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Horatio Wilkes Mystery #1
Something Rotten
Something is rotten in Denmark, Tennessee, and it is not just the polluted Copenhagen River. Hamilton Prince's father has been murdered, according to a hidden video message. Horatio Wilkes, Hamilton's best friend, is visiting the Prince mansion when the video turns up. The guys need to find the killer before he strikes again. But it won't be easy. Suspects are plentiful. Olivia Mendelssohn may be hot (and Hamilton's ex-girlfriend), but she's also an environmentalist determined to clean up the river that the Prince paper plant has been polluting for decades. Trudy, Hamilton's mom, has recently married her husband's brother, Claude, and signed over half of the plant and its profits to him. Not to mention Ford N. Branff, media mogul and Trudy's college flame, who wants to buy the plant for himself. The question is motive, and Horatio Wilkes is just the kind of guy who can find things like that out. Doesn't matter that he's only a junior in high school.
A smart, hip, and funny twist on the tale of Hamlet, where one-liners crackle and mystery abounds. Think you already know the story? Think again.
A smart, hip, and funny twist on the tale of Hamlet, where one-liners crackle and mystery abounds. Think you already know the story? Think again.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
46 people are currently reading
1092 people want to read
About the author
Alan Gratz
48 books4,811 followersAlan Gratz is the bestselling author of a number of novels for young readers. His 2017 novel Refugee has spent more than two years on the New York Times bestseller list, and is the winner of 14 state awards. Its other accolades include the Sydney Taylor Book Award, the National Jewish Book Award, the Cybils Middle Grade Fiction Award, a Charlotte Huck Award Honor, and a Malka Penn Award for Human Rights Honor. Refugee was also a Global Read Aloud Book for 2018.
Alan’s novel Grenade debuted at number three on the New York Times bestseller list, and his most recent book, Allies, debuted at number two on the list and received four starred reviews. His other books include Prisoner B-3087, which was a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Readers pick and winner of eight state awards; Projekt 1065, a Kirkus Best Middle Grade Book of 2016 and winner of five state awards; Code of Honor, a YALSA Quick Pick for Young Readers; and Ban This Book, which was featured by Whoopi Goldberg on The View.
Alan has traveled extensively to talk about his books, appearing at schools and book festivals in 39 states and a half-dozen countries, including Brazil, Canada, China, Indonesia, Japan, and Switzerland, and has been a Writer in Residence at Tokyo’s American School in Japan, the James Thurber House in Columbus, Ohio, and the Jakarta Intercultural School in Indonesia.
Alan was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, home of the 1982 World’s Fair. After a carefree but humid childhood, Alan attended the University of Tennessee, where he earned a College Scholars degree with a specialization in creative writing, and, later, a Master’s degree in English education. He now lives with his family in Asheville, North Carolina, where he enjoys playing games, eating pizza, and, perhaps not too surprisingly, reading books.
Alan’s novel Grenade debuted at number three on the New York Times bestseller list, and his most recent book, Allies, debuted at number two on the list and received four starred reviews. His other books include Prisoner B-3087, which was a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Readers pick and winner of eight state awards; Projekt 1065, a Kirkus Best Middle Grade Book of 2016 and winner of five state awards; Code of Honor, a YALSA Quick Pick for Young Readers; and Ban This Book, which was featured by Whoopi Goldberg on The View.
Alan has traveled extensively to talk about his books, appearing at schools and book festivals in 39 states and a half-dozen countries, including Brazil, Canada, China, Indonesia, Japan, and Switzerland, and has been a Writer in Residence at Tokyo’s American School in Japan, the James Thurber House in Columbus, Ohio, and the Jakarta Intercultural School in Indonesia.
Alan was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, home of the 1982 World’s Fair. After a carefree but humid childhood, Alan attended the University of Tennessee, where he earned a College Scholars degree with a specialization in creative writing, and, later, a Master’s degree in English education. He now lives with his family in Asheville, North Carolina, where he enjoys playing games, eating pizza, and, perhaps not too surprisingly, reading books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 200 reviews
January 25, 2021
CW:
Well.
Alan Gratz offers up an interesting modern day mash up of old school detective and Shakespeare's Hamlet. Some of it works. Some of it doesn't. I couldn't quite get a feel for Horatio as a character at the beginning because he switched between smart arsed teenager, and savvy old detective. It wasn't jarring but it felt like Alan was still working out who Horatio was in the early stages of the novel. Luckily, by the end I had a reasonable sense of him and I assume his voice solidifies in book 2. I actually thought it was a pretty clever reimaging whilst staying true to the major plot points of Hamlet. I think this will be a valuable addition to the library.
Well.
Alan Gratz offers up an interesting modern day mash up of old school detective and Shakespeare's Hamlet. Some of it works. Some of it doesn't. I couldn't quite get a feel for Horatio as a character at the beginning because he switched between smart arsed teenager, and savvy old detective. It wasn't jarring but it felt like Alan was still working out who Horatio was in the early stages of the novel. Luckily, by the end I had a reasonable sense of him and I assume his voice solidifies in book 2. I actually thought it was a pretty clever reimaging whilst staying true to the major plot points of Hamlet. I think this will be a valuable addition to the library.
January 13, 2008
Something's rotten in Denmark. Denmark, Tennessee, that is. As a fan of both Raymond Chandler and Shakespeare, the author Alan Gratz has attempted to blend the two in a sort of "Pulp Shakespeare" or "Hardboiled Hamlet" (this according to the back flap of the book jacket.) The story is told from the point of view of Horatio Wilkes, who has come to spend some vacation time with his best friend, Hamilton Prince. Hamilton is heir to the Elsinore Paper Plant fortune (said "plant" also the source of the "rotten" smell in Denmark) and in keeping with the story, Hamilton's father had died and his mother has recently married his uncle, Claude. This move had made Claude the head of the paper company. Hamilton isn't taking this all too well and so our hero, Horatio, has to deal with lots of his friend's angst, drinking, and bad behavior. However, soon Horatio, like his friend, begins to suspect that Rex Prince's death was not an accident and he committs to helping his friend prove it.
