D.R. O'Brien (1)

Title: Shakespeare Vs. Lovecraft
Author(s): William Shakespeare, H.P. Lovecraft & D.R. O'Brien
Publisher: Obiedan Publications
Ages: 17+
Rating: 5

Review: I have long been a Shakespeare & Lovecraft fan and this book has made my dream come true! D.R. O'Brien has a supreme talent that cannot be denied. Over the years I have heard so many people say they have a hard time reading either of these authors because they can't understand the way they write. In this book that's not a problem. D.R. O'Brien show more marries the two so well and flawlessly as to create a story you will not believe could ever have been possible.

I highly recommend this mix of Shakespeare's most memorable characters with Lovecraft's most amazing monsters. A truly great read especially for fans of both writers and new potential fans of D.R. O'Brien. show less

Shakespeare vs. Lovecraft was a fun read, but it was rather flawed. The battle scenes were excellent, but there wasn’t enough plot or character development for a true novel.

I found the numerous quotations from Shakespeare distracting; every time I came across one, I couldn’t help but think, “that character’s not in that play,” “a different character is supposed to say that,” and sometimes, “that line doesn’t mean that.”

Despite its flaws, Shakespeare vs. Lovecraft was show more enjoyable, just not something that I’ll want to reread anytime soon.

Received via Goodeads. show less

From the very first time I saw the cover of Shakespeare vs Lovecraft, I was immediately intrigue by the book. The quirkiness of the cover was so eye catching and after I read the synopsis I thought, Shakespeare's character meets Lovecraft's monsters? Hmmm, that sounds interesting. Fortunately, Mr. O'brien gave me the opportunity to read his book. And boy, it was a riot!

This is the first time I read a mash-up and I totally loved it! I'm a bit of a fan of Shakespeare's play since high school show more so I know most of his famous character. It is so refreshing to see Romeo, Miranda and King and Queen Macbeth in just one book, fighting side by side to defeat the the atrocious monsters of Lovecraft.

This book is not a clash of Shakespeare's and Lovecraft's works, it's the fusion of their works. O'brien flawlessly merged this two different literary world and created a funny and horrendous adventure of cosmic proportion.

I think everyone would enjoy this book even if they don't know anything about Shakespeare or Lovecraft's work. It's definitely an enjoyable and entertaining read. show less

This review and others on my blog.

It sounded silly and fun, and I wanted to read something silly and fun.

Review copy provided for free through Netgalley.

It works as well as any of these literary mashups do, I suppose. Don’t go in expecting literary brilliance and you’ll have a good time. I certainly did.

I’m not sure there’s much point critiquing this in terms of the writing. It’s not what it’s going to be read for after all, though the writing itself is pretty good. A bit over show more the top at times, but that suits the conceit admirably.

Unlike most literary mashups the plot itself is farily original. The blurb references Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but whereas P&P&Z was just Jane Austens original work with Zombies and Ninjas added to the narrative (while I like the book I am not sure they improved her original cutting social satire) this takes characters in the public realm and creates a whole new plot with them. Yes, that makes it essentially fan fiction, but Lovecraft encouraged that sort of thing and Shakespeare’s been dead for centuries so I doubt he cares. I think I like it more for doing that, to be honest. But it can be a tricky thing, working with other peoples charactes, especially ones that have been around so long and worked their ways into so many hearts. There were points where I didn’t think the characters were acting like ‘them’.

You wouldn’t necessarily need an encyclopaedic knowledge of Shakespeare OR Lovecraft to enjoy this just for the ride it is, as it is a solidly constructed plot that doesn;t rely over much on the readers pre-existing knowledge. However, you will get a lot more out of the book if you do have a greater-than-basic awareness of both.

In short, fun and works surprisingly well. A good, solid 4 stars. (second in a row. I must be going soft) show less