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

  

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6 PM, EST, JULY 21 

GOOD LUCK!