Though I thought the set up of this "remake" was interesting, the problem is that it is not just a mix of noir and Shakespeare but noir/Shakespeare/young adult novel and this threesome works less well here for some reason. It took me about 50 pages to get with the rhythm and it still felt like the author was working too hard to hit all the surface connections of Hamlet but none of the deep ones. Maybe it's because i just read The Dead Father's Club (a far superior re-telling of Hamlet from a young person's point of view) or because the setup of this book reminded me of Scotland, PA (an indie movie version of Macbeth, set in 1975) which really captures the "spirt" of the play in a more modern setting. I would have liked to have seen a darker vision in this book--that would have made it both more realistic and more true to both Chandler and Shakespeare.
Though I thought the set up of this "remake" was interesting, the problem is that it is not just a mix of noir and Shakespeare but noir/Shakespeare/young adult novel and this threesome works less well here for some reason. It took me about 50 pages to get with the rhythm and it still felt like the author was working too hard to hit all the surface connections of Hamlet but none of the deep ones. Maybe it's because i just read The Dead Father's Club (a far superior re-telling of Hamlet from a young person's point of view) or because the setup of this book reminded me of Scotland, PA (an indie movie version of Macbeth, set in 1975) which really captures the "spirt" of the play in a more modern setting. I would have liked to have seen a darker vision in this book--that would have made it both more realistic and more true to both Chandler and Shakespeare.
December 11, 2018
I chose this book because it had an interesting cover with a picture of what I would soon find out are two of the main characters in the sory. I really liked this because I was able to really see what the main characters looked like opposed to when you are left with your imagination to figure out what the characters look like and who they are.
The story starts off with the main character Horatio Wilkes staying at his friend Hamilton Prince’s house for a couple of weeks over the summer. The two are classmates at their boarding school. Hamilton comes from an extremely wealthy family and Horatio comes from a lower middle class family. There had recently been a death in Hamilton’s family. Rex Prince who was Hamilton’s father. Rex had left a videotape for his son. Horatio and Hamilton finally sat down to watch it. In the video Rex tells his son that he thinks that he has been getting poisoned over the past couple of months. He said he was not going to make it and is up to Hamilton to figure out who did it. Rex was the owner of Elsinore Paper company which had been in the family for generations. There was one issue with this company. The Denmark River was so polluted wherever you went in town all you can smell is the terrible stench coming from the river. Somehow every year they are able to pass the tests because part of the downstream river is cleaner. When back at The Prince family mansion Horatio soon learns that Hamilton’s Uncle Claude had moved in and was no taking care of the paper plant. This was extremely suspicious and Hamilton knew this right away. There was no proof that Claude was the killer but there really wasn’t any. The police were not investigating because Rex was in his late sixties. As the story goes on there is a lot of protest to get the Elsinore Paper Company be shut down because how bad it was for the environment. There was not that much support for it so it never got shut down but the protest did not stop. The Prince’s did not know what to do. Claude was now in charge and Hamilton could not be any angrier. A very successful businessman named Ford braniff offered to buy the company for 6 billion dollars. Yes with a b. The Prince’s could not believe how much the offer was but Claude denied. Debates started to arouse over what should happen and Hamilton made one of the most controversial decisions of the whole story. He decided to join the side that was trying to get it shut down. The company that allowed him live such a nice life. This really made people think. The river was then cleaned as the investigation came to a close. All along Uncle Claude had been the killer of his own brother. What a guy.
Some things I liked about this story was how the narrator of the story (Horatio) was kind of on the outside looking in. He was not part of the family so he was not really biased on what he was saying about the investigation. I also like how it described things. For example in the beginning of the story it spends almost two whole pages talking about how bad the smell in the town was.
On the other hand, some things I did not really like about the story was how long it took for the story to really go anywhere. It spent almost half of the book just giving you background information that was not really important to the plot. I thought they could have talked more about the interesting things throughout the whole book instead of just cramming a lot towards the end without going into much detail about what happened.
The story starts off with the main character Horatio Wilkes staying at his friend Hamilton Prince’s house for a couple of weeks over the summer. The two are classmates at their boarding school. Hamilton comes from an extremely wealthy family and Horatio comes from a lower middle class family. There had recently been a death in Hamilton’s family. Rex Prince who was Hamilton’s father. Rex had left a videotape for his son. Horatio and Hamilton finally sat down to watch it. In the video Rex tells his son that he thinks that he has been getting poisoned over the past couple of months. He said he was not going to make it and is up to Hamilton to figure out who did it. Rex was the owner of Elsinore Paper company which had been in the family for generations. There was one issue with this company. The Denmark River was so polluted wherever you went in town all you can smell is the terrible stench coming from the river. Somehow every year they are able to pass the tests because part of the downstream river is cleaner. When back at The Prince family mansion Horatio soon learns that Hamilton’s Uncle Claude had moved in and was no taking care of the paper plant. This was extremely suspicious and Hamilton knew this right away. There was no proof that Claude was the killer but there really wasn’t any. The police were not investigating because Rex was in his late sixties. As the story goes on there is a lot of protest to get the Elsinore Paper Company be shut down because how bad it was for the environment. There was not that much support for it so it never got shut down but the protest did not stop. The Prince’s did not know what to do. Claude was now in charge and Hamilton could not be any angrier. A very successful businessman named Ford braniff offered to buy the company for 6 billion dollars. Yes with a b. The Prince’s could not believe how much the offer was but Claude denied. Debates started to arouse over what should happen and Hamilton made one of the most controversial decisions of the whole story. He decided to join the side that was trying to get it shut down. The company that allowed him live such a nice life. This really made people think. The river was then cleaned as the investigation came to a close. All along Uncle Claude had been the killer of his own brother. What a guy.
