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Shakespeare Unleashed
SHAKESPEARE IN BLOOD!
From the blood of Macbeth and the ghosts of Hamlet, to the dark fantasy of The Tempest and the twisted love of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare Unleashed reimagines the Bard’s greatest works as short horror stories…as well as horror sonnets.
With new stories by Joe R. Lansdale & Kasey Lansdale, Ian Doescher, Jonathan Maberry, Seanan McGuire, Lee Murray, Steve Rasnic Tem, Gemma Files, Tim Waggoner, John Palisano, Lisa Morton, Gene Flynn, Hailey Piper, Philip Fracassi, Gwendolyn Kiste, and others.
Dark sonnets by Linda D. Addison, Alessandro Manzetti, Jessica McHugh, Sara Tantlinger, Stephanie M. Wytovich, and Lucy A. Snyder, among others.
And an introduction by Weston Ochse.
Proudly represented by both Crystal Lake Publishing and Monstrous Books.
From the blood of Macbeth and the ghosts of Hamlet, to the dark fantasy of The Tempest and the twisted love of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare Unleashed reimagines the Bard’s greatest works as short horror stories…as well as horror sonnets.
With new stories by Joe R. Lansdale & Kasey Lansdale, Ian Doescher, Jonathan Maberry, Seanan McGuire, Lee Murray, Steve Rasnic Tem, Gemma Files, Tim Waggoner, John Palisano, Lisa Morton, Gene Flynn, Hailey Piper, Philip Fracassi, Gwendolyn Kiste, and others.
Dark sonnets by Linda D. Addison, Alessandro Manzetti, Jessica McHugh, Sara Tantlinger, Stephanie M. Wytovich, and Lucy A. Snyder, among others.
And an introduction by Weston Ochse.
Proudly represented by both Crystal Lake Publishing and Monstrous Books.
382 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 28, 2023
50 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
About the author
James Aquilone
37 books117 followersJames Aquilone was raised on Saturday morning cartoons, comic books, sitcoms, and Cap'n Crunch. Amid the Cold War, he dreamed of being a jet fighter pilot but decided against the military life after realizing it would require him to wake up early. He had further illusions of being a stand-up comedian, until a traumatic experience on stage forced him to seek a college education. Brief stints as an alternative rock singer/guitarist and child model also proved unsuccessful. Today he battles a severe Tetris addiction while trying to write in the speculative fiction game. Demons, robots, dragons, superheroes...that sort of thing. His short fiction has been published in such places as Nature's Futures, The Best of Galaxy’s Edge 2013-2014, Unidentified Funny Objects 4, and Weird Tales Magazine. His first novel should be out soon. Suffice it to say, things are going much better than his modeling career.
He lives in Staten Island, New York, but don't hold that against him.
He lives in Staten Island, New York, but don't hold that against him.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 12, 2023
Spectacular!
Another excellent horror anthology by Chrystal Lake Publishing, and this time the contributing authors were asked to write and put their own dark twists into the works of William Shakespeare. Beware before starting to read this, though - a rudimentary knowledge on featured plays would provide an additional level of appreciation for the reader, and I don't think they should be sufficiently enjoyable if you don’t know the source plays. So I definitely recommend to at least read the Wikipedia entries of the original works, it will be so much more rewarding.
There are 42 contributions in total - so the number of highlights in this already wonderful anthology is accordingly high. And so is the number of stories and poems revolving around neglected characters or characters treated unfairly by The Bard, in an attempt to give them redemption or show their own points of view, bringing about a dark but karmic quality. Yes, “REVENGE” in capital letters is the motto for the majority of these writings and that always makes for a good basis, as the horror ensued isn’t completely unprovoked and bears a sense of justice.
It is Brabantio from Othello who finally gets what is coming to him in Geneve Flynn’s To Keep a Corner in the Thing I Loved, and retaliation comes in culinary form.
Malvolio is but a minor character in the Twelfth Night who is being humiliated to generate laughter, but swears vengeance at the end of the play. He finally gets center stage in Thirteenth Night or What You Kill by Ian Doescher: a masterpiece, a mini theater play set in the aftermath of the events in the original play. With a delightfully shocking killer twist in the end!
