Book Review: William Shakespeare’s Star Wars by Ian Doescher (Plus a TPiB)

William Shakespeare’s Star Wars by Ian Doescher is kind of one of the best books ever.  It was not at all what I was expecting.  It is basically Star Wars, done as a Shakespeare play, including stage directions and all the requisite doths and pray ye and such. You even get to say things like “beep, squeak, beep, beep, squeak” as R2-D2.  You can read an excerpt at Entertainment Weekly.

When it arrived on my doorstep, my family and I began reading it aloud and it was hysterical. The Mr., a huge Star Wars fan, adores this book.  Doescher is clearly a Star Wars fan and knew what he was doing when he translated it into Shakespeare, an impressive thing indeed.  I can not imagine any Star Wars fan not being tickled by this book.  It is a pretty faithful presentation of the first film (well, the IVth actually) and it is interesting to see how well the plot of the film fits into a Shakespeare translation.

“I pray thee, sir, forgive me for the mess/And whether I shot first, I’ll not confess.“
– Han Solo, Ian Doescher, William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope 

For the past 2 years, Christie and I have participated in Star Wars Reads Day at our library with great success.  So we already have a ton of programming ideas lined up for you (Star Wars Reads Day Take 1 and Take 2).  And the Quirk Books blog has14 Star Wars and Shakespeare Craft Ideas to Make. Random House has an educator’s guide available as well.

This book is a lot of fun and is dying to be read aloud.  Make sure you do that.

“A plague on 3PO for action slow,/ A plague upon my quest that led us here,/ A plague on both our circuit boards, I say! [R2-D2}”
― Ian Doescher, William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope 

As part of Quirk Books Week, Quirk Books has generously donated a prize package for one lucky winner that will include 2 of the above cookbooks, a copy of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, the first book of the Lovecraft Middle School series, and a copy of William Shakespeare’s Star Wars. I’ve tried to give you as many ways as possible to enter so pick the one (or ones) that work best for you and do the Rafflecopter thingy below.  The giveaway closes on Saturday, December 14th and is open to U.S. Residents.  The books will be sent to you from Quirk Books and they are worth it.

Filed under: Quirk Books, TPIB, William Shakespeare's Star Wars