Review Odyssey

A review of Stephen Fry's retelling of the famed story of Odysseus

I would like to start by saying how big a fan of Fry I am.

I have read his entire body of work regarding Greek mythology. I found it fascinating at every turn.

Stories I knew retold in a clear and elegant manner. Light hearted. Humorous. But still containing the rich thematic meaning of each story. The stories the Greeks used to explain the world around them.

I wasn’t really on Substack when I finished Mythos, or Heroes, or Troy. So I haven’t reviewed those. But here’s a quick recap:

They’re good. Really good. Read them.

Now, with that out of the way, let us start the review of his newest instalment, Odyssey.

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I’ve decided to change tact for this review. I can’t go through my normal Character, Plot, Setting discussion, as this is not works of Fry’s creation, but a retelling of Homer’s famous work, The Odyssey.

Rather, embed yourself in my stream of consciousness as I tip and tap away at the keys.

Odysseus is one of the greatest Greek mythological heroes. Second, in my opinion, to Hercules.

As far as Greek heroes go, Odysseus to me is the one who is most human (and yes, I know he is actually human, with divine heritage through Hermes).

But, Odysseus seems to be the one who has infallible human characteristics and traits that define him as what we all need to be.

Cunning and wily.

Resilient.

Loving and adoring.

Loyal (Fry covers this, he is still heavily loyal to Penelope, despite the fathering of his children to Calypso and Circe).

Odysseus displays the tenacity of human kind to weather and face all storms. To challenge the Gods. To face their wrath and still push through, purely for love and honour and loyalty.

Fry does an excellent job at displaying this (and props to whoever also listens to the audiobook too, Fry is an excellent orator and I think it is arguably better to hear him, as opposed to reading him in this book).

But what really sets this apart from Homer’s original?

The Odyssey is simply phenomenal. Homer’s work is so important for the structure of narrative we have all come to read and watch and listen to. It is the apex of Western storytelling.

However, Fry adds a modern flair (obviously) but the added context of key events, such as the deaths of Agamemnon and Ajax, for example, prior to the story of Odysseus really enrichens the plight of Odysseus in facing the Gods, and facing the torrential corruption that has befallen mankind.

As I said before, the story is told simply, so for those who do not feel up to reading Homer’s work, then this is definitely the way for you to read one of the most impactful pseudo-historical stories of Western literature and storytelling.

Highly recommend this, and the rest of Fry’s work on Greek Myth.

5/5 axe heads shot through.

Well done Mr Fry.