Mrs. Shakespeare: The Complete Works

Book Description

Writing her memoirs seven years after her husband's death, Anne Hathaway reminisces about her now-famous husband, recalling in particular that week in April, 1594, when the still-struggling poet and playwright invited her to London to celebrate his thirtieth birthday, and what happened to her in a certain strange bed in his lodgings above a fishmonger's shop. In telling that story, and any others, she casts a brilliant new light on Shakespeare-a very close look at the master by one who shared his bed but never bothered to read him. This is a riot of scholarship and bawdy writing.

Customer Reviews:

Some Things Are Better Left to the Imagination.......2005-05-21

This book was a little bit Too Much Information. I'm not exactly interested in Shakespeare's sex life.... I'm really wanting to give it 3 stars, except that OK, it could explain some things about Shakepeare and perhaps his writing.

I did enjoy reading from Mrs. Shakespeare's point of view, as Robert Nye presents it in his book. It was funny and clever, as well as a fresh breath of air. I could see why perhaps London was not to her liking... It was interesting to gain a different perspective on Shakepseare through her eyes and on daily and family life in Stratford.

An OK book that reads pretty quickly.

Not sure.......2004-06-17

I wasn't sure about some of the humour - if that's what it was. I enjoyed the beginning more than the end. I got a little confused with the ending - was it to shock or humour me? i did enjoy the little "inside jokes", but that's about it.

Entertaining and Intriguing.......2002-11-15

This book is factually based and yet entertaining at the same time. Mrs. Shakespeare has a way of storytelling that the Bard himself would envy. Not only does she present facts about their life together, she presents them in a way that relates to all people. Who hasn't felt jealousy when their spouse puts work above them? Who isn't angry when they lose a child and have no one to talk to about it? This book is not so much a story of William Shakespeare, but a story of how his wife sees him. Robert Nye does an excellent job of letting us see the other side. We hear about Mr. Shakespeare from his wife, the woman who knows him best. The woman least likely to sugar coat it. We learn about his life in London, who the sonnets were really written for, and the mystery of the second best bed. This book is entertaining and intriguing. I recommend this book to people not only interested in Shakespeare's life, but also interested in thinking about their own life in a new way.

Mrs. Shakespeare: The Complete Works.......2001-10-19

Mrs. Shakespeare has nothing good to say about her husband, the great playwright and poet. However, no one knows what this women endured during their marriage. She is entitled to have a voice in history as well as her husband William Shakespear. I have no less respect for the "Bard's" talent (he was a legend and is still). No one is perfect and most brilliant people have their faults. It was quite interesting reading what she had to say. It helped me tremendously in understanding that era of time and the Bard himself. It also gave her an opportunity to release this bitterness from her inner soul.

Why.......2001-04-05

Why would anyone write, publish, or think anyone would enjoy this piece of nonsense?

This is supposed to be the memories of Mrs. Shakespeare penned 7 years after her husband's death as related by the Author Mr. Robert Nye. Chapter 13 was the most honest when the Author/Writer states, "This was not a good chapter, but then it was number thirteen". That comment explains the 13th chapter but what about the other 74? Seventy-five chapters diced amongst 216 pages account for whatever this is supposed to be. Another chapter of note is The Dunghill Chapter, and while evidently not deserving of a chapter there are more than enough references, comments, descriptions, and actions involving Seagull waste to merit its own section.

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? No thanks! That bit of brilliant repartee between Mr. And Mrs. Shakespeare is what passes for humor in this collection of badly penned memories formatted in some retched tribute to poetry/sonnets/whatever, who cares!

There are probably more books written about Shakespeare than any other individual. Pick one, anyone but this. No amount of pompous claims that you must be a connoisseur or of the most elite of experts on this man's work justify this trash. This is not clever, insightful, or witty. It is nothing.

Hopefully the paper will be recycled into something useful.

