What a great book! I really enjoyed almost every turn and nuance. Christopher Moore has pulled together The Merchant of Venice and Othello into a compelling story of antisemitism, racism, revenge, economics, and dragons. Most important though, it’s really, really funny.
This adaptation never loses its tone or its “authentic” voice and Moore’s interwoven Shakespearean quotes, the rise of the Greek Chorus, the Mel Brooksian self-awareness that everyone is speaking British English despite almost all the characters being Venetian just fills the cup until it runneth over. It’s a just a wonderful bit of deeply thoughtful flotsam and in that way the book might just be important.
