How Maui Defied the Goddess of Death

by Peter Gossage

When one of Maui's uncles dies, Maui sets out to defeat the goddess of death. But death has a few surprises in store for him. The final book in Peter Gossage's much-loved Maui series.

Genres: Childrens

Paperback

Published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[kereru · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was the most badass shit when i was a kid

[Peregrin Costa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful picture story book with Maori translation.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

“How Maui Defied the Goddess of Death” by Peter Gossage.
The death of Maui's beloved uncle prompts him to consider how he might kill Hine-nui-te-Po. Goddess of Death.
He finds himself on a fantastic spiritually tranformative journey encountering himself, the nine gods, the ten realms of the underworld, the ten realms of the heavens, and finally the highest heaven, Naherangi, the home of Rehua, the Goddess of Kindness and Healing.

“Above them were ten heavens.
These too, he passed through.
The highest heaven, Naherangi, was the home of Rehua,
the Goddess of Kindness and Healing.”
- - -

[Melinda Szymanik · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this lush and colourful version of a traditional Maori legend, Maui tries to conquer death. The illustrations are dynamic, mesmerising and thought provoking. The story ultimately ends enigmatically however, and differs from other versions I have seen.