In Batchelder’s novel, William Shakespeare fakes his death and settles in Jamestown among hostile neighbors and a night-prowling beast.

Bored with retired, domestic life in Stratford, William Shakespeare decides to fake his own death and set out for the New World under a new name. Accompanying the newly minted William Kemp is his Black illegitimate son, Xander, who was entrusted to William’s care by his dying mother. While at sea, William befriends Margaret, a man living as a woman. The unlikely trio move into a house on the outskirts of Jamestown; they discover the house was left vacant after the previous owners were killed by a mysterious beast. The locals prove to be unfriendly, prejudiced against Margaret and Xander, and unwilling to help hunt down the mysterious creature, even as it claims more victims. Left to his own devices, William finds that he’s willing to go to any lengths to protect his newfound family. Lovers of Shakespeare and his contemporaries will find plenty of Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the story (readers are given about half the book to piece together clues about Will Kemp’s original identity before the name Shakespeare is thrown out haphazardly in a flashback scene). What seems like a setup for a rollicking adventure is ultimately revealed to be a melancholy rumination on family, society, outcasts, and the things worth valuing in life. Glimpses of Shakespeare’s trademark wit, along with a satisfying ending, keep the story from getting too grim. Any fictional depiction of Shakespeare faces the challenge of living up to the original’s facility with words. This story succeeds at the task without trying too hard to be clever: “‘I have a magnificent beast. But you have not, and a searching party can only travel at the speed of its slowest member.’ ‘Marry, sir, I know not which is worse, that you do think me slow, or worse, a ‘member.’’”

A dark but entertaining novel for Shakespeare diehards and casual fans alike.

Humans and mystical creatures band together to stop an evil sorcerer in Batchelder’s debut, the first in a fantasy series.

Tarmun Vykers is a notorious warrior called The Reaper. He’s mercilessly beaten by men and left in the forest with his hands and feet severed. He finds an unlikely rescuer in Arune, the ghost of a being (called a Shaper) capable of magic. Vykers agrees to share his body with Arune in exchange for his extremities—even if they’re invisible. Before he can return to full strength, he’s captured by the Virgin Queen’s men. The Queen, despite being the one who ordered Vykers’ mutilation, needs the warrior’s help. A powerful sorcerer calling himself The End-of-All-Things is decimating the land and its people, and the Queen wants Vykers to halt the End’s advance. Aoife, meanwhile, seeks vengeance against her brother Anders (aka the End). One of the magical A’Shea, Aoife gives birth to beasts of the forest, such as a satyr, all of whom will soon join the fight against her wicked brother. Numerous prolonged journeys occur before the impending battle. But Batchelder maintains impressive momentum with short scenes, switching between, for example, Vykers and Long Pete, who, along with friends, joins the Queen’s military. There’s likewise distinction among the plethora of characters: Arune’s merely a voice in Vykers’ head but offers sage advice and takes over if necessary (rendering the warrior unconscious to avoid a fight he’d likely lose); and Spirk, one of Long’s traveling companions, clearly functions as comic relief. The fantasy treks through mostly familiar terrain, including magical swords and chimeras that fight alongside Vykers. But there are original creatures too, like the Svarren, which are misshapen, wart-covered humanoid beings. The plot, not surprisingly, entails a hefty amount of action, especially once it reaches the inevitable conflict between the End’s and the Queen’s armies. Intrigue, however, abounds when swords aren’t clashing: the chimeras may be untrustworthy, while at least one character is not what he or she seems. Vykers is a remarkable, indelible protagonist, an antihero as equally lethal as the End.

A world most readers will already know but a story told with affection and skill.