Odysseus

This, the forth and final book in Geraldine McCaughrean's stories of Greek heroes, (preceded by Perseus, Hercules (Heroes) and Theseus (Heroes)) is the only one based on actual literature: Homer's Odyssey. As such, McCaughrean does not have to pick and choose aspects of convoluted and often contradictory myths; her source material has already been written, providing a fairly linear sequence of events. As such, the stories concerning Odysseus have always been more straightforward than those of his peers. The retelling begins well after the Trojan War, with Odysseus sailing home with his fleet of ships to his small kingdom of Ithaca, where his wife Penelope and son Telemachus await him. He has not seen them in ten long years, and the voyage home is a dangerous one. Meawhile, interspersed with Odysseus's journey there are "updates" as to what is happening in Ithaca with his wife and child: Penelope has been bombarded with unwelcome suitors who fight for her hand in marriage, leading mother and son to make secrets plans of their own to keep them at bay. McCaughrean keeps the most famous encounters of Odysseus's adventure (those that even those who have little knowledge of Greek myth are probably familiar with) such as the blinding of Polyphemus the Cyclops, the enchantress Circe turning men into swine, the twin terrors of Scylla and Charybdis. Along with these are slightly less-known experiences, such as his sojourn into the Underworld to speak with the blind seer Tiresias, hospitality in the household of the god of the winds, and the blissful stupor of the Lotus Eaters. All of this is more or less a condescened version of Homer's original text, but there is an amusing variation on the nymph Calypso who holds Odysseus "captive" on her paradiscal island. Turns out that living the life of luxury with an adoring female isn't quite as appealing as it sounds... McCaughrean even manages to sneak in minor episodes, such as the unheroic death of Elpenor (poor guy fell off a roof) and Odysseus's actions to secure his peaceful rest in the Underworld. Come to think of it, its amazing just what is packed into a relatively slender book. The pace is rapid (getting slightly sluggish during the Scylla/Charybdis episode) and told in clear but beautiful prose; see here, a description of Circe's island: "Beyond the herb garden were olive groves and orchards of lemons, apples and limes. Vines entwined the marble colonnades, and hives shimmered with the early morning movement of bees. Tall, dark cypresses swayed like dancers, and the soft green of pine forests was sprinkled with asphodels and orchids." Odysseus himself closely resembles Homer's portrayal of the man: a typical "hero" as the Greeks would have considered one. By contemporary standards he is undoubtedly egocentric as well, yet (as with all her retellings) McCaughrean uses this to her advantage by illustrating the human foibles of such heroes. In any case, Odyssey's renowed cunning is at the forefront o

Odysseus: A Retelling of the Odyssey Cricket books 2005 148 pp 8.50$ Geraldine McCaughrean ISBN 0-8126-2721-0 As one wave arrived, another was always drawing back again out to sea, out to the open sea that is always traveling, always traveling. Page 148 The Odyssey is the second part to Homer's classical Iliad and Odyssey. Ithaca's honorable king, Odysseus has started his voyage home from the ten-year siege of Troy. Everything goes wrong when a storm carries his fleet off course into a flood of dangers and enemies. Problems plague Odysseus and his men, from giants to mutiny, the most dangerous of which is the wrath of the sun and sea gods. Worse still, suitors are swarming into Ithaca to seek the hand of Odysseus' lovely queen, Penelope. Will Odysseus make it home in time or will he be replaced as Ithaca's king? Odysseus loves his family, Penelope his wife and his son Telemachus and The Odyssey describes his ten year voyage to get home to them. Odysseus left home when Telemachus was only a baby but Telemachus knows a tremendous amount about his father from heroic tales and descriptions from his mother. Penelope is the radiant queen of Ithaca. She misses Odysseus more every passing moment. Despite constant propaganda by her suitors Penelope continues to believe that her husband is still drawing breath. I think that the story of the Odyssey is one of the most incredible pieces of literature in history. Odysseus is the second version of the Odyssey I have read. I enjoyed that it was more detailed in some areas than the first version I read, however, I felt that some parts of the story could have been more descriptive. For example, when Ido the sea nymph rescues Odysseus, Geraldine McCaughrean more fully describes why the nymph rescues Odysseus, which makes the story more interesting. At another point, when Odysseus tricks Circe into transforming his men from pigs back into men, I thought the author could have provided much more detail to this very intriguing part of the story. The book focuses on ethics and courtesy and more so the lack there of. Examples of the lack of courtesy include the Cyclops eating Odysseus' men and also when Circe transformed Odysseus' men into pigs. The giants and the Cyclops are incredibly despicable with a blatant disregard for any common courtesy. The kings in this story, however, are much more kind and helpful. One king gives Odysseus the bag of winds, a magical bag containing the wind currants of the world; the other king gives him a ship and protection from the furious Poseidon. With this help Odysseus finally returns home. This is a fantastic book that is perfect for fans of adventure and fantasy between the ages of nine and fourteen that are looking for a quick read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mythology. Sam Sklar