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Poor Yorick
This is a Kickstarter-exclusive chooseable-path mini adventure that takes place BEFORE Hamlet, leading into the action of To Be Or Not To Be. We're 25 years in the past and alas, poor Yorick: you're broke! While you may be a man of infinite jest and most excellent fancy, THAT DON'T PAY THE BILLS. Your one hope is an opening at the royal court for a jester. Seems easy enough: the listing says your responsibilities are "...to entertain Kid Hamlet and also to not end up dead at every turn". Will you survive? Or will you end up in a shallow grave?
52 pages, ebook
First published July 16, 2013
1 person is currently reading
124 people want to read
About the author
Ryan North
549 books1,614 followersHi, I'm Ryan! I was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1980 and since then have written several books. You can read my Wikipedia page for more, or check out my author site at RyanNorth.ca!
I'm the author of the webcomic Dinosaur Comics (that's the comic where the pictures don't change but the words do, it's better than it sounds and I've also done crazy things like turn Shakespeare into a choose-your-own-path adventure, write a comic for Marvel about a girl with all the powers of a squirrel, or mess up walking my dog so badly it made the news.
I'm working on more stuff as we speak, hopefully it's good
I'm the author of the webcomic Dinosaur Comics (that's the comic where the pictures don't change but the words do, it's better than it sounds and I've also done crazy things like turn Shakespeare into a choose-your-own-path adventure, write a comic for Marvel about a girl with all the powers of a squirrel, or mess up walking my dog so badly it made the news.
I'm working on more stuff as we speak, hopefully it's good
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 1, 2022
I didn't really like this
January 7, 2014
Stuff I Read - Poor Yorick by Ryan North Review
So part of me doesn't know quite how to rate and review this book, because it is really just a bonus to the To Be or Not To Be CYOA that Ryan North kickstarted the hell out of. This is the prequel, and as such it fits in nicely and sets the stage for things to come. It is very short, though, and that makes rating it rather...difficult, I guess. Because this is quite fun and light and moves right along. It can be read in its entirety in one sitting. It's funny, too, and I liked reading it. But the thing is it's basically just one path. And for any CYOA I tend to look for more than one "good" ending.
I mean, I know it's harsh to judge a 33 page book for not offering up more branches, but there really aren't any. You either further the "main story" or it's a bad The End. That's about it. And so you don't really get much of a say in things. And that is spelled out in the introduction to the story, that there isn't much you can do because you're going to die just so Hamlet can find your skull later and have thoughts on it. And for that the book is quite cute and fun. There are a number of endings, just most of them (read all but one) are bad. I feel that a little more might have been done with that. For what it is, though, it worked well. It did the job and worked in enough humor and homages to Shakespeare to merit the idea. And it whet my whistle for the larger book.
Unfortunately there isn't much more to say about it than that. For a prelude to the larger work, this is an admirable little book. It is fun and gives a preview of the sort of humor to expect. Of course, it also isn't much more than a preview. None of the myriad options get explored, and that can be a little frustrating when dealing with a CYOA. Not that it's not fun, but that I like a bit more freedom. It might make it easier to get through quickly constructed as it is, but still. I liked it, I really did, but I'm afraid I can't really rate it higher than a 6.75/10.
So part of me doesn't know quite how to rate and review this book, because it is really just a bonus to the To Be or Not To Be CYOA that Ryan North kickstarted the hell out of. This is the prequel, and as such it fits in nicely and sets the stage for things to come. It is very short, though, and that makes rating it rather...difficult, I guess. Because this is quite fun and light and moves right along. It can be read in its entirety in one sitting. It's funny, too, and I liked reading it. But the thing is it's basically just one path. And for any CYOA I tend to look for more than one "good" ending.
I mean, I know it's harsh to judge a 33 page book for not offering up more branches, but there really aren't any. You either further the "main story" or it's a bad The End. That's about it. And so you don't really get much of a say in things. And that is spelled out in the introduction to the story, that there isn't much you can do because you're going to die just so Hamlet can find your skull later and have thoughts on it. And for that the book is quite cute and fun. There are a number of endings, just most of them (read all but one) are bad. I feel that a little more might have been done with that. For what it is, though, it worked well. It did the job and worked in enough humor and homages to Shakespeare to merit the idea. And it whet my whistle for the larger book.
Unfortunately there isn't much more to say about it than that. For a prelude to the larger work, this is an admirable little book. It is fun and gives a preview of the sort of humor to expect. Of course, it also isn't much more than a preview. None of the myriad options get explored, and that can be a little frustrating when dealing with a CYOA. Not that it's not fun, but that I like a bit more freedom. It might make it easier to get through quickly constructed as it is, but still. I liked it, I really did, but I'm afraid I can't really rate it higher than a 6.75/10.
August 17, 2013
The short and sweet prequel to Ryan North's bigger Hamlet chooseable-path adventure. A nice and giggly half-hour or so's worth of leading Yorick to his different deaths. My personal favorite was the one with all the farting. This book is particularly enjoyable in e-book format (on the Kindle Fire, specifically), since it has clickable links to take you on your path, and you can use back buttons.
August 24, 2013
"I'll say this: of all the legacies it is possible to have, Yorick, this is certainly one of them."
February 5, 2021
Short, but I definitely enjoyed it as an adjunct to 'To Be or Not to Be'.
January 9, 2014
This prequel to
To Be or Not To Be: A Chooseable-Path Adventure
functions as both a nice choose-your-path hit for those who have exhausted the larger work and a teaser/introduction for those who have yet to experience it. You play as Yorick, a fellow of infinite jest, whose fate is to die. You need to die, in fact, although North will side-eye you for embracing your fate with too much gusto. Like To Be or Not to Be, it's great fun, and North takes Yorick's brief "appearance" in Hamlet and extrapolates his life as best he can. And even though Yorick always ends up a skull, North changes up the circumstances every time, illogical though they may be. Because this book is very short, he can't do all the creative and hilarious things he does in To Be or Not to Be, but it's a fun read.
March 30, 2014
This prequel to Ryan North's (and Shakespeare's!) To Be or Not to Be, aka the Choose Your Own Adventure version of Hamlet, is short and sweet, and a great introduction to how the genre works. It's clever and witty, and in every version (except MAYBE one) Yorick dies. Because he has to, you know? Otherwise who's skull will Hamlet dig up and talk to when he needed to figure some stuff out? Awesome illustrations, too.
Sadly, unless you were a backer in the To Be or Not to Be Kickstarter, you will likely never get your hands on one of these, as this was written and produced as one of the stretch goals for the project, and given to backers as a special reward. But maybe, if you're lucky, you might have an awesome friend that would let you borrow it, provided you return it in like-new condition. ;)
Sadly, unless you were a backer in the To Be or Not to Be Kickstarter, you will likely never get your hands on one of these, as this was written and produced as one of the stretch goals for the project, and given to backers as a special reward. But maybe, if you're lucky, you might have an awesome friend that would let you borrow it, provided you return it in like-new condition. ;)
August 12, 2013
A cute little mini-choose-your-own-adventure bundled with To be Or Not To Be... That is the Adventure.
I liked it. I especially liked the fixation with Yorick dying and his skull being discovered years later. I've read maybe 5 or 6 paths through this book, and in NOT ONE has Yorick survived one day. That's pretty morbidly awesome.
..for the record, I haven't yet chosen the path in To Be or Not To Be where I actually get Hamlet and Horatio to Yorick's grave. There are too dang many paths in that book.
I liked it. I especially liked the fixation with Yorick dying and his skull being discovered years later. I've read maybe 5 or 6 paths through this book, and in NOT ONE has Yorick survived one day. That's pretty morbidly awesome.
