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rjdenney's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very fun & short read. Book thoughts to come...
tracyk22's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent for reluctant readers. Also good for kids who want to read the Percy Jackson series but aren't quite ready for it yet. This book is shorter and easier. 4th grade.
alwroteabook's review against another edition
4.0
A fun mythology-fantasy mash for kids around the 10 mark. Likeable characters and bad guys galore, and I like that the Lyre of Orpheus is the "weapon" of choice instead of an actual weapon.
djinnia's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun read where the action did not stop.
I think this would be a great way to introduce mythology into a child's life. Not only Greek mythology. There was Norse as well. Plus, there will be other cultures in later books.
I think this would be a great way to introduce mythology into a child's life. Not only Greek mythology. There was Norse as well. Plus, there will be other cultures in later books.
libbydmccarthy's review against another edition
5.0
My 4.5 and 6.5 year olds LOVED listening to me read this out loud. They made me finish the whole thing in 2 sessions (whereas I'd normally read 1 chapter at a time and there are about 10)
It's a nice intro to mythology for very young kids. The protagonists are in about 4th-ish grade, so probably it's intended to be read by 8 year olds, but clearly younger kids would enjoy it. We will definitely be reading the others in the series.
It's a nice intro to mythology for very young kids. The protagonists are in about 4th-ish grade, so probably it's intended to be read by 8 year olds, but clearly younger kids would enjoy it. We will definitely be reading the others in the series.
dark_reader's review
1.0
This is a review of the entire Underworlds 4-book series by Tony Abbott (The Battle Begins, When Monsters Escape, Revenge of the Scorpion King, and The Ice Dragon).
Out of a persistent interest to explore some juvenile fantasy with the goal of identifying books to encourage my children to try as they age, I hit my local library's J-SF/F section and thought that I might as well start alphabetically by author. This is my sole reason for reading these at this time.
These books are... not good, right? In fairness, I am far and away not the intended audience and I am not entirely clear what age group would be ideal; perhaps ages 7 to 10? Perhaps even younger for an advanced early reader, certainly no older than 10. Now, there is writing for a very young audience, and there is writing for a very undiscerning audience. There is a lot of overlap between the two (I shudder to think of some of the drivel that I enjoyed at the time in my youth), but I fear that this book leans much towards the latter. Based on his biography, Tony Abbott has an impressive-sounding academic background in literature and writing. His Secrets of Droon series (which I have not read at all) was very popular (and long). I was hoping to find that this would translate into something interesting targeted to young minds, but instead it feels to me like he merely churned out some fodder to pull a paycheque from his publisher. After all, 'mythology' has been hot in children's publishing for some years now, if the Percy Jackson series and numerous spinoffs and copycats are any indication.
Here is my litany of specific complaints about these books:
-The protagonists are named Owen, Jon, Sydney and Dana. Can you imaging a whiter-sounding bunch of kids? And yes, they live in a bland suburban town. Two of these four (Jon and Sydney) are almost exclusively tag-along characters; they do virtually nothing for the final two books; Jon's sole role is to exclaim variations on "Yep, we're boned" throughout the series. Sydney had a cell phone that worked a little bit, sometimes, to find some information on the internet initially, but since they don't have service in the underworlds, so much for her after book 2. I don't see what is offered to allow the reader to connect or identify with any of the four.
-The magic artifacts that the kids discover have no real definition to their abilities. (MINOR SPOILERS). Orpheus' Lyre can do basically anything imaginable, from influencing minds to moving solid objects, but is easily overcome if the target can cover their ears (or, like one giant enemy, is just too big to hear it). It also required that the user call "cover your ears" to his allies before playing it, but this did not prevent them from carrying on conversations, and this caution was abandoned in the later books. A certain magical gauntlet could both fire energy blasts, and also generate and control chains out of thin air (???). No sense applied here.
-Enemies prove incredibly easy to overcome or evade; one must be entirely undiscerning to believe that there is any real threat.
-Each volume in the series in properly only a chapter in a single book. This can be attributed to the very young intended audience, I suppose, with the thin volumes, double-spaced print, and single-sentence paragraphs. I will be charitable and offer that if it lets a kid enjoy reading, short and sparse is just fine.
