William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace

William Shakespeare's Star Wars #1

by Ian Doescher

The popular, NYT best-selling Elizabethan/sci-fi mashup series continues, with a Shakespearean take on the first Star Wars prequel, The Phantom Menace. When the best-selling William Shakespeare's Star Wars presented the classic George Lucas film in the form of an Elizabethan drama, the results blew the minds of Star Wars fans and Shakespeare buffs alike. Now the curtain rises once again on that star-crossed galaxy far away, this time revealing the tragedy, hubris, and doomed romance that will lead to the fall of the Republic and the rise of an Empire. The saga starts here with this reimagining of Episode I, a prequel tale in which a disguised queen, a young hero, and two fearless knights clash with a hidden, vengeful enemy. Masterful meter, Shakepearean soliloquies and intricate Elizabethan illustrations will leave more than a few readers convinced that the Star Wars saga sprang straight from the Bard's quill.

Genres: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Plays, Fiction, Humor, Fantasy, Shakespeare

235 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 7, 2015

About the author

Ian is the author of the William Shakespeare Star Wars series and the Pop Shakespeare series, and other books. He's a Portland native, and lives in Portland with his family.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ian Doescher is so witty. I love that he can turn this story into something with weight and his iambic pentameter is so right on. He takes the horrible character of Jar Jar Binks and turns him into quite a great character playing the fool. There is a line that Qiu-Gon Gin that is the speech from the Taken movie - hilarious.

This works on so many levels and being a Shakespeare fan, I love it. It reads well and fast and Ian really knows his Shakespeare and he uses all the devices from the plays. There's everything you need to be a play of the Bard, politics, fools, two lovers, good characters and evil villains. It plays so well.

I hope to be able to read the rest of these. They are so well done.

[Jess | FairyTale Pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

I was very surprised by this book! It's no secret that I love Star Wars, but when I first heard of this book I thought the author had changed the story a bunch... And was just a little skeptical. I put it off, but recently watched the newest Star Wars, the Force Awakens, and decided to pick these up. I was super pleased to realize that not that much from the original story was changed! I loved how the author changed the dialogue however and I thought he did a fantastic job! I could hardly tell it wasn't Shakespeare himself writing! Haha I also enjoyed Jar Jar Binks' character. First off, NO I don't hate him like the rest of the world. But this author really took a unique spin on his story and made him much more aware of what was going on around him. I really liked this change! I'm definitely going to pick up the rest of these!

[Blamp Head · Rating 5 out of 5]

O, wherefore art thou but so little pleased?
Because thou read not Phantom of Menace,
Alack! But this be but the fourth of four
So far released in this most grand old lot.

Behold! Mister Binks, he is no one's fool.
'Ere thou too harshly judge his wretched soul,
In this iambic pentameter play,
Binks plays his cards with perfect aptitude.

O, wert thou not but wasting thy short time,
Thou wouldst mayhap hath read yet Anakin's
A-rising out from podraced slavery
To clench his place in the wise Jedi ranks.

And noble Qui Gon, fie! That thou shouldst die
So early, saga-wise. And Gungans fight,
Dear Padme rules, while Palpatine doth plot,
And Maul, well, thou art still a weakling true.

Dost thou sit? Wherefore read thou not the book?
O, but a holy crap! I tire early.
Iambic pentameter: thou art hard.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pa nastavlja se u istom stlu, mada imam osecaj da je pisanje jace ili mi se to cini posto je uzeo pricu najgoreg filma i digao je na znacajno veci nivo. Plus JAr Jar je postao daleko ozbiljniji igrac tako da idemo dalje.

Kada vidim da su ostale jos samo dve knjigenekako me bude zao. Valjda ce obraditi i najnoviji film :)

[Catherine⁷]

Now this is art. The iambic pentameter? The rhyming couplets at the end? The improvised dialect to compensate for action? The wit is strong with this one.
Here’s some of my favorite quotes that are beautifully iconic:

>OBI-WAN: What’s more—your foresight wise they could not thwart:
Negotiations were, indeed, quite short.

>ANAKIN: [to Padmé] Excuse me this intrusion, madam, but:
Are you by some celestial body sent?

>QUI-GON: The Force knows not of accident nor chance,
But wisely guides our footfalls, one by one.

>YODA: To the dark side of the Force,
Fear leads to anger,
Onward leads anger to hate,
Hate to suffering.
A bounty of fear
Is present in thy spirit—
Fear beyond measure.

