William Shakespeare and George Lucas have tea

William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace by Ian Doescher

Quirk Books // April 7, 2015

ISBN: 9781594748066

hardcover, pgs 176

source: review copy from the publisher

About the book:
O THREEPIO, THREEPIO, WHEREFORE ART THOU, THREEPIO?
Join us, good gentles, for a merry reimagining of Star Wars: episode 1 as only Shakespeare could have written it. The entire saga starts here, with a thrilling tale featuring a disguised queen, a young hero, and two fearless knights facing a hidden, vengeful enemy.
’Tis a true Shakespearean drama, filled with sword fights, soliloquies, and doomed romance . . . all in glorious iambic pentameter and coupled with twenty gorgeous Elizabethan illustrations. Hold on to your midi-chlorians:
 The play’s the thing, wherein you’ll catch the rise of Anakin!


My thoughts:

Ian Doescher does it again! Like always, he is a master and combining Shakespeare and Star Wars. This time, we get to go back to the beginning. The Phantom of Menace is Star Wars Part The First... or, as most people know it, Episode I.
I LOVE The Phantom Menace - always have. I also always have loved the "new" trilogy of movies (Episodes I, II, and III). So, of course this book is no different. I love it. I fell HARD for it, actually.
So far, of all the books in this series, this is my favorite. I am now in the groove of getting the Shakespeare/Star Wars mash-up (which felt weird when I read the first book) and was able to really sit back and enjoy this one.
Like before, this book is best suited for Star Wars fans. You need some knowledge of the series to understand the books - that is just how it is. But then again, I also think you need some basic knowledge to get the movies too... soo... yeah. Ask a Star Wars geek to give you the run down of Phantom Menace. Or just read it. Then watch the movies. Then watch them all again. (and again, and again).

Clever and fun, the Shakespearean language, style, and formatting make this fun to read. No basic boring book here - this amps it up and makes things interesting. It is like Shakespeare and George Lucas had tea and this is the result.

Once again, the art is awesome.... as you can see from my pictures. I would love to show all the pictures, but of course, that would just give too much away! The ACT title pages are my favorites.
Trust me, you want to get this book in your hands to experience it yourself.

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.







write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow

FTC- I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review

Cover image, book information, author information and author image from QuirkBooks.com
Interior images by Jenna Papaleo