| Plot Summary of King of Shadows |
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"Nathan Fields, of Falmouth, N. Carolina is excited to be picked to play Shakespeare in a travelling troupe of young actors. They are to act in the re-created Globe Theatre in London, England. This theatre built of wood will take them back 400 years in appearance to the time of Queen Elizabeth I herself, who sometimes turned up in disguise at the plays. One of her favourites was 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', and Nathan is to play Puck. Somehow the time slip becomes all too real, as when he reaches London as he falls ill with bubonic plague, and when he comes out of the coma he is in the original Globe theatre and is to play Puck onstage with Shakespeare himself. Somehow he has to survive the dangers of that bloodthirsty time and get back, which is all in the hands of whoever is playing with time."
Michael JR Jose, Resident Scholar
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"Nat Field is a very talented actor for whom the stage is the only escape from the loss and misery that has been in his life. By the time he is recruited by a producer Arby and flown to London to act in Shakespearian plays in a reenacted Globe theater, Nat is accustomed to his life and avoids speaking of it to anyone. Then, one morning, he wakes up in the year 1599 and is told that he is an actor specially recruited to perform with Shakespeare in his new theater--the Globe. Nat becomes close to Shakespeare and learns to be reconciled to his losses, although he wonders whether he will ever get back to his time again."
Liba, Resident Scholar
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"Nathan Field, an teen orphan from North Carolina, is a talented actor who is chosen for the Company of Boys, who will rehearse Shakespeare, be flown to England, and perform the plays "as they were done" at the Globe Theater. Shortly after arriving in London, he falls very sick -- perhaps with bubonic plague -- and wakes up to find himself in London 400 years before: in 1599, shortly after the original Globe opened. He learns how rough and hard life was in Shakespeare's time, runs afoul of a rival in the cast, but is befriended by the great playwright himself and gets to perform as Puck in a performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" before Queen Elizabeth herself. "
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of King of Shadows |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 33.3%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 33.3%
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- fantasy story on current Earth
Time Travel:
- largely backwards/past
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Kid's book (ages 7-14)
Time Travel story?
Yes
Story largely takes place in
- Middle Ages-1899
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- actor
Age:
- a teen
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- a teen
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
Earth setting:
- 20th century
- 17th century
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How much dialogue?
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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