>QUI-GON: Two life-forms that together dwell as one,
Each make the other stronger when they’re join’d,
And both do benefit in the exchange.
These, then, are symbionts.
Thus, if there were
No midi-chlorians, life would be naught.
And neither would we know the Force’s pow’r.
If we but listen, they e’re speak to us
And tell us of the Force and what it wills.
And thou dost learn to quiet thine own mind,
Thou shalt, like whisper’d poetry, hear their
Majestic voices ringing in thine ears.

QUI-GON: I know not who you are or what you want,
Yes I do have skills most particular,
Acquir’d throughout a Jedi’s long career.
The skills do make me nightmarish to such
As you. Surrender now, and you shall live—
If not, you shall be dead, and there’s an end.

>ANAKIN: —We fly beyond its walls R2—
This truly is what podracing should be!

>QUI-GON: [kneeling:] Be still, my soul, the Force is on thy side.
Be silent, heart, and let thy raging cease.
Be quiet, mind, and to this time assent.
Be calm, my body, take the proffer’d rest.
I know not whether I may yet prevail,
Or if this shall become old Qui-Gon’s end.
If I defeat this foe, still doubts remain:
Who is behind this killer’s presence here?
and how did they arise again, the Sith?
‘Twould be a better ending if I could
Subdue the foe and question him at length.
Yea murther is within his aspect. Yea,
He shall not let me live another hour
And shall not answer any query pos’d.
‘Tis he or I shall live—or die—herein.
You Jedi ancestors, here now my plea:
If I do slay him, help us find the source
Of this most strange and frightful newfound threat.
If ‘tis my time to die, let it be swift
And painless, let my spirit fly with grace.
I think upon the things that I have done,
And those things yet undone that I would do,
Mayhap they shall not be, when I am gone.
A tragic and weighty thought is this.
Mine only cares are for the wondrous boy,
And for my young apprentice, Obi-Wan,
And for the Jedi and whose name I serve.
If now the time for me is come, O ghosts
Of Jedi passed and gone, I ask but this:
Protect my friends, for they are all my life.

[Wreade1872 · Rating 3 out of 5]

..When some gross fault of theirs is then expos’d,
They throw their hands unto the sky and cry,
“O, now ’tis us who sorely are oppress’d!”
Thus do the dominating twist the tale
And make themselves the subject of their pity,
Whilst turning blind eye to those truly plagued..

This is a REALLY good adaptation, unfortunately even shakespeare can't save this plot.
This isn't a straightforward translation to the shakespearian either, there are various injokes and pop culture references too, most of which i could have done without but i didn't mind them much.

I was mildly distracted at times trying to picture how they would actually stage this at the new Globe theatre etc. There is a LOT going on in some scenes with a lot of people in different locations.

The characters are a big improvement on the original, you can do a lot with asides and soliquays. I also like the addition of Rumour, who added some useful exposition.

Couple of quibbles, towards the end i couldn't figure out if Jar-Jar was on the field of battle or in the palace, also i have no idea what happened in the throne room it was a bit messy on the page.
The alien gibberish and droid speak seems even more annoying to my ears despite many asides and translations.

The main issue though is the original plot. Even with Rumour to help i still don't know how the Trade Federation and Senate actually function.
Also you spend an inordinate amount of time on what is essentially a side-quest to get the ship fixed so you can get to the senate... where nothing happens and they go home again :| .
And there are other plot issues but my point is that the improvement in many areas tended to highlight some of the underlying problems.

Anyway as an adaptation at least 4 stars, maybe even 5 out of 5. However this is still the Phantom Menace.

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

I embarked on this quirky little series when I thought it would only be the original Star Wars series, so I was a bit surprised to hear about William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace. You would think that after three books, the novelty of the Shakespearification of Star Wars might wear off - but no! I enjoyed The Phantom of Menace immensely.

I'll be upfront with you and say that of all the Star Wars movies, The Phantom Menace is my least favorite. This is the case for many fans, I believe, because the story's weaker and - well - Jar Jar Binks happened. But I might venture to say that William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace is my favorite of Ian Doescher's retellings so far. I KNOW. I'm just as surprised as you are. While in essence the story lacks some of the elements that made the original trilogy so great (Han Solo, HanxLeia, Darth Vader, Han Solooooooo), Doescher's really hit his stride in this one.

First off, I felt the writing has gotten so much stronger. It's immediately noticeable that Doescher's gotten even more comfortable with Shakespearian English and has adopted more and more of his techniques. In the previous books something might have felt a bit clunky a time or two, but I honestly didn't notice it anymore. Doescher's writing is faithful to both Shakespeare and the Star Wars films and there are so many hilarious Easter eggs - from modified Shakespeare quotes to modified classic film quotes. It's so clever and witty and enjoyable.

