In this first in a planned four-volume Heroes series, McCaughrean (Stop the Train!) offers a vivid and accessible retelling of the Ithacan king's long, strange trip home after his victory at Troy. Readers unfamiliar with Homer's The Odyssey will likely feel comfortable with this prose version, a straightforward account that hits the legendary highlights. The author does not shy away from a fair number of appropriately gory scenes, as when Cyclops "nibbled [Odysseus's] men like skewered lamb," or when Odysseus, rather than eat the Sun God's cattle, roasts his pet bird to feed his crew. The hero's succumbing to other urges occurs off-stage, as when the goddess Circe leads him to her "white and silver bed." Readers will get a good sense of the peril involved in offending Poseidon and learn the importance of stopping to ask for directions (Odysseus detours to Hades for his). The narrative's rhythm evokes not only the original epic but the ceaseless movement of the "world-encircled sea," as when Queen Penelope looks out the window toward the water and sees only "the waves, arriving, always arriving, always beaching on the shores of Ithaca." Readers will eagerly anticipate Perseus, scheduled to arrive in spring 2005. Ages 9-14. (Nov.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
The Trojan War is over, and Odysseus longs to return to wife and son on his island kingdom of Ithaca. But between hero and home stands an array of dangers unlike any ever faced by mortal man. On his epic voyage-an adventure so grand and glorious it has become the very symbol for all great journeys-Odysseus must face the monstrous cyclops, escape the enchanting nymph Circe, defy the terrors of Scylla and Charybdis, and descend to the land of the dead. Even home is not safe, for there Odysseus must triumph in one last battle to be reunited with his loving wife. For nearly three thousand years the story of Odysseus's journey has enthralled the world. Now Full Cast Audio brings you Geraldine McCaughrean's brilliant retelling, in a dazzling recording that will captivate young and old alike.
The Trojan War is over, and Odysseus longs to return to wife and son on his island kingdom of Ithaca. But between hero and home stands an array of dangers unlike any ever faced by mortal man. On his epic voyage-an adventure so grand and glorious it has become the very symbol for all great journeys-Odysseus must face the monstrous cyclops, escape the enchanting nymph Circe, defy the terrors of Scylla and Charybdis, and descend to the land of the dead. Even home is not safe, for there Odysseus must triumph in one last battle to be reunited with his loving wife. For nearly three thousand years the story of Odysseus's journey has enthralled the world. Now Full Cast Audio brings you Geraldine McCaughrean's brilliant retelling, in a dazzling recording that will captivate young and old alike.
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Odysseus
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Odysseus
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Product Details
BN ID: | 2940170086696 |
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Publisher: | Full Cast Audio |
Publication date: | 01/01/2008 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
Age Range: | 10 - 13 Years |
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