“Absolutely mind-blowing!”

“I have zero doubt that David has solved Shakespeare. Starting with Romeo & Juliet in junior high I have read a fair amount of Shakespeare but I never really felt that I got it. Now I do—thank you David! I can't wait to read volume two.”

—J. Scott

— Reviews from Readers —

“This is the definitive historical fiction about Shakespeare!”

“One can’t know how I’ve waited for someone to get this right ever since the movie Shakespeare in Love reductively portrayed William Shakespeare.

In Volume 2 of Shakespeare & The Dragon: Shakespeare Solved® Series, David Schajer explains how a young William Shakespeare reads the books in which he immerses himself: “With every book he read, he found himself stepping into the minds of the figures in the book.” Then Schajer, as he often does, doubles down on the significance of this insight: “Their thoughts became his thoughts.” Schajer’s reiterations form part of the pleasure of the books’ syntactical rhythms, driving ever deeper with bracing clarity.

Although Volume 1 of this historical-fiction series ends before Shakespeare puts quill to paper to draft one of his titanic plays, Schajer unites his own mind and the reader’s to Shakespeare’s as he develops the knowledge, experience, and impetus for his art. Shakespeare lives in a world of monumental change: the age of exploration, empire, and discovery of the New World; the crest of the Enlightenment’s recrudescence of Classical philosophy and art; and the Protestant Reformation, which reshapes the world. Shakespeare finds himself at the center of a tempest as the person best equipped to unify these revolutions in human consciousness into a popular body of work.

Schajer opens the book with the perfect metaphor for Shakespeare’s mission: a dream-memory of a miraculous star—a divine lodestar—before a maelstrom pulls him under. Chapter 2 transitions from Shakespeare’s contemplation of his recurring nightmare's significance to the dream of a young Earl of Essex, then Chapter 4 shifts to a doomed Mary, Queen of Scots, who no longer dreams. By alternating perspective between Shakespeare and other figures of the age connected to Queen Elizabeth I’s efforts to maintain power, Schajer plumbs the characters’ subconscious through articulation of their conscious thought. Although stylistically and cumulatively different, Henry James similarly focuses on individual thought processes, analyses of events, and determinations to create further actions, while the incidents themselves occur "offstage." In this way, Schajer reveals not only the development of Shakespeare’s imagination—the vernacular life from which he drew, a concept reduced to "in-jokes" by Shakespeare in Love. He also shows Shakespeare's insight into the audience he needs to reach.

Schajer achieves this at the blessed expense of setting description except when needed to serve thematic richness. He demonstrates the principle during Mary’s execution, a grotesque guignol with Elizabeth’s counselors and local witnesses serving as spectators. To such folk, Shakespeare will serve his dramas with animal bladders filled with gore. By understanding the gruesome imaginations of his audience and the pressures of the age upon them—the needs he addressed—Schajer’s Shakespeare leaves little doubt that one man authored Titus Andronicus, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, the Henriad, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Tempest. This man.

Schajer reintroduces Shakespeare’s project and, in the face of academic assault, ideologically driven restagings, libelous biographies, and revisionist historical fiction (like the anti-religious, anti-art lies of Hamnet), affirms the singular man and purpose. With Olympian perspective into the minds of myriad characters who shaped history, Schajer’s articulation reveals his own personality and purpose. He returns Shakespeare as a deposit for future generations—this generation—born of the Bard's era and in need of his guidance through turbulent times.

—John Demetry

“William Shakespeare explodes onto the page…”

“Shakespeare awakes to find himself next to his wife, Anne, and she advises him to switch sides, “as everyone knew, it was better to sleep on the right side of your body, at least for the first part of the night-and to sleep on your left side, for the second part of the night.” Ah, the indicators of a well researched novel: the sleeping habits of the times! And suddenly, at 7 pages in, I know I’m holding the story I wanted, and I need to share it with my family. Thank you!”

—J. Judah

“The story is vivid and immediate.”

“You’re pulled straight into it. It reads almost like a young adult novel in the best possible way — accessible, but not shallow. It opens doors without simplifying the depth. It feels broader and more layered than expected — even more complex than Shakespeare in some ways.”

—S.H.

“Schajer has truly solved Shakespeare!”

“In a brilliant and well-written book, he does what thousands of scholars could not do - reveal the hidden architecture behind Shakespeare (and likely western civilization). If you love Shakespeare, read this book! If you have never even heard of Shakespeare, read this book. It is a thrilling ride, and a great read . I just ordered volume II. Can’t wait to read it.”

—Paul T.

“Brilliant!”

“Fascinating concept! Loved the story. A must read for every Shakespeare fan. Looking forward to reading the whole series!”

—M. Surizon

“Riveting”

“This book will challenge what you thought you knew about Shakespeare. The author clearly did his research and is not afraid to take his analysis beyond conventional wisdom.”

—Marc S.