Waaay back (also known as 19th May, according to the artist formerly known as Twitter), I touted the idea of a Shakespeare retellings rec list which (drum roll please) is now here! In general, it’s a somewhat limited selection of Shakespeare plays that get considered for retellings, so I’ve tried to give as wide a range as I can (within reason, based on what I’ve read and you know, trying to get a wide range of rep in too). So, here are ten retellings you should get your hands on!
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The Death I Gave Him
Em X. Liu
Goodreads
Rep: bi mc, achillean mc, Chinese American mc
CWs: self harm, suicidal ideation, gore
The play: Hamlet
Why Should I Read It?
Imagine Hamlet, but it’s a science fiction locked room mystery, and you’ll have something approaching this book. Told as though looking back on events, part investigation, part memoir, it’s a unique-feeling framing of the play. It’s out in September though so, sadly, you’ll have to wait just a little longer for it.
Ben and Beatriz
Katalina Gamarra
Goodreads
Rep: biracial sapphic mc
The play: Much Ado About Nothing
Why Should I Read It?
Beatrice and Benedick have to be one of the original opposites-attract romantic couples in fiction and Ben and Beatriz gives a modern take on that, focusing on identity politics, especially in the wake of the 2016 election in the USA. If that sounds like your kind of thing, pick this one up.
Lady Hotspur
Tessa Gratton
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian mc, bi mcs, gay mc, transmasc side character
The play: Henry IV
Why Should I Read It?
A sprawling fantasy retelling of Henry IV, set in the same world as Gratton’s King Lear retelling, but one that you can read as a standalone. There’s something so very compelling about it, that draws you in and keeps you reading almost compulsively. This is one to savour.
The Stars Undying
Emery Robin
Goodreads
Rep: bi mcs, lesbian side character, nonbinary side character, gay side character
The play: Julius Caesar/Anthony & Cleopatra
Why Should I Read It?
If I had to choose an absolute favourite of the books on this list, it would be The Stars Undying. This book is so so clever, so absorbing, a book that you will not be able to put down for a single moment. Also, butch lesbian Mark Anthony because yes. Yes.
The King of Infinite Space
Lyndsay Faye
Goodreads
Rep: British Gujarati gay mc, bi mc with anxiety & ADHD, Jewish mc with substance abuse disorder
CWs: drug abuse, past attempted suicide, alcohol abuse
The play: Hamlet
Why Should I Read It?
I know I said that there would be a variety of retellings on this list, but bear with me as I put in my second of three Hamlet retellings. This one is a fabulist retelling and one that, despite me knowing exactly how Hamlet goes, still managed to startle me with its ending (in a good way!).
The Last True Poets of the Sea
Julia Drake
Goodreads
Rep: bi/pan mc, side character with depression, anxiety, disordered eating & OCD, Indian American side character, gay side character, side character with anxiety
CWs: past suicide attempt of a side character, discussions of death and suicide
The play: Twelfth Night
Why Should I Read It?
I read this one a while back, so I have to admit that my memory for it is not the best, but it’s a good book. If you read I’ll Give You the Sun or Words in Deep Blue, books like that but you want something sapphic instead, well look no further than this one! And who doesn’t love a heartwrenching sibling relationship at a book’s heart?
That Way Madness Lies
ed. by Dahlia Adler
Goodreads
Rep: trans mcs, nonbinary mcs, gay mc, lesbian mcs
The plays: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, Coriolanus, Much Ado About Nothing, Julius Caesar
Why Should I Read It?
An entire book’s worth of Shakespeare retellings now, with a good chunk of them being gay (I’ve tried to line up rep with retellings above, but it won’t be perfect). If you’re more into the bite-sized kind of retelling, then this anthology will suit you well. With plenty of reimaginings for you to sink your teeth into, this is a good place to start for the Shakespeare beginners.
A Winter’s Earl
Annabelle Greene
Goodreads
Rep: gay mcs, lesbian side characters
CWs: period typical homophobia, outing, implied rape, attempted suicide
The play: A Winter’s Tale
Why Should I Read It?
A looser retelling now, but in historical romance style, this one retells A Winter’s Tale (a play I somehow have to admit to consistently reminding myself is not by Dickens, but I’m working on it). It is somewhat heavier than a lot of romances, but I loved how the characters came back from the betrayal at the beginning. And, yes, I believe there is a bear.
Teach the Torches to Burn
Caleb Roehrig
Goodreads
Rep: gay mcs
The play: Romeo & Juliet
Why Should I Read It?
Next up in the remixed classics series is Caleb Roehrig’s retelling of Romeo and Juliet and guess what! You only have another 6 days to wait for it. Yes, Romeo and Juliet is probably Shakespeare’s most famous and most adapted play, but a gay take on it? I just had to include it here.
The Raven Tower
Ann Leckie
Goodreads
Rep: bi transmasc mc
The play: Hamlet
Why Should I Read It?
This is a very loose retelling of Hamlet, so if you rather your retellings are less obvious takes on the source material, you might want to start with this one. Ann Leckie’s works are always masterpieces, always with worldbuilding considerations you don’t see as much in other SFF books, and The Raven Tower is the perfect place to start.
What would you rec?
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