Set far off in the future, a company by the name of Elsinore is set to take over the market on mass produced androids with artificial intelligence. However, the ghost of robots pass has other plans in this re-imagining of William Shakespeare's "Hamlet".
I love Shakespeare re-tellings! It is a fantastic way for people to enjoy the genius that is William Shakespeare when the original format might not be their cup of tea. Today, I have developed a taste for the classics, but back in high school I was all about the sci-fi vibes, this book would have been perfect for teenage me. Which leads me to believe that it will also be perfect for teens passing through my library on a regular basis.
The plot remains true to the original form, so for hardcore fans of The Bard there is plenty of easter eggs to the original show. BUT! Wehm has reworked Hamlet into an entirely new flavour. For people first meeting the Bard and his works, it will capture their attention with fancy robots and the future, while showing them the classic masterpiece that is Hamlet.

This scene-by-scene retelling of Hamlet set in a tech firm specializing in AI and its use in androids is a fun twist on a classic. There’s nothing ground-breaking, but for those who love the moral complexities of the modern technological world and Shakespeare, you won’t find anything better.

[Blurb goes here]

In an undefined future, two companies fight for supremacy on the android market. This is the story of one such company, Elsinore Robotics. They've created various android models with true AI, that have the capacity to experience human feelings.

The once King of Robots–a name earned after defeating a bot from a rival company,–Hamlet V.1, falls victim to malware, but not before the android could send part of his code to roam inside the business' servers. Code that could reveal the one responsible for his "death". Enter Hamlet V.2, an android plagued by sadness an uncertainty at the lost of his previous version. V.2 will soon find out that the pieces of code are meant for him.

It's time for Hamlet V.2 to exact his revenge on the ones responsible for the King of Robot's demise.

A new take on Shakespeare's tragedy, with touchy-feely androids. That's when the author lost me. The book's setting, at first, seemed intriguing enough, but soon turned pedestrian, specially when, from the start, you'll realize that these androids act exactly like humans do. Everything about their conduct is carefully explained, mind you, but to no avail. Even when some of their attributes hint at advanced robotics (twice maybe trice in the story): it's impossible to think of them as other than slightly augmented humans.

What happens when a human (witnesses, and all,) kills another human being? Think about it. What should happen, then, when an android—be it by accident or design—does the same thing? Not what you might expect: "He killed a guy! Let's deactivate him right now! No, wait, maybe tonight. How about tomorrow? You know what, no biggie...let us observe him to find out what the problem might be."

The absurdity of it all, is not lost on the reader. Written in beautiful prose, with fleshed out characters, this is a story that looses all credibility after going through the first few pages. This coming from me, a person who enjoys horror, the supernatural, Sci-Fi...

While I liked the book, nothing in it is remotely believable. I found it next to impossible to immerse myself in the story.

Thank you for the advanced copy!

A new spin on Hamlet in a world of androids and technology. I really enjoyed this Novella! It stayed true to the original story (for the most parts) with great updates for the android world. I also loved the hamlet/horatio love story, and just the cleverness of it all.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Free eARC provided by NetGalley!
A lovely retelling of Hamlet. This was a quick read and I enjoyed every minute. The setting and AI characters were a nice spin on the classic tale, and I would recommend this to Shakespeare and SciFi fans alike.

Hamlet, Prince of Robots was a brief but fun read. I was impressed with how well the author translated the story into the world of robotics and computing; it worked perfectly right from the first scene in the server room. Although it remains a tragic tale, the migration of the story into this new world also brought a smile to my face a number of times as I waited to see how each scene would be adjusted. If you are a fan of Shakespeare and Shakespeare retellings, this version of Hamlet is definitely worth checking out. It gets 4 stars from me.