The Kings
FICTION
360 Pages, 6 x 9
Trade Paper, $18.95 (US $18.95) (CA $24.95)
Publication Date: October 2025
ISBN 9781646300266
Rights: WOR
Level 4 Press, Inc. (Oct 2025)
An unlikely hero emerges.
The fifth book in this series of reimagined Shakespeare plays is set in a near-future America that is quickly descending into chaos.
With the global pandemic started by Richard in Book Four decimating most of the population and large swaths of the country becoming completely lawless, Secret Service agent Henry Bolingbroke has a quality few others possess, and even fewer want—loyalty. Unquestioning loyalty to his new president, Jane Ricardo, and deep, profound loyalty to his wife and 12-year-old son, Hal.
But these loyalties will clash when a ruthless former cartel leader begins to consolidate outlaw groups from across the country into a Mad Max-like army that descends on Washington. Henry must choose whether to abandon his post to protect his family or stay true to his increasingly mercurial and vengeful president—a choice that will haunt him for the rest of his life.
Retreating with what’s left of the federal government to the alternate command center located deep in the mountains outside of Colorado Springs, Henry, now the president’s only confidant as her behavior grows increasingly erratic, must rally a broken people to stand up to Luis’s powerful army.
But defeating Luis will force Henry to make a sacrifice those closest to him may never forgive him for.
"Intsense from beginging to end...excited for more to come." - Advanced Reviewer
Fans of Shakespear#&160;and Mad Max#&160;will love this modern adaptation.#&160;
Henri Marotz is an award-winning playwright and author. He enjoys taking inspiration from the classics—including Shakespeare—updating and retelling stories in modern contexts while retaining the core truths that underpin the originals.
Pulling from works including Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, and The Tempest, as well as works by notables such as Ibsen and#&160;Euripides, Marotz finds the "inner core of universal truth" in these classics and brings that truth to a new setting for a modern audience.