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Ian Doescher, George Lucas: William Shakespeare's Star Wars (2013, Quirk Books) 4 stars

Difficult to ignore that it was not really written by the Bard

3 stars

While I do agree that it is a cool idea, carefully executed, and clearly a labour of love – I still think it is lacking. There is only a certain amount of amusement to be drawn from the concept, and so, apart from a few highlights (the “lack of faith” scene is hilarious, of course, as is the whole of Mos Eisley), it is slow going: the story is well-known, the characters were behaving archaically to begin with, and it's difficult to ignore that it was not really written by the Bard. This would clearly have worked better as a short piece, maybe in the context of a showcase of different styles, or as a filmed excerpt.

Ultimately, in that it is funny, but not something one would normally buy, it is perfectly suited as a gift.