Book Review: A Paraphrase of "Paradise Lost" For Youngsters

 

Blurb:

This retelling of books V and VI of the epic poem Paradise Lost, written by John Milton, follows the story of Satan's rebellion and fall from grace. The Father announces his heir, Satan rebels, Abdiel tries to reason with the fallen angels, followed by a war scarring Heaven's landscape. Brother against brother, the rebellious few against their Father, a family torn apart by war, concluded by the victor, the Father's chosen Son, casting the disobedient out of paradise.

Excerpt:

At God’s declaration of war, dark clouds covered all of Heaven and smoke began to roll down the sacred hill. Then the countless hosts of Heaven marched on the enemy, fully armed from head to toe with helmets, spears, and shields.

Satan gathered together his army as well. He stood on his chariot, bright as the Sun, surrounded by his fiery angels with their golden shields, and marched toward the throne of God.

He hoped that if he moved swiftly enough, he could reach the throne unopposed. Michael’s army dashed his hope very quickly. Before the armies clashed, Satan dismounted from his chariot and met with Abdiel on the battlefield.

Satan taunted him, “I see you have decided to bend your knee to the new Lord of Heaven. Tell me, Abdiel: is it your laziness that led you to accept eternal servitude?”

Abdiel was unfazed and responded sternly, “Better to serve in Heaven than rule in Hell!” With that, Abdiel threw a single strike on Satan’s helmet so lightly as to be done in mockery. It was so unexpected that it knocked Satan back ten steps before he had to bend to one knee to stop himself from losing balance and falling over. Both armies watched in disbelief. The rebels became filled with rage and the saints were filled with joy, and then Michael sounded the trumpet for his army to march.

Review:

I was very excited by the premise of "A Paraphrase of Paradise Lost For Youngsters" as I have never made it through the original. In fact, Milton is a poet I could name but would have to put my hand up and say that I've never really read any of his poems. Is this a really bad admission? I'm also always excited at the possiblity of introducing my pupils to the classics.

As a result, I was pleased to read this book which brought the story to a new audience. It felt that it was perfectly pitched for me: rewritten in an accessible and twenty-first century style, with illustrations which support the work brilliantly.

My only quibble with this is that I'm a 32-year-old teacher, writer and publisher. I don't actually think this book is for youngsters at all - it's a very good retelling of the story and I wish I had it in hardback to fully enjoy those illustrations (never quite the same on an ebook!) but it's not one I would take into school. Some of the language choices aren't geared towards youngsters.

If this book was marketed as being a retelling of the story and not specifically for youngsters, I would have awarded it four stars. I can highly recommend it to adults like me who want to know what this story is all about and read it in an accessible way.

In short, a great retelling of a fascinating story with engaging illustrations.

Meet the Authors:

From a large Croatian family, Joseph Stemberga grew up with three sisters, a father, and a mother.

He studied theology at Concordia University, earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s  degree, as well as a bachelor’s degree in history and religions.

Inspired by a transcription of Dante’s Divine Comedy for a younger target audience, he contemplated and discovered that no such equivalent existed for another epic poem, Paradise Lost.

Thus, the work began . . .

Thomas Lane was inspired to work on the project in the same way the Irish monks copied and recopied older manuscripts to keep them from disappearing during the Dark Ages. Just as these monks never signed a single manuscript with their names, Lane prefers to use a pen name to honour their legacy and bring a classic work to life for its own sake.

Kamila Oleszczuk has been drawing since the age of three, but contrary to most children, she never stopped. Her passion for art and animation fuelled her desire to create. Beyond the years of drawing throughout her childhood, she went on to learn more about different art mediums and forms by studying film animation at Concordia University. Kamila has been focusing mainly on children’s illustrations ever since.

WEBSITE - www.paradiselostkids.com

FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/Authors-Joseph-Stemberga-Thomas-Lane-and-Kamila-Oleszczuk-Illustrator-109747834847442/

INSTAGRAM - @paradiselostkids

TWITTER - @paradiselostkid

Where to buy the book:

Amazon (.com)

Amazon (.ca)

Barnes & Noble

Giveaway!

Joseph Stemberga and Thomas Lane will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Enter here!