What News on the Rialto?: The Lost Years of William Shakespeare

by Anthony R. Wildman, Virtual Voice (Narrator)

"I must know what the king of Spain is going to do before he knows it himself. And that, Shakespeare, is why you are going to Italy."

With these enigmatic words, Sir Francis Walsingham sends a young, unknown poet on a mission to Venice—a city of masks, secrets, and shadows. The poet is none other than William Shakespeare, tasked with a mission of espionage that could change the fate of England.

Accompanied by the high-spirited illegitimate son of an English earl, young Will embarks on what seems a simple find Walsingham’s agent in Venice and deliver secret instructions. But in the labyrinthine canals and gilded halls of the city, nothing is as it seems. Betrayal, passion, and danger lurk behind every corner, drawing Shakespeare into a deadly game of power and intrigue.

As the threads of conspiracy tighten, he discovers secrets with the potential to alter England’s future—and begins to find inspiration for plays that will shape the literary world for centuries. From the star-crossed lovers of Romeo and Juliet to the shipwrecks and sorcery of The Tempest, history and imagination blend in a rich tapestry of storytelling.

Perfect for fans of Shakespeare's work and lovers of historical fiction, this novel masterfully blends fact with fiction, offering a fresh and thrilling perspective on the enigmatic bard's early life.

'Weaving fiction with historical fact, Wildman’s captivating novel includes well-researched events that hint at the origins of the plays we all know and love, such as The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, and The Tempest, and he convincingly introduces well-recorded historical figures, including Walsingham and Marlowe. He presents us with a believable Europe of the period along with detailed knowledge of the social and political context of Venice, Padua, and the Vatican at the time.' - Historical Novel Society.

Genres: Shakespeare, Historical Fiction

Audible Audio

Published October 6, 2025

About the author

Anthony Wildman is a historical novelist who has written five novels and a travel memoir to date. He has a passionate interest in history and story-telling, and lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Born in Hertfordshire, England, Anthony emigrated to Australia with his family in 1967. He grew up and was educated in Adelaide, where he acquired a degree in History and Politics from the University of Adelaide, an education that provided the fuel for a lifelong fascination with both subjects.

He has lived in Melbourne and Sydney, and has journeyed extensively throughout Europe, Asia and America, satisfying his love of travel and new experiences.

Reviews

[Scuffed Granny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so glad that I discovered Anthony Wildman's books. They are a joy. Such an easy read and the perfect way to transport yourself if you are a fan of light historical fiction which is imaginative and well-realised, with good characters, convincing dialogue and which evoke the time in which they are set easily and with assurance.

Shakespeare, as a person, is a mystery and I think that we would all really like to have a clearer idea of who he was, what he liked, what his motivations were, etc. His works are so prevalent and applauded that it feels like we have a grasp of him, albeit flimsy, but do we?

Wildman's fiction goes some way to giving Shakespeare the man some substance. He may have been nothing like Wildman's interpretation but I'm not really sure that that's important. What Wildman does achieve is in providing readers with a fictional view of what his life could have been like and adds extra elements to make it into a story with action and characters and tensions and subterfuge and I don't think there's anything wrong with this. It was, after all, what Shakespeare did himself.

Wildman also has the way of having situations in his story which could have served as inspiration for Shakespeare's plays; for instance, Bevacqua, a hot head, could well have been a precursor to Tybalt and this is just one example from the book.

So, all of that said, what is the book about? Shakespeare needs to lie low for a while. What better place than Italy and even more so, Venice? Sir Francis Walsingham needs someone to accompany his charge, Tomaso to Padua to study and Shakespeare seems to be the man for this as well as being able to help with some government business of Walsingham's along the way in Venice. And so an arrangement is made and Shakespeare heads off on an adventure. We follow the playwright as he navigates his journey by boat, missing envoys, meetings with Venetian aristocracy, tension between rival families and providing advice and support to his young charge.

It is a satisfyingly good read, both historically and narratively, and with the added bonus of Shakespeare as a character has an extra dimension.

