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Graphic Classics
The Odyssey:
A bold re-envisioning of The Odyssey, told with simplicity and style — perfect for fans of graphic retellings and mythology enthusiasts alike.
Odysseus faces storm and shipwreck, a terrifying man-eating Cyclops, the alluring but deadly Sirens, and the fury of the sea-god Poseidon as he makes his ten-year journey home from the Trojan War. While Odysseus struggles to make it home, his wife, Penelope, fights a different kind of battle as her palace is invaded by forceful, greedy men who tell her that Odysseus is dead and she must choose a new husband. Will Odysseus reach her in time? Homer’s epic, age-old story is powerfully told by Carnegie Medalist Gillian Cross and stunningly illustrated by rising talent Neil Packer.
Odysseus faces storm and shipwreck, a terrifying man-eating Cyclops, the alluring but deadly Sirens, and the fury of the sea-god Poseidon as he makes his ten-year journey home from the Trojan War. While Odysseus struggles to make it home, his wife, Penelope, fights a different kind of battle as her palace is invaded by forceful, greedy men who tell her that Odysseus is dead and she must choose a new husband. Will Odysseus reach her in time? Homer’s epic, age-old story is powerfully told by Carnegie Medalist Gillian Cross and stunningly illustrated by rising talent Neil Packer.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2012
46 people are currently reading
864 people want to read
About the author
Gillian Cross
148 books86 followersGillian Cross was born Gillian Arnold in 1945. She was educated at North London Collegiate School, Somerville College, Oxford and the University of Sussex. Although now a full-time writer who often travels and gives talks in connection with her work, she has had a number of informal jobs including being an assistant to a Member of Parliament. For eight years she also sat on the committee which advises ministers about public libraries.
She is married to Martin Cross and they have four grown-up children, two sons and two daughters.
She is married to Martin Cross and they have four grown-up children, two sons and two daughters.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
February 21, 2021
I am an experienced ELA teacher who has read two different translations of the Odyssey and four different children's editions. I read this book because it is a core text for the 6th Wit & Wisdom curriculum. It is easily my least favorite version of the story.
Pros:
* Easier than any other recent children's edition, but not as easy as The Iliad and the Odyssey: The heroic story of the trojan war the fabulous adventures of odysseus.
* Lots of illustrations.
* It's only 170 pages long, so it's a quicker read than Mary Pope Osborne's version.
Cons:
* The illustrations are awful. There is a weird, cluttered 2D aspect that jumbles the foreground and the background. Some of them are so stylized that it is hard to tell what they are trying to communicate. None of them feel very Greek. The skin tones are distracting. Most of the characters are a pallid corpselike white, while some of them are a startling coal black. Just a few are shades of brown, which also happens to be the skin tone of actual Mediterraneans.
* One of my favorite threads of the story is Odysseus getting distracted and self-indulgent with Circe for a full year, getting a wakeup call when he sees his mother in the land of the dead, then showing his change by having a different attitude on Calypso's island. In Cross' version, Odysseus stays with Circe because his men need rest and never sees his mother in the land of the dead. Because of this, the character has less of an arc.
* I understand that a lot of the violence had to be left out. However, the death of the suitors is so tamed that it feels like Odysseus wasn't really all that mad at them.
* Even though this book described most of the story events, I feel like it failed to capture the spirit of the original. The characters were bland and the settings did not come to life.
* Some of Odysseus' questionable choices, such as not telling his men about Scylla or not telling them what is inside the bag of winds are given a free pass, when really they should raise questions about his character.
Overall, I do not think this book has a reason to exist. If you want a middle-grade Odyssey, then Tales from the Odyssey, Part 1 is a great 5th grade level choice. If you want a 3rd grade level picture book, then Jane Werner Watson's version mentioned above is better in every possible way.
If you are teaching W&W, then I have some complaints to share with you. These are not Gillian Cross' fault. They are the fault of the people writing W&W.
* Poseidon is not a shadow. He is a god. The hero/shadow relationship is simply not in effect here. Antinous would be a more appropriate shadow, but he is not named in this text.
