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A Midsummer Tempest
"What if Shakespeare were a historian & his world a mortal one of men & elves? Somewhere, spinning thru another universe is a history almost like ours except for the result of a revolution or two & the earlier incidence of a few inventions. A prince called Hamlet has lived in Denmark. The English woods are full of Pucks, Titanias & Oberons. Cromwell is at t...more
Mass Market Paperback, 230 pages
Published
September 12th 1978
by Random House Publishing Group
(first published 1974)
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Here's a fantastical Shakespearean romp, in a universe where what the Bard wrote was literally true. In the early 17th century, Prince Rupert fights for King Charles against the Puritans; when he's captured, he is unexpectedly aided by his captor's niece and, more unexpectedly, by the fairy monarchs Oberon and Titania, who direct him to Prospero's island. Anderson's language is wonderful, and if you read closely, there are poetic surprises in the narrative and in the dialogue. This is a very enj...more
Prologue
A paperback novel. The early 70s.
FIRST GENTLEMAN
Pray tell me sir, about this little book?
The author's name methinks I recognize
It must be fantasy or SF tale?
SECOND GENTLEMAN
Nay coz! It is a fine Shakespearian romp
A world where every play he wrote was true!
And all prate on in just such wise as I
Do now, in imitation of the Bard...
FIRST GENTLEMAN
Foresooth! But gets it not a little stale?
I fear the joke could well go on too long?
SECOND GENTLEMAN
Ifaith! Th'art harsh! I know not what to say!
Th...more
A paperback novel. The early 70s.
FIRST GENTLEMAN
Pray tell me sir, about this little book?
The author's name methinks I recognize
It must be fantasy or SF tale?
SECOND GENTLEMAN
Nay coz! It is a fine Shakespearian romp
A world where every play he wrote was true!
And all prate on in just such wise as I
Do now, in imitation of the Bard...
FIRST GENTLEMAN
Foresooth! But gets it not a little stale?
I fear the joke could well go on too long?
SECOND GENTLEMAN
Ifaith! Th'art harsh! I know not what to say!
Th...more
7 likes · like · see review
A novel about an alternative 1600s that is in the middle of industrialisation, and the English Civil War sees the use of steam trains, etc. Still, there is magic along the edges as Our Brave Prince flees defeat and meets A Delectable Beauty.
The title is a blend of "A Midsummer's Night's Dream" and "The Tempest", and Shakespeare is a historian rather than a dramatist in this alternative world. There is a long chapter in the middle that (to me) seemed very out of place and pointless, where Anderso...more
The title is a blend of "A Midsummer's Night's Dream" and "The Tempest", and Shakespeare is a historian rather than a dramatist in this alternative world. There is a long chapter in the middle that (to me) seemed very out of place and pointless, where Anderso...more
Anderson likes to make new worlds and then go ambling through them, poking at things. In this case he's poking two things at once. Once, what if everything the Bard had written was true? Two, what effect would that have had on the English civil war?
This is a 'frame' story, which begins in the standard magic tavern at the nexus of universes. We are introduced to Valeria, the daughter of Steve and Virginia Matuchek who starred in Operation Chaos and Operation Luna. In this book Valeria is merely...more
This is a 'frame' story, which begins in the standard magic tavern at the nexus of universes. We are introduced to Valeria, the daughter of Steve and Virginia Matuchek who starred in Operation Chaos and Operation Luna. In this book Valeria is merely...more
The idea of A Midsummer Tempest is intriguing: a world in which Shakespeare was not a storyteller, the Bard, but wrote about reality: the Historian. Oberon and Tatiana really existed, Prospero really broke a staff and hid a book in the deeps... The story is set in the time of Cromwell, though, and Oberon and Tatiana are minor though essential characters. The main characters are Prince Rupert and a young Puritan woman, Jennifer, who come together when Rupert is captured, along with Will, who serv...more
2 likes · like · see review
Feb 19, 2008
Allen Garvin
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fantasy
Old-fashioned fantasy/SF Shakespeare pastiche. The true nature of the story doesn't become apparent to about halfway through, and doesn't actually add much to the story. Still, a satisfying story..
