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

Pleasantly hard

This reckording is at first quite hard to concentrate on. the story can be confusing and the gnarrator monotonic. after a while the listening gets easier although still requiring a good bit of concentration but the story is delivered in a style that makes you believe that that's how it was so
many years ago.

One of the greatest stories ever told.

The first book The Iliad dealing with the battle of Troy was a little confusing with the lineage of names. The son of this, the son of that became a little overwhelming but nonetheless was a great story the second book The Odyssey was much less of explaining their lineage and more storytelling but still enjoyed them both very much. absolutely one of my favorites.

has there ever been a better story....

What did you love best about The Iliad & The Odyssey?

The description of the battle, the purposes of the battle, the values of the people and the idea that the gods played an active role in favoring some and disfavoring others. This is compelling reading and that is why it has had such staying power in books, movies, poems, and thousands of other writings. One can not be considered to be educated without listening to these stories.

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

Only the Bible is comparable. The Bible also describes the values of God and the people, describes how conflict causes strife in the world and provides a world view for how people should live. The Bible of course shows that God is rational, good, and provides redemption to His people, unlike the Greek gods who were simply extensions of people with all the faults and arbitrariness of the human being.

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

Hector was such an honorable figure, and ultimately such a tragic figure since he was killed by an arrogant enemy. We are never sure who the author favors, or who we favor, but clearly Hector was a great man, defending his family and people, but unlike so many of our tales today, this did not have a happy ending.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was extremely interested in the description of the motivations of the soldiers and the methods the leaders of the two sides used to motivate their soldiers. I was also interested in the descriptions of the tactics used by both sides. I was fascinated how the descriptions of the individual battles during the larger conflict reminded me of how American Indians fought, in a large group of individual hand to hand combat.

Any additional comments?

Listen to the book, you will find it compelling.

Worth the listen.

Reading the reviews I was a little concerned having purchased this prior to reading them. I enjoyed it and was not bothered by the narrating. The narrator can be monotone but I felt he was easy to follow and switched voices to distinguish between characters.

Will enchant til “rosey-fingered dawn”

I decided to re-read these two books to see if my impressions of each had changed since I first read them many years ago in high school. In fact, my assessment remained the same: The Iliad was boring but the Odyssey was terrific.
And never will I look at a sunrise again without thinking: “rosey-fingered dawn”. 😊

Great Story Great Reader

The eternal story of Love, War and our place on earth is very well read and a pleasure to listen to.

The use of the Greek names for the Gods and the Heroes may be disconcerting at the beginning but well worth the effort. The narrator loves his subject and knows it well.

This is my best buy.

Listen to, don't read

It was hard enough to listen to some of the words used in the book and I wold never have figured out. This starts with the battle of Troy and ends with his journey home. It talks about all the 'stuff' that happens on the home front while people are at war. Well worth the read.

There are a lot of very good political and personal lessons in this epic.

Mediocre

This work suffers from using an old translation that has many archaic words, and which fails to bring across the adventure and excitement of the stories.

The narrator also seems to be merely reading rather than telling a great story.

Timeless stories, wonderful narration

I completed listening to both books before I read the reviews and I was quite surprised by those who were disappointed in the narration, as I thought it wonderful. These books are better listened to than read as they are part of an oral tradition of epic story telling. You can imagine yourself listening to these stories thousands of years ago around a hearth. The language is updated and not in rythme. If you are not familiar with the stories I suggest a review of them in a condensed version before you begin your listen. This is not light literature and requires more focused listening than most modern books but the effort is well worth it and becomes easier as the stories progress.

Best read I've heard

I've attempted other listens at these stories, and each time quit before getting too deep into them. The narrator really is everything here. Enjoyed the stories immensely, a superb rendition.