The Iliad & The Odyssey

By: Homer

Narrated by: John Lescault

Length: 28 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Little is known about the Ancient Greek oral poet Homer, the supposed 8th century BC author of the world-read Iliad and his later masterpiece, The Odyssey. These classic epics provided the basis for Greek education and culture throughout the classical age and formed the backbone of humane education through the birth of the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity. If Homer did in fact exist, this supposedly blind poet was from some region of Greek-controlled Asia-Minor and recited his poems at festivals and political assemblies. In this extraordinary two volume audio set, the glorious saga again unfolds, telling the story of courage and magical adventure in Ancient Greece.

The Iliad, the first of Homer's epic poems, tells of the counsel of Nestor, Achilles's slaying of Hector, and the defeat of the Trojans by the Greeks.

In The Odyssey, in his perilous journey home after the Trojan War, Odysseus must pass through the land of the Cyclopes, encounter Circe the Enchantress, and face the terrible Charybdis and the six headed serpent Scylla.

Both epics are translated here by Samuel Butler.

(P)2002 Commuters Library

Spectacular

Would you consider the audio edition of The Iliad & The Odyssey to be better than the print version?

Yes. The story was originally told verbally by bards.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Zeus

Any additional comments?

Fantastic book and performance! I enjoyed this book so much that I've started digging into more greek and roman literature.

Two classics, read beautifully

Vivid storytelling from Homer, always meant to be heard, not read. Lescault manages the rhythm and the language in a way that gives out the life out should have.

Loved it!

I actually enjoyed The Odyssey more than The Iliad. Everything about this audiobook was great: the story, the performance by Lescault, & the amount of references still in use today; for example, birds of a feather, etc. my eyes welled often, and I hope yours do too.

Repetitive

The illiad was tedious and hard to follow. The odyssey was much better. The story was easier to follow.

needed better editing

Read these stores many years ago and came back to enjoy them again. Unfortunately, there were numerous places where the reader repeated long passages.

Worth the price, worth the time

This is one of those purchases that you're glad you made about halfway into the book. In this case, it will be halfway into the Iliad. You really need to purchase both books together in order to get the full effect. The recording quality is excellent and Nescault's narration is very good.

Achilles and Agammemnon's argument (over a woman) starts the storyline. I was swept up into the battle on the shores and walls of Troy, of listening to the stories of mighty Ajax, wizened Nestor, the warring Diamid (sp?), and other characters and actions. To hear the last four or five chapters of the Iliad, where Achilles goes to war against the Trojans, is a listening for the ages. I'll never forget it.

The Iliad does not end with the sacking of Troy. That story is recounted in the Odyssey instead (yes, it surprised me too). Instead what you get is a vast panapoly of multi-dimensional, richly textured characters struggling to achieve their will in war and in peace.

There are a lot of very good political and personal lessons in these epics as well, esp. in the use and application of power and might. There's a lot of rich psychological hints and tricks that will help anyone listening closely to grasp human nature better. Vengeance, love, honor, hatred, fear, courage and the imposition of the will are all on display in this translation, and John Lescault's narration brings these stories alive. I found myself rooting for the Argives against the Trojans in the Iliad, and was sad at the end of the glorious round of battles between Hector and Achilles. The battle sequences are detailed blow-by-blow (sometimes with gory detail).

Bottom Line: Out of all the versions available on Audible, you should get this one because it's got the biggest bang-for-the-buck. The Iliad and the Odyssey are two parts of the same story, and you won't want to miss either one.

Dont take a course on Ancient Greece without it!

Would you listen to The Iliad & The Odyssey again? Why?

I had to read the Iliad for Greek History to 336 BC and the Odyssey for Intro to Mythology my first semester as an ancient history major in college and these we're indispensable in terms of saving time of having to read two 1000+ page epics concurrently

What other book might you compare The Iliad & The Odyssey to and why?

Metamorphoses by Ovid and (especially) The Golden Ass by Apuleius, because those are my two favorite works of Latin.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Brad Pitt and Sean Bean in Troy

Fabulous!

What made the experience of listening to The Iliad & The Odyssey the most enjoyable?

The story for those who like such a classic is fabulous. I wont go into story details as most know the story and other reviews have hashed it out. This type of read isnt for everyone but for people into the more flamboyant classic writings, Homer is wonderful.The narrator I feel did an absolutely fabulous job. This isnt an easy book to narrate and he did it with clarity, great pronunciation, and gave a poetic and enjoyable audio for the story and its characters. His voice was pleasant and it felt like he was telling the story rather than reading the story. I have read the Iliad and the Odyssey before but to have it told to you really brings a life to the story thats even more enjoyable than reading it. Some stories are better told than read and this is one of them especially when you have as a good of a Narrator as John Lescault.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I always liked Achilles in the Iliad. His persona just stands out. He is a character that appears larger than life at times. He is stubborn, bold, determined, yet emotions cut to the quick at times.Odysseus in the Odyssey. His journey was one of many trials and tribulations but he prevailed.

Which character – as performed by John Lescault – was your favorite?

He did them all very well. I cant pick just one.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes but it was to long to do that. LOL I listened to it every chance I had and it was done in about 1 week.

What a great heroic story!

The descriptions and battles were kinda gruesome but still had me hanging on the edge of my seat. After getting over all the long descriptions of who and from what family the characters are, the rest of the story was fantastic.

Tremendous that's why it's a classic!

Audio, what an excellent means to to have the correct pronunciation of the Greek names and locations. The style is interesting especially where sayings are repeated: "...and his armor rattled around him as he fell...". Great images!