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Book Review By David Loftus
King of Shadows by Susan Cooper

Nathan Field, an teen orphan from North Carolina, is a talented actor who is chosen for the Company of Boys, who will rehearse Shakespeare, be flown to England, and perform the plays "as they were done" at the Globe Theater. Shortly after arriving in London, he falls very sick -- perhaps with bubonic plague -- and wakes up to find himself in London 400 years before: in 1599, shortly after the original Globe opened. He learns how rough and hard life was in Shakespeare's time, runs afoul of a rival in the cast, but is befriended by the great playwright himself and gets to perform as Puck in a performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" before Queen Elizabeth herself.


Plot & Themes
Tone of book - sensitive (sigh....)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy story on current Earth
Time Travel: - largely backwards/past
Is this an adult or child's book? - Kid's book (ages 7-14)
Time Travel story? Yes
Cultural problems, alien culture Yes
Culture clash- - one person from different culture of other persons
Descript. of chases or violence - 0 %
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 %
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 40 %
Story largely takes place in - Middle Ages-1899

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - a teen

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - a teen
Profession/status:
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence

Setting
Earth setting: - 20th century - 17th century
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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