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Complete Concordance to Shakespeare, The Being A Verbal Index to All The Passages in the Dramatic Works of the Poet ( New & Revised Edition ) Shakspere
Brown Endpapers , Inner Hinge Slightly Starting, Preface Mrs. Mary Cowden - Clarke
Manufacturer: Bickers & Son, London
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JD4DBA

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THE COMPLETE CONCORDANCE TO SHAKSPERE (SHAKESPEARE) BEING A VERBAL INDEX TO ALL THE PASSAGES IN THE DRAMATIC WORKS OF THE POET (NEW AND REVISED EDITION)
MRS COWDEN CLARKE
Manufacturer: W. KENT
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SE97KW

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Mrs. Shakespeare - The Complete Works
Robert Nye
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JZSR9C

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Mrs. Shakespeare: The Complete Works
Roberts Nye
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJEQBQ

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Mrs. Shakespeare: The Complete Works. (Noted).(Review)(Brief Article): An article from: World Literature Today
William Hutchings
Manufacturer: University of Oklahoma
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B0008IHCJG
Release Date: 2005-06-01

Book Description

This digital document is an article from World Literature Today, published by University of Oklahoma on March 22, 2001. The length of the article is 1311 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Mrs. Shakespeare: The Complete Works. (Noted).(Review)(Brief Article)
Author: William Hutchings
Publication: World Literature Today (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2001
Publisher: University of Oklahoma
Volume: 75 Issue: 2 Page: 342(1)

Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

For sixteen-year-old harpist prodigy Moira, the annual Dairy Princess event in Vanderby is just another lame publicity op. Twelve girls have been selected to have their likenesses carved in butter and displayed on the Trollholm Bridge. Its a Vanderby State Fair tradition that has been going on for, like, ever. As far as Moira is concerned, the sooner its over with the buttererbetter. About the same time and not far away, three brothersmembers of the sensationally popular teen boy band The Griffsonsare in the middle of a much-needed road trip to relax from the pressures of their latest tour. In a flash, the kids are suddenly transported to a strange and mystical wilderness where they are caught in the middle of a deadly tug-of-war struggle between a magical fox named Fossegrim and the monstrous troll Aenmarr of Austraegir. At the heart of the feud is a battle for possession of a mysterious magical fiddleand an ancient compact between Trollholm and the outer world. Unfortunately for Moira and the Griffsons, nothing in Trollholm is as it seems. Finding a way out of Trollholm may be a lot more difficult than they think.

Customer Reviews:

Fun.......2006-08-08

Moira is a classical harpist who plays with the Minnesota symphony. For publicity purposes she has sought and won a spot as a state fair Dairy Princess. Along with the other 11 girls of the "court," she attends community events and has had her likeness carved in butter.

Traditionally, every year, the butter sculptures of the Dairy Princesses are placed on Troll Bridge. In time they melt or "disappear." This year, though, environmental concerns have nixed leaving the butter offering on the bridge.

As Moira and the other princesses prepare for a photoshoot at Troll Bridge, they are caught up by a giant troll, who spirits them away to Trollholm.

Meanwhile, four brothers who make up a popular boy band called The Griffsons are taking a vacation before their next concert tour. By chance the brothers end up at Troll Bridge too and are also carried away.

In Trollholm, Moira alone has evaded the enchanted sleep that has bewitched the other eleven princesses. As she casts about to escape the fate of becoming a troll bride, she meets a mysterious and vaguely sinister fox named Foss who seems willing to help her.

Jakob Griffson awakens in Trollholm only to discover that he and his brothers are soon going to be troll food. Moira and Jakob must work together to rescue all of them from the clutches of Aenmarr the troll and Trollhom itself.

I liked the mixture of traditional folk tales and a teen's world. In this story they have called on The Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Twelve Dancing Princesses as source material.

Foss the fox is taken from the Scandinavian trickster Fossegrim but also reminded me of kitsunes in Japanese folklore.

Musical imagery and elements run throughout the story. The beginning page of each chapter is decorated by a faint treble clef and the sections of the chapter are indicated by a fermata. A collection "Songs from Troll Bridge" completes the book. The lyrics are provided but would be fun to hear the songs. Stemple is a professional musician. Maybe he could make audio versions available on his website. This is the second "rock 'n'roll" fairy tale Stemple has written with his mother, folklorist, Jane Yolen.

Pay the Piper: A Rock 'n' Roll Fairy Tale

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Pay The Piper
R and R Fairy Tale
R and R Fairy Tale
Pay The Piper
Pay up, or else

Pay the Piper: A Rock 'n' Roll Fairy Tale
Jane Yolen , and Adam Stemple
Manufacturer: Starscape
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0765350416
Release Date: 2006-06-27

Book Description

A rock 'n' roll band to die for....When fourteen year old Callie McCallan scores a backstage pass to interview the lead singer of the famous band Brass Rat, she's thrilled. Peter Gringras is so cool. When he plays his flute, it's as if he has some kind of hypnotic power. But there is something strange about him, something Callie can't quite put her finger on. Then, on Halloween night, Callie's little brother Nicky disappears, along with all the other children in town. It's crazy, but Callie thinks she knows where the children have gone-and who took them. To prove it, and to rescue Nicky and the other children, Callie must journey to a mythical world filled with fantastical creatures. A world from which there may be no return....