Jul 22, 2007
Thannasset
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fandsf,
fiction-alternatehistory
Hard to get away with a takeoff on Shakespeare! He got away with it.
Dec 30, 2012
Samuel Lubell
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
historical
This is a very poetic book about an alternate universe in which Shakespeare was the Great Historian and all his plays were true. The action takes place in an alternate 1644 during the English Civil War, except that Prince Rupert escapes his captives via steam train and gets help from the fairies Oberon and Titania who send him to Prospero's Island to get magic that can enable the Royals to beat the forces of Cromwell. A true fantasy classic from the 1970s.
What if Shakespeare's plays were History not entertainment? Anderson combines the whimsical elements of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "The Tempest" with the romantic real-life commander Prince Rupert of the Rhine (leader of the Cavaliers during the English Civil War in the 1640's). It is hard to combine reality and whimsical fantasy; many fantasy writers have tried and failed. Anderson tried and succeeded. I can understand why it won the awards it did.
An intriguing story -- set in an alternate universe where all of Shakespeare's plays were word-for-word history, not fiction -- but dammit, when you start with that assumption I want to see more of the characters he created than a brief glimpse of Oberon, Titania & Puck at the beginning, then a scene or two on Prospero's island at the end.
The alternate history was well thought-out, and at times the plot held some thrills, but at the same time it was utterly predictable 90% of the time, and...more
The alternate history was well thought-out, and at times the plot held some thrills, but at the same time it was utterly predictable 90% of the time, and...more
Set in a world where Shakespeare was not a playwright but "the great historian" and every word he wrote was true, complete with clocks in ancient Rome and so on. So, the technologies are slightly more advanced, railroads are beginning to crisscross England aiding the Parliamentarian cause and Prince Rupert finds the possibility of aid from unlikely allies. An interesting read making good use of Anderson's knowledge of history and Shakespeare.
mythopoeic fantasy award (1971-2010)
Quite an enjoyable read...
An alternate universe in which every word written by William Shakespeare was the literal, historical truth: clocks that chimed the hour in Julius Caesar's Rome, cannons in tenth century Denmark -- naturally they're more advanced than us technologically!
Poul Anderson picks up this premise and runs with it. Watch for the rhyming couplets, and wait for the climax -- it's one you won't soon forget!
Poul Anderson picks up this premise and runs with it. Watch for the rhyming couplets, and wait for the climax -- it's one you won't soon forget!
Grade D.
Feb 22, 2012
Ty
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
mega fantasy fans only
My first real delving into fantasy novels. It caught my attention because it mentioned that the story takes place in a world where all of Shakespeare really happened.
But you would not know it from this plodding, rambling mess.
Characters you do not care about, talking in dialects that are written out in ways you cannot read, doing things you never quite understand.
Boring, and not much fun at all.
For some reason hailed by fantasy readers as one of the best books of all time.
But you would not know it from this plodding, rambling mess.
Characters you do not care about, talking in dialects that are written out in ways you cannot read, doing things you never quite understand.
Boring, and not much fun at all.
For some reason hailed by fantasy readers as one of the best books of all time.
What if someone wrote a book in which all Shakespeare wrote was historical fact...and then concentrated on Shakespeare's characters? Not that A Midsummer Tempest was entirely bad, mind, but it's more an alternate history, in which fairies are real, than a study of what the world might be like if Shakespeare's plays were truth.
Oct 17, 2008
Erik Graff
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anderson fans
Recommended to Erik by:
no one
Shelves:
sf
The idea behind this fantasy, that Shakespeare's plays were histories, is a good one, pregnant with possibilities. It execution, however, was a little too cute for my tastes.
Premise: what if Shakespeare's play--all of them--were history, not drama?
Great fun.
Great fun.
May 20, 2013
Katie
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
dystopian-alternate-history-unread
May 18, 2013
Zach Sparks
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mythopoeic-fantasy-awards
May 15, 2013
Micki Levin
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction
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Pseudonym A. A. Craig, Michael Karageorge, Winston P. Sanders, P. A. Kingsley.
Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous a...more
More about Poul Anderson...
Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous a...more
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Jan 08, 2010 09:07pm
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