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Macbeth, a Novel

Macbeth, A Novel - Print Edition

ISBN: 978-1612183015
Publication Date: May 22nd, 2012

Macbeth: A Novel brings the intricacy and grit of the historical thriller to Shakespeare’s tale of political intrigue, treachery, and murder. In this full-length novel written exclusively for audio, authors A. J. Hartley and David Hewson rethink literature’s most infamous married couple, grounding them in a medieval Scotland whose military and political upheavals are as stark and dramatic as the landscape on which they are played.

Macbeth is a war hero and a patriot, doing everything in his power to hold together Duncan’s crumbling kingdom, which is beset by sedition from within and with threats from overseas. But when Duncan, contrary to ancient Scottish tradition, turns to building a family dynasty instead of rewarding those who have borne the brunt of the fighting, Macbeth and his powerful wife, Skena, make plans of their own, plans designed to hold both the nation and their strained relationship together. Sinister figures who claim supernatural knowledge spur them on, but the terrible outcome is as much about accident and failure as it is malevolence. Soon Macbeth and his wife find themselves preeminent in all the land, but struggling to hold themselves and their country together as former friends turn into bitter and deadly enemies.

This is Macbeth as you have not heard it before: fresh, edgy, and vital. It is a story of valor in battle, whispering in shadows, witchcraft in the hollows of an ancient landscape, and the desperate struggle of flawed people to do what they think is right.


Macbeth coverAudio Version

Nominated for a 2012 Audie award for best audio book of the year in the Original Works category!

 

Click here for free extracts, fascinating ‘making of’ videos and the chance to download the entire book.by A.J. Hartley and David Hewson, narrated by Alan Cumming.

(UK users go here)

 

 


Reviews

  • Kindlepost reviews Macbeth, a Novel Posted on: June 1, 2012
    Macbeth: A Novel: Lush in Tone and Language, Rich in Imagery by Kindle Editors on 05/30/2012 Here, Deborah Reed, author of Carry Yourself Back to Me and the thriller A Small Fortune written under the name Audrey Braun, reviews Macbeth: A Novel—a gripping contemporary prose by A. J. Hartley and David Hewson. Novelists have often borrowed templates of Shakespeare’s work to create contemporary stories of …
  • Starred review from Booklist for Macbeth, A Novel Posted on: May 15, 2012
    “Shakespeare’s Macbeth, with its bloody plot and characters, has inspired writers for years.  Now Hartley and Hewson go a step further and adapt the play as a novel, in the process expanding its political background, making its language more accessible, and humanizing its characters.  While both Macbeths profit from this approach, it’s Lady Macbeth, given the first name …