fantasy book reviews science fiction book reviewsfantasy book reviews Sarah A Hoyt Ill Met by MoonlightIll Met by Moonlight by Sarah A. Hoyt

Quicksilver is a faery version of Prince Hamlet. He is the rightful ruler of his people, but his inheritance has been usurped by his murderous brother. He can only wreak revenge and claim his birthright with the help of a mortal, and Will Shakespeare seems like just the man for the job. Luckily, Quicksilver has a gender-shifting talent, and Will is much intrigued by Q’s female aspect…

Will has an agenda as well; his wife has been kidnapped by the aforementioned usurping king, to be a nurse to the king’s daughter. Worse, the king eventually plans to make Anne his new queen. Will must save Anne from the faery kingdom before it’s too late.

Ill Met by Moonlight (2001) is an amusing romp consisting of a generous helping of Hamlet, set in the world of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, spiced up with fairy-nurse legends, a liberal dose of “Tam Lin,” and a dash of “The Courtship of Etain,” not to mention a ghost scene straight out of The Return of the Jedi.

Much of the dialogue is borrowed from the Bard’s words. Occasionally the quoting gets a little heavy-handed, but I felt that it worked for the most part, at least in this volume. It was a little clunkier in the second.

Shakespearean Fantasies — (2001-2003) Publisher: A world not of this world but in it-where a transparent palace hangs suspended in mid-air and tiny fairies twinkle here and there…where a traitorous king holds court before elven lords and ladies… and where fantastical tragedies and capricious romances reach out to entangle mortal souls… Enter: William Shakespeare. This enchanting fantasy debut begins with the disappearance of young Will Shakespeare’s wife and newborn daughter-a mystery that draws the Bard into a realm beyond imagination… and beyond reality. Held captive by the devious ruler of the elves and fairies, Shakespeare’s family appears lost to him forever. But an alluring elf named Quicksilver takes a fancy to Shakespeare-and sees a chance to set things right. Can a mere schoolteacher win his wife back from a king? Or will Shakespeare fall prey to his own desires-and the cunning schemes of the unpredictable elf?

Sarah A Hoyt Shakespearean Fantasies book reviews 1. Ill Met by Moonlight 2. All Night Awake 3. Any Man So Daring Sarah A Hoyt Shakespearean Fantasies book reviews 1. Ill Met by Moonlight 2. All Night Awake 3. Any Man So Daring Sarah A Hoyt Shakespearean Fantasies book reviews 1. Ill Met by Moonlight 2. All Night Awake 3. Any Man So Daring

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  • Kelly Lasiter

    KELLY LASITER, with us since July 2008, is a mild-mannered academic administrative assistant by day, but at night she rules over a private empire of tottering bookshelves. Kelly is most fond of fantasy set in a historical setting (a la Jo Graham) or in a setting that echoes a real historical period (a la George RR Martin and Jacqueline Carey). She also enjoys urban fantasy and its close cousin, paranormal romance, though she believes these subgenres’ recent burst in popularity has resulted in an excess of dreck. She is a sucker for pretty prose (she majored in English, after all) and mythological themes.

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