Caliban’s Hour by Ted Williams is a retelling of The Tempest by William Shakespeare, mostly in the words of Caliban, the evil little creature tormented by Ariel. Caliban escapes from the island where he was left alive by Prospero and goes to Naples to take revenge on Prospero’s daughter Miranda. But first, he has to tell her his story. As you might expect, we get a much different picture of Caliban than that presented in Shakespeare’s play.
Even though the book is predicated on Caliban wanting to do harm to Miranda and her family, it is actually a delightful little tale of a misunderstood individual, more of a boy than a monster, despite his heritage — a witch mother and (possibly) demon father. It is heart-warming, sad, and well worth reading. I highly recommend it.