Review by Booklist Review
Son of goddess Calliope and human king of Thrace, Orpheus lives a privileged but lonely life devoted to music until he meets the beautiful Eurydice. Blissfully happy, the couple wed, but Eurydice immediately falls victim to a lethal snake bite. Unable to continue living after her death, Orpheus travels to the land of the dead to find Eurydice. But the frailties of human nature are no match for Hades' terms for her spirit's release from the underworld. Full-page illustrations and simple text render Orpheus' story in picture-book style, but the dialogue is delivered in comics-style text balloons, bringing energy into the frequently expressionless characters. Though the subdued palette and static depictions belie the myth's tension and won't ensnare action-oriented readers, this nonetheless offers a highly accessible retelling with broad appeal. Pronunciation guides, an illustrated index, character summaries, and further resources are included. While not as dynamic as George O'Connor's Olympians series, this will be a fine addition to school and public libraries.--Hayes, Summer Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8-When his wife dies, Orpheus, a musician who can enthrall anyone and anything, enters the Underworld to ask for her return. He succeeds, only to be defeated by his own doubt. Orpheus's tale is a tragic one, and although the author does not censor it, instead leaving it open for discussion, he does select his words carefully. The story covers Orpheus's lifespan but omits his time with the Argonauts, providing only elements relevant to the Underworld portion of his tale. Only one pertinent detail is missing: the Maenad, female followers of Dionysus, killed Orpheus-not random women. Additional notes and resources are in the back; however, there are minor errors, such as calling Zeus's father by his Roman name, Saturn, when the Greek name Cronos is used elsewhere. This is a simplified graphic novel with at most a few scenes per page, short dialogue bubbles, and some sound effects to supplement the narrated text. Those new to the format will have no problems navigating it. Soft lines and misty colors create an atmosphere of lore. Back matter includes playing card-style boxes features additional information about some of the main characters; an illustrated index organizes all characters by name and includes brief biographies of each. VERDICT A useful text to include in a lesson.-Rachel Forbes, Oakville Public Library, Ontario, Canada © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This French import offers a straightforward retelling of the familiar Greek myth in graphic-novel form. While the translated text is undistinguished, the comics-style art is effective. The page design is more open than typical American comics, with single- and double-page spreads in addition to panel illustrations. An illustrated index provides useful background on the people and places mentioned in the story. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
This spare, graphic retelling of the myth features illustrations that underscore its pervasive sadness.Not that the story's tragic events sit heavily on this rendition. In Pommaux's neoclassical-style drawings, slender, pale Orpheus looks so fetchingly ethereal it's no wonder that when he plays for the ladies, one sighs: "He's so dreamy." Arbitrarily right-handed in some scenes and left-handed in others, he produces musicrepresented by odd airborne flurries of dots and hinky abstract symbolsfrom a lyre with a turtle-shell soundbox that likewise switches sides on occasion. When Eurydice, fending off a grabby wedding guest, is fatally bitten by a snake, Orpheus cuts a wrenchingly lonely figure as he makes his way to Hades' eerie otherworldly realm in an almost successful effort to bring his love back to life. Later, after he is dismembered by incensed female groupies ("Get over her already"), his still-singing head and other parts (unillustrated, unfortunately) are gathered for burial by the Muses. In an apparent effort to keep it from competing with the art for attention, the text is printed in widely spaced blocks of microscopic type, with obtrusive asterisks that accompany the first iterations of every proper name throughout. Both a final spread of "character cards" and the index include explanatory annotations about the tale's mortals, immortals, and locales.Though it's well-stocked with context-building features, the tale's flippant dialogue and inconsistent visual details sound discordant notes. (map, bibliography). (Graphic mythology. 10-13) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
