Book Review: William Shakespeare's Star Wars
At first glance, a mashup of William Shakespeare and Star Wars sounds absurd.
It is.
Simply put, William Shakespeare's Star Wars (Parts IV-VI) are a retelling of the original Star Wars trilogy in verse. But it goes beyond that. There are several asides and moments where a beloved line or amazing scene is tweaked just enough to keep it recognizable, but give it a flavor that is unique and sounds like Shakespeare might have written something like it.
The books are primarily written in iambic pentameter, which is a fancy way of saying that it's in the same meter Shakespeare wrote in, including a rhyming couplet at the end of each scene. There are a few characters that break this pattern, though. Boba Fett speaks in a more prose-style, while Yoda speaks in haiku. Those small variations in style are interesting and bring attention to themselves by giving the characters individual voices—literally.
The books read quickly, which is nice. This is especially true if you know the Star Wars trilogy well—which, if you're reading the books, you probably are. But since they're basically just the Star Wars trilogy written in verse, there's not a whole lot of new material brought to the table. In all, there isn't much to write about, so I'll just wrap it up here.
Pros
It's Star Wars
It's an interesting mashup
Very good flow to the verse
Interesting character voice, especially when it breaks with the normal meter
Cons
No new material—if you've memorized Star Wars like I have, you might find yourself getting a little bored.
Overall, it's a good piece of reading. If not for the story (it's still Star Wars, which is awesome...), then for the quirkiness it brings to the Star Wars story. Beloved lines and characters take on slightly new dimensions when you try to imagine people playing the roles at the Globe Theater hundreds of years ago. It makes the books a fun novelty, but not something to read if you're looking for a new storyline.
My rating is 4/5.
Thanks for wreading!
Jeff
It is.
Simply put, William Shakespeare's Star Wars (Parts IV-VI) are a retelling of the original Star Wars trilogy in verse. But it goes beyond that. There are several asides and moments where a beloved line or amazing scene is tweaked just enough to keep it recognizable, but give it a flavor that is unique and sounds like Shakespeare might have written something like it.
The books are primarily written in iambic pentameter, which is a fancy way of saying that it's in the same meter Shakespeare wrote in, including a rhyming couplet at the end of each scene. There are a few characters that break this pattern, though. Boba Fett speaks in a more prose-style, while Yoda speaks in haiku. Those small variations in style are interesting and bring attention to themselves by giving the characters individual voices—literally.
The books read quickly, which is nice. This is especially true if you know the Star Wars trilogy well—which, if you're reading the books, you probably are. But since they're basically just the Star Wars trilogy written in verse, there's not a whole lot of new material brought to the table. In all, there isn't much to write about, so I'll just wrap it up here.
Pros
It's Star Wars
It's an interesting mashup
Very good flow to the verse
Interesting character voice, especially when it breaks with the normal meter
Cons
No new material—if you've memorized Star Wars like I have, you might find yourself getting a little bored.
Overall, it's a good piece of reading. If not for the story (it's still Star Wars, which is awesome...), then for the quirkiness it brings to the Star Wars story. Beloved lines and characters take on slightly new dimensions when you try to imagine people playing the roles at the Globe Theater hundreds of years ago. It makes the books a fun novelty, but not something to read if you're looking for a new storyline.
My rating is 4/5.
Thanks for wreading!
Jeff
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