Death and the Underworld

Legends #4

by Anthony Horowitz

When life is over, and the conflicted souls of the dead wend their weary way down to the underworld, what do they see? A three-headed dog with slavering jaws, a dark and foreboding river with a skeletal ferryman or simply darkness? Only the very brave or very foolish will venture down into the realm of the afterlife by choice, and they will seldom live to tell the tale . . .

Genres: Mythology, Young Adult, Childrens, Death

144 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2011

About the author

Anthony Horowitz, OBE is ranked alongside Enid Blyton and Mark A. Cooper as "The most original and best spy-kids authors of the century." (New York Times). Anthony has been writing since the age of eight, and professionally since the age of twenty. In addition to the highly successful Alex Rider books, he is also the writer and creator of award winning detective series Foyle’s War, and more recently event drama Collision, among his other television works he has written episodes for Poirot, Murder in Mind, Midsomer Murders and Murder Most Horrid. Anthony became patron to East Anglia Children’s Hospices in 2009.

On 19 January 2011, the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle announced that Horowitz was to be the writer of a new Sherlock Holmes novel, the first such effort to receive an official endorsement from them and to be entitled the House of Silk.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/anthon...

Reviews

[Liljay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was good.If you like reading about greek stories then this is the book you need to read! I love it because it captures how the people back then believed. The one that had the biggest impact to me was, when the witch put curse on the boy;but it actually was a blessing. Then he got killed from somebody thinking they a god. So its like don't fall for others just do what you like to do!!!

[Britt Meter · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

26/8/2023
Re read.. surprisingly I enjoyed the stories for the second time. My favourite one is Eurydice and Orpheus story and the underworld. But overall I enjoyed it

[Slow Man · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can read about the many imagined versions of the underworld of many cultures in this wonderfully written book by an author who is fast becoming one of my favourites. Of all the versions included in the book, I specially fond of The Seven Pomegranate Seeds of the Greek culture. The myth is very familiar and there is love, reasons and senses, just to name a few. I am very glad to have pulled this book randomly out of my wall of books that I have accumulated over the years. The Legend series, a stand-alone volume, is perfect for anyone who wanted a quick read or currently experiencing a reading slump because this will sure to get you out of it in no time.

[Emkoshka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been my favourite volume of the Legends series, mostly because it contains my most beloved Greek myth, the tragic love story of Orpheus and Eurydice. I can read this story over and over and never get tired of it; my heart always anticipates a happy ending to the story and is always shattered by the reality. But I go back to it again and again, for the pure romance, I think. What woman wouldn't swoon at a man who defies death and the underworld to save her? But actually, all the stories in this volume were top-notch; a really great read.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's a quick read. It's a compilation of stories about death and underworld. My favorites are definitely The death of Nornagest, The 7 pomegranate seed, The wishes of Savitri, and Nidud the cruel.

[Read2review · Rating 5 out of 5]

** For the full review please check out www.read2review.com **

I have been a fan of Anthony Horowitz ever since I first picked up Stormbreaker and since then I have loved each of his works! He is without a doubt one of the best young adult/children’s authors around currently. Each book is expertly written and the feeling he conveys with his books just makes me want to read more!

The book which is part of the Legends series features 6 fables from all over the world:

• Death and the boy from South Africa
• Orpheus and the underworld from Greece
• The death of Nornagest from Norway
• The seven pomegranate seeds from Greece
• The wishes of Savitri from India
• Nidud the Cruel from Norway

The last part of the book is what people see as the “Five Visions of Hell”

Each story is written with an Anthony Horowitz feel to it but sticks very much to the original story. The illustrations by Thomas Yeates add more feeling to the story. Sometimes these books can be scary for the age group they are aimed at, however I feel that this book will not scare people but teach them some of the most well known fables of Death that are known throughout the world.

The only thing that I wouldn’t agree on with this book is a sentence in the Introduction. “If you’re reading this book you’re probably about fourteen or fifteen years old – maybe younger –“ I’m 30 this year and I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to my friends.

**Read More At:http://read2review.com/our-reviews/a/...

[Edy Gies · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay but it did make the prior assumption that everything written on the topic of the after life is fiction. He also portrayed King Olaf as a Christian and a bringer of Christianity to the people of his region. This could not be more false. The true God has been misrepresented by many individuals and this is a good example. The Underworld is a myth, but the hell mentioned in the Bible is a real and terrifying place. The significant difference that I can see between myths and reality is that Satan does not rule death and hell. He will one day be bound and sent there for eternity. That said the different cultures ideas of death are fascinating to read about.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

** For my full review please check out http://backofthebookreviews.com/ **

Anthony Horowitz scores again! He is without a doubt one of the best ya/childrens authors around currently. Each book is expertly written and the feeling he conveys with his books just makes me want to read more!

This book in his Legends series is brilliant and i cant wait to read the other three that are in this series!

[Pranaav Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very interesting and it was a good story that represents what would happen if you would be in the underworld and you would need to escape. But they go through a lot of adventures like being on a boat and looking for land but see lots of mysterious things while they travel through the sea.

[Selvianty Yusuf · Rating 3 out of 5]

What's in this book:

1. Death and the Boy - West African
2. Orpheus in the Underworld - Greek
3. The Death of Nornagest - Norse
4. The Seven Pomegranate Seeds - Greek
5. The Wishes of Savitri - India
6. Nidud the Cruel - Norse

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting to read some myths from cultures other than Roman and Greek. Quite interesting.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable short read based on mythology from several cultures.

[Jadyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was great