ebookreview | Entries tagged with series: olympians

Hades: Lord of the Dead by George O'Connor

Series:
Olympians #4

Genre:
Graphic Novels, Greek Mythology, Mythology, Hades and Persephone, Young Adult, Middle Grade/Children, Comics, Retellings, Folklore, Fantasy, Ancient Greece, Book Series, Fairytales, Historical Fiction, Magic, Supernatural, Paranormal

Publication Date:
January 31, 2012

Pages Numbers:
77

Read Date:
May 23rd, 2024

Date Finished:
May 23rd, 2024

Rating:
4.5/5

Blurb:

Nothing ever changes in the land of the dead.

Deep in this hidden Kingdom beneath the earth, countless spirits await the end of time. Hades, the lord of this dire realm, Waits with them... until one day, the Lord of the Dead takes a wife. Or tries to, anyway.

And then all Hades breaks loose.

Review:

One of the Big Three Olympian Gods, Hades drew the lot of the Underworld where he ruled. He oversaw the inner workings of his world but he was not the God of Death as many believe him to be. That would belong to another god but we are not here to discuss him.

The realm of Hades is glimpsed at the beginning of the graphic novel where we learn of those who have disrespected the Gods and their fates in the Underworld from Sisyphus's punishment of rolling a boulder up a hill to the fiery wheel which held Ixion bound.

Here we find the version of the Persephone myth. A young woman controlled by her mother who would shoo off other Gods who found an interest in her daughter. While away from her mother and lured to a beautiful flower, Kore is snatched from the world above and taken down into the Underworld where she finds herself now in the hands of a husband not of her choosing, but Hades is patient with her and gives her the space needed. Kore learns of her husband's world, changes her name to Persephone, and eats the six seeds of the pomegranate that will tie her to her husband's world for six months out of the year.

There have been so many tales of the Hades and Persephone myth. Most of them are unable to agree with the intake of the seeds - be it three or six. I like the relationship between Hades and Persephone. While he doesn't give her a chance because he has taken her, he does show her his world and allows her to see it through his own eyes. You don't see a relationship like this with the other Greek Gods.

The only thing I was not a fan of was goth Persephone. I don't know but it didn't fit her. It may do so while she is in the Underworld but I could not see her prior to her kidnapping. It just didn't match her.

Otherwise, I recommend this to many parents who are looking to introduce their children to mythology. These are a great way to do so.