Simon

by Michael Mullin

His father is dead. His mother has remarried. His uncle is . . . his new stepfather?

In the modern-day Hamlet for YA readers, Simon Elsinore must determine if the claim made by his father's ghost is true. And if so, Simon must exact the revenge his father demands!

Genres: Young Adult, Shakespeare

213 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 18, 2015

About the author

Fictional worlds can teach us so much about the one we live in. The experiences you bring back from the escape are what give stories their value. That's why you read, and that's why I read – and write.
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My author career began with a twisted fairytale retelling about the unknown 8th dwarf which turned into a trilogy of such tales. Over the years I've received book awards and industry recognition for which I'm very grateful. I'm currently working on a business plan for an educational company that uses the fairytale trilogy, TaleSpins, as curriculum to teach things like empathy and anti-bullying.

I've written marketing materials for the merch divisions of Disney, DreamWorks, 20th Century Fox, and Universal, but I gave all that up because I was tired of selling people junk that was just going to end up in a landfill. Before I was a writer, I was a preschool teacher and college professor, two positions I found disconcertingly similar.

I live in Pasadena, CA with my wonderful wife Dani and our ridiculously cool dog Finn. Our twins, Sophie and Max are finishing up their college careers. I couldn’t be more proud and amazed. Even though I've been in California since 1996, all my sports allegiances remain in my native New England.

Reviews

[Ronnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ebook copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

To tell the truth I have my issues with modernized Shakespeare, but from time to time I pick up a book or watch a film adaptation that sets one of the Bard’s story in modern times just to see if I can take anything away from it. Very often I don’t like the whole setting, the whole atmosphere of these works, simply because I adore the mood that Shakespeare originally created so much, it’s hard for me to stop expecting it to be there.

Now what is extremely interesting in the case of Michael Mullin’s Simon is that my favourite thing about it was the alienation I experienced when reading it. I kept pushing the story away to a safe distance where I could look at it with an analytical eye without having to be a part of it.

When I became conscious of my withdrawing from the happenings in Simon I started thinking of its reason – you see, I never felt the need to ’keep away’ from Shakespeare’s Hamlet this way, I was always eager to brood over matters of life and death together with the Prince never feeling the weight of it… and ay, there’s the rub… Simon, being set in today’s America, in our time, made Hamlet’s story REAL.

Simon begins with the end: from the news we get to know a massacre happened in the suburbia of an American town. Isn’t it something we hear in the telly every day? Murders, massacres, mayhem. It is too familiar and too tangible. In Simon the safety that the distance in time provides in the case of Hamlet disappeared and it made me feel uneasy. It may sound a bit contradictory, but the need to distance myself from the events of Simon brought me closer to Hamlet and made me see it from a different light. I think if a retelling opens new, interesting, windows on the original work it is well worth reading.

The story is well known, but of course you can’t rewrite it in the 21th century without making certain changes. I think Mr. Mullin did a good job with the little bits that eventually made this old tale adjust to the present. I especially enjoyed the usage of media and technology. I felt the book wanted to put an emphasis on the shift in communication that took place between then and now (Hamlet’s time and today).

I liked how the film as medium was represented in the book. Inserting the grave-digging ’scene’ was a phenomenal idea. Speaking of grave digging… the metaphors and symbols were very strong in Simon, sharp even, which I loved. The depiction of the wedding/funeral got me hooked in the very beginning.

The reason why I didn’t give 5 stars to this novel was Simon. He didn’t strike me as a Hamlet figure despite him being the title character. For me there was too much doing and too little reflecting when it came to him. Maybe I missed something, but he didn’t seem deep enough for me.

All in all, the stars and – I hope – this review tells everything. Happy reading, Shakespeare geeks!

[Cassandra (Thebookishcrypt) · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Book provided in exchange for an honest review*
Wow! What a way to start a book. This started off with a bombshell. As soon as the dust cleared out I was left standing in the beginning of it all. I loved the writing style in this book. It definitely cooked up a massive impact at the end. I was left wondering how exactly everything planned out and once it came to be... all I could do was grip tight and ride the roller coaster of betrayal and revenge.
I had chills throughout the entire book. The suspense was definitely high and intoxicating!
I easily related to Simon. He's described to view his life as a movie while I view mine as a book. He's looking for the next plot twist and I'm looking for my next line.
This was also a learning experience for me. Some things Michael incorporated were genius! There were so many amazing quotes in here that I had to write down some things to learn from.
Gah, and that ending was just too much for me! I still haven't recovered... I can't believe it.
Everybody needs to read this!

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon Says Action!

