Customer Reviews

Odysseus in the Serpent Maze (Young Heroes)

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When you think of Odysseus, you think of the big wooden horse, lots of blood and mayhem, and a mild-mannered Penelope who assumes that her suitors are as dumb as she is. But you may not see him (or her) quite the same way after reading this book. It's a fun romp for kids, and may also be for adults with knowledge of Greek mythos.

Thirteen-year-old Odysseus and his best friend Mentor want to be heroes (actually, Odysseus wants to be a hero, and Mentor tags along) at the home of Odysseus's thief-king grandfather. After a partially successful hunt in which they help stop a monstrous boar, the boys are sent home across the sea -- except a storm washes them overboard, and leaves them stranded in a box in the middle of the ocean.

After they are captured by pirates, the boys find that they are not the only captives. There are a pair of princesses, the incredibly beautiful (but spoiled, petty and self-absorbed) Helen, and the less beautiful but clever Penelope. With the help of an incredibly smelly satyr and a self-rowing ship, Odysseus and his friends escape. But they inadvertantly stumble into more places full of things and creatures both astounding -- and terrifying.

This is a pretty fun read. It's a coming-of-age story/adventure story/mythological story, that takes up mythical threads and adds on to them as it skilfully shows the growth of the characters. The things such as Daedalus's lab and the boat that rows itself are done with exquisite atmosphere, as is the boar hunt and the semi-humiliating scenes that follow. Comedy, horror, adventure, and occasional awe are mixed in expertly.

Odysseus is reminiscent of Lloyd Alexander's Taran, with his brash eagerness to be a hero and a man among men, and his gradual maturation when he has to deal with actual danger. There's a good chemistry between him and Penelope; though it's not yet romantic, it's one of mutual respect and understanding which hints at their future relationship. Mentor is good as the voice of reason (except when Helen addles his mind) and Helen is great as a spoiled royal brat who thinks of her looks, suitors, and status as a princess. You WILL want to strangle her.

If your kids have ever enjoyed Greek legends, or if you're trying to interest them, this historical/mythical fantasy may be the ticket.

We all know Odysseus through Homer's epic rendition of his adventures, but this is a rollicking portrait of the hero as a very young man. In this absolute romp of a book we meet the future hero and crafty warrior in his early years, exploring the meaning of courage and loyalty, fighting most wonderful monsters, dealing with the gods of Greek mythology and with other characters from his own story. These secondary characters are as well-drawn as our hero himself, and Penelope gets to be a heroine in her own right, to my own personal satisfaction. The portrait of the other 'female lead' is absolutely classic and her signature phrase is a complete delight, the response to which the authors have nobly refrained from posing... but I refuse to spoil the surprise!

Odysseus in the Serpent Maze is terrific, page-turning fun, beautifully imagined by the ever-splendid Jane Yolen and her marvellous co-author Robert J. Harris. This team, who wrote The Queen's Own Fool (a highly-original tale revolving around Mary Queen of Scots), have now turned to Greek legend and have done a truly fine job. The sheer cleverness of the plot twists and turns never gets in the way of a really good story. The brief epilogue also, painlessly, helps younger readers sort the fact from the fiction.

One gets the impression that this is the first in a series, presumably entitled Young Heroes - at least I certainly hope so. Well done, Yolen and Harris, and the more Young Heros the better!

I'm homeschooling my third grade daughter and have been having a hard time finding quality fiction about ancient history that is also appropriate for her reading level. This book has turned out to be perfect for my purposes. Yolen creates a fiction based on Odysseus' youth, but makes frequent references to classical tales and myths. Yolen cleverly includes Penelope and Helen of Sparta (later, of course Helen of Troy) as girls, so the reader gets a charming fiction about how Odysseus and his future wife meet. My daughter is enjoying the story and I find myself getting caught up in the suspense. A true test of a children's book is that it is interesting to adults, which this book is.

Some 3000 years ago, Greek poet Homer wrote two epic stories, the Iliad and the Odyssey. Together, these works told of the Trojan War, Helen of Troy, the Trojan Horse, and the 10-year journey of King Odysseus to get back home to Ithaca after the war. The epics also introduced Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, and told how she kept faithful to her husband while he was gone, even when 108 suitors --- assuming that Odysseus was dead --- fought for her hand in marriage. Well, even heroes were kids once, and ODYSSEUS IN THE SERPENT MAZE tells about Odysseus, Penelope, Helen, and many of Homer's other writing subjects when they were children.

All that we know of Odysseus comes from Homer's two stories and from some Greek folk tales. Authors Yolen and Harris built on what we know by researching the time when Odysseus would have lived, and writing a story backwards from that. This new tale is full of fabulous derring-do, with pirates, monsters, and satyrs (half men, half goats). It's a children's version of the Odyssey, an imagined first heroic adventure for Odysseus.

Prince Odysseus, age 13, drags his reluctant friend Mentor along on a boar hunt after "borrowing" the king's spear. The boys manage to come back alive, but just barely, as the hunt is pretty hairy. And Mentor would like to think the adventuring is over. But Odysseus doesn't believe that the Age of Heroes is finished yet; he thinks there is still room for him to grow up to be a great hero himself. The gods seem to agree with Odysseus, because the two boys soon face another adventure that scares even Odysseus. They fall off a ship, get picked up by pirates, meet up with Silenus (a smelly old satyr) find the magic workshop of the inventor, Daedalus, and get thrown into prison on the island of Crete. Then things start getting interesting.

