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BOOK REVIEW NOVEMBER 2001 Your Opinion May Vary By Alan Lickiss "Your Opinion May Vary is a regular column in Plainspeaking, the newsletter of the Plains and Peaks chapter of Mensa. This column was originally published in the November 2001 issue." Take a story that has a poor man’s wife and daughter kidnapped, the mysterious death of a monarch, the rightful heir passed over due to a physical abnormality, twist them and entwine them together, and you’d have a pretty good story. Now, make the poor man none other than a young William Shakespeare, living in Stratford prior to his ascension in London. The murdered monarchs turn out to be King Oberon and Queen Titania of the fairy people. The abnormality of the rightful heir Quicksilver turns out to be the ability to shape-shift between two aspects of himself, a quality that his brother Sylvanus exploits to become the king. Now mix up these elements and you’d swear that fellow Mensan Sarah Hoyt had three witches stirring a brew and speaking cryptic riddles in her office when she wrote “Ill Met By Moonlight”. In this well crafted novel we meet young Will Shakespeare, before he went to London, and before he wrote his first play. Earning a meager wage as a teacher, he lives with his wife Anne and infant daughter Susannah in a small house on his father’s lot. His simple life is broken apart when he returns home one night to find his family gone. In trying to locate them Will finds that Sylvanus has taken them to the fairy palace so Anne can be wet nurse for Sylvanus’ daughter whose human mother has recently died. Quicksilver in turn discovers Will, and embroils him in a plot to regain his throne that forces Will to eventually fight the powerful magic of Sylvanus not only for his family, but for his life. Hoyt’s use of language not only provides the images of the places and participants, but also the feeling of the setting as it must have appeared during Shakespeare’s life. She seamlessly blends the real world with that of fairy as Will moves between the two worlds to find his family, and discovers that there may be more for him in life than his role as a humble teacher. Working to stay true to what is known of Shakespeare’s early life, she weaves a story full of court intrigue, mysterious deaths, and hidden motivations that introduce many character types that show up in various later plays by the as yet still mortal bard. Written for readers of the twenty-first century, using characters and locations from the sixteenth, “Ill Met By Moonlight” is an excellent tale of heroism, conspiracy, and the search for justice. A story that would be worthy of stage presentation in five acts, if such were still being written today. About the Book Review for Ill Met by Moonlight by Daniel M. Hoyt I'm sure you're wondering why you're being offered a book review reprinted from a Mensa chapter you've never heard of (Plains and Peaks Mensa covers Southern Colorado). Sarah A. Hoyt, a long-time Mensan, was shocked to find her debut novel released in _hardcover_ (a rare honor for a new author) in October with absolutely no discernible publicity from its publisher, despite great reviews. The unprecedented disappearance of her book's long-planned publicity is perplexing and frustrating; as a result, we've offered our local newsletter's review to Mensa newsletters across the nation in effort to get _some_ exposure for Sarah's book. An excerpt of the book is online at http://www.sarahahoyt.com/excerpt.htm. By the way, whenever you hear about this kind of treatment in the publishing world, there are some things you can do for free that help increase exposure. First, tell all your friends about the book, especially via email, and ask them to pass the word. Order a copy or two anywhere they don't charge you up front; when it comes in, tell them you've already found it elsewhere -- the bookstore will shelve the book, not return it. Finally, when you see the book in the bookstore, make sure the cover faces outward; move some other books around if you have to make space. Many thanks to your editor for reprinting this book review and to you for taking the time to read it. |
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