Steampunk Canada

Shakespeare is one of my very favourite authors. I was one of the few in high school who enjoyed learning about his life and work, so much so that I continued in university as well. Every chance I get I attend Shakespeare in the park done by a fantastic group in Ottawa called A Company of Fools. This is how I introduced my girls to Shakespeare's great plays.

When I got my hands on a copy of The Omnibus of Doctor Bill Shakes and the Magnificent Ionic Pentatetrameter I could not wait to dive in and see how the various authors had taken the works of a master and steampunked them.

I was expecting a couple of full plays, with a few sonnets and poems thrown in for good measure. What I found is that while there are a number of shorter poems as expected, the rest are only snippets of the full plays that have been given the steampunk touch.

I enjoyed quite a few of them, including Julius C-ZR and Leo's Mechanical Queen. In each story you will find clockwork, gadgets, mechanical body parts and much wit.

If you are not familiar with the works of William Shakespeare I advise reading the original plays and sonnets of those listed on the contents page before you read this collection. If you do not, the short excerpts will have little to no meaning. Although the scenes the authors have created by blending the original with steampunk elements are splendid, they will lack context if the reader is not familiar with the original stories.

All the authors obviously have a love for Shakespeare's works. There is a lot of heart and hard work in these interpretations. They have kept true to his vision and I am sure he wouldvhave applauded their creative revisions to his work.

You can find out more about TheOmnibus of Doctor Bill Shakes and the Magnificent IonicPentatetrameter at amazon.com