Blackwood employs Widge as the narrator of the tale, a device that allows the main character and the reader (who like Widge has probably just been introduced to Elizabethan London) to look at the city through fresh, eager eyes. Sensory details abound, including the voices on the streets, the dankness of misty days, and the stench in the air.

Widge speaks in a Yorkshire accent. His words such as '"a" for "he" and "wis" for "think" might be off-putting for young readers. Some readers might find the dialect as challenging to break as the charactery code that Widge has learned. The Yorkshire words are defined in the text, so the careful reader should have no trouble figuring out what Widge is saying.

Blackwood places historical figures in his novel as well. Appearances by William Shakespeare and actors Richard Burbage, John Heminges, and others add authenticity...