Lee Murray’s amusing twist on The Winter’s Tale, Showtime, provides redemption for Hermoine, who is falsely accused of having an affair by her husband, Leontes the King of Sicily, with his childhood friend, King of Bohemia Polixenes and was shunned. I especially liked the names in this modern retelling, in which Leon and Xavier are CEOs of multinational corporations in the entertainment business.
Gentle Lavinia exists no more,
A hunting haunt, I come. Even the score.
Talking about revenge, it is impossible to overlook one Shakespeare character. It is good to see that Lavinia is not forgotten, and her humanity is restored by these authors - poor Lavinia who was ordered by Tamora, the Queen of Goths, to be gang raped by her sons, after which her hands and feet were mutilated and her tongue cut off, so she wouldn’t be able to tell anyone. Even though she still finds a way to express herself by writing with a stick that she can hold with difficulty, she is killed by her own insane father, the titular Titus Andronicus on a whim.
Lavinia’s story, although the original play isn’t about her at all, is one that is deeply affecting on many levels and of utmost immediacy – beside representing young girls betrayed by their very own fathers who are supposed to provide support and affection in this life, but harm them willingly, with their own hands, she also stands for violence on women, which, is and will always be of the greatest importance because cases exactly like this still happen today, as they happened four hundred years ago.
So, it was grant to find not one, but two short stories which take up Lavinia’s revenge; Scourge of Rome by Amanda Dier as well as The Body, The Blood, The Woods, The Stage by Lisa Morton. And both were breathtaking.
Although predominant, retaliation and bloody revenge are not the only themes Shakespeare Unleashed deals with. There are amusing retellings or modern twists in age old tropes: In Fortune Philip Fracassi imagines a different life for King Lear and his three daughters. In Soliloquy of Tongues Hailey Piper presents a rather annoying habit the Hamlets sport. We follow the monster Caliban and his life among xenophobes after the events on the island in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Steve Rasnic Tem’s X. A time traveling Romeo in JG Faherty’s A Timeless Tragedy. Nothing Like the Sun: Rosaline’s Satisfaction by Donna J. Munro turns Romeo and Juliet upside down by giving the story a fresh point of view, that of Rosaline, with whom Romeo was infatuated before meeting the last love of his life. And finally, another masterpiece by Linda D. Addison, Not from My Heart Do I Your Judgement Pluck, which is a nasty, Hannibal-Lecterish twist on the love poem Sonnet 14 - very hilarious.
This anthology does its title justice and unleashes Shakespeare, it is “da bomb” as one of Lee Murray’s characters would put it, and one can only congratulate the editor as well as the contributors for creating such a bomb. Wonderful!
Another excellent horror anthology by Chrystal Lake Publishing, and this time the contributing authors were asked to write and put their own dark twists into the works of William Shakespeare. Beware before starting to read this, though - a rudimentary knowledge on featured plays would provide an additional level of appreciation for the reader, and I don't think they should be sufficiently enjoyable if you don’t know the source plays. So I definitely recommend to at least read the Wikipedia entries of the original works, it will be so much more rewarding.
There are 42 contributions in total - so the number of highlights in this already wonderful anthology is accordingly high. And so is the number of stories and poems revolving around neglected characters or characters treated unfairly by The Bard, in an attempt to give them redemption or show their own points of view, bringing about a dark but karmic quality. Yes, “REVENGE” in capital letters is the motto for the majority of these writings and that always makes for a good basis, as the horror ensued isn’t completely unprovoked and bears a sense of justice.
It is Brabantio from Othello who finally gets what is coming to him in Geneve Flynn’s To Keep a Corner in the Thing I Loved, and retaliation comes in culinary form.
Malvolio is but a minor character in the Twelfth Night who is being humiliated to generate laughter, but swears vengeance at the end of the play. He finally gets center stage in Thirteenth Night or What You Kill by Ian Doescher: a masterpiece, a mini theater play set in the aftermath of the events in the original play. With a delightfully shocking killer twist in the end!
Lee Murray’s amusing twist on The Winter’s Tale, Showtime, provides redemption for Hermoine, who is falsely accused of having an affair by her husband, Leontes the King of Sicily, with his childhood friend, King of Bohemia Polixenes and was shunned. I especially liked the names in this modern retelling, in which Leon and Xavier are CEOs of multinational corporations in the entertainment business.
