Preview Macbeth
This is not your parents’ Macbeth or the one you read in high-school English class. A dark and bloody tale of a Scottish lord and his beloved wife, Macbeth: A Novel hurtles toward readers in gripping contemporary prose, thanks to novelists David Hewson and A. J. Hartley.
Set in eleventh-century Scotland, Macbeth: A Novel is rich with ancient clans battling fiercely against one another and against the foreign marauders raiding their borders. Macbeth, Lord of Moray, and his wife, Skena, are loyal patriots, willing to kill or be killed to protect the Scottish kingdom. Yet the greatest danger to their beloved homeland is proving to be the king himself, Duncan, whose corrupt, bloody reign threatens to destroy the country. After Macbeth meets a trio of witches, the frustrated hero begins to think that perhaps Scotland needs a new king—him. But what begins as a plan fueled by the best of intentions soon spirals into murder, treachery, and personal collapse. In the language of today’s fast-paced thrillers, Hewson and Hartley create an electrifying tapestry out of Shakespeare’s tale, relaunching two of the most powerful characters ever created.
Starred Review "Shakespeare’s Macbeth, with its bloody plot and characters, has inspired writers for years. Now Hartley and Hewson go a step further and adapt the play as a novel, in the process expanding its political background, making its language more accessible, and humanizing its characters. While both Macbeths profit from this approach, it’s Lady Macbeth, given the first name Skena, who is the primary beneficiary. Barren after the earlier death of their infant son, she presents her war-hero husband (with whom she has a deeply loving and passionate relationship) with political realities and then masterminds the assassination of Duncan, which leaves both Macbeths guilt-ridden. But Lady Macbeth has no role in the ensuing bloodshed. Macbeth’s longstanding friendship with Banquo also is fleshed out, and the appearance of Banquo’s ghost is rationally explained. The supernatural comes into play with the witches—here both cannibalistic and carnal—who make more frequent appearances but cast the same predictions; not all of the frequently quoted lines from the play appear here, however. This is an exceptional adaptation of a classic work of literature, a novelization that can add to the understanding and pleasure of the original to which it pays homage." — Michele Leber
About the AuthorBritish-born author A. J. Hartley is the Russell Robinson Professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and works as a scholar, screenwriter, dramaturg, and theater director. In addition to seven best-selling novels, he is the author of The Shakespearean Dramaturg; an upcoming performance history of Julius Caesar; a book on Shakespeare and political theatre; and numerous articles and book chapters. He also edits the performance journal, Shakespeare Bulletin, published by Johns Hopkins University Press. He is married with one son and lives in Charlotte.
David Hewson is the author of seventeen novels that have been published in twenty different languages. His first book, Semana Santa, was transformed into a movie, and his nine-book, Rome-based Nic Costa series is currently in development for television. Before devoting himself full-time to writing, he worked as a journalist for the London Times, the Sunday Times, and The Independent.
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