“Mythology” becomes “Mirthology” in this hilariously revisionist account of the war between the Greek gods and the Titans. Outraged by the version of events promulgated by his boastful little brother Zeus in The Big Fat Book of Greek Myths, Hades enlists a (what else?) ghost writer to help set the record straight. True, Sky Daddy Cronus did eat his children Hades, Hera, Demeter, and Poseidon, but it was their mother Rhea, not Zeus, who supplied the herbs that made Cronus finally barf them up. Similarly, when the gods needed help against Team Titan in the Olympic Games’ climactic kickstone match, it was Hades who not only sprung allies from an underworld jail, but saved the day again when mighty Typhon attacked. And how did Zeus repay the debt? By cheating Hades out of Rulership of the Universe in a crooked poker game. Is it any wonder that Hades took a gig in the Underworld—“It’s my job to make sure that the ghosts of those who were good in life get to go to an eternal rock concert. . . . The ghosts of the not so good? They have to wander around, trying to memorize an endless list of really hard spelling words. And the ghosts of the wicked? You don’t want to know”—to escape all of his squabbling sibs? The disgruntled deity promises more exposés (“ ‘I think I’ll call it Phone Home, Persephone!’ ”) to come. The sooner the better. (Fiction. 10-13)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-7868-0857-8
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2002
The editor of Short Circuits (1992) and other anthologies for YAs offers ten stories for a slightly younger audience. In Constance Greene's ``Saturdays Is Peppermint,'' two children flying alone to meet divorced parents find comfort in a discussion of thumbsucking; in Ardath Mayhar's poignant ``Secret Among the Stones,'' a hiker finds a small skeleton and a primitive doll; two students' ``Foolproof Plan'' (Steven Otfinoski) to share answers for a history test goes hilariously awry. Time machines create more problems than they solve in Lensey Namioka's ``LAFFF'' and Robert Lipsyte's ``Future File'' (a glimpse into a newsroom of the next century); in the collection's only ghost story, Judie Angell's ``I Saw What I Saw,'' a dead grocer helps his young stock clerk foil a robbery. Rather than creating exotic literary or atmospheric effects, the authors—all experienced writers for young people—test their characters in familiar surroundings; these are ``stories about kids who take risks, try new things, reach out to others,'' writes Gallo, but seldom in life-or-death situations. Each tale ends with an explanatory paragraph and a thumbnail biography. A pleasingly diverse collection, with only hints of the supernatural. (Short Stories. 10-12)
Pub Date: July 30, 1993
ISBN: 0-06-021440-6
Page Count: 192
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1993
From two veteran nonfiction series authors, one of six volumes in a wide-ranging survey of the paranormal. Though they admit that hoaxes exist and caution readers to be skeptical, the attitude here is generally uncritical—``[Does] real life seem a little dull? If you think so, you've been missing lots of good stuff. Life is full of mysteries and marvels.'' They devote a chapter to scientific research into clairvoyance, psychokinesis, and the like; another to Uri Geller, who bent spoons without seeming to touch them, and passed a number of carefully structured tests; and conclude with advice for readers who might want to conduct their own experiments. Recalling Past Lives (ISBN 0-89490-458-2) covers not only reincarnation and age regression under hypnosis but also research subjects' (generally bleak) visions of the future. Examples in both books are drawn from cited popular sources; most occurred within the last two centuries. Acceptable, if unspectacular, companions to Daniel Cohen's many books in the field. Glossary; reading list; index. Illustrations not seen. (Nonfiction. 11-13)
Pub Date: July 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-89490-455-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Enslow
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1993
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