Tuesday, July 2, 2013

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S STAR WARS: A REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED 
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S
Verily, A New Hope
BY IAN DOESCHIR

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Return once more to a galaxy far, far away with this sublime retelling of George Lucas’s epic Star Wars in the style of the immortal Bard of Avon. The saga of a wise (Jedi) knight and an evil (Sith) lord, of a beautiful princess held captive and a young hero coming of age, Star Wars abounds with all the valor and villainy of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. ’Tis a tale told by fretful droids, full of faithful Wookiees and fearsome stormtroopers, signifying...pretty much everything.

Reimagined in glorious iambic pentameter—and complete with twenty gorgeous Elizabethan illustrations--William Shakespeare’s Star Wars will astound and edify Rebels and Imperials alike. Zounds! This is the book you’re looking for.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
IAN DOESCHER has loved Shakespeare since eighth grade and was born 45 days after Star Wars Episode IV was released. He has a B.A. in Music from Yale University, a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in Ethics from Union Theological Seminary. Ian lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife and two sons. This is his first book.

AN EXCERPT FROM WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S STAR WARS:
                      SCENE1.
                      Aboard the rebel ship.

                      Enter C-3PO and R2-D2.

C-3PO    Now is the summer of our happiness
                Made winter by this sudden, fierceattack!
                Our ship is under siege, I know not how.
                O hast thou heard?The main reactor fails!
                We shall most surely be destroy’d by this.
                I’ll warrant madness lies herein!

 

R2-D2       —Beep beep,
                Beep, beep, meep, squeak,beep, beep, 

                beep, whee!
 

C-3PO                   —We’re doomed.
               The princess shall have no escape this time!
               I fear this battle doth portend the end
               Of the Rebellion. O! What misery!

                                        Exeunt
C-3POandR2-D2
. 


CHORUS   Now watch, amaz’d, as swiftly through the
                  door
                  The army of the Empire flyeth in.
                  And as the troopers through the passage

                  pour,
                  They murder sev’ral dozen rebel men.

                                         Fighting begins.

Enter
Rebels. Many die. Enter storm troopers and 

                   Darth Vader
     Exeunt. Enter
R2-D2 with Princess Leia. C-3PO is 

                   across the stage. 

C-3PO       Pray, R2-D2, where art thou?.......

EXCERPT TAKEN FROM SCRIBD. HERE
 

PRAISE FOR WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S STAR WARS:
“An elegant translation for a more civilized age. Let's face it—if you love Shakespeare or Star Wars half as much as I do, you've already bought this.” —Adam Bertocci, author of Two Gentlemen of Lebowski, writer-director of Brooklyn Force and Run Leia Run, and moderator of TheForce.net

"Zounds, the Forsooth is strong in this one! Two of the most creative minds in the universe collide with spectacular, hilarious and surprisingly touching insight into the original classic. This truly is Star Wars as you like it."
—Joe Schreiber, author of Star Wars: Death Troopers and Lenny Cyrus, School Virus

“Whether your tastes run to Alderaan or Avon, this reimagining of Star Wars overflows with heart and wit."
—Jason Fry, author of Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Warfare
 

“The Bard at his finest, with all the depth of character, insightful soliloquies, and clever wordplay that we’ve come to expect from the Master. For those who wish to read the Star Wars legend in the original Elizabethan, this is the book for you.” --Timothy Zahn, New York Times bestselling author of Scoundrels 

“I'm delighted to have William Shakespeare's Star Wars, and have read it with great pleasure. What a fine idea, to set this in the world of Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 C-3PO and Darth Vader! A period of civil war, rebels, the Galactic Empire, the death star. A star-crossed galaxy! Ian Doescher does iambic pentameter well. This is a hoot!”—David Bevington, Phyllis Fay Horton Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in the Humanities, University of Chicago and co-editor of The Bantam Shakespeare series

“Well-read geeks have breathlessly waited
For what Ian Doescher hath created
This book's cover is the door
To a Star Wars ne'er seen before”
—Daniel Wallace, New York Times best-selling author of Star Wars: The New Essential Guide to Characters

MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
Readers, star fighters, and droids as well... lend me your ears…for a few moments! Permit me to wax poetically about WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S STAR WARS by Ian Doescher.