* Circe might be considered an ally, but is really more of a threshold guardian.
* Odysseus does not learn humility. He learns to curb his hubris, which is not the same thing. He still defeats the youths at the Phaeacian games, and is prepared to declare war on entire families at the end of the book. He simply doesn't feel the same need for personal glory that he did at the beginning of the book, and he has learned that happiness is found at home with his family.
* Odysseus is not good at resisting temptation. He gets tempted away from his quest for a full year by Circe and can't resist the temptation of exploring the Cyclops' cave.
* Odysseus does not demonstrate the trait of loyalty by going to the Trojan War. Instead, he tries as hard as he can to avoid it, including pretending to be insane.
Pros:
* Easier than any other recent children's edition, but not as easy as The Iliad and the Odyssey: The heroic story of the trojan war the fabulous adventures of odysseus.
* Lots of illustrations.
* It's only 170 pages long, so it's a quicker read than Mary Pope Osborne's version.
Cons:
* The illustrations are awful. There is a weird, cluttered 2D aspect that jumbles the foreground and the background. Some of them are so stylized that it is hard to tell what they are trying to communicate. None of them feel very Greek. The skin tones are distracting. Most of the characters are a pallid corpselike white, while some of them are a startling coal black. Just a few are shades of brown, which also happens to be the skin tone of actual Mediterraneans.
* One of my favorite threads of the story is Odysseus getting distracted and self-indulgent with Circe for a full year, getting a wakeup call when he sees his mother in the land of the dead, then showing his change by having a different attitude on Calypso's island. In Cross' version, Odysseus stays with Circe because his men need rest and never sees his mother in the land of the dead. Because of this, the character has less of an arc.
* I understand that a lot of the violence had to be left out. However, the death of the suitors is so tamed that it feels like Odysseus wasn't really all that mad at them.
* Even though this book described most of the story events, I feel like it failed to capture the spirit of the original. The characters were bland and the settings did not come to life.
* Some of Odysseus' questionable choices, such as not telling his men about Scylla or not telling them what is inside the bag of winds are given a free pass, when really they should raise questions about his character.
Overall, I do not think this book has a reason to exist. If you want a middle-grade Odyssey, then Tales from the Odyssey, Part 1 is a great 5th grade level choice. If you want a 3rd grade level picture book, then Jane Werner Watson's version mentioned above is better in every possible way.
If you are teaching W&W, then I have some complaints to share with you. These are not Gillian Cross' fault. They are the fault of the people writing W&W.
* Poseidon is not a shadow. He is a god. The hero/shadow relationship is simply not in effect here. Antinous would be a more appropriate shadow, but he is not named in this text.
* Circe might be considered an ally, but is really more of a threshold guardian.
* Odysseus does not learn humility. He learns to curb his hubris, which is not the same thing. He still defeats the youths at the Phaeacian games, and is prepared to declare war on entire families at the end of the book. He simply doesn't feel the same need for personal glory that he did at the beginning of the book, and he has learned that happiness is found at home with his family.
* Odysseus is not good at resisting temptation. He gets tempted away from his quest for a full year by Circe and can't resist the temptation of exploring the Cyclops' cave.
* Odysseus does not demonstrate the trait of loyalty by going to the Trojan War. Instead, he tries as hard as he can to avoid it, including pretending to be insane.
August 8, 2024
So first and foremost, although at Open Library Gillian Cross' 2012 retelling of Homer's Ὀδύσσεια (with accompanying artwork by Neil Packer) is shelved as being a graphic novel, I for one do kind of beg to differ regarding this, since The Odyssey features a very detailed text with ample but definitely not with graphic novel, not with cartoon like illustrations, showing pictures that visually reflect but are not on the same level as the narrative (and that I therefore consider what Cross and Packer present textually and visually in The Odyssey to be an illustrated chapter book and thus not a typical or even an atypical graphic novel).
