This retelling of books V and VI of the epic poem Paradise Lost, written by John Milton, follows the story of Satan’s rebellion and fall from grace.
Welcome to one of the July 26th stops on the blog tour for A Paraphrase of Paradise Lost for Youngsters by Joseph Stemberga and Thomas Lane with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, more reviews, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.
Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.
About the Book
A Paraphrase of Paradise Lost for Youngsters
The Tragedy of Lucifer
by Joseph Stemberga & Thomas Lane
Published 13 November 2021
Tellwell Talent
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Page Count: 36
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
This retelling of books V and VI of the epic poem Paradise Lost, written by John Milton, follows the story of Satan’s rebellion and fall from grace. The Father announces his heir, Satan rebels, Abdiel tries to reason with the fallen angels, followed by a war scarring Heaven’s landscape. Brother against brother, the rebellious few against their Father, a family torn apart by war, concluded by the victor, the Father’s chosen Son, casting the disobedient out of paradise.
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Excerpt
At this point, the angels who had responded to Satan’s call arrived at the hill where Satan sat on his throne. They listened to him when he declared, “THRONES, DOMINATIONS, PRINCEDOMS, VIRTUES, POWERS, the Son of God now eclipses our power and so takes all power from us! We may not all be equal in power, but we are all equal in freedom! Why should we be bound by law to do what we already did freely and without sin? I trust you will not bow before this new Word!”
While all those who had gathered began to agree with Satan, one angel, named Abdiel, scolded Satan with great enthusiasm, “I never expected to hear such blasphemous words in Heaven, least of all from you! By rejecting God’s law, you are making your own law which you think God should obey. God created you and gave you your freedom, glory, and power. He does not want to obscure it, but to magnify it.”
Satan replied, “Did God really create us? Were you there when this creation took place? The only thing I know from experience is what I am now, and that I have always been this way. My power – OUR power – was not given to us; it is our own.”
My Review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Consider liking my review on Goodreads
I was granted complimentary access to A Paraphrase of Paradise Lost for Youngsters by Joseph Stemberga and Thomas Lane as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with Goddess Fish Promotions. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
A Paraphrase of Paradise Lost for Youngsters: The Tragedy of Lucifer is as the title implies, a paraphrased, condensed retelling of Lucifer’s story from the classic Paradise Lost written in language that is more appropriate for a younger audience. There’s certainly enough of the original left here that this also just serves as an excellent summary of the story for refresher purposes, too!
The illustrations are beautiful and give a nice nod to the era in which the original was written. I reviewed this as a PDF, but I’m sure the printed version is a beautiful thing to behold and would probably make a nice coffee table book as well.
I must admit, I’m a little confused about the target audience age range. The format of 36 wide ratio pages with full page illustrations makes one assume, at first, that this is a very young childrens’ storybook. The reading level, however, is much more appropriate for an older child; someone already ready for middle grade novels and novellas. It’s possible that particularly nerdy 6-8 year olds will enjoy this book being read to them, but this isn’t going to be an appropriate read-by-child book for kids young enough to be drawn to the format.
About the Authors
From a large Croatian family, Joseph Stemberga grew up with three sisters, a father, and a mother.
He studied theology at Concordia University, earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, as
well as a bachelor’s degree in history and religions.
Inspired by a transcription of Dante’s Divine Comedy for a younger target audience, he
contemplated and discovered that no such equivalent existed for another epic poem, Paradise Lost.
Thus, the work began…
Thomas Lane was inspired to work on the project in the same way the Irish monks copied and
recopied older manuscripts to keep them from disappearing during the Dark Ages. Just as these
monks never signed a single manuscript with their names, Lane prefers to use a pen name to honour
their legacy and bring a classic work to life for its own sake.
Kamila Oleszczuk has been drawing since the age of three, but contrary to most children, she never
stopped. Her passion for art and animation fuelled her desire to create. Beyond the years of drawing
throughout her childhood, she went on to learn more about different art mediums and forms by
studying film animation at Concordia University. Kamila has been focusing mainly on children’s
illustrations ever since.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | GR Joseph | GR Thomas
Giveaway Alert!