Doescher also takes some risks in The Phantom of Menace - truly reinterpreting the original film and making modifications here and there to show his interpretation while also staying faithful to original Shakespeare storytelling norms. The biggest of these changes, obviously, would be Jar Jar Binks's role. Jar Jar is famously hated as being annoying and stupid - generally getting in the way of the other characters. Doescher transforms his character as one who is actually keenly aware of what is happening around him, who plays a stupid role to get others to respond in the ways he desires. It's daring. Not all readers will agree. But I liked it quite a lot. Jar Jar does come across as stupid in the films, but he does help the group sometimes, in important ways, though that might be brushed off as coincidence more often than not. But Doescher gives this character a lot more depth that I do find believable and I think makes the story as a whole much stronger.

Now, there are a few weaker points in this book - namely that there are so many characters that it's hard to keep track of at times. Of course, there is the cast list at the beginning, but I was too lazy to keep flipping back and forth. But I really enjoyed this book, perhaps even surprising myself by how much. The thing is, while the prequel trilogy gets a lot of shit from hardcore Star Wars fans, I will always have a special place for it in my heart because of the super important character arc that Anakin has. In The Phantom of Menace there is ample foreshadowing for how this will shape up in the remaining two books, and I can't wait for it. I know Doescher can add so much depth to these characters, so I trust the rest of the series to be amazing.

Summing Up:

With much stronger writing and interesting creative liberties, Doescher has a hit in William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace. Honestly, when I started reading this series, I thought it would be amusing but not that remarkable. Now I'm just in full enjoyment and awe of the writing and this unique take on a much loved saga.

GIF it to me straight!



Recommended To:

All Star Wars fans (provided Shakespeare doesn't scare them off).


*A finished copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the contents of the review.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ian Doescher takes on the task of bringing the Star Wars prequels to the Elizabethan stage in “William Shakespeare’s The Phantom of Menace” to fantastic results that will be jarring to any of those who dislike the film. Given the first prequel’s notorious reputation amongst the Star Wars fandom, Doescher gives the maligned film a magnificent theatrical presentation that would make any hardcore fan happy.

The biggest issue Doescher had to deal with was obviously Jar Jar Binks, who instead of being just a vacant-minded fool is instead a radical-who-plays-the-fool to help united the Gungans with the Naboo. As one reads, you notice the subtlety that Doescher gives to Jar Jar as the acting fool in front of everyone else and his true political radical personality in soliloquies and asides. The other issue that Doescher dealt with was the 10-minute podrace, his answer was by following Shakespeare’s led in having Padme and Jar Jar act as messengers relating the action of the race to Qui-Gon and Shmi and those the audience. Once Doescher had dealt with these two big issues the rest of “The Phantom of Menace” was like his previous three Star Wars Shakespearean adaptations, keep true to the film while adding background for characters in soliloquies and asides. Doescher even has fun with Qui-Gon and Mace Windu’s dialogues by sprinkling references to Liam Neeson and Samuel L. Jackson’s other film roles but still staying true to the scene in which they are in.

Overall “The Phantom of Menace” is a wonderful adaptation and is a credit to Ian Doescher’s imaginative writing that makes it feel better than its film inspiration. Whether or not you like The Phantom Menace, if you like Doescher’s Shakespearean adaptations do not hesitate to read this one because you will enjoy it.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compared to the original movies, the prequels are going to be a bit more of a challenge to Shakespeareify. Not because the basic plots are bad, but because the dialog is atrocious. I'm doing my damnedest to come up with a solidly quotable line from the prequels and coming up blank. But believe me, I can come up with dozens of cringingly awful ones. Doescher, I think, does his best, but this is kind of a weak movie to adapt. He helps his cause by applying his own interpretation to JarJar: he's only playing the fool to try and help his goal of achieving unity between Naboo's Gungan and human populations. And it generally works, but there's just not much helping this character. More than anything, this book reminds me that, with a good screenwriter, the prequels would have been much, much better movies.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books never fail to tickle me. Every time I pick one up, I expect a Shakespearean version of the classic films. However, Doescher puts his own twist on the stories. I particularly like how he made Jar Jar an intelligent creature, who is simply misunderstood. What? A likable Jar Jar? I know, I'm in shock too.

[Jason Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being the Star Wars nut I am I feel obliged to like the movie The Phantom Menace, and I do, but I find myself making excuses for it. The Darth Maul duel at the end is still one of my favorites in the whole series, and... well... I like the movie anyway, I say, and who are you to judge me!?


Oh! And I do like Nute Gunray even if he does lip sync like an oriental in a Godzilla or crap kung-fu movie, but that's just because he and I share a desire to see Natalie Portman dead in later movies. Really, it's George Lucas' fault. I've seen her in other movies, and she does just fine, but Lucas has a way of bringing the wooden ham out of any actor.