And with regard to the textual quality of The Odyssey, yes, Odysseus' fateful and lasting for a decade voyage from the Trojan War back home to Ithaca is generally presented, is retold by Gillian Cross in vivid and straight-forward prose that is suitable for a middle-school audience (for readers from about the age of nine or so onwards) and with Cross following Homer's storyline for Ὀδύσσεια pretty closely with regard to thematics/contents, incorporating dialogue, short paragraphs, and pithy description to keep the pace of The Odyssey decently lively and for the most part also sufficiently engaging. But I must admit that in particular my older adult reading self (who has repeatedly perused both Ἰλιάς and Ὀδύσσεια unabridged in English translation) also feels that Gillian Cross sometimes fails to textually truly capture the spirit of Homer and that her characters for The Odyssey are often a bit cardboard like and emotionless, not enough of an issue for me to not enjoy and appreciate The Odyssey as a basic, as a generally nicely successful retelling, but that my reading reaction has still been a bit blah and as such only worth three stars. Therefore, not bad at all to be sure is The Odyssey but also and definitely not yet spectacular by any stretch of my imagination (but still recommended with a few minor reservations, and that I also do enjoy how at the back of The Odyssey Cross provides information on Homer as well as including the Greek alphabet with its different from Latin script letters).
However and finally, since The Odyssey is both textual and visual (and that there are very many illustrations), sorry, but my three star rating for Gillian Cross' retelling has to be lowered to but two stars since I really cannot at all aesthetically stand Neil Packer's accompanying artwork. For yes and according to my personal visual tastes, Packer's pictures for The Odyssey are pretty horridly awful, with in particular his human figures often looking unrealistically stylised and with white ghost like skin tones that also do not look Mediterranean, that do not look very Greek, and which I for one find both uncomfortable and also rather intolerant of Greece and of its people (so that indeed, I cannot with good conscience rate The Odyssey with three stars since Neil Packer's illustrations just do nothing for me aesthetically and are often majorly visually unappealing).
And with regard to the textual quality of The Odyssey, yes, Odysseus' fateful and lasting for a decade voyage from the Trojan War back home to Ithaca is generally presented, is retold by Gillian Cross in vivid and straight-forward prose that is suitable for a middle-school audience (for readers from about the age of nine or so onwards) and with Cross following Homer's storyline for Ὀδύσσεια pretty closely with regard to thematics/contents, incorporating dialogue, short paragraphs, and pithy description to keep the pace of The Odyssey decently lively and for the most part also sufficiently engaging. But I must admit that in particular my older adult reading self (who has repeatedly perused both Ἰλιάς and Ὀδύσσεια unabridged in English translation) also feels that Gillian Cross sometimes fails to textually truly capture the spirit of Homer and that her characters for The Odyssey are often a bit cardboard like and emotionless, not enough of an issue for me to not enjoy and appreciate The Odyssey as a basic, as a generally nicely successful retelling, but that my reading reaction has still been a bit blah and as such only worth three stars. Therefore, not bad at all to be sure is The Odyssey but also and definitely not yet spectacular by any stretch of my imagination (but still recommended with a few minor reservations, and that I also do enjoy how at the back of The Odyssey Cross provides information on Homer as well as including the Greek alphabet with its different from Latin script letters).
However and finally, since The Odyssey is both textual and visual (and that there are very many illustrations), sorry, but my three star rating for Gillian Cross' retelling has to be lowered to but two stars since I really cannot at all aesthetically stand Neil Packer's accompanying artwork. For yes and according to my personal visual tastes, Packer's pictures for The Odyssey are pretty horridly awful, with in particular his human figures often looking unrealistically stylised and with white ghost like skin tones that also do not look Mediterranean, that do not look very Greek, and which I for one find both uncomfortable and also rather intolerant of Greece and of its people (so that indeed, I cannot with good conscience rate The Odyssey with three stars since Neil Packer's illustrations just do nothing for me aesthetically and are often majorly visually unappealing).
May 24, 2025
I read this children's version of the Odyssey to my nine year old and we both loved it. It tells most of Odysseus' story but makes it more linear and mostly eliminates the independent stories of Penelope and Telemachus. The illustrations are great too, very stylistic without actually telling much of the story but providing a nice complement.
February 10, 2022
This retelling makes Odysseus seems like a way better person than he actually is.
