The Odyssey
Ranked #1 in Greek, Ranked #1 in Ancient Greece — see more rankings.
After enduring the Trojan War, Odysseus begins the treacherous journey home to Ithaca. On the way, he faces ravenous monsters and vengeful gods. But the real battle awaits, as his kingdom is under siege by unruly suitors vying for his wife’s hand—and his son’s head. To reclaim his throne and save his family, Odysseus must rely on his wits…and help from the unpredictable gods.
Homer’s The Odyssey was composed around 700 BC. It is one of the earliest epics in existence and remains one of the most influential works of literature today.
Revised edition: Previously...
moreReviews and Recommendations
We've comprehensively compiled reviews of The Odyssey from the world's leading experts.
Ted Turner Founder/CNNWhen I got to college, I was a classics major, and that was mainly the study of Greek - and to a lesser extent Roman - history and culture, and that fascinated me: the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Aeneid by Virgil. (Source)
Caterina Fake Recommends this book
Max Porter I still have an image of Odysseus in my head from when I was a child – he’s very Anglo-Saxon and stubbly, a bit like Michael Fassbender (Source)
Janine di Giovanni The thing I loved about Ulysses was that he’s so in love with adventure and with love. (Source)
Peter Worley These stories enable us to rehearse bad situations without actually having to be in danger. (Source)
Charlotte Higgins It’s a very easy read, and a completely different world from The Iliad. Whereas The Iliad depicts a militaristic and war-wrecked world, The Odyssey is like a fairytale and it’s fascinatingly complex. It’s told in flashbacks, it has time that’s extended and time that’s compressed, and it’s told from different viewpoints. (Source)
Rankings by Category
The Odyssey is ranked in the following categories:
- #81 in 10th Grade
- #2 in 14-Year-Old
- #79 in 15-Year-Old
- #2 in 9th Grade
- #63 in AA
- #34 in Academia
- #45 in Adventure
- #53 in Adventure Fiction
- #1 in Ancient
- #7 in Ancient History
- #2 in Antiques
- #47 in Bucket List
- #61 in Catalog
- #7 in Children's Boat
- #33 in Class
- #20 in Classic
- #1 in Classical
- #50 in Collection
- #1 in Epic
- #54 in Folio Society
- #33 in Folklore
- #86 in Goodreads
- #68 in Graduate School
- #6 in Greek Mythology
- #35 in Heroes
- #16 in High School
- #13 in High School Reading
- #53 in Iceland
- #9 in Journals
- #31 in Leather
- #39 in Leather Bound
- #9 in Legend
- #58 in Literary
- #26 in Literature
- #57 in Long
- #46 in Men
- #36 in Mystical
- #34 in Mythical Creatures
- #7 in Mythology
- #30 in Old
- #28 in Orange
- #15 in Penguin Classics
- #34 in Percy Jackson
- #28 in Philosophy History
- #4 in Poetry
- #30 in Poster
- #14 in Project Gutenberg
- #33 in Public
- #13 in Public Domain
- #41 in Quest
- #45 in Rick Riordan
- #41 in Sales
- #85 in Teacher
- #87 in Teaching
- #5 in Translated
- #9 in University
- #61 in Wanderlust
- #59 in World
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