Customer Reviews:

Pay The Piper.......2007-10-09

Pay the Piper Book Review

Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple

When I first picked up this fairy tale book, I was unsure about how good it would be. I thought it was going to be a really corny story where a band was made up of crazy mythical characters. Now, having read the book, I would say that I'd give it four stars out of five.

The book is about a fourteen-year old girl named Calcephony McCallan (everyone just calls her Callie though). She is a rather unimaginative reporter for her school. Since she lives in a small town, she is really surprised and delighted when she learns that one of her favorite bands "Brass Rat" is going to play a concert there on the day before Halloween. Even though she has really strict and embarrassing parents, she manages to convince them to not only get her tickets, but a backstage pass to interview the band for the school newspaper as well.

After the concert is over Callie realizes there's some questions she forgot to ask the band during intermission. However, before she opens the door to the green room, she hears the band members having an argument about some sort of teind. Then, the next day, all of the children (except for Callie) disappear. She already has a hypothesis of who is responsible for this deed, but now she must figure out why they did it and how to get the kids back.

This book reminds me of a great story for all ages I read a couple of years back. It was called The Phantom Tollbooth. They are related in the sense that they both have a main character who doesn't have an imagination and is sent to a magical land and must learn to think "outside the box" in order to overcome a challenge and be allowed to return to their home.

There are a few reasons why I enjoyed reading this book. First, I love the authors' style of writing. Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple were very descriptive. Also, I am obsessed with music, so I like any story that has to do with that (except for when the music is jazz). Finally, I took pleasure in reading this tome because it involves part of a myth.

The only reason I gave it four instead of five stars is because it took longer than usual for the plot to develop. Other than that, I think it is a fabulous book and I highly recommend it to people who love fairy tales because it has an unusual twist.

R and R Fairy Tale.......2006-11-22

Pay the Piper, by Jane Yolden, tells of girl, Callie, who discovers that an exciting new rock band, called the Brass Rat, is from another dimension and is kidnapping children as the result of a curse. Callie ends up following the bands leader, Grigras, into the other dimension and is able to break the curse put on him and his associates. The writing style was impressive and linked the genres of realistic fiction and fantasy very well. However, there is a lack of excitement in the story and that can cause a reader to lose interest in the book quickly. This is not a book for readers who are looking for a thrill.

R and R Fairy Tale.......2006-11-22

Pay The Piper.......2006-10-25

Pay The Piper by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple is a fairy tale about Callie, a teenage girl who lives in the valley and claims she has a boring life until the concert. Callie thinks she is an ordinary girl living a boring life in a boring town until her friends spread the news about a band called brass rat coming to town. Little does Callie know that things are about to get a lot more interesting around there. This story has everything from magic to music and is full of adventure, and excitement, also a very interesting plot twist at the end
the author has an interesting style of writing because he gives many details and writes very carefully, even though this style did not appeal to me I would understand why it might appeal to other people. One thing I did like about the book was the way it jumped from character to character every chapter so if I wanted to find out to one person I had to read through the next chapter to find out. Even though the book was a little confusing at first after a while they started to make more since.
I enjoyed this book most of the time although the author seemed to ramble on but it wasn't an edge of your seat stay up all night reading type books it was a more relaxing walk in the park read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading fantasy style or fairly tale stylebooks and has more patience when it comes to books. The reason I gave this book a 3 out of 5 is because it was exciting but not exciting enough for me and it could be hard at times to pay attention to.

Pay up, or else.......2006-06-29

Fantasy and rock'n'roll go together. Led Zeppelin's songs about Middle-Earth, really bad metal bands with fantasy names, and even those cheesy fantasies about punk elves playing electric guitar.

But "Pay the Piper: A Rock and Roll Fairy Tale," a new novel published by Starscape Books (known mainly for reprints) is something a bit different. The first of a series by Jane Yolen and her rocker son Adam Stemple, this is a more intricate, intelligent rock fantasy. Well written, intriguingly thought out, Yolen's latest collaboration is definitely worth reading.

Classic folk-rockers ("rock'n'reel") Brass Rat are coming to Callie's hometown. Even better, she's the only one with a press pass, allowing her to go backstage and interview the band, especially the eerie, melancholy frontman Peter Gringras. But after she hears strange arguments about being paid -- in gold and silver -- Callie begins to suspect that the band is made up of people who aren't really human.