Gentle Lavinia exists no more,
A hunting haunt, I come. Even the score.
Talking about revenge, it is impossible to overlook one Shakespeare character. It is good to see that Lavinia is not forgotten, and her humanity is restored by these authors - poor Lavinia who was ordered by Tamora, the Queen of Goths, to be gang raped by her sons, after which her hands and feet were mutilated and her tongue cut off, so she wouldn’t be able to tell anyone. Even though she still finds a way to express herself by writing with a stick that she can hold with difficulty, she is killed by her own insane father, the titular Titus Andronicus on a whim.
Lavinia’s story, although the original play isn’t about her at all, is one that is deeply affecting on many levels and of utmost immediacy – beside representing young girls betrayed by their very own fathers who are supposed to provide support and affection in this life, but harm them willingly, with their own hands, she also stands for violence on women, which, is and will always be of the greatest importance because cases exactly like this still happen today, as they happened four hundred years ago.
So, it was grant to find not one, but two short stories which take up Lavinia’s revenge; Scourge of Rome by Amanda Dier as well as The Body, The Blood, The Woods, The Stage by Lisa Morton. And both were breathtaking.
Although predominant, retaliation and bloody revenge are not the only themes Shakespeare Unleashed deals with. There are amusing retellings or modern twists in age old tropes: In Fortune Philip Fracassi imagines a different life for King Lear and his three daughters. In Soliloquy of Tongues Hailey Piper presents a rather annoying habit the Hamlets sport. We follow the monster Caliban and his life among xenophobes after the events on the island in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Steve Rasnic Tem’s X. A time traveling Romeo in JG Faherty’s A Timeless Tragedy. Nothing Like the Sun: Rosaline’s Satisfaction by Donna J. Munro turns Romeo and Juliet upside down by giving the story a fresh point of view, that of Rosaline, with whom Romeo was infatuated before meeting the last love of his life. And finally, another masterpiece by Linda D. Addison, Not from My Heart Do I Your Judgement Pluck, which is a nasty, Hannibal-Lecterish twist on the love poem Sonnet 14 - very hilarious.
This anthology does its title justice and unleashes Shakespeare, it is “da bomb” as one of Lee Murray’s characters would put it, and one can only congratulate the editor as well as the contributors for creating such a bomb. Wonderful!
August 7, 2023
I was offered a copy of the digital ARC from the editor, James Aquilone, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions discussed are my own and are subjective to myself as a reader.
The first thing that I'd like to mention is that even if you are not well-read regarding Shakespeare's works or maybe you've never been a fan of his to start: this anthology is still a fantastic adventure of horror and wonder. These A-List authors took inspiration from some of Shakespeare's most well known plays and characters and reimagined them as horror stories and sonnets. In some cases, lesser known characters created by Shakespeare were featured and since there wasn't much written about them, it allowed the author(s) to get really creative. To make things even more fun, there were a few instances where an author expanded upon or was inspired by a previous author's story!
I have to be up front and say that since I am not someone who seeks out poetry of any kind to read, you maybe shouldn't take my word or opinion too much into account for the sonnets. They rhymed and were intriguing and I liked it.
These stories were full of strife, murder and scheming - but they were written with such beauty! I highlighted so many quotes that stood out to me because of their impact, beauty and/or meaning. To be quite honest, I think what appealed to me so much with this anthology is because it's written in modern day speech (though some had a bit of old English in there) and my brain can read and comprehend that so much better than trying to decipher Shakespeare's plays.
This anthology would be great for those of you who prefer "bite-sized" horror!
The first thing that I'd like to mention is that even if you are not well-read regarding Shakespeare's works or maybe you've never been a fan of his to start: this anthology is still a fantastic adventure of horror and wonder. These A-List authors took inspiration from some of Shakespeare's most well known plays and characters and reimagined them as horror stories and sonnets. In some cases, lesser known characters created by Shakespeare were featured and since there wasn't much written about them, it allowed the author(s) to get really creative. To make things even more fun, there were a few instances where an author expanded upon or was inspired by a previous author's story!