Well, we know that all the children survive to grow up for more adventures, but how? And where does the serpent maze come in? You'll want to read this book to find out.

--- Reviewed by Tamara Penny

This book is about teenage Odysseus, who longs to be a hero so he can prove that he isn't a child anymore or something like that. After being badly wounded by a wild boar on a visit with his theif of a grandfather, Odysseus is sent home on a ship full of treasures. However, in the middle of the ocean, Odysseus and his best friend Mentor fall overboard the ship and are stranded in the middle of the deep, dark sea. They run into pirates and sort of outsmart them, but not enough to keep them from throwing Odysseus overboard. But before Odysseus gets thrown into the sea again, the two of them breifly meet two princesses who were being held captive on the ship. There is Helen, who is a stuck-up, two-faced brat who only thinks about her looks. The other is sensible, brave, and I-don't-care-if-I-get-my-dress-dirty Penelope. Though not as gorgeous as Helen, Odysseus reveals later in the story that he thinks Penelope is the beautiful one. All of them, (Mentor,Odysseus,Helen,and Penelope)with the help of an incredibly smelly satyr, end up on a terrifying and fascinating journey that they will never forget. Facing half-woman, half-bird creatures, a cruel army, a ferocious metal dog, a rockslide, and the terrifying many-headed snake in the serpent maze itself,all of them encounter terrrifying,emotional,hopeful,and hopeless moments that bring them all into a strange bond of friendship. If you like Odysseus in the Serpent Maze, you will certainly like Hippolyta and the Curse of the Amazons, and Atalanta and the Arcadian Beast. Have fun reading these enchanting books!

I picked this book up while in search of something about heroes for children. Odysseus fits the bill, but with reservations. He wants to be a hero, but feels that all the wars have been fought, all the monsters slain and all the glory gone. He is so wrong, as he finds out on his adventures with his best friend. Pirate ships, sea rescues, strange creatures, hand to hand combat and a deathly maze are among the surprises that await him as he sails back home after a visit with his grandfather. The action never lags and Odysseus struggles with being afraid and doing what needs to be done anyway. There is also a strong female character in Penelope, a handmaiden for a kidnapped princess, that Odysseus and his friend meet. It is fast paced and filled with adventure. It's not easy being a hero, but Odysseus and friends come through time and again.

This is a delightful and thrilling story for children about Odysseus, Penelope and Helen's adventures as youngsters. Although completely improbable, it is nontheless a wonderful story, wonderfully told, with realistic characters. I got this at the library to read to my 6 year old and he has been enchanted by it (he loves myths). We are buying our own copy for him to read when he is old enough, as well as copies of the other books in this series.

Highly recommended.

Such a wonderful introduction to Odysseus for young readers...this is a lively, fast paced, slightly outlandish accounting of the young Odysseus (and his cautious friend Mentor, the young and extremely spoiled Helen, and the practical and quite heroic on her own Penelope). I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, but I was glad to discover that it's not some campy over the top rendition of "young" insert hero here (think that Disney show about young Heracles going to school, ick). Odysseus, at the age of 13 already has some of his most notable faults (brashness, outlandish fibs/lies/embellishments, and an unquenchable desire for glory).

As the story starts out, Odysseus drags the much more cautious Mentor on a boar hunt that goes wrong, from there he is shortly hurled into an adventure in the making on what should have been a short trip home...he's summarily tossed overboard, deals with pirates, rescues the damsels in distress (however reluctantly), makes a friend in Silenus the Satyr, discovers something about Dadelus, and so much more! Ultimately will he be able to return home? Will he rescue Penelope and Helen or will Penelope rescue him? You simply must read this to find out.

I really did enjoy this one even as an adult...it's a little bit too early for my girl to read this, but soon enough, she'll be old enough to appreciate the intricacies of the story...and it really is a fast paced, page turning adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat...there are many adult books that can't boast that, so that's quite nice to see in a children's/young adult novel! I think this is best read by kids somewhere between the ages of 8-12, with somewhere around 9 or 10 being ideal, depending on your child's reading ability. I also think it will appeal equally to boys or girls because while Helen is a prissy, girly girl,Penelope is no slouch and she's every bit as heroic as Odysseus!! Best of all, this isn't some watered down, diluted sugar sweet story...it's the real deal! There is real danger (Odysseus is beat to heck by the end of it) and real perilous adventure...and there is so much more. I recommend it without hesitation, I think it's an excellent resource for introducing Greek mythology and the heroes/characters behind the Iliad/Odyssey...it would be a great help there and just a fun read overall! It gets a big A+ from me! I loved it and I know my Girl will too when she reads it next school year!

The reason I like this book is because it has a lot of information, adventure, and mystery. I think that if somebody who liked action with snakes, swords, spears, and ships then I think they should read this book. I think that this would be a good book that someone would want to read. Also if the person likes some battles between pirates and people then I think some people need to read this book.

Back in the time when the powerful,greek gods ruled and the evil gorgons who served Saiton exsisted there lived a young boy named Odysseus and soon he found a princess named Penelope. They went on countless adventures against pirates, gorgons, giants, and the giant hundred headed snak. Will Odysseus save the city or fale them or the world? To find out you should read this book. This book will frightin you, inspire you, and tak your mind strait into this action packed book. There are other "Young Hero" books with just as much dangr and action. So if I were you I'd get those books as fast as I can so hurry! This book inspires me because it has creatures and hero's I never heard of.