Ten-year-old Sam and his father John follow the same dull routine every day, then share the same terrifying nightmare each night. Bored and exhausted, the pair get grayer and quieter with each passing day—until Sam is gifted a mysterious Book that brings his drawings to life. As his imagination awakens and he starts to bring color to the world around him, Sam also begins to remember his mother, who disappeared years ago. When John finally confesses that she passed away, the pair become determined to travel through the Upside-Down Ocean and the Land of Fear to save her from Dread City. Accompanied by Lepanto, an elephant with a love of dance and endless suit pockets, Sam and John set out on a dizzying quest to the underworld.

In this contemporary retelling of the tragic Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, author Lance Lee walks a tight line between absurd magical realism and outright horror, almost as if The Phantom Tollbooth and A Wrinkle in Time met Dante’s Inferno. Lee creates an eerie world filled with peculiar creatures and details: a sea filled with aimlessly chattering faces, an egotistical talking/walking mountain, a game of poker with bouncing eyeballs instead of chips. Alongside surreal illustrations from Ellen Raquel Lebow, this inventive take on the afterlife is both intriguing and haunting. Pairing a young boy with his father for this quest adds a unique dynamic not often seen in middle grade fantasy novels, which tend to leave the adults at home while children go on the adventures. This dynamic creates a fascinating arc for both characters, as they begin to see each other as whole people—with their own strengths, fears, and needs—and slowly develop a more trusting, mature, and communicative relationship. The choice also makes for some fun moments; during a lull in their travel, John makes Sam do homework despite Sam’s complaints that going on a mission to the underworld means he should get a break from spelling and math.

Despite these narrative strengths, the book is not well-suited to its target middle grade audience. Although it is a quest through a fantasy world on the surface, the complex philosophical musings, sometimes meandering pace, and dense jargon may lose younger readers (several extended sequences in the plot rely on a thorough understanding of niche sailing terms but do not place the new vocabulary in context, making it difficult for readers to infer what is happening). Sam also grapples with a multitude of complex feelings like isolation, depression, and grief. These emotional moments add weight to the story; especially after the past year, many young readers may find Sam’s intense emotional life highly relatable. Ultimately, Sam and John’s internal battles through the grayness of their monotonous existence as they rediscover beauty, adventure, and determination is as important as their external quest. At times, however, Lee captures the visceral experience of isolation and hopelessness but doesn’t offer comfort or support, a developmental necessity for readers aged 8-12. The intensity of emotion paired with a lack of resolution could be cathartic or fascinating for adults, but may leave young readers feeling scared, empty, or sad. Overall, ORPHEUS RISING could be a fabulous book for older teen and adult readers, but should be remarketed as such.

ORPHEUS RISING is a haunting, dreamlike retelling of the Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice, filled with inventive world-building and supplemented by surreal illustrations.

~Cameron Gillespie for IndieReader