14 h 31 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 356 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 356 pagesAbout this book
What if surviving monsters and angry gods is only part of the struggle to get home?
In The Odyssey, the Greek epic poem credited to Homer, Odysseus struggles to reach Ithaca after the Trojan War. Poseidon wrecks his voyage, while Athena offers help. A one-eyed giant, the Sirens, and Circe’s dangerous magic test a hero whose sharpest weapon is his mind.
At home, Penelope holds off suitors who want her hand and her husband’s wealth. Their son, Telemachus, travels in search of news of his father. Across the sea and inside the crowded house, loyalty comes under pressure. What can a family hold on to through years of absence?
What you’ll discover
- A mind against monsters Follow Odysseus into the Cyclops’s reach, where quick thinking matters more than strength.
- The Sirens and the dead Encounter dangerous songs and a voyage to the dark edge of the world.
- Penelope holds her ground Discover a steadfast woman whose clever resistance keeps unwelcome suitors waiting in her house.
- A son seeks answers Travel with Telemachus as he searches for news and learns to stand his ground.
- The cost of absence Explore what home, loyalty, and a name mean to people separated for years.
Who will love it
For readers who love myth, travel and clever heroes, and anyone drawn to the foundation story of Western adventure. Gods, monsters and a family holding on at home give this journey its stakes.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A House Full of Unwelcome Guests
- A Son Goes Looking for News
- The Hero Appears, in Tears
- The Cyclops and the Name of Nobody
- Winds, Giants, and a Sorceress
- The Dead, the Sirens, and the Cattle of the Sun
- Home at Last, but Not Yet Himself
- What the Poem Says About Home and Welcome
- How the Story Is Told
Who’s who
- OdysseusKing of Ithaca and master of tricks, he spends ten years after Troy trying to reach his island, his wife and his son.
- PenelopeOdysseus's wife, clever and steadfast, she holds off a crowd of suitors in her house while she waits for news of her husband.
- TelemachusThe young son of Odysseus, he must learn to stand up to the suitors and goes abroad to find word of his father.
- AthenaGoddess of wisdom and Odysseus's patron, she guides father and son with disguises, advice and sudden aid.
- PoseidonGod of the sea, he is enraged at Odysseus for blinding his son the Cyclops and keeps wrecking his voyage.
- CalypsoA nymph on the island of Ogygia, she keeps Odysseus for seven years and offers him a life without death.
- CirceA sorceress on the island of Aeaea who turns men into animals, she later helps Odysseus with advice for the voyage.
- EumaeusThe loyal swineherd of Odysseus, he stays faithful to his absent master and shelters the stranger who comes to his hut.
Formats and delivery
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 14 h 31 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 15 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 356 pages: USD 12.95 when you start free, USD 18.95 on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 356 pages: USD 19.95 when you start free, USD 25.95 on its own.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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The Odyssey
by Homer
Odysseus pits his cunning against monsters and hostile gods as he fights to reach his wife, his son and Ithaca.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A House Full of Unwelcome Guests
The poem opens in the tenth year after Troy, and Odysseus is not on the stage. He is held on a faraway island, while the gods meet on Mount Olympus. Athena, who loves him for his wit, argues that his suffering has gone on long enough. Zeus agrees, because the only god still angry is Poseidon, and Poseidon is away visiting the Ethiopians.
Then the poem turns to Ithaca. In the palace of Odysseus, more than a hundred young nobles from the island and its neighbors have moved in. They feast on his cattle, drink his wine and sleep with his maidservants. They all want to marry his wife Penelope, and so become king by marriage. They treat the house as their own.
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What is the Odyssey about?
It follows Odysseus, king of Ithaca, as he struggles to get home after the Trojan War. It also follows his wife Penelope and son Telemachus, who defend his house against men who want his wife and his wealth.
Who wrote the Odyssey and when?
Tradition credits Homer, and scholars place the poem around the eighth or seventh century BC. It grew from a long oral tradition of singers, and many details of the poet's life are not known.
Is the Odyssey a true story?
No. It is a poem based on myth and legend, with gods and monsters. It draws on stories about the Trojan War, which later Greeks treated as part of their past, but it is not a record of real events.
The author
Homer
900 BC–800 BC · Ancient Greek epic poet
Reputed author of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
More by Homer
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