Book excerpt: "London, 1599. Shakespeare's 'Henry V' opens the Globe Playhouse, but while the actors strut and fret, an excess of bile plagues the populace outside. After the opening of his newest play, William Shakespeare must once again defend his work--fending off the embittered clown Will Kemp while trying to appease Francis Bacon, a wealthy lawyer who has come with an idea to pitch. But when the company's costumer is bitten by a plague-ridden madman, and the Queen and her men arrive seeking safety, life in the playhouse takes a turn for the worse. As the affliction spreads through London, the Globe is placed in quarantine and the survivors within must fight for their lives. Can they escape? Is there a cure? Is artistic integrity ever worth dying for? A true and accurate account of the Elizabethan zombie plague"--P. [4] of cover.