Olympians

Starred review from March 1, 2013

Gr 6 Up-O'Connor's dramatic first-person interpretation of Poseidon's story will both fascinate readers and generate some empathy for this god who was more feared than loved. The illustrations are colorful, eye-catching, and filled with life. The artist's visual and stylistic choices in breaking up the panels to illustrate Theseus and the Minotaur inside the labyrinth are especially delightful. Poseidon's tale is the story of a dysfunctional family with a large number of monstrous children, and this book will send readers scrambling for the closest copy of Edith Hamilton's Mythology to read more about the other characters mentioned. Luckily, O'Connor includes an Olympian family tree and lists of recommended books and websites to help readers delve further into their stories. This is a compelling page-turner for readers unfamiliar with the myths as well as for kids who love mythology but would like to see it brought to life in a new way.-Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2013
Grades 6-9 The fifth volume of the Olympians series hits the sea to cover a god who, O'Connor admits in his author's note, is a hard god to get to know . . . often playing a pretty substantial role, but he's always distant, remote. Fortunately, Poseidon figures heavily in some of the chestnuts of Greek myth, like the belabored trip home of Odysseus and Theseus' clash with the Minotaur, both handled with O'Connor's blend of bombastic action, deft plotting, thoughtful characterization, and killer artwork. Not even halfway through the planned 13 volumes, and this series is already becoming an indispensable synthesis of Greek myth.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2013
The Greek god of the sea is the focus of this graphic novel. A variety of stories are presented about Poseidon and his monstrous progeny, such as Cyclops Polyphemus's run-in with Odysseus. Like previous books in the series, the modern, action-packed graphic storytelling lends accessibility to the mythology. The author's notes and character profiles provide additional information. Reading list. Bib.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2013
The sea god steps up to tell his own side of the story in O'Connor's latest, and least coherent, Olympian portrait. Sporting a Fu Manchu mustache and rippling thews that would put Conan the Barbarian (never mind Hercules) to shame, the blue-skinned narrator also outdoes even the Dark Knight for grim, hulking presence. A natural storyteller he is not, though, opening his grab bag of reminiscences with the aftermath of the war with the Titans. He relates the gory encounters of Odysseus with Polyphemus and Theseus (portrayed as a thoroughgoing villain) with the Minotaur in support of his half-proud observation that "my children have always tended to be monstrous." He goes on to tally defeats he has suffered at the hands of Athena and his other Olympian relatives, then closes by flashing back to a vague, abortive rebellion against Zeus and, further back yet, to horsey dreams after being eaten by his father Kronos. Jumbled as the overall plot may be, the immediate action is easy to follow in the crisply drawn sequential panels, and O'Connor's animated, well-researched closing notes help to clarify his scenery-chewing subject's nature and attributes. Not the best volume with which to start this first-rate series, but rousing reading for comics fans who like their heroes heavily muscled, unhappy and occasionally splashed with blood. (resource lists, Olympian family tree, study questions) (Graphic mythology. 8-14)

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