"A triumvirate of exceptional talent bring us an unusual but compelling tale which weaves together the Orpheus myth and a moving story of sibling love, loyalty and conflict in the devastated London of WW2 "
Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2020
Brothers Marcus and Julian Sedgewick last worked together on the Kate Greenaway shortlisted graphic novel Dark Satanic Mills and here they are blessed by the artistic talents of the award winning Alexis Deacon to co-create a story wonderfully told through the interplay of poetry, prose and pictures.
Set in London as the V2 rocket bombs wreak havoc and destruction where the intense childhood relationship of the poet and older brother Ellis and the younger artist brother Harry has foundered on Harry’s anti-war and anti-family stance since their father runs a munitions firm. Ellis is home from the front and Harry is desperate for a reconciliation and to share his masterwork Warriors in the Machine - inspired by his nights fighting fires and his nightmarish visions of future wars.
After Harry leaves the pub the bomb falls, Harry wakes in hospital with a serious head wound and Ellis apparently lost in the blast. In a state of semi delirium, the lines between reality, his vision of the future and the myth of Orpheus blur. His quest to find and rescue his brother, accompanied by a Jewish refugee girl desperate to be reunited with the parents she has lost, mirrors Orpheus’ journey to the Underworld.
This is a powerful, lyrical anti-war fable inspired and given depth and authenticity by the fact that Marcus and Julian’s own father was a Quaker and a Conscientious Objector in WW2. While a fascinating reworking of the myth, this depiction of war will speak to young people concerned about the times in which we live and humanity's seemingly eternal warmongering.
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