Rating: 
Summary: Creative
Review: Ruled Britannia is not for everyone. It almost wasn't for me. No matter how great Shakespear's plays are I have a hard time translating the old English prose. Turtledove uses the prose when the book's characters speak and sometimes it disrupts the flow of the book. Fortunatly his narration is in modern english and I could keep interested in the plot. Engrossing it is. If you like historical novels you will love this book. Who gives a hoot if it is alternative history, Kenneth Roberts please make room for Harry to join you as one the elite historical novelists.
Rating: 
Summary: The Play's the Thing
Review: See other reviews for synopsis. But like "Lamb's Tales From Shakespeare", a mere plot summary misses the point; the plot of the work is in the form of a Shakespearean play, and the work a play on the Shakespearean form.Read the works of the Immortal Bard before reading this book, the Historical Plays most especially. Without at least a nodding acquaintance with Shakespeare's works, this would be a drab and unprofitable feast, which pleaseth neither the eye nor wit. Three stars perhaps. But read in context, the reason the stars are only five is because they cannot be six. I'm sure Harry Turtledove had even more fun writing this than I did reading it - but my word, it must have been difficult! Worth every penny though.
Rating:
Summary: A NEW ROLE FOR SHAKESPEARE
Review: Since its inception, Science Fiction has speculated about time travel and the possibility of changing the present by meddling in the past. Harry Turtledove writes about radically altered pasts without resort to time machine through a device called "alternate history". Blurbs on his books proclaim him the master of this genre. In support of his title Turtledove has published two hefty tomes in as many months. Advance and Retreat is the fourth book in his "war between the provinces" series which projects events in the US Civil War through a very convoluted looking glass. Ruled Brtiannia is more conventional, working from a single "what if..." premise, i.e. that the Spanish armada had succeeded in subjugating England in 1588. Elizabeth is locked up in the Tower and Phillip II's daughter sits on the throne of England. Turtledove's story begins a decade later when William Shakespeare becomes embroiled in a plot to throw off the Spanish yoke. He proves a reluctant and timid revolutionary. Turtledove creates a persona for Shakespeare that is entirely believable and consistent with the known facts of his life. Many of the other characters in the book are important historical figures, though playing somewhat different roles in an England under Spanish rule. William Cecil is the prime conspirator rather than Elizabeth's prime minister. He commissions Shakespeare to write and perform a play that will arouse the patriotic fervor of the English. Lope de Vega, the great Spanish playwright (who really did sail with the armada) is a captain in the London garrison and a fan of Shakespeare's plays. His commander has him commission Shakespeare to write a play extolling the virtues of Phillip II. Faced with these competing and contradictory demands, Shakespeare comes up with a solution worthy of... well... of Shakespeare. Burbage, Kemp and Christopher Marlowe naturally figure in the story. Turtledove sprinkles lines from Shakespeare and Marlowe, or approximations thereof, liberally through his dialogue. He plays a trifle loose with the sequence of the plays for no apparent reason, having the Falstaff of the Merry Wives of Widsor precede the Falstaff of Henry IV -- rather than the the other way round. A witty and entertaining book.
Rating:
Summary: Rule Britannia!
Review: Superb, one of Turtledoves best novels, certainly my favorite since Guns of the South. Harry brings Elizabethan (or should that be Isabellian?)London to life vividly, apart from the plague and the sanitation i was wishing i'd lived then. As an Englishman i found the liberation of Elizabeth from the Tower of London genuinely stirring and moving. God save Queen Bess! Turtledove brings Shakespeare to life as well, it would be interesting to find out what happened to him in Turtledoves Timeline, did he retire back to Stratford or remain in London writing more plays? Hopefully Turtledove will revisit English history at some stage - an alternative 1066 maybe, Harold beating William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings (William would presumably become William the Vanquished!). Ruled Britannia is Turtledove and Alternative history at its best.
