Long ago, when gods and heroes walked the earth in triumph and tragedy, true love and epic deeds were set among the stars…
In the ancient land of Greece, at a time when kings warred and the people suffered, the Fates fixed their timeless eyes upon the son of a muse, and his story inspired hope and beauty in a ravaged world.
Raised by the daughters of Zeus in the shadow of Mount Olympus, Orpheus is filled with a love of the world, of creation, and of song. Wherever he goes, whatever he does, he inspires mortals, birds, beasts, and even the Gods with his music. He is blessed with a humility and unmatched skill that make him the greatest musician of the age.
However, when the god Apollo tells Orpheus that he has more to learn, the young man leaves the safety of his home to wander the world in search of his destiny. Having travelled alone into the vast northern forests of Thrace, Orpheus discovers that elusive gift granted to few mortals or gods: True Love.
In the love and friendship of the nymph, Eurydice, Orpheus comes to understand one of the greatest mysteries of the world. He is inspired in all things, and his music reaches unimagined heights of beauty.
But the Fates can be cruel, the world barbarous, and the greatest gifts given, including love, can be taken away.
When Eurydice’s light is suddenly extinguished from Orpheus’ life, the musician must make a choice. He can live a life without his only love and let the world tear itself to pieces, or he can make a journey that would terrify even the bravest of heroes to rescue his love and bring her back into the light.
Will Orpheus be able to cross the dark plains of the Underworld and bring Eurydice back? Or will he lose his soul, and his love, for daring to challenge the Fates?
The only way he can succeed is to plumb the depths of his deepest emotions and play like he has never played before…
A Song for the Underworld is an epic retelling of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice from Greek mythology. It is the third book in the Mythologia fantasy series by #1 best selling author and historian, Adam Alexander Haviaras.
If you enjoy books by Madeline Miller, Stephen Fry, or the series Blood of Zeus and Troy: Fall of a City, then you will love the Mythologia series.
Read A Song for the Underworld today and experience the greatest love story of the ancient world!
Adam Alexander Haviaras is a writer, blogger and historian. He is the author of the Eagles and Dragons historical fantasy series, The Carpathian Interlude historical horror series, a new series entitled Mythologia, and an upcoming novel set during the ancient Olympics, Heart of Fire.
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Adam has studied ancient and medieval history and archaeology at the University of Toronto, Canada, and St. Andrews University, Scotland. He lives with his wife and children in Toronto where he is currently writing another ground-breaking work of historical fiction.
If you like ancient history and fiction set in Greece or the Roman Empire, Greek and Roman mythology, or stories like Gladiator, Pompeii, and The Mists of Avalon, then you'll love Adam's books.
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A recounting of the tragic live story of Orpheus and Eurydice. I was only familiar with the couple because of Hadestown and it was interesting to learn about the true roots of the story, even if I couldn’t pronounce a single Muses’ name. Or most of the God’s names tbh. In my head I had to scold myself for reading it as Eur-ih-dice instead of Eur-idd-ih-cee. Regardless, the whole book had me longing for a love I’ve never known. Also have we learned nothing from the Bible? You never look back!
I've read numerous retellings of Orpheus and Eurydice's love story, but I've never read one as beautiful as this book. The way the book started with Orpheus's own past, his many joyous days filled with song, and how meeting Eurydice only made him better at his craft showed how they bettered each other and how happy their relationship was.
I'm never one to believe in love at first sight, but the way the author portrayed their relationship and how love blossomed between them was magical. What I loved most was how the author made us connect with both Orpheus and Eurydice during their time wandering the earth, building up our attachment to them. When the time came for us to read about Orpheus's grief, it made us truly understand how he felt.
What was also new in this book was its depiction of Orpheus's relationship with his mother (I'm sorry, I can't remember her name) and with Apollo. Seeing how supported and loved he was made us realize that this was how he could love Eurydice so deeply in the first place.
It was such a refreshing retelling of this tragic story. Orpheus's journey into the underworld was vividly narrated, and we could truly understand his fear and doubt throughout it, even when the ending came. It was heartbreaking to learn that the reason Orpheus looked back too soon was not a lack of faith in the gods or in his love for Eurydice, but rather his self-doubt about his music and whether it would be enough to bring her back.
All in all, I think this book was written beautifully, and I'm going to recommend it to everyone I know!
I love the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, but this book made me love it even more. The way it's written, the details, everything is just beautiful yet gut-wrenching.
“In death, they had found each other again, unaware of the godly tears that fell in Hades’ hall, and from the heights of Olympus. They were each other’s world once more, and would always be.”
Haviaras has simply a beautiful way to write. I easily cried 5 times while reading. It’s a beautiful tragic reading both Orpheus and Eurydice hope to be reunited while walking in (Orpheus) and out (both) the underworld, you can feel the impotence of silent Eurydice and doubt/fear or Orpheus and the mix of both’s feelings makes yours storm because we all know how that raven would end. I’m glad Haviaras gave them such a beautiful end, even though Orpheus ended up as a victim of the Maenads that was just his way to reunite the love of his life