Some things I liked about this story was how the narrator of the story (Horatio) was kind of on the outside looking in. He was not part of the family so he was not really biased on what he was saying about the investigation. I also like how it described things. For example in the beginning of the story it spends almost two whole pages talking about how bad the smell in the town was.
On the other hand, some things I did not really like about the story was how long it took for the story to really go anywhere. It spent almost half of the book just giving you background information that was not really important to the plot. I thought they could have talked more about the interesting things throughout the whole book instead of just cramming a lot towards the end without going into much detail about what happened.
September 15, 2022
At times, this book had a lot of spots where it kept you on the edge of your seat. I really enjoyed this book and the detail put into all of the characters and settings. I could vividly understand everything that was going on and it made reading the book a lot of fun.
This book is about a paper plant in Elsinore, which is causing a lot of pollution in a nearby river. The owners of the plant, the Prince family, are stinking rich (emphasis on 'stinking'.) The main character, Horatio, is best friends with the oldest son of the Prince family, Hamilton. They had been planning to spend the summer together, so it was a big shock when they learned that Hamilton's dad had passed away before they reached summer. Throughout the book, Horatio gains more information on the sketchy death of Rex Prince, which includes eventually finding and exposing his killer.
This book is about a paper plant in Elsinore, which is causing a lot of pollution in a nearby river. The owners of the plant, the Prince family, are stinking rich (emphasis on 'stinking'.) The main character, Horatio, is best friends with the oldest son of the Prince family, Hamilton. They had been planning to spend the summer together, so it was a big shock when they learned that Hamilton's dad had passed away before they reached summer. Throughout the book, Horatio gains more information on the sketchy death of Rex Prince, which includes eventually finding and exposing his killer.
Read
November 5, 2017Something's rotten is a very good story that tells us about
Spoiler alert
a kid named Horatio Wilkes visiting his friend Hamilton prince for the summer Hamilton's father died and his mom remarried his uncle. the princes are a very rich family who owns a paper plant that pollutes the Copenhagen river. when Hamilton and Horatio drove up to the paper plant they were confronted by Hamilton's beautiful ex girlfriend protesting. when Hamilton goes into the surveillance room to say hi to the guards he found a tape of Hamilton's dad that tells them very briefly that he had been poisoned and Horatio promised Hamilton that he would solve the mystery.
in my opinion this book was in no hurry to get me to the climax of the story it takes a very long time to get into the action and when it did get to the action it wasn't very good but I would recommend this to any adult or kid who likes mysteries
Spoiler alert
a kid named Horatio Wilkes visiting his friend Hamilton prince for the summer Hamilton's father died and his mom remarried his uncle. the princes are a very rich family who owns a paper plant that pollutes the Copenhagen river. when Hamilton and Horatio drove up to the paper plant they were confronted by Hamilton's beautiful ex girlfriend protesting. when Hamilton goes into the surveillance room to say hi to the guards he found a tape of Hamilton's dad that tells them very briefly that he had been poisoned and Horatio promised Hamilton that he would solve the mystery.
in my opinion this book was in no hurry to get me to the climax of the story it takes a very long time to get into the action and when it did get to the action it wasn't very good but I would recommend this to any adult or kid who likes mysteries
July 29, 2024
A quick retelling of ma boy, Shakespeare’s Hamlet for the YA crowd.
it was actually quite good!
The who-done-it aspect worked for me as did the different changes and twists from the original.
There are much better, more sophisticated re-imaginations out there (Nutshell comes to mind) but this one kept my attention, especially when it came to the "To Be" and "Get thee to a nunnery" portions.
a worthy read!
it was actually quite good!
The who-done-it aspect worked for me as did the different changes and twists from the original.
There are much better, more sophisticated re-imaginations out there (Nutshell comes to mind) but this one kept my attention, especially when it came to the "To Be" and "Get thee to a nunnery" portions.
a worthy read!
March 12, 2025
Probably not the best reimagining I've ever read but a fun enough romp. You definitely have to suspend your disbelief for Horatio as a character, but come on; his name is Horatio. And Gratz sneaks in a self-deprecating comment about authors who can't come up with anything better than adaptations of great works, so he's definitely in on the joke. Plus, I loved Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as country boys who go out in a fireball explosion. Chef's kiss.
will-not-finish
August 27, 2018I'm giving up after fifty pages. I'm not very invested and the main character, Horatio, keeps making weird/sexual comments about his best friend's mom. I do think that Hamlet works well as an updated emo teenager though.
January 9, 2020
Silly and dated. But if you are Hamlet trash like me, youll get some enjoyment from this adaptation.
December 31, 2020
"Something Rotten"! Sadly, the title is appropriate. I had high hopes for this, since I LOVE Alan Gratz's more recent books. This is a satire of Shakespeare's Hamlet, with a Raymond Chandler knock-off as the narrator. (His name is Horatio, no less!)
This book shows me what practice and passion can do for an author. I absolutely recommend Gratz's more recent work.
This book shows me what practice and passion can do for an author. I absolutely recommend Gratz's more recent work.
January 12, 2008
Compared with other young adult mysteries I’ve read recently, Alan Gratz’s Something Rotten: A Horatio Wilkes Mystery has a lot going for it.
The book is an updated version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Horatio Wilkes visits his high school buddy, Hamilton, in Denmark, Tennessee. Hamilton is a mess because his father has recently died and his mother has married his uncle. He has a girlfriend, Olivia, whom he has alienated.
Gratz does a good job of giving this classic tale a modern twist. However, he does take certain liberties with the story. Not only is Horatio the hero of the book, but Hamilton’s inconsistent behavior is explained with an alcohol addiction. Although most of the storyline and characters are there, the book is more mystery and less tragedy.
Like many YA novelists, Gratz has created a hero who is unlike any teenage boy I’ve ever encountered. I am not referring to Horatio’s quick mind and ability to solve mysteries. I can suspend my disbelief in these cases.
However, I cannot believe a teenage boy would make references to Shakespeare (beyond the obvious Hamlet ones), Roman poets, and even allusions to lines in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. I also doubt most young adults would appreciate or pick up on these references.