Ian Doescher was motivated by the creative works of the one and only William Shakespeare to write WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S STAR WARS. The book is officially licensed and is a rendering of George Lucas' classic, A New Hope, written in the characteristic style of William Shakespeare. The book includes the narrative written in iambic pentameter and 20 illustrations that further illustrate the version that Doescher has created. Certainly fans of Star Wars will delight in this venture as they quickly turn the pages to enjoy this retelling. With surprising events taken from the Star Wars movie, and also characteristic of Shakespeare’s plays, WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S STAR WARS is a captivating idea that was carried out very well.

In familiar Shakespearean form, there are amusing asides that reveal just how each character truly feels and what they plan on doing about it. The use of the Shakespearean chorus keeps the story moving on and helps to illustrate what is happening, should a reader not be used to Shakespeare’s format. I think that the soliloquies which help to convey a character’s thoughts to the audience are a great help. In this case, when we aren’t quite sure of what some character means, like R2D2, for instance, these asides explain what he (it?) means.

Ian Doescher has written a book that will surely be a delight to Star Wars fans as well as those who love Shakespeare and are looking for some diversion and humor. Doescher knows the works he has depicted and presents them in a charming, humorous, and easy to read rendition.  
GIVEAWAY
THANKS TO ERIC AND THE GOOD FOLKS
AT QUIRK BOOKS, I HAVE ONE COPY OF
THIS AMAZING BOOK BY IAN DOESCHER
TO GIVE AWAY TO ONE LUCKY READER
  
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO
 

COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!


HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S STAR WARS THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS 

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK 


+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING WHEN YOU VISIT AUTHOR IAN DOESCHER'S WEBSITE HERE 

 +1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE OTHER CURRENT GIVEAWAY YOU HAVE ENTERED. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY TO GAIN MORE ENTRIES 

 +1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

  GIVEAWAY ENDS AT 
6 PM, EST, JULY 21 
GOOD LUCK!

71 comments:

debbie said...

This sounds like a funny combination. It would be fun to read.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

debbie said...

I am a email subscriber.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

debbie said...

I am a gfc follower
debbie
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

Lois said...

Hi! :) I'd love to win this because I love Star Wars, and I rather like Shakespeare too! :) And the good thing about this one it isn't in Klingon, which I can't read... yet. ;)

Lois
OV_099@yahoo.com

Lois said...

and here is a tweet - https://twitter.com/OV_099/status/352012938816667651

Lois
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Lois said...

following on NetworkedBlogs, it'll be either OV_099, OV099, Lois Merritt, Lois - just look for the space shuttle! :)

Lois
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Lois said...

following on GFC, Lois, with the space shuttle pic...

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Lois said...

and #5 +5 JULY FACEBOOK...

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Lois said...

and also following by email too! :)

Lois
OV_099@yahoo.com

holdenj said...

I think this is worthy of an OMG! Ian must truly have a love of both of these subjects, looks like a fun read! Thanks!
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holdenj said...

Email subscriber.
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GFC follower.
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RSS subscriber.
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petite said...

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petite said...

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petite said...

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traveler said...

I am captivated with this story. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

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traveler said...

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Anonymous said...

rachelmarie1@sbcglobal.net
i would like to win this book because i have been a star wars fan since i read my first star wars book.

traveler said...

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Unknown said...

You had me at Star Wars.....


TCuevas@iccable.com

Unknown said...

Tweeted the giveaway: https://twitter.com/SELFTAUGHTCOOK2/status/352280755143053315

TCuevas@iccable.com

Unknown said...

Entered the "Thread and Buried" giveaway -
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petite said...

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holdenj said...

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Linda Kish said...

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holdenj said...

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Rosita said...

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holdenj said...

Entered The Hit.
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holdenj said...

Entered Tarnished and Torn.
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Patricia said...

I don't know all that much about Star Wars and I think this crazy juxtaposition with Shakespeare would be a perfect way for me to get better acquainted with it.

patricia(dot)mariani(dot)mariani(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

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Rosita said...

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