Everyone is shocked, and gossip runs rampant following the gruesome murder of the Elsinores. This prominent wealthy philanthropic couple living the best of life didn't see it coming. A classic who done it, although when you think you've solved it... better not hurry to any conclusions. The plot twists and turns as the public distorts every phase of the investigation. Even rumors of the rich old money couple being members of a satanic cult emerge. This book has it all lust, money, power, and murder. I appreciated the insertion of actual script within the book, interesting and it adds a different flavor to the read. I enjoyed all the well-developed characters finding Simon, the dark, deceptive son of the Elsinores my favorite. An avid film student, Simons scripts imitate life in a twisted, surreal way influenced by his money, greed, and power. I became lost in the author's eloquent descriptive writing style and enjoyed reading this witty story finding it a fun read that ended way to soon.

[Charissa Wilkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for a fair review.

Overview: Simon isn’t too happy about his mother getting re-married so soon after his father’s funeral. Well, guess what. Dearly departed Dad doesn’t like the idea much either. Especially since he claims that Simon’s uncle/step-father murdered him. Now Simon is dealing with a request for revenge from the dearly departed, and the requests from the living. Will this bode well for anything involve?

Likes: Richard, a.k.a. the dearly departed, seemed to ask that those around him work for their dreams. While he was alive, he was a great guy.

Dislikes: The chronology of this book left me feeling lost. It was hard to keep which time period we were in to be sure of what was going on.

Conclusion: The downsides in this story were the results of my pet peeves. Enjoy this modern retelling of one of Mr. Shakespeare’s most popular works. (Why is that? How come this particular play gets so much airtime?)

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis: "A modern day Hamlet for YA readers.

His father is dead. His mother has remarried. His uncle is . . . his new stepfather? When the ghost of Simon Elsinore's father returns and claims he was murdered by his own brother, the nineteen-year-old film student must determine what is true and exact the revenge his father demands."

My Review: This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. I have read a couple of re-telling and modernizations of Hamlet and have been a little disappointed. I am glad that I gave this one the chance. It was an interesting, modern twist on the classic play. I enjoyed that it stuck to the main plot line of Hamlet but Mullin did a great job of modernizing the tale and presenting it in a new way. It will appeal to new readers in ways the original may not and it will keep even those familiar with Shakespeare's original on their toes with the building tension and suspense.

[Julie Baswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Richard, Simon’s dad, dies unexpectedly, his mother marries Richard’s brother Charles. Simon can’t accept his uncle becoming his stepfather, and refuses to go to the wedding. When Simon sees his dad’s ghost telling him that he was murdered, Simon decides to do whatever it takes, to get justice for his dad’s death.

Simon was an interesting character, but he was the only one with that status. I sympathized with his emotions in what was happening to him. I wasn’t a fan of the way the story was told. It was a little confusing with the back and forth of the storytelling, but I understood the objective. I would have preferred not to know the ending before being able to follow the plot. It kept me from fully connecting to the characters. I did like the drama of the news casting though, with all the backstabbing going on. I enjoyed that bit of humor added to the story.

[Alexis Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really provocative and worth-reading update of Hamlet. The author doesn't dumb it down, even though this is a YA novel. He pulls together the intricacies of Shakespeare's plotting, but does it with a very modern view. Even though the story may be familiar to anyone who's read Hamlet, there's still a lot of suspense and intrigue. The book has great visual imagery and supporting characters aren't relegated to one-dimensional figures that are just there to fill in the blanks. I think it would be so useful, in terms of learning about literature, story structure and universal themes, to read both Simon and Hamlet, and understand the commonalities that link society, regardless of what century we're living in.

[Candace Messecar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A modern day Hamlet? Count me in! I have read Hamlet at least six times. It's obviously my favorite Shakespeare work. I did enjoy Simon, but it needs some work. I think that there were some chapters that weren't necessary, and mixed with a lot of passive voice, I became bored several times. The climactic sequences are really good, to the point that I think they go by too fast. I would have loved to have seen Simon have a slow degradation into some of his more maddening moments--like some of Hamlet's crazier moments--instead of random outbursts before plateauing again.

Overall, I think that Mullin is incredibly creative and he's going to go on to write even better stories. I would read from him again.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from goodreads. I believe Simon would be a great teaching aid for today's students who are studying Hamlet. The book is timely with journalists covering the deaths of 5 people in an affluent neighborhood. Students can relate to the youth in the story and their lives and interests in high school and after. Combine this with reading Hamlet and I believe Shakespeare's play will be much clearer as both stories are discussed and compared. I would recommend this book to anyone with high school students. Even if they don't study Shakespeare this is a classic story. Thank you Mr. Mullin

[Kritika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty great Hamlet retelling. There were a few things that didn't carry over well into the modern day, but overall this captured the spirit of Hamlet really well!

*Full review to come*

A free e-copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

[Mckinley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hamlet, only too hip and modern for me.