November is Messing With Mythology
This month's titles deal with mythology. What does that mean, you may ask? Mythology relates to the study of myths as they relate to a culture. Frequently this means gods, goddesses, creation stories...and the like. It's a rising trend in YA lit, and I am a fan. Several of these take traditional mythology and turn it on its head. All promise to entertain.
Charlotte doesn't quite know what to think about this latest news. Her cousin (who lives in London) is moving to the States. While she had hoped to use his prime location as a jumping point to pursue her dream of living in France as a photographer, that was also her only aspiration involving said cousin. Plus, since she found Mew (Bartholomew, Mew for short), her new kitten, very little upsets her. Of course, the fact that her best friend seems to have contracted a mysterious illness is upsetting, now that she thinks about it.Zee (Zachary, Zee for short)'s story starts a bit earlier. He planned to spend the summer in Exeter with Grandmother Winter, just like every year, and he would play on the club football team (that's soccer, for you Yanks), and maybe - just maybe - get to see Samantha sometimes. Everything started out okay; when he arrived, Grandmother had been baking up a storm! He even sees his crush Samantha, and makes plans to hang out. That's when disaster strikes: Grandmother Winter is dead. With her dying breath, she whispers "Metos." Zee is left with a hole where she used to be. Of course, he's supposed to meet up with Samantha not long after. He goes to tell her he can't make it, but she's come down with a mysterious illness...just like almost every other kid in Exeter - except him. Zee is starting to get weirded out.
When they go back to London, Zee starts to think maybe it was all in his head. That is, until all his friends in London start succumbing to the same mysterious illness. When he tries to tell his parents that he feels like it may be following him...they ship him off to a therapist, and then to the States. *sigh*
When he arrives, Charlotte and Zee have a very crazy conversation, in which he outlines how he feels somewhat responsible for the weird illness. More pieces start to fall into place when they are chased by creepy tall faceless men in tuxedos. They are rescued by none other than Mr. Metos, Charlotte's substitute English teacher, who has most recently been teaching Greek mythology (a subject she knows rather well). It isn't until he tells them the real story that they begin to put the pieces together. Philonecron is a disgruntled demigod: born in the Underworld, and desperate for power. After his last play for the throne, Hades banished him (did I mention that the Greek Underworld is a real thing? Well, it is...), but now he's hatched another crazy plan. This one involves Zee and Charlotte. This one involves stealing the shadows of the children of the world, enchanting them with a drop of Zee's blood, and using them to overthrow Hades, King of the Underworld.
Whew. Sounds complicated. Good thing Mr. Metos is going to take care of it...except then they get a note saying that he's captured, and everything is up to the two of them! A bird guides them to some weird corridor in the Mall, and they make their way down. Only at the point of no return do they realize that Mr. Metos didn't summon them after all, Philonecron did! Can they find a way to stop him before the Underworld is in chaos? Can they save the shadows of the children whom they've been stolen from? Can they stop the power-hungry demigod before it's too late?
Well written, and told in a slightly non-sequential way, this is a story that keeps you interested. It holds some of the draw of Riordan, and some of the whimsy of Rowling. I enjoyed the wordplay, and the inner dialog. I may even read the others in this series!
"The man-like men were extremely tall, extremely think, and extremely pale. They were wearing old-fashioned tuxedos, and their skin looked like dirty plaster. One of the man-like men was holding the boy, the other was reaching into the boy's chest, which was giving way like jelly. The boy was screaming. Zee stood, absolutely unable to move, while the second man-like man started pulling something long and black and flimsy from the boy's chest. And then the boy stopped screaming and seemed to collapse on the spot. The second man-like man took the bladck thing and folded it up like fabric, while the first picked up a shiny black physician's bag and held it open with an accomodating nod. The second smiled graciously and carefully tucked the black thing away, while the first tapped the boy on the forehead three times. The second took the bag, latched it, and gave his partner a satisfied nod, and they both brushed off their hands," (Ursu pg. 159, 2006).
If you liked this, check out:
Ursu, Anna. (2006). The Shadow Thieves. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
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