I can't help but think too as I read it I wonder what Shakespeare would have made of this? I like to think he'd be flattered, maybe even pleased.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is the first novel in the two- book ( so far) series about young Will Shakespeare before he became The Will Shakespeare. Having read “ The Queen’s Players” , to which I gave a 5⭐️ review, I read this book on Kindle.
It open with young Will having to leave his home and fleeing to London because of a bit of a poem lampooning the haughty local Lord, a man easily torched off at any affront to his dignity. So, rather than bring down the lord’s wrath on his family, Will flees to London and finds work as a clerk. This all sets up the author’s premise: that Shakespeare, in order to save his family and himself from prison , or worse, accepts a job as courier for sir James Walsingham , the Queen’s spymaster. He is sent off to Italy, ostensibly as a tutor accompanying the bastard son of an important man, a front to hide the real purpose of his travels: to carry secret messages and to pick up any intelligence about the King’ of Spain’s efforts to get financial support from commercial banks in Venice for an invasion of England.
The author makes his tale very believable as his fills in what little is known about Shakespeare’s pre- fame years with a tale of dangerous adventure and romance. Will travels involve a sea voyage interrupted by Barbary pirates, encounters devious Italian princes, while his young companion dangerous infatuation with a woman married to an Italian noble with a hot temper and a quick sword that nearly ends in disaster. Add in secret codes, a dead agent, a papal envoy who works both sides of every street, and the reader rewarded with an enjoyable novel of historical fiction which hints at how Shakespeare got germs of ideas of his plays.
Good fun, nothing objectionable, and I recommend this series of novels to Al.

[Randal White · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, outstanding, wonderful book!
This is the second book by the author that I have had the privilege of reading. (The first being The Diplomat of Florence, another incredible book). I think that I now have another favorite author.
What News On The Rialto is a fictional (?? but maybe ??) telling of the early years of William Shakespeare. In the author's mind, Shakespeare heads off to Italy as a young man, to escape trouble at home. This is thanks to a patron who hires him to be an intelligence officer for the Queen.
And what adventures he has! Whether on a ship to Italy, attending fancy balls in Venice, swash buckling battles, disgusting jails, there are so many! And so well told! The author has so much writing talent that you cannot help but feel that you are in the scene.
You absolutely do not need to know anything about Shakespeare to enjoy the book as just a good story. But, if you are a fan, you will easily deduce the clues to Shakespeare's future plays in his escapades.
I found it just fascinating!
And who knows, maybe it really happened? It's a lot of fun just to imagine.
A great read to just escape into entirely!

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun idea suggested by historical innuendo

This was a fun book. It is well known that there is a gap in what we know about the life of William Shakespeare. Most historians supposition is that he was teaching somewhere. There are historical tidbits floating around in the internet world that suggest the line of the novel might have happened. There is a possibility that WS could have done some work for Walsingham. Maybe even went overseas. As with much surrounding Walsingham, nothing is clear. He was, after all, the Spymaster. The author has woven a delightful "what if" novel with snippets of suggestions that appear in WS plays. It was fun. Well written, it kept me engaged to the end.

[Rick Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book because it was so well written. The characters were alive and well developed. You could feel their emotions and sense their desires. The descriptions were detailed and accurate but helpful to the story and not a separate flight of fancy. From these descriptions I learned much about the daily culture of England and Italy during the seventeenth century. Lastly I was fascinated at the allusions to the tales William Shakespeare would eventually tell at the Globe Theater. The hints of experiential sources for his plays were woven into the fabric of the story. I’m anxious to start book two of this series!

[Michael R. Zuelke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I am fascinated by the fictional yet possible effort to fill in the blanks in the historical record of historical events and people. Mr. Wildman has done this with much charm and incite for the "Lost Years" of William Shakespear (about seven to eight years after his arrival in London as a young man). I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction based on real events.

[Terry Abraham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful re-imagining of the early years of William Shakespeare. If you enjoyed Jack Dann's The Memory Cathedral you will love What's New on the Rialto. Wildman has created a novel that will whisk you away and keep you enthralled right to the very last page. His depth of characterisation and sense of time and place are intoxicating. I loved it.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun read

Filling in on Shakespeare's early years with such a creative tale is so fun! The inclusion of places, situations and names that appear in the plays written later make the reading great to read.

[Danielle Gajewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fantastic read!

You won't need to know a lot (or really anything) about Shakespeare to enjoy this novel. This very well thought out and tied together story speculates that Shakespeare's lost years were spent venturing to Italy with one very loveable character, Tomaso Martinelli.

I read this book in just a couple of sittings. I think it is accessible for younger readers and has enough intellectual detail to keep older readers immersed. I particularly enjoyed the Italian setting, and the scenes Wildman created for what I felt could have been Shakespeare's inspiration for works such as Romeo and Juliet.

I think there are undiscovered talents in Wildman's writing and I hope to read his next effort sooner rather than later.