''Miranda in Milan'' is a 2019

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

, the debut novella by Katharine Duckett. It is a modern-day sequel to '' The Tempest'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, and imagines the events which occur after the end of the original play. It won the 2020

Golden Crown Literary Society The Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS) is an American non-profit organization established in February 2004 as a literary and educational organization for the study, discussion, enjoyment, and enhancement of Lesbian literature. In 2020, in order ...

award for Science Fiction/Fantasy.

Plot

After the events of ''The Tempest'', Miranda does not marry Ferdinand as planned. Instead, she returns to

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

with

Prospero Prospero ( ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''. Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, whose usurping brother, Antonio, had put him (with his three-year-old daughter, Miranda) to sea ...

, who has regained his position as duke. She is shunned by the castle staff; her only friend is the servant Dorothea, a

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...

witch, with whom she soon begins a romantic relationship. Miranda learns that Prospero has not given up his magic as he previously promised. Desperate to learn why she is being shunned and about the circumstances of Prospero's fall from grace, Dorothea and Miranda use magic to invade the memories of a castle staff member. Miranda learns that after the death of her mother Beatrice, Prospero used his magic to resurrect her. This led a horrified Antonio to stage a coup against his brother. When Miranda learns that Antonio is being held prisoner in the castle, she and Dorothea attempt to rescue him and stage another coup. Prospero catches them, but is confronted by the reanimated corpse of his wife, who has been living beneath the castle. Prospero is then killed by his brother. Miranda chooses to reject her arranged marriage with Ferdinand. She, Dorothea, and Beatrice return to the magical island where she was raised.

Themes

The novella explores the ways in which imposing one's views on others can be destructive. Prospero claims that he has a right to rule over Sycorax and Caliban because he is "civilized". Meanwhile, Dorothea is forced to change her name from the original Duriya in order to fit into European civilization. The novella has been described as

postcolonialist Postcolonialism is the critical academic study of the cultural, political and economic legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the impact of human control and exploitation of colonized people and their lands. More specifically, it is a ...

Reception

The novella received mixed reviews from critics.

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

gave a positive review, praising the way in which Miranda was transformed from a secondary character into a fully-realized heroine. The Lambda Literary Foundation praised the novel's lesbian romance, calling it "

femslash Femslash (also known as "f/f slash", "f/f", "femmeslash", "altfic" and "sapphic") is a subgenre of slash fan fiction which focuses on romantic and/or sexual relationships between female fictional characters. Characteristics Typically, chara ...

for Shakespeare." They also praised Prospero's characterization, calling him "utterly believable". A Locus Magazine review praised the novel's "crisp prose" and complex themes. NPR wrote a mixed review which called the debut "solid", praising its treatment of women and the believability of the novella's original characters. However, the same review criticized the way in which Ferdinand is written out of the story, as well as the way in which Caliban's attempted rape of Miranda is "handwave away". Publishers Weekly criticized the power differential inherent in Miranda's and Dorothea's romance, feeling that it undermined the novella's

themes. Kirkus Reviews considered the novel to have a "promising premise", but overall faulted Duckett's "characters holack depth" and "pedestrian language". The novella won the 2020

award for Science Fiction/Fantasy, tying with three other works.

References

{{reflist 2010s LGBT novels 2019 LGBT-related literary works LGBT speculative fiction novels Tor Books books Novels based on The Tempest Novels set in Milan