Tales of the Greek Heroes

Tales of the Greek Heroes by Roger Lancelyn Green

This book tells the story of the greek heroes as one continuous narrative. It seems like a good idea. I just more trouble getting into it than with other mythology books.

Lionel Asbo: State of England

Desmond is being raised by his gangster jerk uncle Lionel Asbo. Desmond is "taught" by his uncle a lot of the scummy underclass norms, though he is trying to escape this society. Alas, while in prison Asbo wins the lottery and becomes a minor celebrity. 

I didn't feel attached to the characters and didn't really care what they were doing. The humor tended to be crass, with a lot sailing right over my head.

The Dark Is Rising: Book 2 of The Dark Is Rising Sequence

While Over Sea, Under Stone was a nice contemporary book with fantasy elements, Dark Is Rising goes all in with good vs. evil fantasy. A kid is an "old one" and must help protect the world from evil. There are other old ones that have been around for centuries. It is mostly fantastical and very little contemporary. I struggled to keep going with the book.

Over Sea, Under Stone

Over sea, under stone is a "contemporary" fantasy, with an emphasis on contemporary. There isn't much to do with magic. However, it does focus on the quest for holy grail. Some kids happen to stumble upon a map of the location. However, others are keen to get it from them. They try to pass themselves off as the good guys, however, we see right through them. The kids, however, make a number of mistakes. They trust some people they shouldn't, and don't do things they should. They suffer a number of close calls, but in the end things work out well. There are some ties to King Arthur and the battle of good versus evil. However, for now, it is mostly a treasure hunt.