The Ghost Theatre

The Ghost Theatre by Mat Osman (brother of Richard) is a dazzling novel and an extraordinary read. Set in Elizabethan England, and in the world of theatre no less, it manages to only mention Shakespeare once: but if Shakespeare lived in this world, it's no wonder his plays were so richly imaginative. 

The universe of The Ghost Theatre is so teeming, sensuous and strange, it reads like a fantasy world. 'Flapper' Shay is an Aviscultan, a fringe religious sect who worship birds and see prophecy in the murmurations of starlings. 'Lord' Nonesuch is witty, daring and brittle. Together, they create the Ghost Theatre, an outlaw, dangerous theatre of the streets. But enemies abound and all is not as it seems...

A boyish girl and a feminine boy find love and comfort in each other's arms, but Shay and Nonesuch are carrying such burdens of betrayal, deprivation and desperation that a happy ending seems impossible. But the minor characters are just as vivid and memorable: from Devana the falcon to Evans the entrepreneur with his glass-walled palace, from Queen Elizabeth herself with her painted face and ruthlessness to sweet, gifted Trussell -- it's a cast to conjure magic with. The Ghost Theatre might not be historically accurate but it's a story to set your imagination on fire. Highly recommended.