December 4, 2024J. Miller

Smile and Be a Villain by Yves Donlon

Rate: 7.5/10

Medium: ebook

Overview (No Spoilers):

Smile and Be a Villain is like a prequel to Shakespeare’s Hamlet (with some artistic license). It starts with Prince Hamlet of Denmark being sent away to Wittenberg after disgracing the royal family. In Wittenberg, he is befriended by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who introduce him to the world of magic and its wondrous possibilities. While there, he also has a chance to rekindle an old friendship with Prince Fortinbras of Norway during a tenuous time of peace between their countries. Meanwhile, Lady Ophelia is with the royal family at Kronborg Castle, doing all that she can to remove traces of Corruption from those around her. Members of her family have been doing this work and drawing sigils of protection for years, but the Corruption appears to be winning, and it’s only a matter of time before it wreaks havoc on the people of Denmark in the form of disease. What lengths are Hamlet and Ophelia willing to go to to protect Denmark when forces (known and unknown) rise against them?

While I can’t say that I’m an expert on Hamlet, I enjoyed how this retelling leads up to the events in it and provides an interesting backstory, all while including magic. I also liked the nods to this story being like a play by labeling chapters as scenes and parts as acts. It was interesting to have the point of view switch between Ophelia and Hamlet with each new scene, especially when they’re in different locations, leading completely separate lives.

I enjoyed Ophelia’s parts the most, with her character and magic thoroughly piquing my imagination. I feel like I was left with so many unanswered questions about how Corruption works and how Ophelia’s countering spells work. It all felt so hopeless. Also curious why more magical wielding individuals did not help Ophelia out more. It felt almost like she was on her own with this losing battle.

Overall, a working knowledge of Hamlet is not a prerequisite to enjoy Smile and Be a Villain especially as separating friend and foe becomes a quagmire not easily sorted through.

Additional Insight (Spoilers Abound):

  • Did Ophelia’s brother, Laertes survive the battle with Norway?
  • If the story were to continue, would it follow Shakespeare’s Hamlet now? Where are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern headed now?
  • How did Cladius first get introduced to magic?
  • How did Cladius know that Ophelia was destroying the heart and where to find her?
  • With the knife hitting her hand and cutting the thread, it sounds like she’s unable to view threads and purple corruption anymore, but she still has visions. So, what did the knife do to her? Can she get all of her magic back? Can she still go to Rúnräd?
  • I liked the idea of the parallel world and reaching it through mirrors. Would folks have been able to travel to Nordsee from that world’s side without using a mirror through Wittenberg? Were there other guard stations set up by Jinlian to keep people out?
  • Does Solveig know what happened to Hilga?
  • How did Prince Fortinbras know about Rosencrantz and his magical mishaps?
  • I wasn’t entirely convinced by Horatio being a turncoat.
  • It was interesting how Rosencrantz slowly devolved into a person who should not have been trusted, but Hamlet couldn’t see past his feelings for him.
  • Is it strange that Ophelia and Hamlet had zero contact with each other while Hamlet was in Wittenberg?

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