Not only is Horatio apparently a literary savant, but he is also about 60 years old. The modern teenager—who loves his cell phone, iPod, and PS3—references The Dukes of Hazard, Beavis and Butt-Head, and Howdy Doody. Even I am too young to have watched most of those shows.
Overall, though, Horatio is an engaging—though rather impertinent—young hero, and I look forward to reading future books in the series.
The book is an updated version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Horatio Wilkes visits his high school buddy, Hamilton, in Denmark, Tennessee. Hamilton is a mess because his father has recently died and his mother has married his uncle. He has a girlfriend, Olivia, whom he has alienated.
Gratz does a good job of giving this classic tale a modern twist. However, he does take certain liberties with the story. Not only is Horatio the hero of the book, but Hamilton’s inconsistent behavior is explained with an alcohol addiction. Although most of the storyline and characters are there, the book is more mystery and less tragedy.
Like many YA novelists, Gratz has created a hero who is unlike any teenage boy I’ve ever encountered. I am not referring to Horatio’s quick mind and ability to solve mysteries. I can suspend my disbelief in these cases.
However, I cannot believe a teenage boy would make references to Shakespeare (beyond the obvious Hamlet ones), Roman poets, and even allusions to lines in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. I also doubt most young adults would appreciate or pick up on these references.
Not only is Horatio apparently a literary savant, but he is also about 60 years old. The modern teenager—who loves his cell phone, iPod, and PS3—references The Dukes of Hazard, Beavis and Butt-Head, and Howdy Doody. Even I am too young to have watched most of those shows.
Overall, though, Horatio is an engaging—though rather impertinent—young hero, and I look forward to reading future books in the series.
June 5, 2009
Rating A+
Review How can I say anything bad about this book? I can't. The only bad reviews this book gets are from people who were expecting a modern re-telling of Hamlet to have a twist ending. It doesn't. The same person who did the killing in Shakespeare's classic did the killing in Something Rotten. New endings and surprise twists aren't the purpose of this book.
This book is so beautiful in it's simplicity, wit, and ability to get you to want to read Shakespeare. I am now yearning to go back and re-read Hamlet and pick up on all the things I missed because I didn't understand them (and my high school English teachers didn't have the time, curriculum-wise, to move beyond "Who are the characters?" and "What is the plot?"). Symbolism is rife, dialogue is rich, and now it makes sense.
I think this book (and Gratz's two follow-up Horatio Wilkes mysteries that tackle Macbeth and A Midsummer's Night's Dream) should be required reading in high school before Shakespeare. The added beauty of this book is that, although it's clean enough to slip right into any high school without making waves with the book-banning legislators, it's relatable, relatively contemporary (save Gratz's affinity for outdated cult-classic music that most kids have never heard of these days), and honest. Drinking happens, sex is alluded to, and high school is really high school. But it's all done so well.
A+ (+++) for him, and I'll be getting the rest in this series for darned sure.
Review How can I say anything bad about this book? I can't. The only bad reviews this book gets are from people who were expecting a modern re-telling of Hamlet to have a twist ending. It doesn't. The same person who did the killing in Shakespeare's classic did the killing in Something Rotten. New endings and surprise twists aren't the purpose of this book.
This book is so beautiful in it's simplicity, wit, and ability to get you to want to read Shakespeare. I am now yearning to go back and re-read Hamlet and pick up on all the things I missed because I didn't understand them (and my high school English teachers didn't have the time, curriculum-wise, to move beyond "Who are the characters?" and "What is the plot?"). Symbolism is rife, dialogue is rich, and now it makes sense.
I think this book (and Gratz's two follow-up Horatio Wilkes mysteries that tackle Macbeth and A Midsummer's Night's Dream) should be required reading in high school before Shakespeare. The added beauty of this book is that, although it's clean enough to slip right into any high school without making waves with the book-banning legislators, it's relatable, relatively contemporary (save Gratz's affinity for outdated cult-classic music that most kids have never heard of these days), and honest. Drinking happens, sex is alluded to, and high school is really high school. But it's all done so well.
A+ (+++) for him, and I'll be getting the rest in this series for darned sure.
April 14, 2009
Alan Gratz knows how to capture a teenager's voice, which is probably the biggest appeal in Something Rotten. While Horatio is brilliant at solving mysteries, he is still very much a teenager in that he behaves like one, such as by throwing out glib and sarcastic remarks at practically every single adult that he meets.
It was a little ironic that the book was an obvious modern take of Shakespeare's Hamlet, when Horatio makes a comment about how much he dislikes attempts to modernize classic works. Still, it shows that Gratz isn't above poking fun at himself and his characters, which also appeals.
One of the more serious aspects of the story that I enjoyed was Horatio's worry over Hamilton's excessive drinking. While the story is mostly humorous, the more serious parts of the book work well to balance it out, and the example of how bad things can get with teen drinking is just one example of that.
I'd promote this book to teens who are interested in either a mystery or a humorous story, or perhaps both.
VOYA codes: 4Q, 4P, J.
It was a little ironic that the book was an obvious modern take of Shakespeare's Hamlet, when Horatio makes a comment about how much he dislikes attempts to modernize classic works. Still, it shows that Gratz isn't above poking fun at himself and his characters, which also appeals.
One of the more serious aspects of the story that I enjoyed was Horatio's worry over Hamilton's excessive drinking. While the story is mostly humorous, the more serious parts of the book work well to balance it out, and the example of how bad things can get with teen drinking is just one example of that.
I'd promote this book to teens who are interested in either a mystery or a humorous story, or perhaps both.
VOYA codes: 4Q, 4P, J.
