Shakespeare never had to worry about being reviewed by zines, but today's authors of derivative works do.

I was really excited when I read the premise of Something Rotten by Alan Gratz -- a modern day Hamlet set in Denmark, Tennessee. Horatio Wilkes comes to stay with Hamilton Prince's family for the summer, despite the recent death of Hamilton's father and the quick remarriage of Hamilton's mother to his Uncle. When Hamilton is shown a security tape from his father's paper plant, he is convinced that his Uncle Claude is a murderer.  As they gather evidence against Claude, Hamilton and Horatio learn that going to the local police is not an option.  And when Hamilton's life is threatened, Horatio realizes he is the only one who can save his friend.

Olivia Mendelsohn, a young environmentalist, is a cool twist on Ophelia, who adds an element of romance as well as an insight into Hamilton's psyche.  While I loved the character of Olivia though, it was hard to like the character of Horatio. His internal monologue and dialogue weren't especially funny at times, and grating at worst.  At some points, it also felt like Horatio was a little too aware of his character -- almost as if Gratz's Horatio was playing a caricature of Hamlet.  Though since the other characters felt more three-dimensional, I hesitate to believe the caricature is deliberate. 

Despite the eye catching packaging and the promising premise, I would give this a 3.5 out of 5.