In this revisited version of The Odyssey, Odysseus is a slightly pathetic barfly, selling his tales for a jug of wine from friendly barkeeper, and amateur history-keeper, Homer. He promises a good story and he certainly gives one - who knows if it's true or not. (This is equally true for the actual Odyssey, as the author's notes explain at the end.)
You'll enjoy the book a great deal more if you have some basic knowledge of Greek mythology and its key figures and stories. In this book, Odysseus encounters much more realistic versions of the monsters and mythical figures of the original tales - for example, the Sirens are singers in a tavern and Circe the witch, who transforms people into pigs, becomes a hypnotist who makes her spectators act like animals. I thought this modernised and more realistic way of interpreting the stories was very clever.
I enjoyed the book even more as I was actually on holiday in the lands of Odysseus when I read it, in Fethiye, Turkey, just down the coast from Bodrum (or Halicarnassus, as it was known). Looking around at the multitude of tiny islands and rocky coves in the area, I could really imagine Odysseus bobbing about in his boat, having adventures and strange encounters.
star rating : 4/5
- Paperback: 208 pages
- Publisher: Taniwha Press UK (1 July 2016)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0957584997
- ISBN-13: 978-0957584990
Disclosure : I received the book in order to write an honest review.
I don't have much knowledge of Greek mythology. Sounds interesting though
ReplyDeleteI only have the rudiments from a school project about 30 years ago ! -the cyclops, the sirens, etc
DeleteSounds fascinating. I know Greek mythology pretty well, and would be interested in reading a retold modern version. Good title too, quite an obvious reference if you know your Greek myths. :)
ReplyDelete