February 3, 2011
I read this on the advice of a patron (meaning I didn't actually know what it was about), and, considering how common Shakespearean quotes are as titles, I didn't realize until I started reading that it was a modern retelling of Hamlet. Ordinarily, I'm not really excited about that kind of thing, and the first chapter didn't change my mind much, but once Gratz gets all the silly parallels to Shakespeare out of the way (it's Denmark . . . Tennessee! It's the Elsinore . . . Paper Company!), he gets down to the business of actually writing a novel, and it's pretty good. Horatio becomes the narrator (a neat trick since Hamlet ends with the prince asking Horatio to tell his story) and he tells it in a faux-hard boiled style that's pretty funny. And thankfully, even though the first few chapters are pretty slavish to acts I and II of the play, the middle and ending actually deviate quite a bit (and give the Ophelia character a lot more to do). All in all, a nice little YA mystery, with or without Shakespeare references.
January 8, 2013
I think that Something Rotten is a very good book, it kept me very intrested. Of course my favorite kinds of stories are mysteries. I would deffinetely recomend this story to my family and friends. usually i can never read a whole book because I get very bored, but with something rotten I was done in no time! I really wish there were more stories as good as Something Rotten, because then I know that I would enjoy reading a lot more than I do now. I more recomend this book to older teens, because it does have profanity. But all together, Something Rotten is the best book I have ever read.
January 8, 2013
This book was a lot better than I thought it would be and I’m not much on reading but this book I really wanted to read it. This book had me thinking at first it was going to be slow and not much fun but it changed my mind after the first chapter. it did have a few point that was slow but it wasn’t to bad. I have never read hamlet but I knew the main point and i could see the comparison of it to something rotten.I wish some of the minor characters had I bigger part in the end of the story. and thats my review of something rotten
January 8, 2013
Something Rotten was extremely suspenseful. I didn’t want to even open it at first but when I did I couldn’t stop reading. The main idea of this story is catchy and the details the author throws in there make you want to keep on reading. I thought the back round information on the characters really helped the reader understand the situation. I also loved the way it was written. The author used words that caught my eye and made me picture situations and put myself in the characters shoes.
January 8, 2013
I thought Something Rotten was a good book it had a lot of action, and never left you hanging. it was very interesting. My favorite character was Horatio because he was the main character, and i liked his personality the most. my second favorite character was Olivia, she fought for what she believed in and she made a different in their little town, that was a great bonus to the book.
February 7, 2019
The action was rather slow at the beginning, but it really picks up towards the end. The last 50 pages or so are impossible to put down! The book really wraps up quickly with a rather obvious ending. Overall, it was a good read.
October 25, 2025
I'm very conflicted about this book. I really shouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did. There were some messier moments, but overall I thought it was a very competent retelling.
But as a certified Name Snob, I have to acknowledge the elephant in the room. The many elephants, really. I've struggled with mixing up Hamilton and Hamlet ever since I was in high school getting obsessed with both the musical and the play, respectively, so it was hilarious for me to see a Hamlet-variant with such a silly name. But why was his dad named Rex? Horatio tells us that it's because they can't all be called Hamilton out loud, but that doesn't explain him being called Rex. My other favorites were Fortinbras as Ford N. Branff and Laertes as Larry. Larry! Hilarious.
Also, Horatio was named after canon-Horatio. Hamlet the play exists in this universe, as does Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Horatio's mom is an English literature professor who has named all her children after Shakespeare characters. I have many questions about the implications of this, but mostly why does nobody seem to have a conscious awareness of the original play and its plot and the fact that their lives are eerily similar?
Anyway.
For the most part, I liked this version of Horatio, although it took me a moment to warm up to him. A lot of his one-liners were stupid, but some of them were genuine funny. He also had a bit of a smart mouth, which felt a bit out of character sometimes (a little reminiscent of a famous literary prince I know, have you heard of him?) but could also produce some funny moments. I definitely don't think I'm the target audience for this book, though, since Horatio also had a lot of certified "Teen Boy Moments." The way he talked about Olivia and Trudy would frequently lean into gross and misogynistic.
This book really was a relic from 2007. In addition to misogynistic moments, it also felt lightly homophobic. I normally don't like when people use "it was a different time" to excuse stuff like that, but that's truly the impression I got from this book. It wasn't being outright hateful, some of the language was just dated. Especially from the perspective of a teen boy. So it's there, and it's a little odd (especially the way he talks about Trudy) but it's not a huge issue for me.
My biggest problem with Horatio's character was his relationship with Hamilton. They were supposedly best friends from the start, but Horatio seemed to openly detest Hamilton at the beginning of the book. Once they got to be around each other more I began to buy into their friendship (and actually think this is one of the better non-romantic versions of them), but it took a long time. And even then, I don't think this version of Horatio would've been suicidal over losing Hamilton had the opportunity presented itself. I think it's important for people to justify why Horatio goes so far for his friend, and starting off with clear disdain creates a rocky foundation for it.
Hamilton's character was also written strangely, though, which didn't help. We open the story with Hamilton saying really obnoxious stuff about people "lesser" than him. Horatio tries to tell us that Hamilton isn't really like that and, despite being the heir to a billion dollar empire, he doesn't treat people worse for being poor. That's why the two of them are friends, of course. But Hamilton continues to act like a snooty and entitled rich guy who looks down on his "help" (a word repeatedly used). The things we were being told and shown about Hamilton were at odds, which made it hard to sympathize with Hamilton in the way we needed to.
For the most part, I was really impressed with the way class issues were used in the story. Obviously the idea of power is incredibly relevant to the original story of Hamlet, but I liked the way it was modernized in this version. And I always love an anti-capitalism story, even if it's not that in depth. I was also really impressed with how Hamlet was put into this context. Not everything was a perfect recreation (primarily the poisoning of the King, the play, and the final duel), but enough of the story went smoothly that I was pleased. The biggest change was that all of Hamlet's wit and competence was given to Horatio, which I think could've been reworked.
Overall, this is not my favorite book ever. It's not even my favorite Hamlet retelling. But it was a lot better than I expected it to be, and I ultimately had a fun time reading it.