The one redeeming thought that I have, is that if this series sparks or feeds a young interest in mythology in any reader, it is worthwhile. I myself was fascinated by this subject area at a young age (so much so that I stole two books of Greek and Roman mythology from my elementary school library - sorry!). On the other hand, I feel that this series makes such poor use of the subject material as to possibly be insulting.
Who knows, maybe a 6- or 7-year-old would find these books absolutely thrilling and captivating and prove that I am talking out of my ass.
Out of a persistent interest to explore some juvenile fantasy with the goal of identifying books to encourage my children to try as they age, I hit my local library's J-SF/F section and thought that I might as well start alphabetically by author. This is my sole reason for reading these at this time.
These books are... not good, right? In fairness, I am far and away not the intended audience and I am not entirely clear what age group would be ideal; perhaps ages 7 to 10? Perhaps even younger for an advanced early reader, certainly no older than 10. Now, there is writing for a very young audience, and there is writing for a very undiscerning audience. There is a lot of overlap between the two (I shudder to think of some of the drivel that I enjoyed at the time in my youth), but I fear that this book leans much towards the latter. Based on his biography, Tony Abbott has an impressive-sounding academic background in literature and writing. His Secrets of Droon series (which I have not read at all) was very popular (and long). I was hoping to find that this would translate into something interesting targeted to young minds, but instead it feels to me like he merely churned out some fodder to pull a paycheque from his publisher. After all, 'mythology' has been hot in children's publishing for some years now, if the Percy Jackson series and numerous spinoffs and copycats are any indication.
Here is my litany of specific complaints about these books:
-The protagonists are named Owen, Jon, Sydney and Dana. Can you imaging a whiter-sounding bunch of kids? And yes, they live in a bland suburban town. Two of these four (Jon and Sydney) are almost exclusively tag-along characters; they do virtually nothing for the final two books; Jon's sole role is to exclaim variations on "Yep, we're boned" throughout the series. Sydney had a cell phone that worked a little bit, sometimes, to find some information on the internet initially, but since they don't have service in the underworlds, so much for her after book 2. I don't see what is offered to allow the reader to connect or identify with any of the four.
-The magic artifacts that the kids discover have no real definition to their abilities. (MINOR SPOILERS). Orpheus' Lyre can do basically anything imaginable, from influencing minds to moving solid objects, but is easily overcome if the target can cover their ears (or, like one giant enemy, is just too big to hear it). It also required that the user call "cover your ears" to his allies before playing it, but this did not prevent them from carrying on conversations, and this caution was abandoned in the later books. A certain magical gauntlet could both fire energy blasts, and also generate and control chains out of thin air (???). No sense applied here.
-Enemies prove incredibly easy to overcome or evade; one must be entirely undiscerning to believe that there is any real threat.
-Each volume in the series in properly only a chapter in a single book. This can be attributed to the very young intended audience, I suppose, with the thin volumes, double-spaced print, and single-sentence paragraphs. I will be charitable and offer that if it lets a kid enjoy reading, short and sparse is just fine.
The one redeeming thought that I have, is that if this series sparks or feeds a young interest in mythology in any reader, it is worthwhile. I myself was fascinated by this subject area at a young age (so much so that I stole two books of Greek and Roman mythology from my elementary school library - sorry!). On the other hand, I feel that this series makes such poor use of the subject material as to possibly be insulting.
Who knows, maybe a 6- or 7-year-old would find these books absolutely thrilling and captivating and prove that I am talking out of my ass.
shinyfox's review
3.0
A relatively good book. Quick read with a good amount of suspense and a lot of problems and obstacles for the main characters to overcome in a short amount of time. Roughly talks about the overview of the world's mythos, including Norse, Greek, and Egyptian. This book was heavy on Greek and Norse.
sunshinegal's review
1.0
The dialogue is off, the fourth graders in this book act more like intensely responsible adults than fourth graders, and the constant sound effect words woven throughout are really annoying. I didn't finish this book for obvious reasons.
alwroteabook's review
4.0
A fun mythology-fantasy mash for kids around the 10 mark. Likeable characters and bad guys galore, and I like that the Lyre of Orpheus is the "weapon" of choice instead of an actual weapon.
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