Books › The Serpent of Venice
The Serpent of Venice
336 pages
A delightfully profane and chaotic romp that gleefully mashes up classic literature into a bawdy tale of revenge.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like attending a raucous, slightly drunken theater performance where the actors have decided to throw out the script and just have fun. The pace is brisk and bouncy, carrying you through a labyrinth of literary mashups with a gleefully irreverent attitude. It is a deeply theatrical experience, steeped in a darkly comedic and chaotic mood that never takes itself too seriously. The prose is a brilliant, vulgar collision of faux-Shakespearean dialogue and modern profanity, demanding a reader who appreciates rapid-fire wordplay and bawdy humor. It is a perfect fit for anyone who loves seeing classic tragedies dismantled and rebuilt into farcical, laugh-out-loud comedies of vengeance and misfit loyalty.
- Mood
- raucous
- theatrical
- darkly comedic
- chaotic
- Tone
- irreverent
- bawdy
- satirical
- witty
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- subversion of classics · absurdity of power · comedic revenge · loyalty among misfits
- The writing
- The prose is a delightfully vulgar pastiche of Shakespearean dialogue and modern profanity, packed with rapid-fire wordplay.
- The arc
- The journey moves from a chaotic, perilous betrayal through a labyrinth of hilariously convoluted vengeance, culminating in a triumphant, laugh-out-loud resolution.
- Who it's for
- Readers who delight in literary sacrilege, bawdy humor, and seeing classic tragedies gleefully dismantled will devour this.
Content notes
- bawdy humor
- profanity
- comedic violence
- sexual references
About the book
Venice, a long time ago. Three prominent Venetians await their most loathsome and foul dinner guest, the erstwhile envoy of Britain and France, and widower of the murdered Queen Cordelia: the rascal-Fool Pocket.
This trio of cunning plotters-the merchant, Antonio; the senator, Montressor Brabantio; and the naval officer, Iago-have lured Pocket to a dark dungeon, promising an evening of sprits and debauchery with a rare Amontillado sherry and Brabantio's beautiful daughter, Portia.
But their invitation is, of course, bogus. The wine is drugged. The girl isn't even in the city limits. Desperate to rid themselves once and for all of the man who has consistently foiled their grand quest for power and wealth, they have lured him to his death. (How can such a small man, be such a huge obstacle?). But this Fool is no fool... and he's got more than a few tricks (and hand gestures) up his sleeve.
Description from Open Library.
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