It's Friday and today we're going to take an adventure. Most of you know how it begins.
A Long Long Time ago, In a Galaxy far, far away....
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BadKitties
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Caedy
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FloridaSNMOM
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loggersbrat
November was a rough month for me. I was in the hospital twice for breathing issues. And most of the time I was home I had to be very careful what I did so I wouldn't aggravate them. So I did a lot of reading. There was one book I wanted to read last month but that was on hold from the library. So I had to wait.. and wait... and finally two days ago it was released to my kindle.
For those of us who are geeks and nerds, it's an interesting mix of two things often dear to our hearts. Two things we would not normally think of mixing together. And while the results could have been disastrous, I found it a very good read to which I often laughed out loud simply because of the combination. The book I speak of is:
William Shakespeare's Star Wars by Ian Doescher
It begins, as any good Star Wars book or movie, with the prologue. This is the part that you would see flying across space as you try your hardest to keep up. It's briefly in the video above. I'll slow things down for you a bit.
Prologue.
Outer Space.
Enter chorus.
Chorus
It is a period of civil
war.
The spaceships of
the rebles, striking
swift
From base unseen,
have gain'd a vict'ry
o'er
The cruel Galactic
Empire, now adrift.
Amidst the battle,
rebel spies prevail'd
And stole the plans
to a space station
vast,
Whose pow'rful
beams will later be
unveil'd
And crush a planet:
'tis the DEATH STAR
blast.
Pursu'd by agents
Sinister and cold,
Now Princess Leia to
her home doth flee,
Deliv'ring plans and
a new hope they hold:
Of bringing freedom
to the galaxy.
In time so long ago
begins our play,
In star-crossed
galaxy far, far away.
[Exit.
There were references in this book to various Shakespeare's plays, lines altered very slightly for "A New Hope" from other works such as Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Julius Ceaser just to mention a few. There are more but I don't want to give everything away. There's even a "Star Trek Moment" included, just for our amusement.
I've never really been one to enjoy the droids, but I have to say that C-3P0's ranting in Iambic Pentameter and R2-D2's asides were highly amusing! All of the classic "A New Hope" lines were included, recognizable but changed ("These aren't the droids you're looking for" but different).
An added bonus was the drawings. Our known, lovable and not so lovable characters, slightly changed into appropriate Shakespearean attire. I think my favorite was the Darth Vader Face Palm towards the end.
This book was one whose concept intrigued me, and that I had to read and see if it was as good as it could be. I borrowed it from the library because I was also afraid it was as bad as it could have been. I was very pleasantly surprised. It is a book I've felt the need to frequently read aloud to my children, my other half and my room mate and share the laughs and inevitable face palms. It is now on my "to be purchased" list. Given how tight our budget is, very few books actually make it onto that list. Usually I just borrow them from the library and move on, and borrow them again later when I want to re-read it.
But for the Star Wars fan who is also a literature buff, this book is a must have on the shelf. It's sure to bring a lot of quizzical looks from non-geeks, and just as many questions from those of the same heart. So if you have a relative who is into Shakespeare and also a Star Wars Geek, and they have not yet managed to acquire this book, this would make an excellent addition under their tree!
What have you read lately that's given you unexpected or expected joy? What are you waiting to read for lack of time or funds? When have you been to your library last?