THE ODYSSEY

The story of Odysseus's return from the Trojan War has been around for a very long time and is still read, sometimes under duress, in the original Greek or in translation to some modern language. It has lots of strange characters, lots of bloodshed, and a true superhero trying to get back home to a virtuous wife. What's not to like? John Lee reads Samuel Butler's translation very well. It's hard to maintain any suspense when Homer keeps telling you what's going to happen, but Lee fights the good fight. His pacing is excellent, improving on the momentum of the slowly developing story. His voice seems just right to recount the adventures of a man being led about by Zeus's daughter. R.E.K. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 07]