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percym03's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lowercase_em's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
amanda_woodbury's review against another edition
4.0
A unique retelling of Greek myths in short vignettes. Based off a common practice in Ancient Greece, in which poets and bards would compete to offer alternate renditions of famous stories to entertain an audience, a quick enjoyable read.
dorthepedersen_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Den bog, jeg skulle have skrevet :-)
Et mix af indsigt, humor og fri digtning - helt i Odysseus' ånd!
Et mix af indsigt, humor og fri digtning - helt i Odysseus' ånd!
rixx's review against another edition
4.0
The Lost Books of the Odyssey are, in truth, the Lost Short Stories of the Odyssey, and an impressive 44, at that. Each short story presents a different version of some part of the Iliad or the Odyssey, most-but-not-all focused on Odysseus. As always with story collections, I liked some more than others, but a surprising amount of them worked very well for me.
If there's any chance at all that you're going to read the book, just skip the following spoilers! Short stories are worse when you know what's coming. I'm not giving away any twists, for the most part, just enough for me to recall the stories.
If there's any chance at all that you're going to read the book, just skip the following spoilers! Short stories are worse when you know what's coming. I'm not giving away any twists, for the most part, just enough for me to recall the stories.
- Odysseus meets the sirens, and their song is Not What You Think.
- Odysseus finds a doppelganger in Troy.
- Paris is actually Death.
- Helen and Penelope switched roles, Helen actually lives with Odysseus.
- Odysseus gets actually married to Circe.
- Odysseus gets actually married to Nausicaa.
- The encounter with Nobody, as told by Polyphemus, and Polyphemus' further life.
- Penelope is Not What You Think.
- The trapping of Achilles.
- Theseus realises who's the scariest person on Crete (a bit of a departure, but a good one).
- Odysseus as a recovering traumatised war hero.
- The Odyssey as a chess primer. (Yes, really! One of the good ones right here.)
- Odysseus on tour returning to Troy in his old age.
gregbrown's review against another edition
5.0
The Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason is one of the more fascinating books to come out recently. Subtitled “a novel,” the book is better treated as a series of explorations into the hidden sub-strata of Homer’s original Iliad and Odyssey. Sometimes these are counterfactuals, sometimes these are sketches of other details, and yet others recombine elements in very interesting ways. The cumulative effect strangely highlights how much the elements of Homer’s epics have wormed their way into our modern psyche, illustrates what is still strange about these old works of art.
The most poignant and affecting parts of the book, for me, are the recurrences again and again of the strange link between Odysseus and Athena. They’re of two separate worlds - doomed to forever remain at arm’s length - yet deeply kindred spirits, in ways that only become apparent after reading dozens of Mason’s tales. What seem at first to be formal exercises become feats of empathy and imagination, and the book practically begs to be read in a single sitting.
Very recommended, especially if you’re interested in the originals or Jorge Luis Borges.
The most poignant and affecting parts of the book, for me, are the recurrences again and again of the strange link between Odysseus and Athena. They’re of two separate worlds - doomed to forever remain at arm’s length - yet deeply kindred spirits, in ways that only become apparent after reading dozens of Mason’s tales. What seem at first to be formal exercises become feats of empathy and imagination, and the book practically begs to be read in a single sitting.
Very recommended, especially if you’re interested in the originals or Jorge Luis Borges.
abetterjulie's review against another edition
5.0
Clever, creative, and deep. It is a small book, but I found myself taking my time, and even now I have the urge to open it back up and start over again.
katie987's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0