I learned my lesson from previous books and read the afterword first. By doing so I was able to catch things I would've missed otherwise, most importantly Mace Windu's lines, each of which has a Samuel L. Jackson reference. I didn't catch all of them since I'm not familiar with every movie he's done, but the ones I did find made me laugh out loud a couple of times.


"Our Ev'ry resource we'll to this employ,
So this dark menace to society
May swiftly be discover'd..."
(After hearing the Sith may have returned).

"Nay, though the Force may be unbreakable
Within the boy, he shall not trained be....

"It is but basic: he hath grown too old."

"Yet who was he destroyed in the shaft?
The master or apprentice? None can say."

Yoda still speaks in haiku, but my favorite part of this is what the author did with Jar Jar even if his spoken lines still use the "meesa okee dokee" kind of pattern. He plays the part of the fool, but he's actually quite intelligent and uses everyone's preconceived notions of a Gungan to his advantage (like Mexicans who pretend they don't understand English but are actually following everything just fine). In short, everyone gets played by Jar Jar. The Gungans and Naboo settle their long standing differences because of him. It's done really well. He also gets called fun Shakespearean names by Qui Gon such as brainless knave, simple beast, piteous native with a simple mind, lackwit, kind brute, amphibious buffoon, etc. (Qui Gon is actually quite a dick in this). Jar Jar's foolish antics are sincerely funny in this instead of cringe inducing. I guess speaking out your actions in William's accustomed style makes all the difference?

This is from Jar Jar's narration of the final battle between the Gungans and the battle droids, specifically when he accidentally kills a ton of droids:

"...A battle droid lies broken on the ground,
Yet blaster shall not come loose from its grasp.
Thus, jump upon it now, and trigger fire,
Destroying other droids that are nearby!
This fool is not so foul against a foe.
Clutch tightly, hands, around the catapult,
Releasing all the power'd spheres within.
Though they are meant to fly into the air,
They do as well a'rolling on the ground
And striking our grim enemies mid-spin.
Now for the final act, the fool's finale
Make use of this small sphere, a boomer, aye,
And strike this droid and his vast battle tank..."

I'm one of the few people who likes the pod race scene in the movie, or at least I don't have any problem with it, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it in here. Anakin isn't as annoying either, nor as stupid.

Also, Ian seems to have hit a stride with his writing. I'm no Shakespearean scholar, but everything in this feels more polished than the first three. He's effectively taken a lackluster and sometimes painful story and made sorely needed improvements with this installment.

As usual, this would best be enjoyed by Star Wars fans who also have at least a nodding acquaintance with Shakespeare's works. I'm sure I missed a ton of references to his plays, but I still enjoyed this immensely.

Still... I see I gave The Jedi Doth Return only four stars, but that was because I liked the other two from the original trilogy better. I don't think I could live with myself giving this five stars and TJDR a lower rating, so I better go fix that.

There, I feel better now. I can't wait for The Clone Army Attacketh and Tragedy of the Sith's Revenge to come out this summer. Pressure's on, Ian.


"...with interest
We shall watch o'er the progress of thy days."

[Eva B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as Doescher's other Star Wars works, but still solid.

[Jessamyn Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

These mashups of two of my favorite things never disappoint. Highlights of this one include using asides to reveal Jar Jar as secretly intelligent but playing dumb to unite the Naboo and the Gungans, and meta references to Liam Neeson and Samuel L. Jackson's other movies. The already good dialogue (Palpatine) becomes glorious, the painful (Lil Anakin) becomes bearable.

And can we talk about the illustrations?! I'm already a huge fan of The Phantom Menace's production design and it married so well with Elizabethan styles. Brb drooling over that cover art forever.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was like reading the movie's script, but done up in faux-Shakespearean style. It gets a bit cheesy using famous lines from Shakespeare's plays (like "Et tu, Brute?"), but otherwise does an admirable job of bringing that sort of language to the Star Wars plot. Jar Jar Binks is retold as a gifted philosopher posing as a nitwit due to Qui-Gon's prejudices. R2-D2 also speaks proper English in his asides, as well. Yoda speaks in haiku, which is also pretty neat. I had fun reading this and remembering the movie I'm fond of, but I won't be reading any more Shakespeare/Star Wars mash ups.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, this one was fun. I'm really enjoying this series. This one was more remarkable than the others so far in that it was better than the movie it was based on. Doescher even manages to make Jar Jar Binks bearable. Who would have thought such a thing was even possible. I enjoyed the other pop culture references that were tossed in, including song lyrics and references to Liam Niesen's role in Taken.

[Aeroniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been wanting to read these for a while now and I’m so glad I’ve started them! This was so much fun to read😄

[Kal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I forgot how much I love this series! In fact I don't even have a good reason as to why it took me this long to finally pick it back up. Even though I dislike these movies, Ian Doescher worked his magic and made me find a reason to love them. He might have even given me a few reason to enjoy JarJar, just a few. Though, I still find C3PO annoying not matter in what form he's written.

Hats off to Ian Doescher as well. Not only for how many times he had to watch this movie, but for how amazing this book flowed. Writing in iambic pentameter is hard enough, but having to do while describing a podrace and droid battle to the point the have to make sense. Amazing!

Personally I felt the book flowed well and had great pacing. While this was suppose to be a bus book, it quickly become a while I was cooking, not into this show, and right before bed book. Devoured faster than I do most books, and I've already downloaded the next book in this series. Not because I enjoy the prequels, but because I can't wait to see how Ian Doescher writes angsty Skywalker.

A lot of work went into this book and it shows. Never once did the theme of the book drop. The characters were as true to themselves as I remember them being. Though I have to admit it's been so long since I've seen this movie I had to go back and check to see if things really happened. I forgot Padme had a body double. I forgot about how the movie even opened up, and I also forgot that Skywalker has always crush on Padme.

Also, I loved famous moments of Shakespeare's work appeared throughout the story. Which as a lover of most of Shakespeare's work, I enjoyed. And, got a few weird looks on the bus when I laughed. Which is fine, this book is totally work the odd looks. It might have even convinced to re-watch the movies. Maybe.

But, I'm definilty picking this series back up and getting caught up in time to catch the next book in the series, Jedi the Last.

Buy, Borrow, or Skip: Personally I borrowed this one from local library, but anything that gets you to pick up this series is a plus. It's hilarious and so well put together.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace is written by Ian Doescher and inspired by William Shakespeare and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. When I came across this title at my local bookstore, I thought why not? I love Shakespeare and I love Star Wars – what can possibly go wrong? Except that I may end up hating both Shakespeare and Star Wars at the end of the day, but I decided to take the risk. The next question is should I start with the original trilogy or the prequels? I decided to start at the beginning and hope for the best.

It is generally viewed that the prequels are rather dreadful compared to the original trilogy and the first film being the weakest of them all, and I would not disagree with that statement. However, I found loving this interpretation of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace more than I thought I would – more than I thought was possible – I even love (and I can't believe that I'm going to type this) Jar Jar Binks.

For the most part Doescher is rather faithful to the source – except in two areas. Firstly it is more humorous than I remember the original film and secondly Jar Jar Binks. His character was more aware of his surroundings, but chooses to act as a fool. Like in many Shakespearean plays, the fool is often the one that dispense much of the reason and wisdom of the world and is often the smartest person on the stage. Although I'm no Elizabethan English or Shakespearean expert, but I find that the dialogue transformation to Elizabethan English was well done. I wouldn't call Doescher Shakespeare, but he is awfully close.

There is one quibble that I have to mention and that the Dramatis Personae is rather large and it was difficult to keep the characters straight, but that's just a minor quibble that has very little result of my enjoyment of this book.

All in all, William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace was written rather well and a very interesting rendition of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace written in Elizabethan English and in iambic pentameter no less!

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short Review

I've reviewed Ian Doescher's William Shakespeare's Star Wars original series, which I thoroughly enjoyed overall. The Phantom of Menace was good, but it had a lot of missed opportunities. For one, whole scenes were deleted (the funeral of Qui-Gon Jinn), which could have had some lovely asides from Anakin and Obi-Wan both.

I know a lot of people detest Jar-Jar Binks, but what Ian Doescher did with his character was to give him some depth. I liked this quite a bit. The pacing was uneven in this book, compared to the others (but a lot of it is because of the material it was based on).

I still loved the illustrations, but the last illustration was very telling with the way Palpatine, Anakin, and Obi-Wan were drawn. I enjoyed this start of the prequel series, but it wasn't as good as I had hoped.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious! I’m not sure what else I can say. Ian Doescher does an amazing job taking the stories we all know and love yet putting a new spin on them.

In this one for example, I loved Jar Jar. I really like the way his character was handled and developed. I only got one of the Samuel L Jackson references but it was still fun to look for them.

I don’t know how this guy does it. He’s brilliant. Even the podrace worked as part of the play.

Oh and I will always and forever love Artoo. Qui-Gon’s death scene was really witty too. Well, really the whole thing is witty and wonderful and....


Wait a minute. Why are you reading my review???? You should be reading this book!