..for the record, I haven't yet chosen the path in To Be or Not To Be where I actually get Hamlet and Horatio to Yorick's grave. There are too dang many paths in that book.
August 13, 2013
A fun prequel to Ryan North's "choosable-path" version of Hamlet, following the eponymous jester as he attempts to secure employ in the service of the Hamlet family, with most of the choices leading to a quick death, each of which prompt a reaction from Hamlet himself 25 years later when he discovers Yorick's corpse. Very amusing stuff, the perfect thing to get you in the mood for the massive tome that takes what must be at least a few hundred different paths in and around Shakespeare's best-known work.
August 21, 2013
Clever and amusing CYOA story about how Yorick comes to know 'the Hammer' (Hamlet)--and quite a bit easier to get through than Ryan North's other Shakespearean CYOA book To Be or Not To Be A Chooseable-Path Adventure (not because it's hard to read, just that it's huuuuge). Love the artwork!
April 21, 2014
Este libro es un chiste. Y uno muy bueno.
Mientras que el estilo de humor de Ryan North se puede volver tedioso en historias largas. Con 54 páginas, este libro te deja con gusto a poco. Pero en ningún momento se vuelve aburrido.
Con opciones asesinas en cada turno, salir vivo del libro te va a tomar algunos intentos. Y recorrerlo entero toma media hora (ponle o quitale minutos).
El libro es un gusto, uno breve, pero un gusto al fin y al cabo.
Mientras que el estilo de humor de Ryan North se puede volver tedioso en historias largas. Con 54 páginas, este libro te deja con gusto a poco. Pero en ningún momento se vuelve aburrido.
Con opciones asesinas en cada turno, salir vivo del libro te va a tomar algunos intentos. Y recorrerlo entero toma media hora (ponle o quitale minutos).
El libro es un gusto, uno breve, pero un gusto al fin y al cabo.
May 18, 2016
Don't get me wrong; this is a pretty entertaining read. I am just picky about what types of books get four and five stars. This little prequel to the Hamlet choose your own adventure book was a great mix of Shakespeare and modern-day jargon. There were a couple times when I audibly laughed. What a great way to introduce the world of Shakespeare to reticent readers. Caution: there are a couple off-color phrases and terms, but nothing outright offensive.
February 1, 2014
"Poor Yorick" is a charming prologue to the truly excellent work To Be or Not To Be. I liked it, certainly, but my enjoyment was probably lessened by my choice to read it before I'd allow myself to open the full book. It is a perfectly well made chicken dinner, eaten too quickly as the chef has already prepared and set before me a chicken and waffle and ice cream "dessert."
August 18, 2013
De este leí ponele, la mitad de los finales. Es un buen compañero a To Be or Not To Be: A Chooseable-Path Adventure
November 30, 2014
I realize that this is just a little bonus book for To Be or Not to Be, but I thought it was pretty cheesy and mindless.
On the bright side, you can take all the paths in under an hour, so it's not like you lose a lot of time reading it.
On the bright side, you can take all the paths in under an hour, so it's not like you lose a lot of time reading it.
September 3, 2013
Delightful. This little companion to "To Be or Not to Be" just takes a few minutes to read, but each timeline was funny in its own way, with the fantastic Ryan North voice. Can't wait to undertake TBNTB!
August 12, 2013
Funny as hells!
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September 9, 2013review to come, possibly.
read more possible reviews at auroralector.blogspot.com until that possible time.
read more possible reviews at auroralector.blogspot.com until that possible time.
January 2, 2014
Ridiculous and fun - a short, choose-your-own-journey story with much nifty reference to Hamlet.
January 19, 2014
Cute, and quite funny. But also very short, and the paths are all fairly linear.
February 4, 2014
It was short but sweet. I have the eBook edition as I contributed to the To Be Or Not To Be Kickstarter.
August 12, 2014
More fun from Mr. North!
July 1, 2014
4.5 stars rounds up to five. Daaaaang.
August 26, 2013
Alas, poor Yorick.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews