That Way Madness Lies: 15 of Shakespeare's Most Notable Works Reimagined

This book was a lot of fun for fans of Shakespeare and those who are looking to get introduced to his work. All of these stories were fantastic even the ones where I wasn’t as familiar with the source material.

This anthology contains 15 retellings of Shakespeare's works. What's neat about the collection is it was created by YA authors. So most of the retellings have a modern contemporary feel to them and that's what made it a fun read for me. I'll admit I struggled a bit in school when reading Shakespeare, and I'm glad this book serves a purpose of presenting his works but with a modern spin. Some of the stories in this collection I enjoyed so much, I now want to check out the original version by Shakespeare.The list of contributors: Dahlia Adler (reimagining The Merchant of Venice), Kayla Ancrum (The Taming of the Shrew), Lily Anderson (As You Like It), Patrice Caldwell (Hamlet), Melissa Bashardoust (A Winter’s Tale), Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy (Much Ado About Nothing), Brittany Cavallaro (Sonnet 147), Joy McCullough (King Lear), Anna-Marie McLemore (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Samantha Mabry (Macbeth), Tochi Onyebuchi (Coriolanus), Mark Oshiro (Twelfth Night), Lindsay Smith (Julius Caesar), Kiersten White (Romeo and Juliet), and Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka (The Tempest).Keep in mind I possess the average American's knowledge when it comes to Shakespeare's works. I know the plot of Romeo & Juliet and a few random facts about other plays, but that's about it. So you will have to seek out other reviews if you are looking to find out how each retelling measures up to the original.My favorites out of the bunch were Severe Weather Warning, Shipwrecked, I Bleed, Elsinore, and We Fail. The entire collection showed off the authors' creativity. I liked how some authors included a note at the end to give more insight into their writing process. (To be honest, I would have loved if all of them had done that as well.) Not every retelling had a traditional story format. There was an oral history format, a play/script, and in the case of the Romeo & Juliet retelling it was comprised of text messages. The stories on average were 20 pages.Recommend for Shakespeare fans as well as people who enjoy YA fiction.Thank you to Flatiron Books for sending me an advance copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.

I quite love Shakespeare and was thrilled to get this book! To my understanding it was retelling of his famous works in an easier to read format. HOWEVER there are significant liberties taken and most of the stories are very “woke”… to quote the author “you didn’t think a queer non-binary author would leave without casting rainbows everywhere”. It seems as if the author had such an issue with Shakespeare (who was writing from his own time, and often pushing the limits himself) that she decided to spoil his work. I understand wanting to “freshen up” some old plays but this just took it to another level. Shakespeare isn’t really anywhere to be found. Don’t read it if that’s what you’re looking for.

THAT WAY MADNESS LIES is an enthralling YA short story collection of Shakespearean retellings. With many notable authors on the docket, the book is divided into comedies, a sonnet, tragedies, and late romance. Each story has its own flavor, as per the different inspirations and the different authors. Similarly, the variety means there will be stories to suit different readers throughout.Some of the stories really blew me away, and I would have loved to have read a full novel in their worlds. For instance, "Severe Weather Warning" inspired by The Tempest features a depth of character that I really enjoyed with a character dealing with her feelings about her sister, the boy who was her first kiss, and the tornado watch that is preventing her from taking her sister to the airport. I also really enjoyed "Elsinore," a story inspired by Hamlet with vampires. I'm a big fan of Twelfth Night, and I also appreciated the story inspired by it, "Shipwrecked," and I would totally love to read a whole book about Vi.The book also contains excerpted texts from Shakespeare that add to the overall inspiration of each story and fun for fans of the Bard. Some short stories also include an author's note which provides additional context and was really interesting. There are dark stories, light stories, compelling stories, and plenty to enjoy throughout. I would highly recommend for fans of Shakespeare and short story collections. THAT WAY MADNESS LIES is a delightful and enthralling new collection.Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.