But as a certified Name Snob, I have to acknowledge the elephant in the room. The many elephants, really. I've struggled with mixing up Hamilton and Hamlet ever since I was in high school getting obsessed with both the musical and the play, respectively, so it was hilarious for me to see a Hamlet-variant with such a silly name. But why was his dad named Rex? Horatio tells us that it's because they can't all be called Hamilton out loud, but that doesn't explain him being called Rex. My other favorites were Fortinbras as Ford N. Branff and Laertes as Larry. Larry! Hilarious.
Also, Horatio was named after canon-Horatio. Hamlet the play exists in this universe, as does Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Horatio's mom is an English literature professor who has named all her children after Shakespeare characters. I have many questions about the implications of this, but mostly why does nobody seem to have a conscious awareness of the original play and its plot and the fact that their lives are eerily similar?
Anyway.
For the most part, I liked this version of Horatio, although it took me a moment to warm up to him. A lot of his one-liners were stupid, but some of them were genuine funny. He also had a bit of a smart mouth, which felt a bit out of character sometimes (a little reminiscent of a famous literary prince I know, have you heard of him?) but could also produce some funny moments. I definitely don't think I'm the target audience for this book, though, since Horatio also had a lot of certified "Teen Boy Moments." The way he talked about Olivia and Trudy would frequently lean into gross and misogynistic.
This book really was a relic from 2007. In addition to misogynistic moments, it also felt lightly homophobic. I normally don't like when people use "it was a different time" to excuse stuff like that, but that's truly the impression I got from this book. It wasn't being outright hateful, some of the language was just dated. Especially from the perspective of a teen boy. So it's there, and it's a little odd (especially the way he talks about Trudy) but it's not a huge issue for me.
My biggest problem with Horatio's character was his relationship with Hamilton. They were supposedly best friends from the start, but Horatio seemed to openly detest Hamilton at the beginning of the book. Once they got to be around each other more I began to buy into their friendship (and actually think this is one of the better non-romantic versions of them), but it took a long time. And even then, I don't think this version of Horatio would've been suicidal over losing Hamilton had the opportunity presented itself. I think it's important for people to justify why Horatio goes so far for his friend, and starting off with clear disdain creates a rocky foundation for it.
Hamilton's character was also written strangely, though, which didn't help. We open the story with Hamilton saying really obnoxious stuff about people "lesser" than him. Horatio tries to tell us that Hamilton isn't really like that and, despite being the heir to a billion dollar empire, he doesn't treat people worse for being poor. That's why the two of them are friends, of course. But Hamilton continues to act like a snooty and entitled rich guy who looks down on his "help" (a word repeatedly used). The things we were being told and shown about Hamilton were at odds, which made it hard to sympathize with Hamilton in the way we needed to.
For the most part, I was really impressed with the way class issues were used in the story. Obviously the idea of power is incredibly relevant to the original story of Hamlet, but I liked the way it was modernized in this version. And I always love an anti-capitalism story, even if it's not that in depth. I was also really impressed with how Hamlet was put into this context. Not everything was a perfect recreation (primarily the poisoning of the King, the play, and the final duel), but enough of the story went smoothly that I was pleased. The biggest change was that all of Hamlet's wit and competence was given to Horatio, which I think could've been reworked.
Overall, this is not my favorite book ever. It's not even my favorite Hamlet retelling. But it was a lot better than I expected it to be, and I ultimately had a fun time reading it.
January 7, 2023
I have often thought about what the Harry Potter books would read like if Hermione Granger, Harry's extremely intelligent muggle friend, narrated them. This is the sort of question someone interested in adaptation theory entertains because it invites a reader to consider the multitude of voices at play in a text, even if the text in question refuses to acknowledge those voices. I like to imagine a Harry Potter series from Hermione's perspective because Hermione, while a main character, is far from the main character. Often characters who occupy a variety of narrative spaces have the most interesting bits of commentary about those narrative spaces. Hamlet, for example, has a character that satisfies this criterion: Horatio. Hamlet even elevates Horatio in narrative status when he forbids Horatio from committing suicide at the end of Hamlet. He says, "And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain, / To tell my story" (5.2.348-349). Alan Gratz takes this injunction one step further by making Horatio the point of view character in his YA adaptation Something Rotten.
Frankly, this novel is a mixed bag. It "plays" with Hamlet in ways adaptation scholars appreciate, but it does so in confounding ways. For example, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is an intellectual property in the novel, which suggests that Shakespeare's Hamlet is also an intellectual property in the novel. This is not inherently a problem because many adaptations, think homage episodes of Dan Harmon's Community, wink at their audiences by shattering the fourth wall. Yet, these fourth-wall-breaking moments feel listless and slip shot in Something Rotten. That is to say, these references are references for the sake of the reference.
But I ultimately have affection for Something Rotten because it plays with Shakespeare in ways that editors Christy Desmet and Robert Sawyer describe in Shakespeare and Appropriation as "small-time," which is a direct reference to Canadian scholar Michael Bristol's notion "big-time Shakespeare." Instances of "small-time Shakespeare" are "individual acts of 're-vision' that arise from love or rage, or simply a desire to play with Shakespeare" (2). They continue, "'Small-time Shakespeare' emerges from local, more pointed responses to the Bard...[satisfying] motives ranging from play, to political commitment, to agnostic gamesmanship" (3). And Something Rotten offers a collage of these interests. The fourth-wall-breaking points certainly read like gamesmanship, while the not-so-subtle references to environmental degradation and corporate malfeasance engage questions of political activism in literature.
I found myself scoffing far too often as I read Something Rotten, but my mistake was forgetting the importance of play regarding Shakespeare. When necessary, adaptations and appropriations of Shakespeare must incite a healthy amount of scoffing, but we cannot stop there. We must remember that Shakespeare is a lofty institution because we make it so, and the best way to interrogate the viability of an institution is to play with it. Something Rotten does just that.
