Any Man So Daring

From Publishers WeeklyThe final book in Hoyt's magical fantasy trilogy about William Shakespeare and the land of Faerie (after Ill Met By Moonlight and All Night Awake) brings the series to a theatrically satisfying close. Will knows in his heart that he could never have become the most successful playwright of his time without the influence of his dealings with the Elven King Quicksilver and his unwilling involvement in Fairyland intrigue. Haunted by his friend Kit Marlowe's premature death, Will is also (literally) haunted by Marlowe's ghost-who urges him to return to Fairy to aid Quicksilver, who has dispatched the usurper Vargmar, only to rouse the enmity of Vargmar's son, Proteus. With the unwitting aid of his innocent lover, Miranda (served by the brutish but faithful troll Caliban, of course), Proteus kidnaps Will's young son Hamnet, and Will has no choice but to return to Fairyland, to the very heart of its magic, to set things right. With its tangled plot loosely based on The Tempest, Hoyt masterfully builds a dramatic story of misplaced loyalties, dark ambition and human desperation and love. Readers new to the series will have no trouble getting swept up in the story. Written with a sharp ear for the rich lyricism and mood of Shakespeare, Hoyt's novel is a literate, entertaining fantasy in which all's well that ends well.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library JournalAdult/High School-This enchanting and canny concluding volume in Hoyt's Shakespeare trilogy opens with a prologue in which the mysterious Hunter is introduced and the scene is set; indeed all of the chapters are called Scenes. The story begins three years after Marlowe sacrifices himself in the fairy kingdom, saving his son, the world, and his own soul. Now trapped between heaven and hell, he haunts Shakespeare, who has been brought to despair by the idea that he is merely a conduit for Marlowe's words. Meanwhile, in Fairyland, King Quicksilver has won the rebel war and beheaded the traitor Vargmar. But Vargmar's son, Proteus, is devising a plot to get revenge, and TheTempest is the inspiration for the rest of the novel. When Will's son is kidnapped by Proteus, he must return to the Arden Forest to save Hamnet. Hoyt's language is so evocative and lyrical that readers are instantly involved with the characters and story. While purists may cringe at the way the Bard's language is bandied about, the references are expertly done and only serve as subtext for a highly original and imaginative fantasy. Ill Met by Moonlight (2001) and All Night Awake (2002, both Ace) relate how Shakespeare and Marlowe originally came to Fairyland; this book can stand alone. With fantasy and historical fiction becoming increasingly popular with teens, this "historical fantasy" trilogy is sure to become an instant classic._-Jane Halsall, McHenry Public Library District, IL_ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.