I have to be up front and say that since I am not someone who seeks out poetry of any kind to read, you maybe shouldn't take my word or opinion too much into account for the sonnets. They rhymed and were intriguing and I liked it.
These stories were full of strife, murder and scheming - but they were written with such beauty! I highlighted so many quotes that stood out to me because of their impact, beauty and/or meaning. To be quite honest, I think what appealed to me so much with this anthology is because it's written in modern day speech (though some had a bit of old English in there) and my brain can read and comprehend that so much better than trying to decipher Shakespeare's plays.
This anthology would be great for those of you who prefer "bite-sized" horror!
December 9, 2023
Weighing in at a massive 42 stories and poems, the breadth of this collection makes it difficult to assign an overall rating, but in this case, so many entries were so strong and enjoyable that it's mandatory to go above three stars. If you were interested enough to read reviews about this book, chances are good you'll enjoy reading it. There's a ton of variety, even in the stories' loyalty to the original plays and sonnets, which are sometimes faithfully reproduced with minor embellishments and other times transposed into a completely new context. Whichever work of the Bard is your favorite, you'll likely find something in this collection to reignite your passion. If you're a true scholar, you'll surely get even more out of it. James Aquilone has now published two solid collections with fun themes, so horror fans should be on the lookout for whatever comes next.
Read
October 2, 2023Shakespeare. He wrote horror back in the late 1500’s that continues in print and performance. Yes, horror. Remember the “Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble” trio of witches from MacBeth? The ghosts who visited in Hamlet and Julius Caesar? His impact on literature is indisputably wide flung.
A group of writers decided to pay homage to The Bard with an ambitious anthology, Shakespeare Unleashed. Weighing in at a heft 439 pages, this horrific beauty collected many modern luminaries, as you will see in the list of contributors, their stories, and the Shakepearian influence listed below:
“Ides” by Gwendolyn Kiste and Michael Nethercott’s poem ‘Casca’s Lament’ looked at the Julius Caesar murder from fresh perspectives.
Hamlet inspired Hailey Piper to write ‘A Soliloquy of Tongues” (Wherein mouth noises drive the action), Jo Kaplan’s atmospheric “Something Rotten,” Mary Berman’s poem “Ophelia After Her Distress,” and Tim Waggoner’s philosophical “The Beggar’s Shadows.”
Seanan McGuire’s “The Votress’s Daughter” takes Bottom from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on a dark journey into the fairy queen’s garden. Midsummer also inspired Vince A. Liaguno’s “nightmare within a dream” poem “The Woods are Dark.”
“The Tempest” brought inspiration to Jonathan Maberry for “When I Waked I Cried to Dream Again,” to Marisca Pichette for “All Hallowed Tides Break Upon These Shores,” and to Steve Rasnic Tem for “X.”
“King Lear” inspired “Vile Jelly” by Dan Coxon, while King John inspired Stephanie Ellis’ poem “Usurping Monster.”
Geneve Flynn’s “To Keep a Corner in the Thing I Love” found its Shakespearian source in Othello, as did James Chambers’ “A World of Kisses For His Pain” and L. Marie Wood’s “Watch.”
“A Pound of Flesh” by John Palisano uses The Merchant of Venice, and in turn, this work by John Palisano inspired Maxwell I. Gold’s “I Demand the City of Flesh.”
Titus Andronicus is the source for Amanda Dier’s “Scourge of Rome” and Cindy O’Quinn’s “Unrepentant.” One of my favorite stories in this collection is “The Body, The Blood, The Woods, The Stage” by Lisa Morton and gives Lavinia agency, after all these years, as does the poem “Lavinia’s Revenge” by Megan Kiekel Anderson..
Gemma Files’ “The Hollow Crown” is based on Henry IV
MacBeth inspired Stephanie M. Wytovich’s “The Witch Stained Red,” Jessica McHugh’s “The Third Murderer,” and Kasey and Joe R. Lansdale’s “The Case of the Bitter Witch.”
“Thirteenth Night, Or What You Kill” by Ian Doescher wonders about Malvolio’s threat near the end of “Twelfth Night.”