Frankly, this novel is a mixed bag. It "plays" with Hamlet in ways adaptation scholars appreciate, but it does so in confounding ways. For example, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is an intellectual property in the novel, which suggests that Shakespeare's Hamlet is also an intellectual property in the novel. This is not inherently a problem because many adaptations, think homage episodes of Dan Harmon's Community, wink at their audiences by shattering the fourth wall. Yet, these fourth-wall-breaking moments feel listless and slip shot in Something Rotten. That is to say, these references are references for the sake of the reference.
But I ultimately have affection for Something Rotten because it plays with Shakespeare in ways that editors Christy Desmet and Robert Sawyer describe in Shakespeare and Appropriation as "small-time," which is a direct reference to Canadian scholar Michael Bristol's notion "big-time Shakespeare." Instances of "small-time Shakespeare" are "individual acts of 're-vision' that arise from love or rage, or simply a desire to play with Shakespeare" (2). They continue, "'Small-time Shakespeare' emerges from local, more pointed responses to the Bard...[satisfying] motives ranging from play, to political commitment, to agnostic gamesmanship" (3). And Something Rotten offers a collage of these interests. The fourth-wall-breaking points certainly read like gamesmanship, while the not-so-subtle references to environmental degradation and corporate malfeasance engage questions of political activism in literature.
I found myself scoffing far too often as I read Something Rotten, but my mistake was forgetting the importance of play regarding Shakespeare. When necessary, adaptations and appropriations of Shakespeare must incite a healthy amount of scoffing, but we cannot stop there. We must remember that Shakespeare is a lofty institution because we make it so, and the best way to interrogate the viability of an institution is to play with it. Something Rotten does just that.
January 19, 2024
First sentence: Denmark, Tennessee, stank. Bad. Like dead fish fricasseed in sewer water.
Premise/plot: The Prince family of Denmark, Tennessee, is rich and corrupt. Mostly. Horatio Wilkes, the narrator, is a school friend visiting Hamilton Prince for the summer. Their first stop? The family paper plant--Elsinore Paper Plant--the source of the stink in Denmark. This one is an adaptation of Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Those familiar with the original will notice similarities [and differences] right away.
[I don't know how familiar teens are with Hamlet these days. I would imagine it's still assigned reading in some places.] But those who are familiar will recognize how Gratz updates the memorable ghost scene which opens the play. A videotape reveals a startling image:
The man on the screen had snow white hair and a face like a walnut. He looked like he was a hundred years old, but it was Mr. Prince, sure enough. There was a sad, hollow look in his eyes that I knew but couldn't place.
The tape goes on...
Hamilton, if the boys show you this tape, it means something bad has happened. Something very bad. It means I've been murdered. . . It was poison . . .
Hamilton immediately suspects his uncle Claude. His new step-father. Horatio isn't as quick to jump to conclusions. He treats this situation like a true mystery. He decides to observe, listen, and wait patiently for the pieces to fall into place. Hamilton? Well, Hamilton just wants to yell, mope, drink, and be a miserable drain to everyone's mood.
All the familiar characters are there. I think the more familiar you are with the play--either through reading it or seeing it--the more you can appreciate it. However, I doubt that that is essential.
My thoughts: There were many things I enjoyed about this one, though I didn't love, love, love it. Still, I can see myself recommending this one to others. I know a few people who love Shakespeare, and this will definitely be something I mention to them.
This is a reread for me. I've pieced some of the original review (especially in the summary) while adding a few new sentences. I didn't know it when I read the first book back in November 2007, but I would go on to love, love, love, love the second book in the series which is an adaptation of Macbeth. I've always intended to reread both books. [I did not own a copy of the first book so I had to interlibrary loan it.]
I do wish the series had been enough of a success that more had been written. I don't know that the series failed OR if Alan Gratz just realized that he preferred writing amazing, awesome historical fiction instead of young adult mysteries. I DO love his historical books--especially those with a world war two setting.
Premise/plot: The Prince family of Denmark, Tennessee, is rich and corrupt. Mostly. Horatio Wilkes, the narrator, is a school friend visiting Hamilton Prince for the summer. Their first stop? The family paper plant--Elsinore Paper Plant--the source of the stink in Denmark. This one is an adaptation of Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Those familiar with the original will notice similarities [and differences] right away.
[I don't know how familiar teens are with Hamlet these days. I would imagine it's still assigned reading in some places.] But those who are familiar will recognize how Gratz updates the memorable ghost scene which opens the play. A videotape reveals a startling image:
The man on the screen had snow white hair and a face like a walnut. He looked like he was a hundred years old, but it was Mr. Prince, sure enough. There was a sad, hollow look in his eyes that I knew but couldn't place.
The tape goes on...
Hamilton, if the boys show you this tape, it means something bad has happened. Something very bad. It means I've been murdered. . . It was poison . . .
Hamilton immediately suspects his uncle Claude. His new step-father. Horatio isn't as quick to jump to conclusions. He treats this situation like a true mystery. He decides to observe, listen, and wait patiently for the pieces to fall into place. Hamilton? Well, Hamilton just wants to yell, mope, drink, and be a miserable drain to everyone's mood.
All the familiar characters are there. I think the more familiar you are with the play--either through reading it or seeing it--the more you can appreciate it. However, I doubt that that is essential.
My thoughts: There were many things I enjoyed about this one, though I didn't love, love, love it. Still, I can see myself recommending this one to others. I know a few people who love Shakespeare, and this will definitely be something I mention to them.
This is a reread for me. I've pieced some of the original review (especially in the summary) while adding a few new sentences. I didn't know it when I read the first book back in November 2007, but I would go on to love, love, love, love the second book in the series which is an adaptation of Macbeth. I've always intended to reread both books. [I did not own a copy of the first book so I had to interlibrary loan it.]
I do wish the series had been enough of a success that more had been written. I don't know that the series failed OR if Alan Gratz just realized that he preferred writing amazing, awesome historical fiction instead of young adult mysteries. I DO love his historical books--especially those with a world war two setting.