[Jordan Lahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful adventure through this strange hybrid universe merging Star Wars with Shakespeare. Once again, the cleverness with which Ian Doescher weaves Shakespeare's trademark wit and wordplay into familiar dialogue is incredible, and I frequently laughed out loud at certain turns of phrase. I wish I'd been able to enjoy this in audio form the way I did the first 3, but it was still a very enjoyable reading experience. Already pre-ordered the next two!

[The Batman (Reagan) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even those that loathe Jar Jar Bink's very existence would find Ian Doescher's take on him here to be pretty funny. Also, the filler scene where two random Jedi predict the decline in technology between the prequels and the original series is hilarious. Have I mentioned I love these books?

[Krystle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Anita Heveron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never laughed so hard, never enjoyed reading iambic pentameter so much, never felt more like a nerd than when reading this book. An amazing job, even made Jar Jar bearable!

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, these books are amazing. I even liked Jar Jar how he is depicted here.

Also loved the Liam Neeson reference towards the end.

Love this series, highly recommend.

[❀Felicia Perez-Magrans❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry & Shakespeare is not my cup of tea, but Star Wars is!

I definitely like the whole idea of combining poetry and Star Wars into one. It’s something different to have and read within the Star Wars book community. My favorite part is the dual of the fates scene in the film and within this book. I really liked how the author translated that scene, I could picture it in my head perfectly just like the film. I think the way the author translated & transcribed the whole movie dialogue and was able to turn it into Shakespeare work was perfect. I was impressed. Although the book in my opinion got a bit boring because of the Shakespearean words, there were some parts that brought me back into the book in addition to the small illustrations throughout the book.

At first my rating was at a 3, but after reading the dual of the fates scene and the ending, it turned into a 4! 4/5!!!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Michael Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I'm not the biggest Shakespeare fan. I haven't read anything by him since school, and I've been to one Shakespeare play(Macbeth which I did like). I've just never gotten around to reading the bard, but this book was genuinely funny despite that.

Obviously if you aren't a Star Wars fan, skip it, but I don't think you have to be a Shakespeare buff to get a laugh out of it. Several lines made me wheeze, but it was steadily humorous throughout.

"Et tu, Sith? Then fall, Qui-Gon Jinn!" is one of the most hilarious lines I've read this year.

[Rodrigo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Há muito tempo, numa prateleira muito, muito distante…

Esperei muito tempo até ter acesso a este livro que, quando vi pela primeira vez, fiquei cheio de curiosidade para ler. Como seria Star Wars: A Ameaça Fantasma se fosse uma peça de teatro dirigida por William Shakespeare? Bem, obtive a resposta à minha pergunta com esta leitura épica. Tenho muito a dizer sobre este livro (no caso, e-book, porque não comprei a edição em papel) e, mesmo já conhecendo a história, foi como se tivesse sido a primeira vez que a li. Deixo-vos agora com a minha review do livro William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace!

Começando pelo Resumo: A desordem domina por completo o governo da República Galáctica e são aplicados impostos sobre as vias comerciais dos sistemas estelares, disputados pelos diferentes grupos económicos. Na esperança de resolver o problema com um bloqueio de naves de guerra e ganhar lucros, a gananciosa Federação Mercantil parou todos os meios de navegação do pequeno planeta Naboo. Enquanto o Senado debate lentamente esta sucessão de acontecimentos, o Chanceler Supremo envia em segredo dois cavaleiros Jedi, os guardiões da paz e justiça na galáxia, para resolver o conflito.

Sobre o Autor: Apesar do título ser William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace, o autor não é William Shakespeare e também não é George Lucas. Ian Doescher é um escritor norte-americano conhecido por escrever obras da ficção adaptadas ao estilo shakespeariano, convertendo as prosas em peças de teatro fiéis aos maneirismos do dramaturgo inglês William Shakespeare. Ian adaptou não só a Saga Skywalker (Episódio I – IX de Star Wars), mas também os filmes d’ Os Vingadores, da Marvel, para o estilo shakespeariano.

Sobre a História: Esta obra, escrita como se fosse uma peça de teatro, narra por completo (e de uma forma mais rápida) todos os eventos do primeiro filme das prequelas de Star Wars, de George Lucas. O Primeiro Ato começa quando o mestre Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn e o seu Padawan (aprendiz) Obi-Wan Kenobi são enviados para o bloqueio planetário de Naboo para falar com o Vice-rei da Federação Mercantil, Nute Gunray a fim de resolver a disputa.

