Hades, Lord of the Dead

The Olympians

by George O'Connor

Published by First Second

publication date 1/31/12

received from NetGalley for review

What a great idea!  Graphic novels about Greek mythology.  I was unaware of this series until I saw the Hades book on NetGalley.  I read this book with my son (age 10) in less than an hour.  Due to the current climate of mythology in children's books, he has become fascinated with the Greek Pantheon.  This is a wonderful, action packed, retelling of the classic Hades-Persephone-Demeter myth.  Unlike the books I has to read in school, this book is far from boring.  It is fast paced, has wonderful pictures, and is a great retelling of the myth.  There is nothing objectionable in this book, Hades looks like the Lord of the Underworld but does not look frightening, nor is he mean or evil towards Persephone.  My son's response when we finished, "Mom, can we get the other books?  You know I love this stuff."  I highly recommend this book, as well as others in the series, for anyone who enjoys mythology.  It is a wonderfully exciting way for children to learn about the stories of the the ancients.