On a friend's recommendation I've made the Fablehaven books my escapist reading lately. There are five volumes in this YA fantasy series: Fablehaven, Rise of the Evening Star, Grip of the Shadow Plague, Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary and Keys to the Demon Prison. I'm halfway through the third book. Actually, I've been reading them so quickly I didn't note the title of volume 3 until this moment.
They are set in a preserve for magical creatures, which provides some obvious classical references: minotaurs, satyrs (some of the best characters, actually), centaurs, dryads, naiads. I've just been having a little think about whether there are classical themes as well.
The series as a whole is about the struggle to keep the great demon prison Zzyzx from being opened. It really seems to me like a prison for evil supernatural beings has its roots in Tartarus, where the Titans and others were confined in classical mythology. Sure there are misbehaving entities in Norse mythology, like Loki and Fenrir, but they are not confined together in a specific place (that I am aware of).
The series also features teenagers saving humanity when the adults fail: Seth and Kendra, grandchildren of the Fablehaven caretakers. The husband and I have mocked the Harry Potter books for this many times (while devouring each new book and movie, naturally). I've had some fun comparing Seth to Achilles, the original impulsive teenage hero who learns restraint at a terrible cost. Seth's immunity to magical fear is a bit like the Phthian hero's "heart of iron."
UPDATE: I just started book 4 and there's a charming, personable witch who attracts mortal lovers by trickery. An adventure series that's reminiscent of the Theogony, the Iliad and the Odyssey? I'll take it. Pin It
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