All the World's a Grave: A New Play by William Shakespeare Paperback - 2008

Summary

Media reviews

In an inspired bit of bricolage, Reed selects characters and passages from Othello, Hamlet, King Lear,Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Henry V and recombines them into a new work. Well, new is anoverstatement, since all major plot twists are lifted from the aforementioned plays the murder of an oldking by someone poisoned by ambition, a young prince determined to expose his father's killer, aninnocent young woman falsely accused and then murdered by her husband. Only the names have beenshuffled to freshen the story. Here Macbeth kills Hamlet's father, Juliet marries Hamlet (and then, poorgirl, plays Desdemona to his Othello), and King Lear leads an army, like Fortinbras, into Hamlet's bloodsoakedcountry (Bohemia, not Denmark). This 'remix version' of Shakespeare proves fascinating andentertaining. Reed clearly loves the Bard. His pastiche contains many of Shakespeare's best passages,which are always a delight to reread. More impressive, though, Reed fashions from this familiar material astory containing enough surprises to delight even those well versed in the Bard.
Booklist

Praise for John Reed's novels:

'John Reed excels in the realm of the strange.'
San Francisco Examiner

'Reed's book is a swift and satisfying read, viciously funny, out ofleft field.'
The New York Post

Citations

• Booklist, 08/01/2008, Page 25