Any Man So Daring [Paperback]

Sarah A. Hoyt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 2004

William Shakespeare has become the preeminent playwright of Elizabethan England, but his success comes with a price--his son Hamnet has disappeared in the realm of the Elven King, and Will must face the powers of darkness to rescue him.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The final book in Hoyt's magical fantasy trilogy about William Shakespeare and the land of Faerie (after Ill Met By Moonlight and All Night Awake) brings the series to a theatrically satisfying close. Will knows in his heart that he could never have become the most successful playwright of his time without the influence of his dealings with the Elven King Quicksilver and his unwilling involvement in Fairyland intrigue. Haunted by his friend Kit Marlowe's premature death, Will is also (literally) haunted by Marlowe's ghost-who urges him to return to Fairy to aid Quicksilver, who has dispatched the usurper Vargmar, only to rouse the enmity of Vargmar's son, Proteus. With the unwitting aid of his innocent lover, Miranda (served by the brutish but faithful troll Caliban, of course), Proteus kidnaps Will's young son Hamnet, and Will has no choice but to return to Fairyland, to the very heart of its magic, to set things right. With its tangled plot loosely based on The Tempest, Hoyt masterfully builds a dramatic story of misplaced loyalties, dark ambition and human desperation and love. Readers new to the series will have no trouble getting swept up in the story. Written with a sharp ear for the rich lyricism and mood of Shakespeare, Hoyt's novel is a literate, entertaining fantasy in which all's well that ends well.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-This enchanting and canny concluding volume in Hoyt's Shakespeare trilogy opens with a prologue in which the mysterious Hunter is introduced and the scene is set; indeed all of the chapters are called Scenes. The story begins three years after Marlowe sacrifices himself in the fairy kingdom, saving his son, the world, and his own soul. Now trapped between heaven and hell, he haunts Shakespeare, who has been brought to despair by the idea that he is merely a conduit for Marlowe's words. Meanwhile, in Fairyland, King Quicksilver has won the rebel war and beheaded the traitor Vargmar. But Vargmar's son, Proteus, is devising a plot to get revenge, and TheTempest is the inspiration for the rest of the novel. When Will's son is kidnapped by Proteus, he must return to the Arden Forest to save Hamnet. Hoyt's language is so evocative and lyrical that readers are instantly involved with the characters and story. While purists may cringe at the way the Bard's language is bandied about, the references are expertly done and only serve as subtext for a highly original and imaginative fantasy. Ill Met by Moonlight (2001) and All Night Awake (2002, both Ace) relate how Shakespeare and Marlowe originally came to Fairyland; this book can stand alone. With fantasy and historical fiction becoming increasingly popular with teens, this "historical fantasy" trilogy is sure to become an instant classic.-Jane Halsall, McHenry Public Library District, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ace (October 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441012086
• ISBN-13: 978-0441012084
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,151,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in Portugal far more years ago than I like to admit to, in a -- then very small -- place called Granja (lugar da Granja -- lugar possibly transtating roughly as hamlet -- but literally translating as "place") in the freguesia (allegiance/fiefdom) of Aguas-Santas (Holy Waters) in the Conselho (council) of Maia in the district of Porto.

All those designations are changed now, but as I like to tell people I grew up somewhere between Elizabethan England and Victorian England with just a little of the twentieth century thrown in.

This might be exaggerating -- not much -- but the truth is that I did go to a village school and learn to write with a quill pen. Though I used ballpoint pens at home. I penned my first "novel" with ballpoint at around the age of six. And since it was pretty easy -- all twenty pages of Enid Blyton rip-off -- I abandoned what I (by then) suspected was an unattainable aspiration of becoming an angel when I grew up. I decided instead to be a novelist.

Once this was decided, of course, it didn't take all that long at all. Only some... cough... twenty years, during which I acquired a degree from the University of Porto (where we didn't use quill pens), found that employment for English majors was at best scant, moved to the US, changed my name, got married, worked at a variety of jobs from multilingual translator to retail clerk, had two kids and a varying and scary number of cats and read far more than is good for any human being.

So, now I live in Colorado with my husband, two teen sons who are both taller and stronger -- and far more handsome -- than I and four indoor cats, plus a variety of Not-Our-Cats(tm) who beg food at the kitchen door and for whom we provide facilities summer and winter. But who are not... cough... our cats. Ever.

I've been telling lies for fun and profit since 1994 (I did it for free long before that.)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine Shakespeare fantasy tale, November 6, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Any Man So Daring (Hardcover)

Christopher Marlowe was considered the leading playwright of the sixteenth century until he dies. His mantle after a brief vacuum passed on to William Shakespeare, who has problems coping with fame now that the Elizabethan court recognizes his talent. He knows that Marlowe's death and his own dealings with the Elven king Quicksilver were the catalyst. He deeply regrets the price feeling he lost more than he gained by his encounter with the elves and remains haunted by Marlowe who Will knows died at the hands of a malevolent essence.

William learns that his son Hamnet has been abducted in the elven forest. Distraught the playwright concludes that Quicksilver kidnapped his son. When he races to the woods near his hometown of Stratford to confront Quicksilver, he finds out that his nemesis is innocent, but a blood relative of the King has set in motion a plot to take over the throne. Will William and Quicksilver partner to save a lad and a throne or is the past too much to overcome?

The third Shakespeare fantasy tale retains all the fun, excitement, and magic of its delightful predecessors (see ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT and ALL NIGHT AWAKE). The story line is action-packed and the cast (historical human, literary human, elven, and other supernatural creatures) is fascinating. Readers see a wildly different Shakespeare from the legendary author as he struggles with the otherworldly, what happened to his friend and rival, and now his son. Sara A. Hoyt brings new meaning to the Bard as she provides a delightful Elizabethan fantasy thriller that demands more such tales (Canterbury anyone?).

Harriet Klausner

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Show, Don't Tell, February 10, 2004

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Any Man So Daring (Hardcover)

I finished reading _Any Man So Daring_ right after the previous book in the series, _All Night Awake_. (The first book, _Ill Met by Moonlight_, I read some time ago and don't remember as well.) Both books are good; interesting takes on Shakespeare and his era, and full of action. But, they share a common flaw.

The major characters are all often conflicted as to their feelings, their views of other characters, their motivations, and the decisions they must make. That's not inherently a flaw; indeed, it could enhance dramatic tension. But in these books it doesn't.

Every major character has one central conflict. Every single time he/she experiences it (which is often), the author includes a full page of recapitulation of the character's conflict and situation, in one-sentence paragraphs rather like a list. The list is usually about the same as when the last time that character's conflict was described. This ends up being highly repetitive. Then there are frequent recapitulations of the plot earlier in the same book and previous books in the series.

These two books would have been improved by the author showing the characters' feelings, conflicts, etc. mostly through dialog and action. Instead of endless lists of their internal feelings and the author's recapitulation of their situation.