I'd never heard of Delia Bacon prior to reading Bill Bryson's "Shakespeare: The World as Stage". There's a chapter towards the end of the book where Bryson talks about Delia, and her obsession with Sir Francis Bacon… the man she believed to have written Shakespeare's works. Turns out that, prior to Delia's ravings (she was eventually institutionalized for her obsessions), no one had ever questioned Shakespeare's authorship, so all the debate about "who wrote Shakespeare" can be laid at Delia's feet. (Bryson is none too impressed with Delia, and dismisses her postulations, observing that during her travels in England, she never once actually visited any location connected to Bacon, instead choosing to commune with nature to help her find answers to the 'mystery' of Shakespeare.)
Speaking of Sir Francis brings me to Interred with Their Bones, a sort-of Shakespearean DaVinci code, where Sir Francis and Delia (as well as the earls of Oxford and Derby, Christopher Marlowe and Miguel Cervantes) make their appearance in an exploration of the works of Shakespeare, a search for a Lost Play, and the ultimate answer to the question "Who was Shakespeare".
The premise of the book may be a bit heretical to "Stratfordians" but the adventure is solid, the characters well drawn and it's overall an entertaining novel. The intertwining of "occult" Shakespeare (defined in the book as relating to the theories and 'mysteries' revolving around Shakespeare and his plays), the historical Shakespeare, and a good, cross-continental chase/mystery makes for a really fun story. If the twist/reveal at the end is rather obvious early on, it's as much a flaw of the genre (as typified by DaVinci Code) as any serious flaw in the story. Her next book, Haunt Me, takes on the Scottish play, so it's likely that the "occult", in its more traditional definition, may play a bigger role. Whatever the case, I'm looking forward to this next book.
Speaking of Sir Francis brings me to Interred with Their Bones, a sort-of Shakespearean DaVinci code, where Sir Francis and Delia (as well as the earls of Oxford and Derby, Christopher Marlowe and Miguel Cervantes) make their appearance in an exploration of the works of Shakespeare, a search for a Lost Play, and the ultimate answer to the question "Who was Shakespeare".
The premise of the book may be a bit heretical to "Stratfordians" but the adventure is solid, the characters well drawn and it's overall an entertaining novel. The intertwining of "occult" Shakespeare (defined in the book as relating to the theories and 'mysteries' revolving around Shakespeare and his plays), the historical Shakespeare, and a good, cross-continental chase/mystery makes for a really fun story. If the twist/reveal at the end is rather obvious early on, it's as much a flaw of the genre (as typified by DaVinci Code) as any serious flaw in the story. Her next book, Haunt Me, takes on the Scottish play, so it's likely that the "occult", in its more traditional definition, may play a bigger role. Whatever the case, I'm looking forward to this next book.
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