Ho trovato questo libro molto piacevole da leggere e molto adatto all’estate se amate le cospirazioni, Shakespeare e il teatro. Siamo in una storia alternativa dove l’Invincibile Armata ha sbaragliato la flotta inglese nella guerra anglo-spagnola e quindi Filippo II regna anche sull’Inghilterra ed Elisabetta è in prigione.

Turtledove si è ben documentato per scrivere questo romanzo e, sebbene stiamo parlando di puro intrattenimento, Per il trono d’Inghilterra fa egregiamente il suo lavoro. Da profana ho trovato la ricostruzione storica alternativa credibile e mi è pure dispiaciuto che Marlowe non sia stato più fortunato nemmeno in questa versione.

L’unica pecca che fa vacillare la verosimiglianza del romanzo è stata la scelta di Turtledove di concentrare la storia per lo più dal punto di vista di Shakespeare, al quale i congiurati assegnano il compito di scrivere un’opera che accenda la miccia della rivolta degli inglesi contro gli oppressori spagnoli. Il fatto di non vedere quanto la congiura sia ramificata dà la sensazione che la miccia non abbia granché da accendere.

Immagino che la scelta sia dovuta anche al fatto che altrimenti questo libro sarebbe stato lungo mille pagine (e, facendo la storia alternativa di questa recensione, probabilmente mi starei lamentando della sua eccessiva lunghezza), ma manca un po’ di cospirazioni su larga scala, mentre dà un’ottima rappresentazione di cosa voglia dire trovarsi in mezzo a giochi di potere che potrebbero costare più della vita. ( )

Fascinating premise and the dialogue is brilliant. ( )

I liked it, but not quite 4 stars worth.

I liked the story, most of the characters, the period details, the fact that we had likable viewpoint characters on both sides. Got a little tired of the Spanish/Catholics being *such* the bad guys after a while, even tho it made perfect sense in the context of the story. The climactic scene , specifically the epilogue of the Boudicca play that invites/challenges/sparks the uprising, was excellent & will stay with me.

I don't know the work of Shakespeare (or his contemporaries) well enough to fully appreciate the degree to which quotations from those works were incorporated in this book, sometimes directly, sometimes appropriately riffed. If I did, that would likely have been enough fun to push it up to four stars. ( )

What if the Spanish Armada did make it to England, and won? That's the premise of this alternate history tale about life in London ten years later. The plot centers on a plot, one organized by the aging Lord Burghley and his son, Robert Cecil, involving William Shakespeare and his troupe of players. The tale is told from two points of view: Shakespeare himself and a Spanish playwright/occupation officer named Lt. Lope de Vega, who was actually part of the Spanish Armada and one of the lucky few to make it home again in one piece (in real life). The two men are friends, even collaborators, and yet must play a deadly cat and mouse game that may well get both of them killed. Why? Because at heart, each is loyal to his own monarch. I was highly impressed with the author's detailed portrayal of London, the world of Elizabethan theater, and the religious conflicts involved in the war between Spain and England. I was blown away by the verses offered from not one, but two plays Shakespeare never actually wrote (the author does note his sources on that), and by the way the author managed to incorporate all sorts of phrases taken from Shakespeare's actual work. Bravo! ( )

Review: Ruled Britannia by Harry Turtledove.

Harry Turtledove writes books of Alternate History that are interesting and intriguing while he writes his side of, “What If”. This book is set in Shakespeare’s era and the author has written the language and style of this period and skillfully incorporates innumerable Shakespearean quotations into his writing, often with humorous intent. Instead of reading about the times, people, and politics Turtledove chooses to limit the scope of this book to the theater and its local environment with Shakespeare becoming the focal point of an attempted rebellion. The feel of the story certainly provides a definite clarity, which when connected with the description of living, working, and religious conditions and the typical fashions in clothing and social customs.

As the Ruled Britannia begins, England has been occupied for ten years when taken over by the Spanish forces of Phillip II, who holds it in the name of his daughter Isabella. Queen Elizabeth’s life had been spared and she was held in the Tower of London, and never mentioned again in the story until the ending of the book. The tension began for Shakespeare when asked by William Cecil to write a play designed to inflame an audience of Spaniards over the English taking back control and setting Queen Elizabeth free from the horrible years she spent in the Tower of London under guard. However, almost at the same time Shakespeare is commissioned to write a play praising the life of King Philip, due to be performed upon Philips death. As the story moves on Shakespeare has two conflicting objectives, and how was he to write these two plays and have character rehearsals performed while being closely watched by the Spanish for the progress on the King Philip play.

Shakespeare did write his plays but really didn’t want to come between the Spaniards and the English. His fate was hanging in the balance but Turtledove masterly found the solution to turn events one way then another. Throughout the book Turtledove knew his history and used many fragments from the past and even involved a few real recognizable characters as Richard Burbage, Kemp, Kit Marlowe and Francis Bacon. I enjoyed his ending like I always do. Harry Turtledove is a clever writer to change history in another direction and make it feel real. I’ve read a few of his other books and have always been satisfied. This one was a little longer and complex in areas but I believe that is due to my lack of not knowing much about Shakespeare’s history….However, I did know a few of Shakespeare’s plays so that gave me some insight to this book. ( )