This was a really fun book recommended to me by a friend. The concept of the book is based on the fact that Odysseus is a character that grew out of an oral tradition and, presumably, there were many and varied stories about him, not just the ones that found their way into the "canonical" Odyssey of Homer. Following this idea, the book presents a couple dozen very short stories somehow related to the character of Odysseus; maybe they are best described as "vignettes." The author's style is quite distinctive; something like Borges or Calvino (I think, I have never read the latter). Quite a few of the stories have some sort of reference to the concept of "eternal return," which seems appropriate for the subject matter. Many of them are told from the points of view of minor characters, such as Polyphemos, or reference anachronistic mythology, such as the Golem. The book gives a great deal of vibrancy to the "Odysseus multiverse"; if you're like me, you might come away wanting to write some of your own!

It has been over a decade since I've read Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities and Jorge Luis Borges's Labyrinths (both of which are my all-time faves), but this book brought me right back. With the added bonus of being about The Odyssey/Iliad/related myths.

Surreal, thought-provoking, brilliant.

Get it for the classics geek in your life. I loved it.

Odysseus is baby girl 7/10

At first I didn't understand how it was written because it didn't at all go in order with Homer's Odyssey. Then I realized they were all separate stories. Very interesting and different!

Stunning take on a classic

Quite impressive for a debut work. While some of the 44 scenes are quite far-fetched, and others are barely a page with very little exposition, there are a number of interesting and well-developed re-imaginings. I particularly liked the one focussed on Polyphemus, who - once blinded - apparently becomes another ‘character’ familiar to those who have read the Illiad and the Odyssey. Over-all, an enjoyable read which is greatly enhanced if you’re familiar with the original source material.

This book is beautifully written and absorbing. Very approachable and readable alternative stories from The Odyssey.