Linda D. Addison was inspired by Shakespeare’s Sonnet 14 to write her own “Not From My Heart Do I Your Judgement Pluck.
The Merry Wives grow into “The Hungry Wives of Windsor” in Zachary Rosenberg’s tantalizing tale.
Alessandro Manzetti tackled Sonnet 113 with the poem “Juliet.”
Dona J. W. Munro’s “Nothing Like the Sun: Rosaline’s Satisfaction” gives Rosaline, Romeo’s first love, her own story - and it incorporates my least favorite of The Bard’s sonnets. This story really caught my imagination.
“Sonnet Fifty-Fleur” by Lindy Ryan blacked out sonnet fifty four to create something new.
“The Montague Look” by Epiphany Ferrell found inspiration not only in Romeo and Juliet, but also the many times her plans went awry - and maybe a little bit of Mary Shelley.
“A Timeless Tragedy” by J.G. Faherty also used Romeo and Juliet as a source, setting it at a Halloween Carnival and offering sweet second chances turned bloody in a timeless tragedy.
“Brothers in Arms” by Kenneth W. Cain took Romeo and Juliet to the military, with heartbreaking results.
Ahlissa Eichhorn revisited Antony and Cleopatra for the poem “A Lover’s Pinch,” as in the quote by the Egyptian queen, “The stroke of death is a lover’s pinch, which hurts and is desired.”
“Showtime” by Lee Murray places The Winter’s Tale in Tinseltown
“Fortune” by Philip Fracassi finds a rich man meeting fortune tellers to make special deals, and is inspired by the daughters of King Lear.
Sara Tantlinger also drew her poem “The Final Sentence” from King Lear.
“Kingbreaker” by Simon Bestwick found inspiration in modern British politics and Henry VI.
The collection ends with the poem “A Note From Your Secret Admirer” by Lucy A. Snyder
As any reader from the genre can tell, this book from Crystal Lake Publishing and edited by James Aquilone showcases pieces from award-winning writers. It was interesting reading their interpretations of the great works by Shakespeare.
A group of writers decided to pay homage to The Bard with an ambitious anthology, Shakespeare Unleashed. Weighing in at a heft 439 pages, this horrific beauty collected many modern luminaries, as you will see in the list of contributors, their stories, and the Shakepearian influence listed below:
“Ides” by Gwendolyn Kiste and Michael Nethercott’s poem ‘Casca’s Lament’ looked at the Julius Caesar murder from fresh perspectives.
Hamlet inspired Hailey Piper to write ‘A Soliloquy of Tongues” (Wherein mouth noises drive the action), Jo Kaplan’s atmospheric “Something Rotten,” Mary Berman’s poem “Ophelia After Her Distress,” and Tim Waggoner’s philosophical “The Beggar’s Shadows.”
Seanan McGuire’s “The Votress’s Daughter” takes Bottom from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on a dark journey into the fairy queen’s garden. Midsummer also inspired Vince A. Liaguno’s “nightmare within a dream” poem “The Woods are Dark.”
“The Tempest” brought inspiration to Jonathan Maberry for “When I Waked I Cried to Dream Again,” to Marisca Pichette for “All Hallowed Tides Break Upon These Shores,” and to Steve Rasnic Tem for “X.”
“King Lear” inspired “Vile Jelly” by Dan Coxon, while King John inspired Stephanie Ellis’ poem “Usurping Monster.”
Geneve Flynn’s “To Keep a Corner in the Thing I Love” found its Shakespearian source in Othello, as did James Chambers’ “A World of Kisses For His Pain” and L. Marie Wood’s “Watch.”
“A Pound of Flesh” by John Palisano uses The Merchant of Venice, and in turn, this work by John Palisano inspired Maxwell I. Gold’s “I Demand the City of Flesh.”
Titus Andronicus is the source for Amanda Dier’s “Scourge of Rome” and Cindy O’Quinn’s “Unrepentant.” One of my favorite stories in this collection is “The Body, The Blood, The Woods, The Stage” by Lisa Morton and gives Lavinia agency, after all these years, as does the poem “Lavinia’s Revenge” by Megan Kiekel Anderson..
