Review: Stephen Fry's Odyssey

Odyssey by Stephen Fry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A fantastically funny and at times heartbreaking retelling of the aftermath of the Trojan war and the journeys home of each of the major players. The primary character is, of course, Odysseus, who takes the longest to make it home, has the most adventures, misses his wife and son the most, and somehow also fathers the most children along the way. But we also hear how other major players faired, from rapist Ajax and daughter-sacrificing Agamemnon to triumphant Menelaus with his Helen and Roman-founding Aeneas.

The gods, of course, are still interfering in frustrating ways, shaping the course of each person’s life (and death) as they see fit and arguing amongst themselves, but for some reason, I am less angered by them in this book. Maybe that’s because I feel like everyone who dies deserves it (other than all the oarsmen and slaves who had no decision making powers and were just along for their labor). Maybe it’s also because the gods themselves discuss how they are become less and less important in the lives of humans, now that there are so many of them, and perhaps it’s time they truly rule themselves.

Either way, I enjoyed this book immensely - Stephen Fry does a great job distilling what could be a confusing mess of storylines into a cohesive, interconnected narrative, drawing from Homer’s Odyssey, of course, but also other ancient sources. Relationships, conversations, and actions are clear, both in their practical and emotional impact and in what they would have meant to people at the time. And as always, I appreciate the frequent footnotes, reminding us of people we’ve met in previous books, as well as the maps in the front and cast of characters in back.

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