Controlada por um aliado perigoso que mais tarde é revelado ser Darth Sidious, um Lorde dos Sith, a Federação Mercantil dá então início a um ataque terrestre ao planeta e Nute Gunray (Vice-Rei da Federação) ordena a execução dos Jedi, que conseguem escapar para a superfície de Naboo. Enquanto o temido exército de robôs armados invade o planeta, Qui-Gon e Obi-Wan conhecem Jar Jar Binks, um gungan (nativo do planeta Naboo) que os leva para a cidade secreta dos gungans, Otoh Gunga, para escaparem ao exército da Federação. Depois de negociarem com o líder dos gungans para combater os invasores, Qui-Gon e Obi-Wan, juntamente com Jar Jar, viajam pelo oceano a caminho da capital de Naboo de forma a salvarem a rainha e regressarem à capital da República Galáctica, Coruscant.

E é aqui que entramos no Segundo Ato, quando o trio consegue salvar a rainha e fugir de Naboo numa nave que, devido a uma avaria, não tem capacidade para fazer o hiper-salto até Coruscant, parando no planeta Tatooine para arranjar peças para a nave. É neste planeta que Qui-Gon e Obi-Wan conhecem Anakin Skywalker, um jovem escravo com grandes habilidades de piloto e, segundo Qui-Gon, forte na Força. Para arranjarem dinheiro para as peças, Anakin participa numa corrida de Podrace extremamente perigosa que vence, ganhando o dinheiro para as peças da nave e a sua liberdade, saindo do planeta com o trio e com a rainha Amidala antes de ser apanhado por um ser encapuzado com um sabre de luz duplo vermelho que é Darth Maul, o aprendiz de Darth Sidious que foi enviado pelo próprio para derrotar os Jedi.

Ao chegarem a Coruscant, encontram o Chanceler Supremo e o Senador de Naboo (e representante da rainha) Sheev Palpatine, que leva a rainha ao Senado Galáctico, mostrando à jovem rainha que a república está envenenada pelos burocratas e o Chanceler Supremo não ter poder para parar o bloqueio de Naboo. A rainha Amidala faz um Voto de Não-Confiança e o Senado começa as eleições para eleger um novo Chanceler. Enquanto estes eventos decorrem, Anakin está no Conselho Jedi a ser avaliado pelos Mestres Jedi, visto que Qui-Gon está disposto a treiná-lo e Obi-Wan está pronto para deixar de ser Padawan.

Entramos então no Terceiro Ato, após as discussões políticas do Senado e a avaliação dos Mestres Jedi, os protagonistas regressam a Naboo e dá-se início à batalha pela libertação do planeta. O exército de gungans liderados por Jar Jar, juntamente com Anakin Skywalker e um grupo de soldados da rainha, conseguem desativar o exército de robôs-dróides e destruir as naves de guerra enquanto Qui-Gon enfrenta o ser encapuzado (Darth Maul) com Obi-Wan no palácio de Naboo. Durante a batalha Qui-Gon é morto e Obi-Wan derrota Darth Maul, pondo a fim ao bloqueio de Naboo. Para celebrar a vitória, os gungans fazem um acordo de união com o povo de Naboo e Sheev Palpatine, recém-eleito Chanceler Supremo assiste ao evento, afirmando que irá observar a carreira de Anakin Skywalker, agora Padawan de Obi-Wan, de perto.

Sobre as Personagens: Ian Doescher foi genial ao conseguir explorar a fundo as diferentes camadas destes personagens e, de certa forma, melhorar os pontos de expressividade e de comportamento, deixando-os mais carismáticos e divertidos. O melhor exemplo que posso dar é o caso do personagem Jar Jar Binks, um personagem injustamente odiado por muitos fãs de Star Wars que aqui, em William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace, não só consegue ser um alívio cómico eficiente como também exercer um papel de narrador, dirigindo-se ao leitor (no caso de uma peça de teatro, ao público) para esclarecer aspectos que estão a ser discutidos no momento. Também temos o caso de personagens que não falam, como o dróide R2-D2 que, assim como Jar Jar, dirige-se ao leitor a dar o seu ponto de vista, dialogando com os restantes personagens com os seus famosos beep’s e bop’s.

Sobre Qui-Gon e Obi-Wan: Sinto que é injusto dar maior destaque só a estes dois personagens, porém, são os protagonistas nesta obra e convém observá-los melhor. Como sou um fã de Star Wars e já li outras obras e bandas-desenhadas, além de ter visto todos os filmes e as séries animadas como Clone Wars e Rebels, acabo por ter uma visão mais abrangente dos personagens do que um leitor ou leitora que nunca viu, leu ou se interessou por Star Wars. A meu ver, Qui-Gon Jin é um personagem completo e um ícone de como um Jedi se deve comportar, é calmo, sábio e calculista nos momentos mais críticos. Já Obi-Wan, por ser muito mais jovem e menos experiente, deixa-se levar levemente pelas suas emoções, por outro lado, apesar de ser ainda um aprendiz, já tem conhecimento e maturidade para se tornar um Cavaleiro Jedi. Juntos, Qui-Gon e Obi-Wan fazem uma dupla com uma dinâmica incrível.