June 26, 2020
Retelling? Patische? Parody? Really clever or really annoying? Maybe a combination. As a Hamlet fan, finding yet another approach to Shakespeare’s class tragedy of revenge is always a fun find.
Although the genre is designated YA, there is enough here for adults to appreciate, especially Bardinators.
Gratz bends Hamlet into the ‘90s circa, complete with flip phones, iPods, and gaming. He blends old plot points with new spins such as Hamlet’s family owns a paper plant in Denmark, Tennessee and Fortinbras is vying for a hostile takeover of the family business.
There are also some twists such as Ophelia being an environmentalist protesting Hamlet’s family business. One twist that might not sit well with purists is that Horatio is a sleuth, none too passive in his approach, as he tries to solve the death of Hamlet Sr.
Clever additions are having the ghost appearance on video tape and the reveal during the town play of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.
At one point Gratz pulls in some meta-fiction when he has Horatio state how tired he is of authors who try to rewrite the classics.
It’s difficult to be too hard on an author who manages to laugh a bit at himself.
Although the genre is designated YA, there is enough here for adults to appreciate, especially Bardinators.
Gratz bends Hamlet into the ‘90s circa, complete with flip phones, iPods, and gaming. He blends old plot points with new spins such as Hamlet’s family owns a paper plant in Denmark, Tennessee and Fortinbras is vying for a hostile takeover of the family business.
There are also some twists such as Ophelia being an environmentalist protesting Hamlet’s family business. One twist that might not sit well with purists is that Horatio is a sleuth, none too passive in his approach, as he tries to solve the death of Hamlet Sr.
Clever additions are having the ghost appearance on video tape and the reveal during the town play of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.
At one point Gratz pulls in some meta-fiction when he has Horatio state how tired he is of authors who try to rewrite the classics.
It’s difficult to be too hard on an author who manages to laugh a bit at himself.
May 3, 2018
Something Rotten by Alan Gratz was a very good book. It had just about everything I want in a good story. Something Rotten had action, drama, and lots of humor. There were a few things it was missing however. I have read Alan Gratz books and it hadn’t kept me wanting to read more like other books had; and I don’t know why that is. I think it may have been the fact that when there was action, it wasn’t that exciting compared to other books I have read before. I also thought it was a little far fetched even for an Alan Gratz book. Other that that it was one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. I would recommend it to other people. I loved everything except for those couple parts. There was a good plot that kept the book flowing. It wasn’t the best plot in the world but it was not bad at all. I was a little disappointed in how short it was. It was not very long at all but I guess it was long enough to read. So if you are looking for a good book that you can read in a short amount of time, this is a good book for you.
January 1, 2025
I loved the idea more than the actual book. While doing a deep dive into Gratz’s writing I was happy to discover this retelling of Hamlet in a short YA detective format. I wanted to be able to recommend it to my students who are always asking for mysteries and who already like many of Gratz’s later works. Sadly, I wasn’t a fan of the Horatio, the protagonist through which we see the story. His voice was too jarring for me, especially to hear him describe the physical appearance of female characters so crassly. Hamilton was also shallow and unlikable. My distaste for them spoiled the book for me in spite of wonderfully descriptive writing in other places and neat plot parallels with the OG’s work.
December 23, 2025
This book was the perfect blend of humor, sarcasm and mystery. I loved it so much. One minute I'm laughing so hard I'm wheezing, the other minute I'm narrowing my eyes trying to read between the lines and figure out how everything came into play. Horatio is now my favorite mystery main character. His personality made everything intriguing, and also felt personal (He's just like me).
I sat and read the last 100 pages in one night. I had to pace myself so I wouldn't read it out in one go.
When getting this book from my local library, the guy at the counter told me 'good luck'. Up to now I don't know why he said that, but I don't regret picking up this book.
I sat and read the last 100 pages in one night. I had to pace myself so I wouldn't read it out in one go.
When getting this book from my local library, the guy at the counter told me 'good luck'. Up to now I don't know why he said that, but I don't regret picking up this book.
July 7, 2018
The character of Horatio Wilkes is the detective in this mystery by Alan Gratz. Something Rotten is about Horatio's friend, Hamilton Prince whose father has just died under suspicious circumstances. Hamilton suspects his step father who is also his uncle, and he asks Horatio to stay with him for the summer and investigate his father's death. Lots of red herrings make this an interesting mystery. My only complaint about the story was the fact that Heratio's character just seems too knowledgeable to be a teenager, but overall this is a satisfying mystery.
January 9, 2020
Closer to 3.5 out of 5
Overall it was an enjoyable adaptation of Hamlet. It was cheesy and everything I wanted. What is keeping me from rating this a 4 out of 5 would be the characterizations for each person. Mostly, everyone remains the same. Horatio does get some development and challenges his own moral compass by the end of the novel... But I think it could have gone deeper into this idea. Parts of the book are also super dated, which is funny to experience but difficult to read.
If you love Hamlet you will enjoy this.
Overall it was an enjoyable adaptation of Hamlet. It was cheesy and everything I wanted. What is keeping me from rating this a 4 out of 5 would be the characterizations for each person. Mostly, everyone remains the same. Horatio does get some development and challenges his own moral compass by the end of the novel... But I think it could have gone deeper into this idea. Parts of the book are also super dated, which is funny to experience but difficult to read.
If you love Hamlet you will enjoy this.
January 2, 2020
This was a fun retelling of one of William Shakespeare's plays, Hamlet. I found I was going between the main characters of Something Rotten and the original play, enjoying the resemblance between the two. It was two stories in one tale. The story was good enough that I would like to continue on seeing how Horatio's detective skills grow. I believe the second book in the duology is another retelling of Shakespeare's plays, MacBeth.
February 10, 2019
I’ve always loved “Hamlet”. So, when I stumble upon this mini series by Alan Gratz (whose historical fiction I love especially for my students) I bought both on a whim. This book is jam packed with nods to other plays. It is sometimes silly, sometimes serious, and reminds me of a very tongue in cheek film noir detective series.
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