A review by caidyn
An Antic Disposition by Alan Gordon
5.0
You know what? This is my first five star rating for this book series, and how fitting that this is the last book I have to read in the series. (I, stupidly, started with the very last book, then worked my way through it in some convoluted way that only works for me.)
This book deserves those five stars. There's humor, like usual. Then, there's drama, of course. However, this time, there's no murder mystery. All the books before it deal with some sort of murder mystery that Theophilos has to solve alongside some trusty companions. No, this one took a completely different turn that I wasn't expecting.If I had read the inside cover, then I would have seen it, but oops.
Alan Gordon, already, has proven he loves Shakespeare. He starts off his series by slightly retelling, more imagining the events after, [b:Twelfth Night|1625|Twelfth Night|William Shakespeare|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1416628008s/1625.jpg|3267921]. Mainly, we have Viola -- who Theophilos has some past with -- and her husband having died in a mysterious way. And, from there, it takes off. So, I'm really glad that I read his homage to [b:Hamlet|1420|Hamlet|William Shakespeare|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351051208s/1420.jpg|1885548]. Shakespeare's play is one of the first that I ever read, and while it's not my favorite anymore I still have a special place for it in my heart.
Gordon does a brilliant job. He perfectly re-imagines it, complete with very authentic feeling names. Hell, he even goes back to using the historically accurate Amleth instead of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Seriously, Shakespeare just decided to switch one letter to change things up for his readers. Then, he involves so many other characters that it's brilliant. You get to see Yorick. This book literally spans from the time Amelth is two to when we meet him in Shakespeare. And, I absolutely loved it. It was so much deeper than the other books in this series, and I really just want to keep the book and never return it to the library.
While there were aspects of this book I didn't enjoy -- specifically the instances of rape -- it was very good. I hate saying this because it feels so wrong to say, but the rape was used properly. It wasn't random, it wasn't just brushed off. There was build up to it, there were consequences, all of it built characterization. It was well handled, just as it was well-handled in, if I remember correctly, the fourth book of this series. Again, didn't enjoy Gordon using it, but he did a good job with it.
If I told someone where to start with the series, I'd say start with this one, then go through it as you want, so long as you read six before seven. It'll make sense if you just do it that way. My five stars is for this book, along with the series. I might not have rated any other book five stars, but I love the characters, the plots, the everything and I'll be holding out hope that one day there will be more books in this series.
This book deserves those five stars. There's humor, like usual. Then, there's drama, of course. However, this time, there's no murder mystery. All the books before it deal with some sort of murder mystery that Theophilos has to solve alongside some trusty companions. No, this one took a completely different turn that I wasn't expecting.
Alan Gordon, already, has proven he loves Shakespeare. He starts off his series by slightly retelling, more imagining the events after, [b:Twelfth Night|1625|Twelfth Night|William Shakespeare|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1416628008s/1625.jpg|3267921]. Mainly, we have Viola -- who Theophilos has some past with -- and her husband having died in a mysterious way. And, from there, it takes off. So, I'm really glad that I read his homage to [b:Hamlet|1420|Hamlet|William Shakespeare|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351051208s/1420.jpg|1885548]. Shakespeare's play is one of the first that I ever read, and while it's not my favorite anymore I still have a special place for it in my heart.
Gordon does a brilliant job. He perfectly re-imagines it, complete with very authentic feeling names. Hell, he even goes back to using the historically accurate Amleth instead of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Seriously, Shakespeare just decided to switch one letter to change things up for his readers. Then, he involves so many other characters that it's brilliant. You get to see Yorick. This book literally spans from the time Amelth is two to when we meet him in Shakespeare. And, I absolutely loved it. It was so much deeper than the other books in this series, and I really just want to keep the book and never return it to the library.
While there were aspects of this book I didn't enjoy -- specifically the instances of rape -- it was very good. I hate saying this because it feels so wrong to say, but the rape was used properly. It wasn't random, it wasn't just brushed off. There was build up to it, there were consequences, all of it built characterization. It was well handled, just as it was well-handled in, if I remember correctly, the fourth book of this series. Again, didn't enjoy Gordon using it, but he did a good job with it.
If I told someone where to start with the series, I'd say start with this one, then go through it as you want, so long as you read six before seven. It'll make sense if you just do it that way. My five stars is for this book, along with the series. I might not have rated any other book five stars, but I love the characters, the plots, the everything and I'll be holding out hope that one day there will be more books in this series.