Gemma Files’ “The Hollow Crown” is based on Henry IV
MacBeth inspired Stephanie M. Wytovich’s “The Witch Stained Red,” Jessica McHugh’s “The Third Murderer,” and Kasey and Joe R. Lansdale’s “The Case of the Bitter Witch.”
“Thirteenth Night, Or What You Kill” by Ian Doescher wonders about Malvolio’s threat near the end of “Twelfth Night.”
Linda D. Addison was inspired by Shakespeare’s Sonnet 14 to write her own “Not From My Heart Do I Your Judgement Pluck.
The Merry Wives grow into “The Hungry Wives of Windsor” in Zachary Rosenberg’s tantalizing tale.
Alessandro Manzetti tackled Sonnet 113 with the poem “Juliet.”
Dona J. W. Munro’s “Nothing Like the Sun: Rosaline’s Satisfaction” gives Rosaline, Romeo’s first love, her own story - and it incorporates my least favorite of The Bard’s sonnets. This story really caught my imagination.
“Sonnet Fifty-Fleur” by Lindy Ryan blacked out sonnet fifty four to create something new.
“The Montague Look” by Epiphany Ferrell found inspiration not only in Romeo and Juliet, but also the many times her plans went awry - and maybe a little bit of Mary Shelley.
“A Timeless Tragedy” by J.G. Faherty also used Romeo and Juliet as a source, setting it at a Halloween Carnival and offering sweet second chances turned bloody in a timeless tragedy.
“Brothers in Arms” by Kenneth W. Cain took Romeo and Juliet to the military, with heartbreaking results.
Ahlissa Eichhorn revisited Antony and Cleopatra for the poem “A Lover’s Pinch,” as in the quote by the Egyptian queen, “The stroke of death is a lover’s pinch, which hurts and is desired.”
“Showtime” by Lee Murray places The Winter’s Tale in Tinseltown
“Fortune” by Philip Fracassi finds a rich man meeting fortune tellers to make special deals, and is inspired by the daughters of King Lear.
Sara Tantlinger also drew her poem “The Final Sentence” from King Lear.
“Kingbreaker” by Simon Bestwick found inspiration in modern British politics and Henry VI.
The collection ends with the poem “A Note From Your Secret Admirer” by Lucy A. Snyder
As any reader from the genre can tell, this book from Crystal Lake Publishing and edited by James Aquilone showcases pieces from award-winning writers. It was interesting reading their interpretations of the great works by Shakespeare.
Read
October 1, 2023Love the concept!!
I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of taking classic literature and incorporating a horror theme!!! I love Shakespeare. At least what I've managed to read. I can't stay out of the horror section. 👹 Great job! ALL THE CONTRIBUTORS to this anthology deserve a heartfelt 5 🌟 review! There isn't a bad story of poem in the bunch. Loved it!!! That said, I don't really do the kind of review where I talk about characters or plots...that's why you "READ" a book for yourselves. So. My solid advice would be to definitely "Read" T the darn book!!!
(DISCLAIMER: You should familiarize yourself)
( with the most popular of Shakespeare's )
(writings before taking this on or you may not)
(get the ironies, etc. EX. MacBeth, Romeo & )
(Juliet, The Winter's Tale, A Midsummer Night)
( Dream & others. At least the rudimentary gist)
( of the story. You don't have to actually read )
( the works to enjoy these tales.)
I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of taking classic literature and incorporating a horror theme!!! I love Shakespeare. At least what I've managed to read. I can't stay out of the horror section. 👹 Great job! ALL THE CONTRIBUTORS to this anthology deserve a heartfelt 5 🌟 review! There isn't a bad story of poem in the bunch. Loved it!!! That said, I don't really do the kind of review where I talk about characters or plots...that's why you "READ" a book for yourselves. So. My solid advice would be to definitely "Read" T the darn book!!!
(DISCLAIMER: You should familiarize yourself)
( with the most popular of Shakespeare's )
(writings before taking this on or you may not)
(get the ironies, etc. EX. MacBeth, Romeo & )
(Juliet, The Winter's Tale, A Midsummer Night)
( Dream & others. At least the rudimentary gist)
( of the story. You don't have to actually read )
( the works to enjoy these tales.)
