Description

By (author) Womack Philip

Short /annotation:
The Double Axe is the first instalment in Philip Womack”s Blood and Fire series, which reimagines classical myths from the point of view of teenage protagonists. It”s a thrilling tale of adventure, and an opportunity for young readers to engage with and learn more about classical mythology.

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Dark forces are at work in the House of the Double Axe. Stephan, the thirteen-year-old son of King Minos of Crete, stumbles across a terrifying conspiracy. Is the Minotaur, a half man half bull who eats human flesh, real? Or is something even more dangerous threatening to engulf both the palace and the world?Stephan must race to save his family from a terrible fate and find out what really lurks inside the labyrinth…You think you know the story? Think again.The Double Axe is the first instalment in Philip Womack’s Blood and Fire series, which reimagines classical myths from the point of view of teenage protagonists. It’s a thrilling tale of adventure, and an opportunity for young readers to engage with and learn more about classical mythology.

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I loved it, it”s such an imaginative re-telling of the Minotaur story, gripping and utterly believable.

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Hard to imagine a more brilliant reinterpretation of Greek myth than The Double Axe.

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This remix is both learned and exciting.

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Instantly absorbing adventure.

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A dark and action packed story based on a familiar myth but with its own unique twist.

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A thrilling adventure.

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SO good: so fierce and pacy and sharp. If you love myth you will love, love this.

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Very exciting… marvellous and refreshing.

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Violence in the labyrinthine darkness, and the pleasures of food, family loyalty and discovering your own powers as a young man, all reforge Greek myth for the new generation in vivid prose saturated with Homer

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Womack’s fifth novel, unsettling, original and absorbing, shows him at the height of his powers

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A clever rummage through the myth that manages to turn it on its head and recast it in a new light

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Womack’s retelling is packed full of action, mystery, and intrigue, as it weaves Stephan’s story into the backdrop of the legend we know today.

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A gripping adventure

Biographical note:
Philip Womack is the author of four critically acclaimed novels for children. He reviews for Literary Review, the Guardian, the Spectator, the Times Literary Supplement and the Telegraph. He has written for many national newspapers and magazines, and appeared on radio and television. Prompted by a lifelong passion for Classics, he teaches Latin and Greek. He lives in London with his wife, the architect Tatiana von Preussen, his son and their lurcher.

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A fresh and exciting story based on the myth of the Minotaur

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Appeals to boys and girls of 9+ but also to teachers, librarians and parents

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Praised by Cressida Cowell who described the novel as imaginative, gripping and utterly believable

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Follows the success of Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan