This book is part of Grupo Editorial Luis Vives’ series Colección Mitos Clasicos. It briefly recounts the various myths associated with Orpheus—his birth, his part in the Argonautica myth, his musical innovations—then describes his marriage to Eurydice and doomed journey to the underworld to recover her. 

Most versions of the Orpheus and Eurydice story are romantic tragedies, or reflections on the power of art. This version surprised me by being kind of scary. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a horror story—author Ricardo Gómez remembers his young audience—but it does have sinister undertones that will appeal to future fans of Alvin Schwartz’ Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. The Underworld is described in some detail, including the most famous punishments. 

Ana Pez’s illustrations enhance the impression. Villains in menacing silhouette overshadow the bridal party, and giant gods pass harsh judgment on the bereft lovers. Pez uses dark colors with a lot of black against stark backgrounds. It’s easy to see the change in background colors through the figures in the foreground, which gives everyone a spectral appearance long before Orpheus follows Eurydice into the land of the dead. It’s all a bit creepy for me, but ghost story enthusiasts will love it.

The book is published in Spain, which makes it a little hard to find in the United States. Still, persistent searches on various online booksellers’ websites will turn up copies for sale, and you can order the book through the website of the publisher, Edelvives (Grupo Editorial Luis Vives).   – Krishni Burns