King of Shadows

by Susan Cooper

Book Overview

Only in the world of the theater can Nat Field find an escape from the tragedies that have shadowed his young life. So he is thrilled when he is chosen to join an American drama troupe traveling to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0439237238
• ISBN13: 9780439237239
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Scholastic Book Services
• Length: 186 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.

Customer Reviews

King of Shadows

This was the best book I've read to date, and I'm serious (I don't mean that it's on a list of about five hundred other books that I think are good, I mean this is the number one book on my list). The story documents the tale of Nat, a young actor travelling to London with a group of kids from all over the US in a play company who are going to perform Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Julius Caesar at the Globe. But when he gets sick with a terrible fever, he finds himself transported into the London in 1599 when the Globe was new and William Shakespeare is alive! It is told in first person through the eyes of the protagonist, Nat, and it tells not only, in detail, about the feelings he gets when he finds out where (or when) he is. It's not just another fall down the rabbit hole type of book, and it's not really fantasy. It describes in rich detail the play company and the city of London in 1599 from the point of view of a young character who has been plagued by death in his life. If you love Shakespeare like I do, you'll absolutely love this book. Even if you don't, you'll still love this book. It was full of meaning, yet the story is layered in a way that can be understood by younger readers as well as on a deeper level by adults.This is a great book and definately worth reading.

Outstanding Shakesperean time-travel fantasy

Nat Field, an actor in the American Company of Boys, goes to London with the troupe to play the role of Puck in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the new Globe Theatre. Suddenly, he is transported back in time to 1599 London and finds himself portraying Puck at the original Globe. Not only that, he's performing with Will Shakespeare himself, who is playing Oberon! The author brings the sights, sounds and smells of Elizabethan London to life and takes us behind the scenes of the Bard's own production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." After reading this, you'll probably want to read the play and see a performance yourself. Susan Cooper, who was a student of J.R.R. Tolkien, is an outstanding writer and storyteller. Don't miss her magnum opus, the five-book "The Dark Is Rising" series.

King of Shadows Rules!

When I read King of Shadows, I realized once again how well-written all of Susan Cooper's stories are. The characters are developed richly and they all have distinct personality. The plot is wonderful, and I would give this book an 15 on a scale of 1 to 10.A great read, as well as her series the Dark is Rising. Highly recommended!

Thoughts on King of Shadows . . .

This an extemely well written and well developed story. The plot leaves you with so much to think about: the growing relation between Nat (the main character) and Shakespeare (hopefully you know who that is!), and many other things left unsettled. I, a thirteen-year-old girl who is addicted to reading, am always looking for a good, thought-provoking, sometimes humorous, and "real" (not some cheap-o series with 100 pages each about some teenager losing her boyfriend) book, and King of Shadows meets and exceeds my requirements. If you like sience-fiction, or books about ordinary kids in not-so-ordinary situations, e.g. transported back in time, then READ THIS BOOK. Madeline L'Engle fans will love this too.

A masterful blend of the past, present, and future.

Susan Cooper has done an incredible job weaving together a plot that skillfully blends the present with the past. One is left with a warm and glowing feeling as the relationship with young Nat and Will Shakespeare grows. The author draws together the finely detailed past of the Global Theatre of 1599, slipping in key passages from Shakespeare's plays and sonnets, thus creating a feeling of traveling back to Elizabethean time. After reading King of Shadows, Shakespeare becomes more than a mere legendary name---he becomes a heartfelt, loving poet and playwrite, a father figure to Nat, and an inspiration to all those eager to enter the theatre, or just sit back and enjoy one of Shakespeare's timeless classics. As a beginning writer of young-adult fiction and an avid reader of children's literature, I am predicting a Newberry Award winner here!