Book Review: In the Company of Knaves by Anthony Wildman

January 14, 2025

About:

In the Company of Knaves: The Lost Years of William Shakespeare, Book 3 by Anthony Wildman, is a historical fiction story about the struggling playwright and his trials writing the play Titus Andronicus. Mr. Wildman is a novelist from Australia.

  • 297 pages
  • Publisher ‏ : Plutus Publishing
  • Language ‏ : English

Book Review: In the Company of Knaves by Anthony Wildman
My rating for In the Company of Knaves4

Buy In the Company of Knaves from Amazon.com*
More books by Anthony Wildman*

Thoughts:

I’ve never heard of the play Titus Andronicus, but frankly, it doesn’t sound too bad. The play, as the author mentions, is still in question whether or not it was written by William Shakespeare.

In the Company of Knaves by Anthony Wildman shows Shakespeare as an ambitious, idealistic young man. It was interesting to read how religious and social upheavals of the time shaped his writing.

Shakespeare’s partner for this book, Edward “Cutting” Ball plays an antithesis to the young writer as an amoral, yet charming thief. Ball, by the way, was a real criminal at the time, but the author says he probably wasn’t as appealing.

I enjoyed the nuances of Shakespeare, making him a real character, a struggling playwright and actor. I found the author’s historical research to be excellent. This, in my opinion, made the books since we know very little about Shakespeare during this time.

The novel offers an engaging narrative and acknowledges its limitations which is always appreciated. I enjoyed the interpretation of historical events, as well as the ethical considerations which the characters tackle.

Even though this book is third in The Lost Years of William Shakespeare series it’s still a standalone work. I enjoyed the novel even though I’m not familiar with the play, or Shakespeare’s life in general besides the rudimentary knowledge from high school and my own reading, which is lacking tremendously on this subject.

Synopsis:

It’s 1859 and William Shakespeare’s career seems to be over before it started. Living in London without his family, his theatre group, Lord Stange’s Men, has been shut down for seemingly a minor reason.

Shakespeare is forced to write the play Titus Andronicus, for a rival company, however, one day his entire collection of unfinished plays is stolen. While attempting to find the thief, the young playwright is thrown into the cesspool of Elizabethan court intrigue.

Buy In the Company of Knaves from Amazon.com*
More books by Anthony Wildman*

Zohar — Man of la Book
Dis­claimer: I got this book for free
*Ama­zon links point to an affil­i­ate account, the money is usually spent on books

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In the Company of Knaves: The Lost Years of William Shakespeare, Book 3 by Anthony Wildman
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Wrap Up

In the Company of Knaves: The Lost Years of William Shakespeare, Book 3 by Anthony Wildman

Book Review: In the Company of Knaves by Anthony Wildman

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