looks like an original version, but in English! Useful introduction at the start for a novice. Chapter introductions also useful. This is a hard read and the use of words takes a bit of getting used to. Seems to lose itself in places, other bits easy to follow.

A list of "who's who" would be handy, it would be a long list but for a non-expert sometimes it's hard to know who someone is and in the text who is actually "speaking".

Stick with it and you will make it! Would make a good film - particularly some bits of it.

I really like this book

How to review The Odyssey without sounding like the most presumptuous twerp? Let's have a go.

Actually I'm not reviewing The Odyssey. I'm reviewing this ebook. Firstly it's free, which is a big plus to a Yorkshireman. Secondly it looks great on the iPad and is easy to access via the Apple reader.

There are no negatives, hence the five stars, however I do have some advice. As you may know most free ebooks are long out of copyright and can be reproduced freely. Many are classics of world literature and free access for all is a great and noble project. However if you sensed a 'but' coming you were right.

When we read classics of English Lierature in ebook form the only issue is whether the interface is any good. There are lots of various readers available and you probably have your favourite. So far so good. My advice concerns the literature of the classical period. Most of us don't read ancient Greek or Latin, me included, so we must rely on others to translate for us. As the translation must be old enough to be out of copyright this means that many date back to the Victorian / Edwardian period and even earlier. This means that we must come to Homer via the perspective of an earlier time and it is their reading of him with which we are presented.

Many of these translations are wonderful and capture some of the brilliance of Homer as an epic poet. This version is that of Alexander Pope, one of our greatest writers. It is a work of sheer brilliance and beauty. It's also quite difficult to follow for anyone new to Homer and the classical world.

Homer was a poet. Pope's translation attempts to capture the structure and more importantly the rhythm of the original. I maintain that for all it's beauty this is not the best introduction to the work. It would be a shame if a reader were put off finding out more about classical literature by starting with this translation. There are modern translations that read more like a novel and are much easier for those new to the material. Unfortunately you'll have to pay for them.

Once you've read a modern version come back to Alexander Pope. You'll enjoy him all the more.