What do you think?
The Odyssey: The Story of Odysseus
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE, COMING JULY 2026—WITNESS THE LEGEND REBORN
The original adventure story, The Odyssey continues to captivate and inspire nearly three millennia after it was written.
A towering epic of adventure, cunning, and the longing for home, The Odyssey follows the perilous journey of Odysseus after the fall of Troy. Cursed to wander for ten years across a treacherous sea, the clever king of Ithaca confronts monsters and gods alike—outwitting the Cyclops, resisting the Sirens’ fatal song, and braving the wrath of Poseidon—while his faithful wife Penelope fends off suitors determined to claim his throne.
Rich with suspense, humor, and lyric beauty, Homer’s immortal poem explores what it means to be the bonds of family, the cost of pride, the power of endurance, and the pull of memory and home. At once a rousing adventure and a profound meditation on fate and identity, The Odyssey continues to speak, urgently and timelessly, to every generation.
The original adventure story, The Odyssey continues to captivate and inspire nearly three millennia after it was written.
A towering epic of adventure, cunning, and the longing for home, The Odyssey follows the perilous journey of Odysseus after the fall of Troy. Cursed to wander for ten years across a treacherous sea, the clever king of Ithaca confronts monsters and gods alike—outwitting the Cyclops, resisting the Sirens’ fatal song, and braving the wrath of Poseidon—while his faithful wife Penelope fends off suitors determined to claim his throne.
Rich with suspense, humor, and lyric beauty, Homer’s immortal poem explores what it means to be the bonds of family, the cost of pride, the power of endurance, and the pull of memory and home. At once a rousing adventure and a profound meditation on fate and identity, The Odyssey continues to speak, urgently and timelessly, to every generation.
363 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 15, 2026
About the author
Homer
5,542 books7,870 followersHomer (Greek: Όμηρος born c. 8th century BC) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the most revered and influential authors in history.
Homer's Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally. Despite being predominantly known for its tragic and serious themes, the Homeric poems also contain instances of comedy and laughter.
Homer's epic poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor. To Plato, Homer was simply the one who "has taught Greece" (τὴν Ἑλλάδα πεπαίδευκεν). In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Virgil refers to Homer as "Poet sovereign", king of all poets; in the preface to his translation of the Iliad, Alexander Pope acknowledges that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets". From antiquity to the present day, Homeric epics have inspired many famous works of literature, music, art, and film.
The question of by whom, when, where and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars remain divided as to whether the two works are the product of a single author. It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BC. Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity; the most widespread account was that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.
French: Homère, Italian: Omero, Portuguese, Spanish: Homero.
Homer's Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally. Despite being predominantly known for its tragic and serious themes, the Homeric poems also contain instances of comedy and laughter.
Homer's epic poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor. To Plato, Homer was simply the one who "has taught Greece" (τὴν Ἑλλάδα πεπαίδευκεν). In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Virgil refers to Homer as "Poet sovereign", king of all poets; in the preface to his translation of the Iliad, Alexander Pope acknowledges that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets". From antiquity to the present day, Homeric epics have inspired many famous works of literature, music, art, and film.
The question of by whom, when, where and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars remain divided as to whether the two works are the product of a single author. It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BC. Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity; the most widespread account was that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.
French: Homère, Italian: Omero, Portuguese, Spanish: Homero.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 5, 2026
How do you even begin to rate and give feedback on a text that is thousands of years old?
I'll start by saying it had merit and it is relatively entertaining. If it's one of the oldest texts we have as a society, you can see it's influence on the culture and arts we enjoy today.
That being said... It's a lot. The writing or at least the translation is very biblical. Lots of names and family trees being dropped and thrown at you. If you distilled it down to the actual narrative/plot, it's quite enjoyable. There is just a lot of chaff that doesn't translate well today.
Thrilled to have finally read this and very thankful to Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to listen.
I'll start by saying it had merit and it is relatively entertaining. If it's one of the oldest texts we have as a society, you can see it's influence on the culture and arts we enjoy today.
That being said... It's a lot. The writing or at least the translation is very biblical. Lots of names and family trees being dropped and thrown at you. If you distilled it down to the actual narrative/plot, it's quite enjoyable. There is just a lot of chaff that doesn't translate well today.
Thrilled to have finally read this and very thankful to Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to listen.
September 13, 2026
The Odyssey was so so good!! I tried to listen to the audio before seeing the movie, and I’ll admit it was a bit more challenging a listen and I didn’t have a good understanding of the story going into it. So I paused my listen, went to see the movie in the theatres anyways, and loved it. I picked the audiobook up a month later, restarted and am so so glad I did!
The story / books are all so interesting, and it was fascinating to see how much the recent movie really changed from the text! I really enjoyed the original work and Anthony Healds narration was well done and a joy to listen to. Thanks so much to Blackstone Publishing for the gifted audiobook - all the praise is mine!
The story / books are all so interesting, and it was fascinating to see how much the recent movie really changed from the text! I really enjoyed the original work and Anthony Healds narration was well done and a joy to listen to. Thanks so much to Blackstone Publishing for the gifted audiobook - all the praise is mine!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Brought to life by narrator, Anthony Heald, Homer's The Odyssey audiobook is the supreme way for experiencing this timeless tale. Riding the wave of anticipation for the upcoming movie release, Blackstone Publishing has re-released its audio edition in digital format.
Since the 8th century, this hero's journey of fate and identity has captivated all ages. The Odyssey tells the story of King Odysseus after the fall of Troy. He's been cursed to endure the perilous sea and the wrath of Poseidon alongside his men. Every attempt to sail home to his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus, is thwarted by raging storms, detours to islands where he must outsmart the cyclops, endure the call of the Sirens, and escape from Calypso, the witch. Back home, Penelope is fending off suitors who have taken up residence in her home, while Telemachus makes an effort to find his father.
It was good to rediscover this epic poem again. I studied it in high school, and it served me as a gateway to Greek mythology. Hearing Anthony Heald narrate it helped me see it with new eyes. His classic voicing of these characters upholds the writing while highlighting the humanity of the characters. His acting gives this story life and a fresh perspective on themes like fate, home, family, and the cost of pride. Of course, I still love the fantastical characters and the different islands. But, because of this audiobook, I can now view the settings and characters with more depth in context.
Thank you, NetGalley, Anthony Heald, and Blackstone Publishing for this lovely audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Since the 8th century, this hero's journey of fate and identity has captivated all ages. The Odyssey tells the story of King Odysseus after the fall of Troy. He's been cursed to endure the perilous sea and the wrath of Poseidon alongside his men. Every attempt to sail home to his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus, is thwarted by raging storms, detours to islands where he must outsmart the cyclops, endure the call of the Sirens, and escape from Calypso, the witch. Back home, Penelope is fending off suitors who have taken up residence in her home, while Telemachus makes an effort to find his father.
It was good to rediscover this epic poem again. I studied it in high school, and it served me as a gateway to Greek mythology. Hearing Anthony Heald narrate it helped me see it with new eyes. His classic voicing of these characters upholds the writing while highlighting the humanity of the characters. His acting gives this story life and a fresh perspective on themes like fate, home, family, and the cost of pride. Of course, I still love the fantastical characters and the different islands. But, because of this audiobook, I can now view the settings and characters with more depth in context.
Thank you, NetGalley, Anthony Heald, and Blackstone Publishing for this lovely audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews