walker", a Hamlet adaptation by Alex Irwin
"Star Walker" brings the plot of Hamlet to a futuristic world where humanity lives on space stations. The story begins with the funeral of the main character Letta's mother. Letta's mother was the captain of the ship, and Letta assumes she will take over from her mother. Her aunt, Claudia, is selected instead. Letta is devastated, and she becomes convinced that Claudia murdered her mother.
Like I've said before, I'm a sucker for anything related to Hamlet. This story was one of the most creative adaptations I've ever seen of the story, and I especially liked how Irwin adapted the "play" scene from the play where Hamlet tries to expose his uncle as a murderer; in this case, the way Letta tries to expose her aunt. It's one of the harder scenes to adapt, I would think, because it's a scene that needs to keep a certain spirit but without being a carbon copy of the original scene from the play.
The ending itself is also heart-wrenching, and it keeps the dark themes from the play, which I find a lot of people who adapt the story for different characters and setting tend to shy away from.
5/5 stars!
"The Desperate Warrior and the Beast Who Walks Without Sound", a Sonnet 25 adaptation by T. Damon
"The Desperate Warrior and the Beast Who Walks Without Sound" draws inspiration from Shakespeare's Sonnet 25 and adapts it into an incredible short story. I honestly have no idea how Damon would have developed this entire rich world from just the few lines of that sonnet, and I am absolutely in awe. This story was incredible. I never would have thought to adapt a Shakespearean sonnet into the short story, and while I can definitely see how it inspired this story, I find it mind-boggling that such a short, vague poem could inspire something like this.
The main character, Wakisa, is a member of the Thunder tribe that have long been at war with the Sun tribe. His name translates to "desperate warrior" - that was a feature I loved about this story; all the characters had meanings to their names that often foreshadowed their role. He is charged with the mission to kill the "Beast that Walks Without Sound". That's about all I can say without spoiling, but I absolutely adored this story.
Honestly, I would definitely read a novel that was set in this world. The story itself is perfect as-is; it has a lovely plot that ties up neatly and gives a satisfying ending. There is more I would love to know about the world; backstory, where "the Beast" came from, even what happens to Wakiza after the story. I think it's definitely something that could be expanded wonderfully, but it's also excellent as-is without anymore expansion.
5/5 stars!
"Gale", a Tempest adaptation by Lyssa Chiavari
"Gale" draws ideas from Shakespeare's The Tempest and adapts them to an incredible fantasy world. Gale is the name of a small planet, the moon of a larger planet called Orbe that supposedly houses monsters and gods that "The Brotherhood", the rulers of Gale, banished in the past, but which wish to retake Gale and threaten the lives of everyone. "The Brotherhood" watches the people through the aptly-named "Watch", which monitors everyone for conformity. Main character Miranda has fits, which frightens her parents as it is not an ailment the Healers find treatable, so if they are discovered Miranda could be killed. Miranda then begins having visions of a girl named Ferda, and discovers a deep secret in herself, her family, and Gale itself.
This story was hugely inventive. I loved the world and the concept, and I especially loved the nods to the original play, both in the names and in some of the events of the story. I read The Tempest in the tenth grade, and this brought a pleasant sort of nostalgia with it. I was immediately drawn in by the world building and by the first-person voice of Miranda, and I finished the story in one sitting.
"Gale" is a wonderful, inventive adaptation of The Tempest; it holds enough of a resemblance to the play to invoke that kind of nostalgic connection to those who have read it, without alienating those who haven't or following the plot too closely.
5/5 stars!
And now we've come to the end of the review! If you pick this book up for yourself, I hope you enjoy it, and if you do, please consider leaving a review of your own on the book's Goodreads and/or Amazon pages.