Finalizando com a minha Conclusão Final: Comprei este e-book receoso, visto que já sabia que toda a obra estaria escrita com o modelo shakespeariano e, com isso, muitas palavras em inglês poderiam ser estranhas para mim, mas enganei-me! Li esta fantástica obra em pouco mais de dois dias e fiquei triste por ter acabado, o que me levou a comprar de imediato o segundo volume, William Shakespeare's The Clone Army Attacketh. Apesar de existirem termos e formas gramaticais em inglês que podem estranhar aqueles com menos agilidade na língua inglesa, a obra é leve e muito fiel ao material original do filme Star Wars: A Ameaça Fantasma. Foi uma leitura incrível e agradável, adorei as poucas ilustrações e acredito Ian Doescher fez um trabalho fenomenal em equilibrar o destaque de cada personagem e respeitar o trabalho de George Lucas, criando algo novo e invulgar. Recomendo esta obra a todos os fãs de ficção científica e claro, aos fãs de Star Wars que buscam literatura do tema.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Phantom Menace has been widely regarded as the worst of the Star Wars film saga and one of the biggest reasons is JAR JAR BINKS who has polarized fans. I was a bit worried and excited to see how would Doescher take on this character and the rest of the CGI-visual fest. This retelling of Episode I brings back the wonderful prose and iambic pentameter from the previous episodes, but it fails to bring life the messy plot of TPM to life successfully. I don't blame Doescher because he wasn't given much to work with, but he does a decent job of dealing with Jar Jar and the lackluster film.

As a child I loved The Phantom Menace with the podracing and Darth Maul scenes because it was a visual feast. The action scenes in the previous episodes were so well-done, but here I just couldn't appreciate them. All of the scenes were extremely hard to visualize especially the podracing one and it just didn't feel right having "messengers" tell of the action. It was a clever, original idea but I just felt so removed from all of the actionpacked scenes.

Jar-Jar Binks is smarter here than in the prequel trilogy, making verbose asides that speak of a far more knowledgeable creature than we're used to. One minute he talks like a Gungan (meeeesa) and then he's discussing how everyone thinks that he's such a lowly creature. The treatment of his character with the asides is similar to the way R2D2 was handled previously, but it just didn't work for me with Jar Jar. I just couldn't wrap my head around a Jar Jar who was remotely intelligent and I became irritated with him more than once.

Ian Doescher does give The Phantom Of Menace his all, but you can't build a mansion with blueprints for a cottage. I do give him credit for making TPM palatable and entertaining at times, but it's not his fault that the source material is mediocre. I'm looking forward to reading the following installments in the prequel trilogy which will serve Doescher much better I'm sure. Attack Of The Clones and Revenge Of The Sith are far better films and I have a feeling I'll enjoy their adaptations much better.This review was originally posted on Bookish Antics

[Tony Laplume · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's an admission to kick things off: I'm one of those odd fans of Star Wars who grew up with the classic trilogy and liked the prequels anyway. Yes, including The Phantom Menace. And Jar Jar Binks...

This might be the only Shakespeare Star Wars that I read, not because I was not impressed with Phantom of Menace (clearly I was, so the stars indicate; no war necessary here), but because, I think, this is in fact the ideal adaptation to sample, if sample is all you end up doing.

Which is also brilliant. (Although I'd caution Quirk not to do what it did after the likewise brilliant Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, which was to flood the market with other such efforts, possibly none of which were nearly as inspired.)

Getting back to Jar Jar, he's easily the biggest revelation in Doescher's deft hands. Damned as a buffoon by fans, Binks is turned into the real phantom of this opera as the only character with extensive awareness as to what's really going on, including inside his own head. Between this and a recent theory that Binks might actually have secretly been the eponymous menace, it's a good time to revisit this particular movie all around.

The only real complaint I have is when Doescher explains in an afterword that he slipped a few slide nods for Samuel L. Jackson fans into Mace Windu's dialogue, which amount to name-checking some of his movies. (No Pulp Fiction references, alas.) Of greater interest for readers will be deciphering the nods to Shakespeare, most of which are lost to those who aren't as well-versed with the Bard as they are Star Wars, likely.

Whether you like Phantom Menace already or hate it with a passion, and intend to read this only for completest sake, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Don't pin the result on a lack of George Lucas, because it's still his story and dialogue (which itself was blamed for half the mess). Just a little altered. Forsooth!