November 3, 2012
When I ordered this book, I thought it was a children's book. It really is more juvenile/YA then children's. I read some of it to my 5 year old and it was "too scary," some of the art bothered him. (He did not like the cyclops eating peolpe.) With that said, I think this is great for older kids. I think I would put an ideal age at 12. (Some kids might be a little younger.) I even think teenagers would enjoy this book, I certainly did as an adult. The author did a great job of retelling the story and keeping the pace sharp. The art was interesting, but not my taste. I would not describe the images as lovely. Overall I liked this book and am glad to have it in our library.
November 20, 2012
This retold epic of the adventures of Odysseus is a perfect gateway into Greek mythology. Told in chapter form, the writing is concise, interesting, and easy to follow. This is a beautiful book, at 9 x 10 ½ inches; it is an edition that would hold a place of honor on any book lover’s shelf. The abundant illustrations are mystical with plenty of detail. Most of the illustrations are colorful, some are black and white. The pages range in every shade from white to yellow to black. The paper is thick, and the text is rather large, making it even more appealing. I really loved this gorgeous book.
September 2, 2012
An accessible retelling of Homer's classic. Perfect for middle school and high school students encountering the story for the first time. For some reason, the illustrations reminded me of Blue Meanies.
September 1, 2014
My six-year-old and I really enjoyed this. It requires some work on tragedy and prudence when you read it with a child that young (we spent some time wishing Odysseus and his companions just stayed home), but the story is engrossing and the illustrations are really cool.
February 15, 2021
I can't really judge it because I read it for school and I already knew what happened
November 11, 2024
people giving this book bad reviews because of the art are WRONG the art is GREAT
November 16, 2021
My 10 year old son gives it 4 stars, and so do I.
It is an enjoyable and accessible retelling of the epic Homeric poem that has so long influenced Western Civilization.
It is an enjoyable and accessible retelling of the epic Homeric poem that has so long influenced Western Civilization.
January 24, 2021
I like it because it’s an adventure story. Odysseus’ journey takes him from Troy to Ithaca. The Sirens are the creepiest he meets, apart from Scylla and Charybdis. My favourite encounter is with Calypso, a sea nymph because when she sings she tricks Odysseus’ sailors and turns them into pigs. My favourite character is Athena because she is brave and wise and the goddess of wisdom and battle. Athena has an owl which symbolises wisdom 🦉
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2017
This version of the Odyssey, intended for middle-grade students, is beautifully retold and illustrated. This book probably represents the best and most realistic shot to get tweens and teens into this epic poem -- very well done!
January 3, 2013
My wife got me this book for Christmas. The illustrations are fun and it is an easy to read, kid friendly overview of the Odyssey. My 6th graders will love it.
May 28, 2019
Decided to read this children's version of the Greek classic as my family is considering visiting Greece next year. Through my schooling, I never studied the classics. Great version of Homer's Odyssey!
February 2, 2025
For my first time engaging with this epic, this was presented in an interesting and easy to understand fashion. It's illustrated in a fun colourful way that helped the storytelling. It's opened up the narrative for me, so I'll feel more confident reading other more detailed retellings.
August 29, 2017
My 6yo loved it.
February 10, 2019
We read these to our son, this and the companion version of The Iliad. I had never read these books before and I was floored. They are jam packed! I do recommend them despite the violence. I feel that they are full of epic themes that we haven't even begun to unpack yet! Reading them at bedtime has made for some very special moments that I treasure.
December 14, 2022
highly recommend as a read aloud to young kids. my twin 6 year olds loved it. the illustrations were unique and fun to look at.
Read
June 28, 2024The story is great, but it was the disturbing images that really kept my boys engrossed. Accessible for my intermediate and advanced multilingual learners.
October 23, 2024
Family read-aloud. Fun and quirky illustrations- simplified reading for the kids!
February 20, 2025
Good middle grade retelling. Not a fan of the art.
March 21, 2021
A stunning retelling of Homer’s epic poem. Perfect for any readers, irrespective of age or previous familiarity with The Odyssey! The illustrations alone (how much talent must have gone into them, well done Neil Packer) make it a beautiful coffee table book, as well as translating the Greek adventures into such accessible and gripping prose.
