The Land of the Dead

Tales from the Odyssey #2

by Mary Pope Osborne, Troy Howell (Illustrator)

Odysseus and his men have defeated the one-eyed giant, but its curse follows them at every turn. Cast out to the open seas by the wind god, Odysseus and his fleet continue the difficult journey home. But they cannot return to Ithaca yet. First they must take on giant cannibals and outwit a beautiful witch, who reveals Odysseus' next challenge - a journey to the mysterious and feared land of the dead.

Genres: Mythology, Classics, Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Chapter Books, Middle Grade

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Mary Pope Osborne is an American author of children's books and audiobook narrator. She is best known as the author of the Magic Tree House series, which as of 2017 sold more than 134 million copies worldwide. Both the series and Osborne have won awards, including for Osborne's charitable efforts at promoting children's literacy. One of four children, Osborne moved around in her childhood before attending the University of North Carolina. Following college, Osborne traveled before moving to New York City. She somewhat spontaneously began to write, and her first book was published in 1982. She went on to write a variety of other children's and young adult books before starting the Magic Tree House series in 1992. Osborne's sister Natalie Pope Boyce has written several compendium books to the Magic Tree House series, sometimes with Osborne's husband Will Osborne.

Reviews

[Lindsay B · Rating 4 out of 5]

My opinion on this one is the same as the first one. I read the whole book in two hours (same for the first one).

[Juan David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me llevo una grata sorpresa con este libro. Siempre había querido tener un acercamiento a algún libro que tuviese como tema principal la literatura griega (me llama mucho la atención y tuve una mala experiencia con la Odisea). Fue muy curioso dar con este libro porque no lo tenía en mi radar, solo lo ví en una biblioteca de una prima y dije: ¡vente pa' acá!. Me gustó mucho pues, la autora del libro relaciona la literatura de los griegos con el mundo actual y hace un comparativo con sus temas principales (cultura, mitos) y con base a esto hace que el lector aprenda lo que deseaban transmitir los autores griegos con sus publicaciones literarias; por ende se hace más ameno el aprendizaje de sus historias.

Pd: creo que pronto le daré una nueva oportunidad a La Odisea. También, necesito conseguir otros libros que componen esta saga :(

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaspar rated the second book 4 out of 5 as well. Though he didn’t want to stop reading, and we read through this one in a day! From an adult standpoint I think it might have been better to have read D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths first just to have a little more background other than the Trojan War, but Kaspar is keeping up just fine.

[Corinne Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this second installment of the Odyssey, Odysseus has just been blown far away from home, where he'd nearly arrived for a minute there. What a shame he angered that Cyclops and got on the bad side of the Gods! In this book, we meet Circe, that crazy enchantress who turns soldiers into pigs, we travel to the land of the dead to get some not-really-helpful advice and we also meet more than one group of cannibals. Very sad - but incredibly entertaining to my 7 year old son. He begs to be read this book every night. Good thing Odysseus won't be arriving home any time soon and we can read more of his adventures!

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the six-book series, Tales from the Odyssey by Mary Pope Osborne and Troy Howell. This story starts off bloody and then proceeds to get worse. Poor Odysseus. I was a bit afraid that our girls would have nightmares, but they took the story in stride. The second half of the story was a wee bit less gory, but overall, this was an exciting and intense tale. We are looking forward to the next book.

[Luke Ewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odesseus is desperate to get home but after he is attacked by giants that wreck all his ships but one, he doesn't think he can make it home. When they find a nice land, they find out it is ruled by the goddess Cire. She puts a spell but Odesseus is given magical plant by Hermes that makes it so the spell won't work so she takes back the spell. Hermes tells Odesseus that he has to go to the land of the dead, no mortal has come back from the land of the dead. There he finds a blind prophet named who would tell about his future. Can he make it home or will he die trying?

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

These take about 20 minutes for me to read, and it takes my 4th grader about an hour. It keeps him reading, and it's not too much of a time investment for me to be able to discuss the book with him after. A HIGHLY recommended series for kids in grades 2-4. Osborne breaks down about two Odyssey adventures into each book in the series and provides a glossary of Greek gods and some background on Homer & the Odyssey. It's really a perfect level for independent reading for my 9-year-old.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read aloud to Ben.

[Oulan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A childrens version, but since I mentor Mythology, I wanted to check rhem out. Short and sweet, from one who has read the Illiad and the Odessey more then once and are still among my favorite, these short tales give a quaint and easy to follow glimpse into the many magical stories found within these two classics. If you can't seem to dwelve into the fantastic but emmensly involved books, these are good alternatives and may just wet your curiosity enough to give a couple of the two greatest classics of all time a try.

[Anoushka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that the book was barely a review of what happened in the previous books. Some of the same progresses are repeated and the book doesn't feel fully completed, but it ends at a cliff hanger, which makes any reader want to read more!

[Ciera Legue · Rating 3 out of 5]

i like that this story focuses on the second leg of his journey. I like the mythology in this as its quite easy to understand and focuses on different gods and places after the cyclops. but i did find this book he dealt with a lot more challenges and having to navigate getting home while enduring the wrath of the gods his men and him angered.

[Adriana Bonilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

.

[Michael Lent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful series. Wish there were more illustrations.

[Ayacchi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Setelah dikutuk oleh seorang Cyclops, Odiseus kehilangan 11 armadanya, dan menyisakan 1 kapal hitamnya.

Dan akhirnya dia bertemu dengan Circe, orang yang saya tungu-tunggu kemunculannya!

