The Song of Orpheus

The Song of Orpheus: The Greatest Greek Myths You Never Heard is a funny, adventure-filled collection of wonderfully weird "new" Greek myths. This unforgettable collection spins tales of love and loss, hilariously vain superheroes, ancient robots, untrappable giant foxes, men reborn after being torn apart by dragons, and even the world's first monkeys. A few of these tales may seem familiar at first, but be prepared for the unexpected. Others are wonderfully strange and puzzling. All of them are entertaining. All of them deserve to be better known. 


Retold by author and scholar Tracy Barrett (The Sherlock Files, Anna of Byzantium, The Stepsister’s Tale) with accuracy, suspense, and humor, using authoritative translations into English of ancient source material, the myths in The Song of Orpheus will make readers, and especially fans of the Heroes of Olympus series, laugh, gasp, and geek out. 


Praise for The Song of Orpheus: 

Seventeen lesser-known Greek myths get an energetic retelling in this collection for readers 12 and up. Barrett (On Etruscan Time, 2015, etc.), a prolific writer of YA fiction, returns to the classical setting she employed in books like King of Ithaka (2014) to explore these less-told tales. Her framing story, which she uses to good effect, is that Orpheus has been turned into a rock after failing to bring his wife, Eurydice, back from the land of the dead, having broken the proscription to turn and look at her. He can see her again, and apologize for his stupidity, only if he can tell 300 stories (that the listener has never heard) within 3,000 years. And right now, he explains, there are just 17 more to go. . . Accessible and entertaining, these stories provide a thoughtful, fresh take on a classic subject. (Kirkus Reviews)


Reminiscent of Boccaccio's Decameron and Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales in set up and structure—a certain context is used to relate further unrelated stories—The Song of Orpheus uses the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice as a trampoline to narrate 17 lesser known/unknown Ancient Greek myths. Aptly told through . . . the legendary ancient Greek musician, poet, and prophet, Orpheus, the myths are short and amusing, some witty and funny, others tragic and instructive in the way of fables. (The Book Voucher) 


Praise for Tracy Barrett’s work:

For King of Ithaka:

A rousing introduction to epic characters and mythic creatures of ancient Greece (Kirkus Reviews)


Teens will devour the gritty action, savoring the epic characters and mythic creatures. (SLJ Library Connections)


Like the bards of old, Barrett has written a fresh version of an old tale, one that will completely engage a new audience of young readers. (The Examined Life)


For Dark of the Moon:

A world and story both excitingly alien and pleasingly familiar. (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)


Fans of Greek mythology should appreciate this edgier twist on one of its most familiar tales.

(Publishers Weekly)


About the Author: 

Tracy Barrett writes both fiction and nonfiction set in the ancient and medieval past, as well as contemporary novels, for middle-grade and young-adult audiences. Her titles include the popular Sherlock Files series, as well as the award-winning Anna of Byzantium, and others. Her ancient-Greece-themed books include Dark of the Moon (starred review, Kirkus Reviews), King of Ithaka (starred review, SLJ), and the nonfiction The Ancient Greek World. She has an undergraduate degree with honors in Classics from Brown University and a Ph.D. in medieval Italian literature from UC Berkeley. She loves traveling, and speaking to groups of students, teachers, and librarians.