Orpheus Rising: By Sam And His Father John/With Some Help From A Very Wise Elephant/Who Likes To Dance

by Lance Lee, Ellen Raquel LeBow (Illustrator)

Overview

Orpheus Rising is a sparkling immersion in adventures of great beauty, danger, and the unexpected, with a climax that will move anyone to a sense of joy. A daring retelling of the Orpheus legend in modern guise, Sam and his father, John, set off to rescue Sam's lost mother, Madelyn, from "The Far Land of Fear" and "Dread City", a startling, imaginative view of the afterlife. A fantasy set in terms of Sam's 10 going on 11 imagination, they are joined by Lepanto, a very wise Elephant who likes to dance, dressed in Edwardian elegance, through a series of adventures with a most unexpected ending.

Children will enjoy the sheer inventiveness of the story-telling, and adults the unexpected depths of Sam and his father's journey to the completion of

their hearts' desire... Lee is also a poet whose output has been called "visionary" "vibrant" "a voice beyond epoch" variously compared to Browning, Auden, and in its freedom, Neruda. A playwright too, he has brought characters to life as diverse as Rasputin and the last fox in Los Angeles... His texts of screenwriting and drama remain popular in their fields as well.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780578790558
Publisher:	Lwl Books
Publication date:	10/05/2021
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.75(d)
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

Lance Lee's selected poetry, Elemental Natures, appeared in the fall of 2020, capping 40 years of poetry publications. He is a past Creative Writing Fellow of the National Endowment for the Arts. His work includes his poetry, works on screenwriting (A Poetics for Screenwriters), plays (Time's Up and Other Plays), novels (Second Chances), and various essays (in On The Waterfront, Cambridge Film Handbooks). As a dramatist has range of characters runs from the last fox in Los Angeles to Rasputin... An environmentalist, he was central in establishing the State Park system in the Santa Monica Mountains behind his home in the Los Angeles area. Half his family lives in North London where he and his wife routinely spend extended periods each year.

Ellen Raquel LeBow has illustrated among others Robert Finch's Special Places.... LeBow finds certain archetypal icons deeply compelling be they personal, ancient, or contemporary and draws what awes her. Much of the art in Orpheus Rising was made by carving through black India ink brushed over a board coated in white kaolin clay to expose the white clay. The lines are meant to give the illusion of drawing with light. She coordinates ART/MATENWA, a project that brings sustainability through art to women in Matènwa, Haiti. On the founding board of Wellfleet Preservation Hall, she splits her time between Wellfleet and Cambridge, MA with her long-time partner Seth Rolbein and their two goddaughters Hernitte Riviere and Woodmyha Rafa Lima.

Table of Contents

Prologue

I: A Dream Called Life, Six Years Later

II: A Disturbing Book Arrives

III: A Very Wise Elephant Who Likes To Dance

IV: A Dangerous Journey Decided

V: Through The Upside-Down Ocean

VI: Wild Dancing In The Sea Of Faces

VII: The Breath Of Riddles

VIII: A Fearful Place

IX: Biggest, Toughest, Hardest

X: Flesh To Stone

XI: John Finds His Courage-

XII: And Runs From His Dream

XIII: The Voice of Doom

XIV: The Way To Dread City

XV: Dancing From A Dangerous Bench!

XVI: Finding Madelyn In Dread City

XVII: Escape

VIII: The Battle Of Lepanto

XIX: The Long Journey To-

XX: The Heart's Desire

Editorial Reviews

Lee's curious, myth-touched adventure, which reads like a blend of The Phantom Tollbooth, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and a modern-day Orpheus story, finds a lonely boy named Sam stuck in the middle of nowhere with a father, John, who grows greyer by the day. The two spend their time silently doing chores, and every night they share the same terrifying nightmare, though neither speaks of it. One day a mysterious book arrives, and Sam discovers that what happens in it can come true in real life. Inspired, he uses its strange power to change everything for himself and his father, opening the door to a dangerous world where nothing is as it seems. With the help of Sam's imagination they team up-John somewhat reluctantly-with a wise and distinguished elephant who loves to dance. Together, the three embark on a quest to save Sam's mother from the afterlife.

Though aimed at middle grade readers, Orpheus Rising at times feels like a mature philosophical contemplation of death, steeped in magical realism. There are also moments of true terror, and some of the imagery- coupled with the book's fantastical yet ominous illustrations-might be unsuitable for readers who scare easily. At the same time, the stakes can be almost comically low, as when an enchanted object renders any conflict avoidable. Elements of the plot require a thorough understanding of the rules of poker and the intricacies of sailing.

Real emotion powers Sam and John's adventure, their journey as much about the relationship between father and son as it is finding Sam's mother. Sam and John begin the novel torn apart by her absence, which John spent his entire childhood refusing to explain. Their quest to save her teaches each about the power of honesty, trust, and love. Lee's vivid imagination shines through each chapter of their quest, and his quirky characters will keep readers who appreciate fabulist adventure hooked throughout.

Takeaway: Imaginative and emotional, this underworld adventure offers thrills, chills, and insightful lessons.

Great for fans of: Neil Gaiman's Coraline, Roald Dahl.

July 6, 2021

From the Publisher

★ 2021-08-20
Based on the myth of Orpheus, Lee’s fantasy novel follows a boy’s quest with his father to retrieve his mother from the afterlife.

Ten-year-old Sam lives with his father, John, in an unquestioned, unvarying routine; “They simply thought of this gray existence as life.” When a blank book is mailed to them, however, Sam discovers that whatever he draws and writes in it becomes real, like when he sketches a lavish tent inhabited by a singing, dancing, wise elephant in Edwardian dress whom he names Lepanto. Playing cards with Lepanto, Sam sees a vision of his mother, who’s whispering, “Come and get me,” although—as he finally learns from John—she died years ago. Encouraged by Lepanto to trust his no-longer-blank book and his imagination, Sam determines to bring his mother back from the Dread City, telling his disbelieving father, “I’m shaping events. And I say we go.” Although Sam and John can count on help from the book and Lepanto, their long journey through the Far Land of Fear is beset with dangers, like agents of the Dread City who want to drag them into despair. Can they succeed where Orpheus failed? In his debut children’s book, poet and playwright Lee writes a wildly imaginative, entertaining adventure story with deep foundations both in the lush realm of mythos and poignant human emotions. Beyond that, Lee dares to give Sam’s quest an ending that takes seriously the Elephant’s insistence on the reality of imagination, making the story even more powerful. In her debut book, artist LeBow provides woodcutlike illustrations with rich blacks, curving white lines, and a remarkable, charged sense of mythic power that marries well with the novel.

An extraordinarily beautiful, touching adventure that can stand with the classics of children’s literature.

Kirkus Reviews