Alan J. Clements
Rating:
Summary: Turtledove's Best
Review: Ten years after the successful invasion of the Spanish Armada overthrew Elizabeth, England has quietly simmered under the repression of the dons. All it needs is the right motivation to rise up. As King Phillip II lies on his death-bed, England's remaining loyalists decide now is the time to strike. But how to stir the people to rebellion? A play's the thing, and who better to write it but William Shakespeare of course. It's not that easy, of course. Spain wants to make sure England stays loyal, and what better way to commemorate their king than with a play, written by William Shakespeare. Poor Master William. Not made for intrigue, nor gifted with great physical courage, he finds himself in the burden of his nation's sovereignty on his shoulders. Worse, he is forced to contend with the attentions of Senior Lieutenant Lope de Vega, who is made for intrigue and is a formidible playwright of his own. "Ruled Britannia" is the book that Harry Turtledove should be remembered for. Even more than "Guns of the South", even more than "Worldwar" or "Great War". Turtledove writes with a richness of setting and depth of character only hinted at in previous works. He imbues Shakespeare and de Vega with complexity and depth as both play unwitting games of cat and mouse, leading from back alley murder and conspiracy, through the threat of the Inquisition, plays, romance, swashbuckling action, onward to the inevitable question: which play will be performed?
Rating:
Summary: Heeesssss Baccckkkkkkk!
Review: Thank Heavens. Harry Turtledove has gotten away from his slump of two very bad novels, Marching Through Peachtree (I may read the sequel when I need a nap) and American Empire: The Center Cannot Hold (That sequel can wait until I have an operation and need to be put under). It goes to prove you can milk an idea and chracters to death. At last the authoir has switched to a new topic, another one I am familiar with due to my familiarity with Shakespeare, Madrid, and London. It is a brilliant alternate history in which the Spanish Armada wins in 1588 and occupies England, primarily London. Thankfully The Immortal Bard with a host of supporting chracters are on hand. Equally brilliant is how Turtledove has all conversations and private thoughts put into the language of Shakespeare. It is like reading an undiscovered play by Master Will. Thank you Harry, and God Bless you for coming back to the style and story telling ability we were afraid you had lost. We fellow teachers of history salute you.
Rating:
Summary: Best in a long time
Review: The Armada was victorious the Spanish came ashore and began proving to the heretic Protestants how much God loved them despite their differences. Well they burned them at the stake but its basically the same thing. Into this maelstrom steps William Shakespeare and he really doesn't care one way or another he just wants to keep his head on his shoulders and write plays. But he is faced with a difficult task how can he inspire his countrymen to revolt and still keep his head? I really liked this book a lot better then most of the stuff Doctor Turteldove has come out with in a long while. It is intense and full of intrigue and revenge(plus Shakespeare). Harry also has a few good rebellions scenes thrown in to keep the simple guys(namely me) interested. There is also an almost total lack of something that has become all to common in Turtledove's work VIRTUALLY NO STUPID SEX SCEANS. Not that I mind sex in books its just sometimes with this author adds on sex scenes whenever there is a lull in the plot. Lulls in the plot don't happen in this book it never lets up so this is not an issue.
Rating: 
Summary: GOOD PLOT - BRILLIANT DIALOG - POOR STORY
Review: This being my first Harry Turtledove outing I was expecting something incredible based on the reviews of this book and a few of his others. A very promising plot and a strong beginning soon falter into pages of repetition. A sweeping idea of "what if" is played like a TV show with a tight budget; witty Elizabethan dialog between Shakespeare & his theater actors - dialog with Shakespeare and his lodge mates - Spanish Second Lieutenant Lope dialog with Shakespeare at the theater & dialog with Lope and his Spanish Captain. These four scenes and three locations populate 80% of the story and for the most part the dialog doesn't move the plot along - it seems to be there only because Turtledove loves the language and is enjoying creating these scenes - too bad they don't serve the story and at about the half way point I found myself getting agitated for want of something interesting to happen. The tension of Shakespeare being commissioned two write two plays, one supporting King Phillip & one designed to create an uprising among the English is so completely buried beneath the day-to-day pointless yakking that any attempt to create urgency is lost. Additionally, I didn't feel that the Spanish rule was uncommonly oppressive and didn't get the sense that by restoring Elizabeth would have improved anything - I just didn't care.
I think that his choice of plot is fantastic & I think that he's mastered the language and is a accomplished writer. However, there just isn't enough story here to recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Gem
Review: This book is excellent. It combines good alternate history, with a taut plot and deep characters. But above all else this homage to Shakespeare-good homage to Shakespeare. If you love his works buy this book, and if you never learned to appreciate the bard, you will after reading this.
Rating:
Summary: Kinda boring
Review: This book was kind of boring. Although it had a great storyline and the first 100 pageswere pretty good. Theres lots of pages of diolagoue after that, and it gets rather boring with hardly no action at all.
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