The Odyssey

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106 reviews
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About this ebook

The Odyssey is one of the oldest works of Western literature, dating back to classical antiquity. Homer’s epic poem belongs in a collection called the Epic Cycle, which includes the Iliad. It was originally written in ancient Greek, utilizing a dactylic hexameter rhyme scheme. Although this rhyme scheme sounds beautiful in its native language, in modern English it can sound awkward and, as Eric McMillan humorously describes it, resembles “pumpkins rolling on a barn floor.” William Cullen Bryant avoided this problem by composing his translation in blank verse, a rhyme scheme that sounds natural in English.

This epic poem follows Ulysses, one of the Greek leaders that brought an end to the ten-year-long Trojan war. Longing for home, he travels across the Mediterranean Sea to return to his kingdom in Ithaca; unfortunately, our hero manages to anger Neptune, the god of the sea, making his trip home agonizingly slow and extremely dangerous. While Ulysses is trying to return home, his family in Ithaca is also in danger. Suitors have traveled to the home of Ulysses to marry his wife, Penelope, believing that her husband did not survive the war. These men are willing to kill anyone who stands in their way.


This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.

The Odyssey is one of the oldest works of Western literature, dating back to classical antiquity. Homer’s epic poem belongs in a collection called the Epic Cycle, which includes the Iliad. It was originally written in ancient Greek, utilizing a dactylic hexameter rhyme scheme. Although this rhyme...

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Ratings and reviews

106 reviews
Daniel White
June 25, 2026
Keeping track of the characters, mainly because I didn't know how to pronounce them. Especially the letter c but there were names I found difficult also. Seeing lines start with capital letters that weren't beginning of sentences took getting used to for a while.
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Dania Diaz
September 7, 2026
The story is great, but this translation isn't one of the best IMO. It tends to use the Roman names for the gods instead of the Greek names and it isn't the easiest to read. I ended up choosing a different translation to complete my reading of the book.
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da Siya “Odysseus” IvI
April 1, 2026
This book is peak, its about this guy named Ulysseus. there are many dance battles 10/10 read it ✨✨✨✨❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😍😍😍😍😍🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩💃🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🪇🪇🪇🪇🪇🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉
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