Set after the events of The Iliad (which has also been adapted into these stunning editions by Cross and Packer), this oh-so-famous epic chronicles the 10-year-long return journey of Odysseus to Ithaca. A series of adventures follow that I recommend you simply relax, read, absorb and get lost in (much like Odysseus himself at sea). Odysseus himself is an incredibly appealing character: he’s brave, noble, quick-witted (unusual for a Greek hero), and learns to disinherit some of his hubris by the end of the work (even more unusual for a Greek hero). Having said that, this version appropriately cuts out all the sex with the various enchanting women he meets...
For the English Literature students out there:
Set after the events of The Iliad (which has also been adapted into these stunning editions by Cross and Packer), this oh-so-famous epic chronicles the 10-year-long return journey of Odysseus to Ithaca. A series of adventures follow that I recommend you simply relax, read, absorb and get lost in (much like Odysseus himself at sea). Odysseus himself is an incredibly appealing character: he’s brave, noble, quick-witted (unusual for a Greek hero), and learns to disinherit some of his hubris by the end of the work (even more unusual for a Greek hero). Having said that, this version appropriately cuts out all the sex with the various enchanting women he meets...
For the English Literature students out there:
June 18, 2019
I read this and "The Iliad" out loud to my boys (8 and 10) before they went to sleep at night for the past month or so. Both were totally engrossed in the monsters, the gods, the incessant wars -- all of the themes currently played out on the big screen in cartoon form. This, however, is the original and allows children to use their imagination to "see" the story.
We would read a few pages at a time, review the amazing pictures, discuss the story line and which god of which mythology was responsible for what terrible deed or amazing rescue. We discussed the Greek alphabet, why the name Ajax is now the name of a soccer team in the Netherlands, and how the meaning of Achilles, his heel, and his armor has changed over time. We even took out the globe and looked at where Greece and ancient Troy are situated, marveling over how Odysseus could get lost in such a small area of sea for so long.
Based on this experience, I will be looking for more retellings by Gillian Cross. She masterfully managed to capture the essence of these massive tales in a digestible format for both adult and child.
Kudos!
We would read a few pages at a time, review the amazing pictures, discuss the story line and which god of which mythology was responsible for what terrible deed or amazing rescue. We discussed the Greek alphabet, why the name Ajax is now the name of a soccer team in the Netherlands, and how the meaning of Achilles, his heel, and his armor has changed over time. We even took out the globe and looked at where Greece and ancient Troy are situated, marveling over how Odysseus could get lost in such a small area of sea for so long.
Based on this experience, I will be looking for more retellings by Gillian Cross. She masterfully managed to capture the essence of these massive tales in a digestible format for both adult and child.
Kudos!
May 22, 2018
I liked this book, minus one error on page 94-95. Hyperion is not the sun god. He is the Titan god of heavenly light. I believe that the sun god that they are referring to would actually be Helios, another Titan.
September 22, 2012
Story is told well, but the illustrations, though bold and interesting, did not portray the characters as attractive. I always pictured Odysseus as an attractive man, but here he was odd-looking.
August 4, 2024
The Odyssey, by Homer, a retelling by Gillian Cross in a tamer format for curious youths. The story continues after the men of Sparta, triumphant from their decade-long war with Troy, begin their journey at last back to Ithaca. Would they arrive safely? Homer does not disappoint and throws many spins on Odysseus' second decade away from home.
This version makes Odysseus as a war hero and, to suit the audience, skipped gore violence and sexual content. I believe Homer meant to emphasize that Odysseus is a mortal with sins and weaknesses. He withheld information from his men that were shared by Circe, knowing that some of his men were doomed. I believe he became romantically involved with Circe and Calypso. For a translated version of The Odyssey, look to Robert Fitzgerald. However, if you want a rudimentary synopsis, Cross' version may work. Recommended with caution.