Then on Halloween, all the kids go missing, except for Callie. She goes in search of her brother and the other children, with the help of Brass Rat's guitarist Scott. On the borders of Faerie, Cally learns that Gringras was exiled to mortal lands, for a deception that went horribly wrong. To save him -- and all the kids -- she has to work out the curse that was laid by the king of Faerie.

Giving a new twist to fairy tales is nothing new. But Yolen takes the basic idea of the Pied Piper, and crafts an elaborate story around it, full of curses, rivalry, friendship, death and spells. There's even a "songbook" at the back of it, and despite the lack of actual musical notes, you can make up some folky-rocky melodies.

And the writers are in fine form here. Yolen and Stemple really craft a solid setting, with a minimalist Faerieland full of lost kids, and a homey New England town where nothing happens. Not to mention a rock concert that may give you goosebumps. But there are some humorous moments, such as Callie encountering the "little princes" in Faerie.

Though Callie is the heroine of this novel, Gringras is the character who stands out. He committed a deceptive crime that snowballed into murder, and now has to pay "gold, silver or souls" in order to stay alive. He feels rotten about it, but is afraid to stop. Equally compelling is Alabas, his immortal bandmate who will do whatever he must to help Gringras.

A really good rock concert can be hypnotic, even if most urban fantasy can't capture it. But Yolen and Stemple do a brilliant job in "Pay the Piper," with its mix of fantasy and rock'n'roll.

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I couldn't put it down!
Rock n Roll Fantasy is a great read!

Rock N Roll Fantasy
Susan Masino
Manufacturer: Badger Books LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1878569961

Customer Reviews:

I couldn't put it down!.......2003-06-13

"I received "Rock `n' Roll Fantasy" in the mail last night and spent the whole day reading it at work. If I get fired, IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! I thought it was fantastic and brought back a ton of great memories from the late `70's."
Wayne R.
New Jersey

Rock n Roll Fantasy is a great read!.......2003-06-03

...For anyone interested in first hand stories about bands like AC/DC, Kiss, Ted Nugent, Van Halen, Cheap Trick (and many others) this is a must-have book! Tons of rare photos and interesting stories from Rock journalist Susan Masino.
I highly recommend this to anyone interested in reading about all the "behind the scenes" stories about some of the greatest bands ever.
Excellant! Couldn't stop reading it once I started!

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Living in a Rock'n Roll fantasy

Manufacturer: Verlag Asthetik u. Kommunikation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 3882458011

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Gotta have the glasses

Loud 3D: Hardcore rock'n'roll
Gary Robert
Manufacturer: IN3D
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0961426306

Customer Reviews:

Gotta have the glasses.......2007-08-24

Without 3-D glasses, this is a mildly good document of the U.S. punk scene in its early years. But WITH the 3-D glasses, what were somewhat muted images become the most sharp, visceral document of a live show you've ever seen. In fact even if you saw none of the shows pictured here, these images in 3-D will take you back to the early punk shows you did see, in the sweaty basements and rental halls where it (and you) grew up.

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Marvel super special
Bob Budiansky
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00072L3HK

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Brenda--Owner, www.mystiquebooks.com
fun fantasy that rocks
Silly fun
Very disappointing!
Trippin'

Rock 'N Roll Fantasy
Staci Layne Wilson
Manufacturer: Double Dragon Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1894841867

Book Description

Tarot cards, rock stars and magick - oh, my!

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Tarot cards, rock stars and magick - oh, my! "Entertaining rendition of the tarot theme, with nice inset stories and variants of fables. I smelled whiffs of Circe and the Pigs, Beauty and the Beast, Adam and Eve, Alice in Wonderland, Pied Piper - all manner of notions." -- Piers Anthony: Author of the Xanth novels, Incarnations of Immortality series, and lots more "A terrific read - I know you're going to enjoy this book." -- (Ray Manzarek: Piano/organ maestro, & founding member, The Doors

Customer Reviews:

Brenda--Owner, www.mystiquebooks.com.......2006-01-17

Trite? Boring? Not so!

Set against one woman's journey along the Major Arcana, readers are witness to the powerful influences in action. Somehow, it becomes not so much her journey to self-realization, but ours as well. Shall I take the Stairway to Heaven or the Highway to Hell? And will I survive the consequences of that decision?

