Voyages in the Underworld of Orpheus Black is a beautifully written book that skillfully blends prose, poetry, and visual arts. The author leads the reader along on the journey following a man’s quest to find his brother in the confusion of war. The tale brings the protagonist vividly to life, and Sedgwick draws the reader in with such a winning personification that it is easy to be sympathetic to the struggles, trials, and victories that Black experiences along the way.

This novel has an interesting, emotionally engaging plotline and is entertaining to read, but it goes beyond many other books that stop at simply being entertaining. This book speaks deeply about such deep topics as war, the value of family, and finding the courage to do the right thing. With the introduction of Black’s companion on this adventure, a little girl who is a Jewish refugee, the author addresses an issue of contemporary importance by asking readers to consider how we treat others, especially those who are unlike us in some fundamental way.

This is a book that speaks to the heart and to the soul. It does so using the tools of lyrical prose, clever poetry, and haunting visual imagery. The merging of these three art forms delivers a seamless and beautiful whole that I recommend to any reader who is looking for an unusual and memorable read.

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Candlewick Press

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  21 religious exclamations; 27 mild obscenities; 4 derogatory names; 1 anatomical term. Note:  In addition to the listed profanity, this book contains frequent use of various British profanities, as well as the word “hell” used to refer to a place, not as a profanity, several times.

Violence/Gore:  A few verbal threats; a few poems about war, mentioning things like bombs, weapons, and deaths but nothing specifically gory; report of a pedestrian hit by a car; a few scenes take place during a bombing with bombs, airplanes, and/or anti-aircraft weapons in background; characters find body parts after a bombing; a building is destroyed; a few description of how bombs are deployed and their results; a few stylized illustrations of war in which violence or death is depicted but no gore; a character in a story is killed by poison; a few mentions of Nazi atrocities such as gas chambers and death camps; report of people dying in war; report of a person killed in prison; a few reports of bombings with people injured or killed; a few characters are killed in a bombings; a character is badly wounded in the head by a piece of metal, with blood described; a character dies in a hospital, with cause not specified; a building is destroyed by bombing, with dozens killed; an illustration of an unconscious injured man; report of a character finding a rotting corpse; report of a stampede of panicked people with injuries; report of a person killed by a snake; brief description of the torments of hell; report of children receiving corporal punishment from a parent; report of mass killing of animals; monstrous animals attack characters causing minor injury; report of a dog suffering with old age that had to be put down; report of a fistfight; a character threatens others with a gun and shoots at them without major injury; report of a character killed (no details); brief mention of rape; report of millions dead in wars.

Sex/Nudity:  A character tells a dirty joke, but the reader is left to figure out what it was from a vague hint; characters flirt and nestle close to each other; man kisses a woman on the cheek; brief mention of rape; characters kiss.

Mature Subject Matter:

Conscientious objection to war is a major theme; holocaust atrocities; robbery (mention); loss of loved ones (sibling, parent, friend); loss of a pet; rape (mention); strife between parents and children and between siblings.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Adults drink beer and whiskey; adults smoke cigarettes and pipes; morphine and unspecified pills are used medicinally.