King of Shadows

I don't read a lot of young adult fiction any more, but I occasionally pick some up while traveling by way of "fast read before sleep" material.  I borrowed a YA novel by Susan Cooper (of The Dark Is Rising fame) this past weekend, and despite its being officially recommended for the 10-to-14-year-old age group, I found it a very good read.  As with W. W. Katz's excellent Come Like Shadows, which is set at the Stratford (Ont.) Festival during a production of the Scottish play, a modern production of Shakespeare is interwoven with a time travel story.

King of Shadows (first published in 1999, currently available in a 2005 paperback) tells the story of young actor Nat Field, who has been selected as part of an all-boy company of actors who travel to London to present two of Shakespeare's plays at the modern replica of the Globe.  The troupe is the brainchild of a mysterious benefactor who wants the female roles played as in Shakespeare's time, by boys.  Nat, escaping from the recent trauma of his father's suicide into the world of theater, has been selected by director Arby to play Puck in the Dream.  Cooper presents a delightfully realistic portrait of young but professional actors in rehearsal, interesting in and of itself to theater buffs like me even before the time travel.

Nat becomes ill and wakes to find himself in the past, a boy loaned to the Lord Chamberlain's Men to play Puck in a production of the Dream starring Shakespeare himself as Oberon and Richard Burbage as Bottom. The details of life in London and in the theater four hundred years ago, including rotted teeth and a chamber pot (contents tossed merrily out the window), add authentic color without bogging down the story with every little difference.  The similar-but-different rehearsal process and Nat's new life as an apprentice in a 16th-century acting company continue to the climactic performance of the Dream with Queen Elizabeth herself in the audience.  Little throwaway references (a cameo by Will Kempe, a reference to Kit Marlowe) would probably be lost on the book's intended audience but were a delight to me, as were the little details of the costuming that transformed the boy actors into their female roles.  Queen Elizabeth's acerbic commentary on the production was a delight and called to mind Shakespeare in Love.

The story turns unexpectedly moving partway through as the fatherless Nat works with Shakespeare himself, who has recently lost his own son, forming a strong bond both inside and outside their roles as Oberon and Puck. The jolt when Nat returns to his own time, losing his new father figure, is harsh and painful.  Cooper winds the tale up beautifully, though, as Nat struggles to readjust to modern life (and a different production of the Dream) and to understand why he was sent back in time.  I guessed the big reveal at the end fairly early on, but Cooper's ending was still very satisfying - sufficient for completeness yet vague enough to leave wiggle room for the imagination.

I would recommend this for adults who enjoy YA F&SF, especially fans of Shakespeare or Elizabethan theater who will pick up the all the references.  I'm not a particular judge of what's good for kids of various ages, but I certainly would have enjoyed it in my preteen years as well, if you're a parent or buying a gift for a young friend.  Some reviews suggest that teachers are using it in the classroom to introduce Shakespeare, and I can see that working well - I was inspired after reading it to go do a little research on some of the minor characters myself.  Keep in mind that there's the parental suicide in the background, not explained in detail (though the pool of blood on the floor image is disturbing) but adding some tough moments to the story. 

Get your own copy (ignore the dreadful cover art):