August 29, 2023
Bravo to the editor James Aquilone. Overall a noble effort. A few stories kind of rambled on a bit. But anthologies are a mixed bag and I salute all the writers efforts. However, the standouts for me are IDES (Gwendolyn Kiste), THE BODY, THE BLOOD, THE WOODS, THE STAGE (Lisa Morton), SOMETHING IS ROTTEN (Jo Kaplan), NOTHING LIKE THE SUN: ROSALINE'S SATISFACTION (Donna J.W. Munro), and THIRTEENTH NIGHT, OR WHAT YOU KILL (Ian Doescher).
June 9, 2024
** I received an ARC for an honest review **
Shakespeare Unleashed is a high quality horror anthology that has been nominated for the 2023 Bram Stoker Awards and the Shirley Jackson Awards. An intriguing premise that resulted in a unique anthology of stories, scripts and poems all inspired by William Shakespeare’s works.
These are dark tales but expertly told. Among the varied works were some truly excellent and innovate interpretations of specific plays and sonnets by William Shakespeare ranging from contemporary dark fiction, dystopian futures, mythical and dark fantasy, body horror, weird horror, urban supernatural to historical gothic fiction.
A few of my favourite stories and poems really stood out to me. In no particular order, the following stories and poems I found notable works:
“Ides” by Gwendolyn Kiste
“Showtime” by Lee Murray
“The Votress’s Daughter” by Seanan McGuire
“Fortune” by Philip Fracassi
“To Keep a Corner in the Thing I Love” by Geneve Flynn
“The Body, The Blood, The Woods, The Stage” by Lisa Morton
“The Montague Look” by Epiphany Ferrell
“All Hallowed Tides Break Upon These Shores” by Marisca Pichette
“Scourge of Rome” by Amanda Dier
“The Hungry Wives of Windsor” by Zachary Rosenberg
“Something Is Rotten” by Jo Kaplan
“The Case of the Bitter Witch” by Joe R. Lansdale & Kasey Lansdale
“The Third Murderer” by Jessica McHugh (poem)
“Not From My Heart Do I Your Judgement Pluck” by Linda D. Addison (poem)
“The Witch Stained Red” by Stephanie M. Wytovich (poem)
This is a truly unique anthology of dark fiction, dark fantasy and horror which commands such a variation of tales and sub-genres that complement the original Shakespearean work but also reimagine and reinterpret in new ways.
A fantastic anthology for fans of dark fiction, dark fantasy and horror. This is a beautifully written and edited anthology offering fresh, new twists and takes on Shakespeare. A highly recommended read!
** This is my personal opinion and does not reflect any judging decisions **
Shakespeare Unleashed is a high quality horror anthology that has been nominated for the 2023 Bram Stoker Awards and the Shirley Jackson Awards. An intriguing premise that resulted in a unique anthology of stories, scripts and poems all inspired by William Shakespeare’s works.
These are dark tales but expertly told. Among the varied works were some truly excellent and innovate interpretations of specific plays and sonnets by William Shakespeare ranging from contemporary dark fiction, dystopian futures, mythical and dark fantasy, body horror, weird horror, urban supernatural to historical gothic fiction.
A few of my favourite stories and poems really stood out to me. In no particular order, the following stories and poems I found notable works:
“Ides” by Gwendolyn Kiste
“Showtime” by Lee Murray
“The Votress’s Daughter” by Seanan McGuire
“Fortune” by Philip Fracassi
“To Keep a Corner in the Thing I Love” by Geneve Flynn
“The Body, The Blood, The Woods, The Stage” by Lisa Morton
“The Montague Look” by Epiphany Ferrell
“All Hallowed Tides Break Upon These Shores” by Marisca Pichette
“Scourge of Rome” by Amanda Dier
“The Hungry Wives of Windsor” by Zachary Rosenberg
“Something Is Rotten” by Jo Kaplan
“The Case of the Bitter Witch” by Joe R. Lansdale & Kasey Lansdale
“The Third Murderer” by Jessica McHugh (poem)
“Not From My Heart Do I Your Judgement Pluck” by Linda D. Addison (poem)
“The Witch Stained Red” by Stephanie M. Wytovich (poem)
This is a truly unique anthology of dark fiction, dark fantasy and horror which commands such a variation of tales and sub-genres that complement the original Shakespearean work but also reimagine and reinterpret in new ways.
