Fantasy Trilogy: Ill Met by Moonlight
William Shakespeare Vs. The Fairies in Sarah Hoyt's Enchanting Book
Aug 4, 2008
Shakespeare must deal with the grief of losing his family while encountering such strange creatures. Quicksilver must deal with issues of his own, such as the murder of his beloved parents, his brother, Sylvanus' treachery, and a body that changes from male to female almost involuntarily.
The Future Playwright and The Fairy Prince
Hoyt writes two commendable leads in her protagonists. Not yet the famous playwright, Shakespeare, the schoolteacher, is an insecure even shy young man. He still lives with his loud and boisterous family and still reels from decisions that were made by his half-witted father and shrewish mother.
A contradictory character, Shakespeare is in love with his strong-willed wife, Nan, but he finds himself falling for Quicksilver's female and possibly his male aspect as well. A far cry from his future reputation, Shakespeare becomes a very loyal and devoted friend to Quicksilver and is later able to fight for his friends and family.
Quicksilver is a very interesting lead character as well. He is driven by his sadness over his parents' death and Sylvanus dethroning him. Realizing this came about because he was too young and naive to fight for himself, Quicksilver gains a more cynical worldly approach sometimes with frightening results as his encounter with a dark being show.
Quicksilver also has a manipulative side to his nature. He entices a besotted Elfin noblewoman to use her divination abilities to help him. He also seduces Will to avenge his parents' death. Quicksilver is not really a villain or a manipulative trickster. His love for his parents and his devotion to his people are very clear, and he does love Shakespeare in his own way. His means are just often questionable.
The Fairies' World
Fairyland is beautiful and a brilliant parallel world to the humdrum Renaissance era England. Human children called Changelings become servants to the Elven court. Noblemen and women entertain themselves and sometimes spy on others' by viewing actions through dew drops. The locals live off of magic, the way humans do water. There are even childhood fears like the Huntsman, a sinister character who takes the souls of others'. Hoyt writes of such a beautiful and evocative world, that it makes one want to visit it just once.
A Midsummer Night's Inspiration
Hoyt, is also really good at writing of Shakespeare's future as a playwright and performer by peppering her series with characters and incidents that later appear in Shakespeare's plays. Quicksilver's grief over the deaths of his parents is similar to Hamlet's grief over his father's death. Quicksilver's parents, Oberon and Titania of course shared the same name as the Fairy King and Queen of A Midsummer Night's Dream. There is a character named Ariel, like the spirit in The Tempest. A dying character declares "A plaque o'er both your houses" as Mercutio did in Romeo and Juliet. The concept of the novel itself is based on some provocative theories about Shakespeare's personal life, such as the missing 10 years which no one can account for and his rumored affair with "a Dark Lady" whom he wrote about in his sonnets.
About the Author
Sarah De Almeida Hoyt was born in Porto, Portugal. She has an M.A. in English Literature and has studied Shakespeare as a hobby for more than 25 years. Her Shakespearean Fantasy trilogy began with Ill Met by Moonlight (2001) and ended with Any Man So Daring (2003). She has written other historical fantasy and mystery series, including the Magical British Empire Series (beginning in 2008) and The Musketeer Series (which began in 2006). She lives in Colorado with her husband, two sons, and four cats.
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