[Assortedtrashprincess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite retelling Mary Pope Osborne is a better children's author.

[Ostap Bender · Rating 5 out of 5]

Odysseus's visit to Hades is one of my favorite parts of The Odyssey, and Osborne retells it in a way for kids that is both highly engaging and true to the original.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow wow wow the 1st hero to go to the land of the dead and come out
Yesyesyesyesyes I need more

[Riley Touris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice and fun retelling.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Madeline Miller’s “Circe” without knowing much of the Odyssey. This book helped answer lingering questions about things mentioned and discussed. A quick read.

[LifeAmongPages · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked it

[Aleetha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lepas dari tangan raksasa bermata satu membuat Odesius dan anak buahnya bisa bernafas lega. Namun mereka tetap saja terombang – ambing di laut. Kutukan Polifemus ternyata terus mengikutinya. Kutukan itu membuat Odesius dan anak buahnya tak pernah mendapat jalur untuk pulang ke Ithaca.

Setelah mendarat di pulau dimana dewa angin, Aeolus tinggal bersama keenam putra dan keenam putrinya, pulau selanjutnya tak lebih buruk dari tempat Cyclops dulu. Pulau itu dihuni oleh raksasa – raksasa yang haus darah. Untung saja mereka dapat mendayung dengan cepat sebelum menjadi santapan.

Dipulau berikutnya, Odesius kembali menyuruh tiga anak buanya untuk menyelidiki keadaan pulau tersebut. Sayangnya ketakutan menyelimuti mereka. Akhirnya Odesius memutuskan untuk membagi seluruh pasukan menjadi dua kelompok. Kelompok pertama diimpin langsung oleh dirinya sedangkan yang kedua dipimpin oleh Erilokus. Berdasarkan hasil undian, pasukan yang dipimpin oleh Erikolus harus menjelajahi pulau.

Setelah berjam jam berlalu, Erilokus kembali dengan tubuh gemertar. Bahkan untuk menjawab pertanyaan Odesius pun ia tak sanggup. Ternyata di pulau itu tinggal seorang wanita yang sangat rupawan. Namun sayang wanita itulah yang menyihir pasukan Erilokus menjadi babi. Semua aanak buah yang tersisa mendesak Odesius untuk meninggalkan pulau sebelum mereka juga disihir. Namun Odesisu bertekad tidak akan meninggalkan tempat tersebut sebelum menyelamatkan anak buahnya dan bermaksud menemui wanita penyihir tersebut

Ditengah perjalanan, Odesius bertemu Pria asing yang selanjutnya diketahui sebagai Hermes, Dewa Pembawa Pesan Dari Gunung Olimpus . Dari Hermes pulalah ia mengetahui bahwa wanita penyihir itu bernama Circe dan membekalinya dengan Moly yang berkhasiat untuk menangkal segala pengaruh sihir Circe baik lewat makanan maupun minuman. Terbukti ketika meneguk minuman yang diberikan oleh Circe, Odesius tak berubah seperti yang diharapkan oleh sang penyihir. Akhirnya Circe menagku kal dan akhirnya menawarkan istananya sebagai tempat untuk Odesius dan anak buahnya beristirahat dan berjanji akan membantu Odesius menemukan jalan pulang

Setelah hampir setahun menetap, akhirnya Odesius memutuskan untuk melanjutkan perjalanan dan menagih janji Circe. Wanita pun memberitahu Odesius untuk Tiresias, peramal buta dari Thebes, satu satunya orang yang dapat melihat masa depan dan membantu Odesius menemukan cara untuk pulang. Tiresias telah meninggal hal itu berarti Odesius harus menemuinya di Negeri Orang Mati.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story can get a little grizzly for young children....

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is part two of Mary Pope Osborne's translation of Homer’s The Odyssey to a level that elementary age students can read and enjoy. The Odysseus's cursed journey to his homeland of Ithaca continues and the action grows more intense; making this an exciting read that kids will love! A perfect read aloud for intermediate teachers wanting additional resources that help to expose their students to Greek Mythology.

[Stan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odysseus's saga continues. In this book he must save his men from Circe who has turned half of them into swine. After he has conquered Circe he must go to the land of the dead, a journey no mortal has made, to learn from Tiresias how to return to Ithaca, his home. While there he also encounters Achilles whom he praises as a prince among the dead. Achilles responds he would rather be a servant to a poor man among the living than king of kings among the dead.

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

While Odysseus journey toward his home Ithaca, he encounters the Gods and Goddesses of the Greek Mythology. This time he meets the giant cannibals and a beautiful witch, who reveals his next challenge to meet the ghost at the Land of the Dead.
I enjoyed very much the way the author tells Odysseus journey and his struggle to arrived safe back home to his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus.

[Louis Fairbanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how the giants hurled the boulders from the top of the mountain to the ships. I also liked the part about Circe - who is an enchantress. Another good part was when they journeyed to the land of the dead. It is a very adventurous book.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for kids 3 grade up to get a taste of the Odyssey and greek mytholody. Gives adventures of Odyssey and his crew. They meet a witch who turns them into half pigs and he goes to the Land of the Dead to find his way home.

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Odyssey in 25 words or less. Well, maybe Mary Pope Osborne used a few more than 25 words, but she sure used them effectively. This story zips along with a cliff-hanger at the end of every chapter. If reluctant readers don't pick this one up they're really missing out!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well done retelling of The Odyssey. A quick read (read in the car while my daughter was running into the store for /just 5 minutes/. The story is simplified, but not dumbed down. I'm going to give my 3rd grade grandson the series to start.