Review #7–Twisted Tales from Shakespeare

But Shakespear’s Magick could not copy’d be,
Within that Circle none durst walk but he.
– John Dryden

So. This book wasn’t a total loss. I mean, I only spent 25 cents on it, since I picked it up at a book store that was going out of business. And it did provide me with some temporary entertainment, I suppose.

Twisted Tales is essentially a humorous retelling of six of Shakespeare’s plays in the form of prose, as well as providing some information on his life. Of those six plays that were summarised, I have read three, and am familiar with the plot of one other. This meant that I picked up on plot points that were missing from the summaries.

To be fair, I’m rather partial to Shakespeare, so perhaps I’m not the target demographic for this book. Even so, I found that there were maybe 2 chuckle-worthy jokes in the book, and the summaries were iffy at best.

So, if you have the opportunity to read this book, don’t. You’d be much better off devoting your time to the immortal Bard himself.

I’m not entirely sure which of the six books I’m reading will be finished next, but it will likely be either Oedipus the King by Sophocles or Armageddon the Musical by Robert Rankin.