Ill
Met by Moonlight
by Sarah A. Hoyt
A book review by Mark L. Olson
Ace, 1994, $21.95, 278 pp
I'd have to call this a conceit. The premise is that the young William Shakespeare is trying to make a living as a primary school teacher in Stratford. Unrest in Faery impinges on his life when his wife is kidnapped by the elfs to be wet-nurse to their infant princess and wife to their widowed King.
Shakespeare is drawn in further when his help is sought by a dispossessed elfish prince who sees him as having the motive to kill the elfish king – a task easier for a mortal.
Shakespeare ultimately frees his wife and the elfin prince gains the kingship. It is to be presumed that this taste of the fantastic touches Shakespeare and directs him to writing poetry and plays, though nothing is said about that in this book. (Certainly bits and pieces from most of his plays turn up here and there in the elfish kingdom, sort of like in Shakespeare in Love.)
The story was reasonably well done – probably the best part was the elf prince Quicksilver who actually changed during the course of the book from a selfish user of people to someone who just might have grown enough to be a good king.
See my other reviews of Sarah A. Hoyt's books: Ill Met by Moonlight, All Night Awake
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