This version makes Odysseus as a war hero and, to suit the audience, skipped gore violence and sexual content. I believe Homer meant to emphasize that Odysseus is a mortal with sins and weaknesses. He withheld information from his men that were shared by Circe, knowing that some of his men were doomed. I believe he became romantically involved with Circe and Calypso. For a translated version of The Odyssey, look to Robert Fitzgerald. However, if you want a rudimentary synopsis, Cross' version may work. Recommended with caution.
August 6, 2023
This is part of the 6th grade Wit and Wisdom reading curriculum.
I've never actually read The Odyssey, in any form, but the adventures of Odysseus are so familiar just through zillions of cultural references. Perhaps for that reason, the book didn't feel fresh or new to me. I also had a hard time connecting to any of the main characters; I frequently didn't understand why problems needed to be solved in such convoluted ways.
However, Odysseus's mistakes and troubles still rang true to me...sometimes you get too full of yourself, holler about how clever you are for defeating Cyclops, and then the next thing you know, Poseidon has cursed your voyage and your life. Maybe that's not your exact story, but I feel like we've all been in a position where we've done something stupid that didn't seem consequential at the time...and we regretted it for a long while after.
One of my Goodreads friends - Kim, maybe? - reviewed a book a couple of years ago that was a feminist take on the monsters in Greek mythology, and now I really want to read that book, whatever it was, because it was painfully obvious how almost all of the monsters were female.
I've never actually read The Odyssey, in any form, but the adventures of Odysseus are so familiar just through zillions of cultural references. Perhaps for that reason, the book didn't feel fresh or new to me. I also had a hard time connecting to any of the main characters; I frequently didn't understand why problems needed to be solved in such convoluted ways.
However, Odysseus's mistakes and troubles still rang true to me...sometimes you get too full of yourself, holler about how clever you are for defeating Cyclops, and then the next thing you know, Poseidon has cursed your voyage and your life. Maybe that's not your exact story, but I feel like we've all been in a position where we've done something stupid that didn't seem consequential at the time...and we regretted it for a long while after.
One of my Goodreads friends - Kim, maybe? - reviewed a book a couple of years ago that was a feminist take on the monsters in Greek mythology, and now I really want to read that book, whatever it was, because it was painfully obvious how almost all of the monsters were female.
March 1, 2019
My 12 year old daughter, who loves Greek mythology, and I finally finished reading the book. Oh - the agony poor Odysseus went through! Having recently listened to the audio book by Emily Wilson narrated by Claire Danes, I could vividly remember how Claire Danes performed it. I quite enjoyed her rendition and I imagined how I would sound as a reader if I were to perform it. Sometimes, I got a few other people who live in the house, to listen in ;-)
Anyway - it was a great read. The translation was excellent, the pictures were impressive. My daughter (and me too) just could not get over all that Odysseus went through! Just when you think it could not get worse, it did. That Poseidon sure holds a grudge! But wonderful Athene was persistent and successful in getting Odysseus finally back home, even if it meant that all of his men did not :-(
Lots of fun to read! I genuinely hope my daughter reads these same books to her kids some day!
Anyway - it was a great read. The translation was excellent, the pictures were impressive. My daughter (and me too) just could not get over all that Odysseus went through! Just when you think it could not get worse, it did. That Poseidon sure holds a grudge! But wonderful Athene was persistent and successful in getting Odysseus finally back home, even if it meant that all of his men did not :-(
Lots of fun to read! I genuinely hope my daughter reads these same books to her kids some day!
May 7, 2024
I read this with my seven-year-old. He really liked it, which surprised me, as it's a complicated story to follow. He got the gist of things though. I didn't feel like the writing was very compelling, but I think the simplicity of the text works well for introducing the story to young readers (and old ones like me, who never paid much attention to Homer). I honestly do not like the majority of the illustrations in this book. They're very modern, which means they're often ugly and don't make a lot of sense. Sometimes, my son and I would look at a picture together and I would have to say, "sorry, I have no idea what that picture is supposed to be illustrating." It's ok though, I think there's value is reading a lot of different versions of this story and I know we'll come back to it again. If anyone has suggestions for a children's edition of The Odyssey that has less grotesque illustrations, I would love for you to tell me about it!
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