ROCK & ROLL FANTASY is an unforgettable book. It is a "must read" for all children of the Baby-boomer Generation, especially those who have ever listened to Janice Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, or the Rolling Stones. But don't let that whimsy fool you. This book has depths I've only begun to explore.

fun fantasy that rocks.......2006-01-17

this book is real fun and entertaining especially if you're into the whole tarot cards and mysticism angle. i loved the tarot card illustrations, too. there were a lot of decks i have never seen before. as for someone mentioning a problem with layout, i did not see any. maybe they thought some of the puns were misspellings. anyway, i have never seen a book quite like this. its fun to see which rock star the author aligns to each tarot card. i'd say its worth a look for sure. (i have read this author before, but she's known for horror; i like that she did here with this experiemental fiction)

Silly fun.......2005-09-18

I loved this book! It's very light, silly, punny fun. (If you like Piers Anthony, you'll be into this.) All my favorite rock stars were there...... Jim Morrison, Ted Nugent, Axl Rose, and more. (However, as one review here says, the editing and printing job is not that good...... but...... the tarot card illustrations inside are way cool......) It's not gonna win the Pulitzer, but Rock & Roll Fantasy is a fun book and actually I've never seen another book like it. I reccommend it to fans of light and comedic fantasy, or fans of classic rock.

Very disappointing!.......2005-04-20

Being a fan of both classic rock 'n roll and of fantasy literature, the title, concept, and artist reviews instantly drew me to this book and I had high hopes for a greatly entertaining adventure.

Instead, it left me bored and hoping for a quick ending.
The "Alice in Wonderland" vignette style indeed left me wondering chapter by chapter where this was all heading and whether there were any true connections between characters and adventures aside from a lone interactor, the narrator.

The rock 'n roll references, for me, were of two types: 1) blatantly obvious, yet I was hit over the head again and again within a chapter with references to the real-world performer/album/lyric (to the point that I inwardly screamed "I get it! Enough already!") - all the subtlety of a sledgehammer; or 2) completely over my head because the analog must have been a performer/band that I don't like. Type 1 rapidly went from "Ah-ha!" to "Stop it while I look for the plot!," while Type 2 just led to a boring chapter with a lot of head scratching. Too many descriptive references seemed to be thrown in for their own unnecessary sake, just because they were cool lyric lines.
It was all pulled together in the end in too-obvious fashion - lesson learned, thanks, story over.

Regarding the disasterous editing - perhaps it was a specific edition or printing, but there were at least a dozen cases spread throughout the book where a sentence was truncated - it would start, and then either words would be skipped in the middle, or the end would be chopped off before the next sentence. These numerous derailments made reading disjointed and difficult. There were also word spacing errors, but few if any other proofreading issues.

Trippin'.......2003-06-12

I'm not into rock music, but the "Alice in Wonderland" comparison from another reviewer peeked my interest. I completely loved this book - I was laughing so hard I cried. Rock N Roll Fantasy made me feel good and it was a nice break from the heavy stuff I usually choose to read. If you want to have a little fun and entertainment (with some substance, too), then I can't recommend this book enough.

Troll Bridge: A Rock 'n' Roll Fairy Tale

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Troll Bridge: A Rock 'n' Roll Fairy Tale
Jane Yolen , and Adam Stemple
Manufacturer: Starscape
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0765352842
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Book Description

A wicked adventure—or deadly…trollble

For sixteen-year-old harpist prodigy Moira, the annual Dairy Princess event in Vanderby is just another lame publicity “op.” Moira a dairy princess? Get real. Twelve girls have been selected to have their likeness carved in butter and displayed on the Trollholm Bridge. It’s a Vanderby State Fair tradition that has been going on for, like, ever.As far as Moira is concerned, the sooner it’s over with the butter—er—better.

About the same time and not far away, three brothers—members of the sensationally popular teen boy band The Griffsons—are in the middle of a much needed road trip to relax from the pressures of their latest tour.

In a flash, however, the kids are suddenly transported to a strange and mystical wilderness where they find themselves in the middle of a deadly tug-of-war struggle between a magical fox named Fossegrim and the monstrous troll Aenmarr of Austraegir. At the heart of the feud is a battle for possession of a mysterious magical fiddle--and an ancient compact between Trollholm and the outer world.

Whatever. All Moira cares about is that eleven of her fellow princesses have been enchanted into a slumber and Moira needs to figure out a way to awaken them…and get home.

Unfortunately for Moira and the Griffsons, nothing in Trollholm is as it seems. Finding a way out of Trollholm may be a lot more difficult than they think.

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