Joseph Stemberga and Thomas Lane will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway| July 26 | Westveil Publishing | Iron Canuck Reviews & More |
| August 2 | Fabulous and Brunette | Splashes of Joy |
| August 9 | The Faerie Review | Travel the Ages |
| August 16 | Gina Rae Mitchell | Crowvus Book Blog |
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Thank you for sharing your review of A Paraphrase of Paradise Lost for Youngsters, the authors’ bios and book details, this sounds like an excellent story to share with my grandchildren
Yes it is an excellent book for both children and adults alike! I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for hosting!
Hi there,
I would like to thank Jenna R. from Westveil Publishing for hosting my book on this blog, while also reviewing it. I know there are many different genres of books that come out and it takes time to look at. It was a pleasure writing A Paraphase of Paradise Lost for Youngsters for today’s generation of kids.
Thank you once again for the kind words and your four stars!
Joseph St.
I hope you are going to look at the book “A Paraphrase of Paradise lost for Youngsters”
Great excerpt and giveaway. 🙂
Thx Cali!
Hope you enjoy the classic that we brought back to life! And yes it is a pretty great excerpt…… it is where Satan talks to his fellow angels and convinces them to join him.
Hope you win the giveaway.
cheers,
Joseph St
Nice idea to paraphrase it so children can understand the story.
Hi Kim,
thanks for the compliment! Yes, I thought it was a great idea because no one reads Victorian English anymore….while we translated the story into modern English, we also condensed the story so it is simple that everyone could understand.
nice cover
thx you BN100…. hopefully you enjoy our children’s book and tell your friends! This book is great for both adults and children alike.
cheers,
Joseph St
Really nice cover and excerpt, looking forward to reading this!
Thank you for the review.
Hi Rita,
Hopefully you enjoy our book! If you are into the classics….. this will be a perfect match!.
Cheers,
Joseph St
If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them?
Hmmmm I would try and understand Lucifer, while trying to convince him what he was doing was wrong. And make up with his Father.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
Have you read any of the old classics? What did you think of them?, looking forward to reading this!
Great excerpt, A Paraphrase of Paradise Lost for Youngsters sounds like a book that I would like to share with my grandkids and I like the cover! Good luck with your book and the tour! Thanks for sharing it with me! Thanks, Jenna, for sharing your review! Have a glorious weekend!
Hi Eva,
I am glad you enjoyed the excerpt! This pro And hope you enjoy the classic, it took a lot of time and effort. Feel free to share it with your friends.
cheers,
Joseph St
What do you think makes a good story?
Hi xjanelx,
Wow that is a tough question…… what makes a good story? hmmm well I guess it depends what the reader is into? I love history books myself. Hope you enjoy our version of Paradise Lost and share it with friends.
cheers,
Joseph
What author do you look up to the most?
What book are you the most proud of writing?
What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
Hey,
That is a very good question. Hmm maybe to kill a Mockinbird? Or The Merchant of Venice. What is yours?
Mostly we condensed the story to make it easier for the reader to understand.
And I like all the classics. So I really do not have just one favorite author
What is a significant way your book has changed since the first draft?
Hope you have a great Friday and weekend!
What inspired the idea for your book?
What characters in your book are most similar to you or to people you know?
Firstly, I was reading Dante’s divine comedy for kids….and I found out that no one ever made a children’s book of Paradise Lost. So my imagination just went from there.
And secondly, I guess Lucifer. Even though we try and follow in our Father’s footsteps, but we sometimes end up having family quarrels because of a different point of view. This can happen in almost every family.
Hope I answered your questions 🙂
What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
Hmmm usually I need silence and motivation. Everything else just comes to me….. if I were writing an essay and good topic writes itself.
Cheers,
J
What books have you read more than once in your life?
Thx for the great questions…..
Just the classics. But I try and read different books. I don’t like to read the same book twice…unless I’m using them in a paper or something or referring to it…
How do you come up with the titles to your books?
Have you ever traveled as research for your book?
Hey,
Our title was up for debate. But we ultimately chose what you seen now.
Hmm I have traveled, which inspired me to do this book. But never intentionally
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
I just hope they like a new version of a classic. That is the goal.
What advice would you give a new writer, someone just starting out?
Hmmm what advice……
Ok…. patience is key! Work hard, play hard and go with a publishing company that will do all the marketing for you. Writing is only half the battle….. also make sure you have a great idea, because there are so many books coming out each year, that it NEEDS to stand out. And have fun with it.