A fantastic anthology for fans of dark fiction, dark fantasy and horror. This is a beautifully written and edited anthology offering fresh, new twists and takes on Shakespeare. A highly recommended read!
** This is my personal opinion and does not reflect any judging decisions **
July 18, 2023
Shakespeare Unleashed has an amazing lineup. Just to name a few: Jonathan Maberry, Gemma Files, and Tim Waggoner. Altogether, there are 42 short stories and poems in this collection.Throughout the book there is also some amazing artwork by J.K. Woodward.
For most of the book, after every short story, is a poem. All of them relate to some William Shakespeare story. They range from Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, and many well known characters in Shakespear’s stories. Some of the stories extend a character's story outside of their Shakespeare story, and some are odes to them. One of the authors, Ian Doescher, wrote his story as a play!
You can definitely tell the amount of passion that went into this collection. Each author writes with the knowledge of Shakespeare’s writing. Even if you are not a Shakespeare fan or have not read any of his other uncommon plays, you will still enjoy the many stories of this anthology. They each are a unique story.
Thank you James, for sending me a copy of Shakespeare Unleashed. I enjoyed all the time I spent with each author. Bravo for a fantastic anthology!
For most of the book, after every short story, is a poem. All of them relate to some William Shakespeare story. They range from Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, and many well known characters in Shakespear’s stories. Some of the stories extend a character's story outside of their Shakespeare story, and some are odes to them. One of the authors, Ian Doescher, wrote his story as a play!
You can definitely tell the amount of passion that went into this collection. Each author writes with the knowledge of Shakespeare’s writing. Even if you are not a Shakespeare fan or have not read any of his other uncommon plays, you will still enjoy the many stories of this anthology. They each are a unique story.
Thank you James, for sending me a copy of Shakespeare Unleashed. I enjoyed all the time I spent with each author. Bravo for a fantastic anthology!
October 24, 2023
An anthology tribute to the various works of the Bard himself…
Shakespeare Unleashed by Ian Doescher, James Aquilone, and Weston Ochse is a collection of various stories (often dark) meant as an homage to various works.
I expected this to be far more “horrific”…with lots of monster themes and what not…but the stories and language seem fairly typical of the violence and gore you’d expect from Shakespesre’s work (especially hamlet and Titus Andronicus).
Roughly half the stories were set during the story appropriate time period (some actually giving added possible context to some of the characters) while others reimagined some of the themes in different times and places.
I was happy that the writers chose a wide swath of stories to draw inspiration from…with no one story (other than possibly Hamlet) recieving an unusually large number of stories associated with it…so there’s a nice variety including some works you may choose to look up for yourself…
Shakespeare Unleashed by Ian Doescher, James Aquilone, and Weston Ochse is a collection of various stories (often dark) meant as an homage to various works.
I expected this to be far more “horrific”…with lots of monster themes and what not…but the stories and language seem fairly typical of the violence and gore you’d expect from Shakespesre’s work (especially hamlet and Titus Andronicus).
Roughly half the stories were set during the story appropriate time period (some actually giving added possible context to some of the characters) while others reimagined some of the themes in different times and places.
I was happy that the writers chose a wide swath of stories to draw inspiration from…with no one story (other than possibly Hamlet) recieving an unusually large number of stories associated with it…so there’s a nice variety including some works you may choose to look up for yourself…
July 25, 2023
Jam-packed with mindbending, eye-opening, heartwrenching, "what did I just READ?" prose and poetry, today's Dark Fiction lights pay tribute to the playwright who, though not the original purveyor of Horror, nevertheless mined the Dark Side in his own unforgettable plays and sonnets, so much a foundation of modern life and literature that we often don't recognize Shakespeare as the source. Enjoy these new takes on Shakespeare, as he might be today.
August 18, 2023
A mixture of things I really enjoyed and things I disliked and was bored by.
December 20, 2023
I've rated this as a three - a couple of the stories I would rate as deserving 5 stars, some others are not so good so it's an average score.
May 29, 2024
Hit and miss, but some great stories among the chaff.
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