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Odyssey

Stephen Fry’s Greek Myths, Book 4

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Odyssey

By: Stephen Fry
Narrated by: Stephen Fry
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

A Sunday Times bestseller

The next book in Stephen Fry's acclaimed internationally bestselling Greek myths series telling the story of The Odyssey.


Sometimes the hardest journey is the way back home . . .

Wily Odysseus, King of Ithaca, has won Troy for the Greeks – after a decade of brutal, bloody warfare. But now this warrior remembers he is a husband and father – and his gaze turns longingly towards home.

Setting sail with a small fleet, Odysseus dreams of soon lying in the arms of his beloved wife Penelope, and of teaching his son Telemachus the ways of a warrior. However, the gods laugh at the foolish hopes of mortals. And, angered by this upstart, Poseidon – God of the ocean realms – curses our hero to wander the seas for ten long years.

Encountering one-eyed giants, six-headed monsters, terrible storms, titanic whirlpools, hypnotic sirens, seductive witches and jealous goddesses, Odysseus is tempted and tormented beyond any man’s endurance.

Yet he is no mere mortal – and the lure of his wife and son draws him, step by step, stroke by stroke, ever closer to home and his ultimate destiny . . .

A tale of love and longing, return and redemption, home and hope, Stephen Fry’s Odyssey sees the author and national treasure weave the final threads of the fabulous story begun in the worldwide bestseller, Mythos, into an astonishing and mesmerising tapestry for the ages.

'With his distinctive narration, Fry brings warmth, exuberance and humour to these age-old stories, along with a range of voices...' The Guardian

'Fry is at his story-telling best . . . the gods will be pleased' Times

'Brilliant . . . all hail Stephen Fry' Daily Mail

© Stephen Fry 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

Ancient Best of 2024 Customs & Traditions Europe Fantasy Greece Literary History & Criticism Social Sciences Mythology Ancient Greece Marriage Greek Mythology Feel-Good Funny Ancient History Royalty

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Critic reviews

Odyssey completes his Greek Myths series in marvellous fashion. . . Fry, a born storyteller, succeeds again in making the ancient stories accessible, gently modernising the language and dotting his journey with explanatory and often amusing footnotes
Relatable and full of humour . . . Odyssey brings [the] four-book sequence satisfyingly to a close
Outstandingly entertaining quartet of books . . . Fry breathes contemporary relevance into these ancient tales. As with his previous titles, he combines scholarly research with a lightness of touch, and his wry sense of humour and natural gift for storytelling make for a highly engaging read
A sweeping, engrossing story
Imaginative
The familiar narrative bounds along in a chatty style, coloured with mildly revisionist insights into the characters
Accessible storytelling and Fry brings warmth, exuberance and humour. Hard to beat
A romp through the lives of ancient Greek gods. Fry is at his story-telling best . . . the gods will be pleased
A head-spinning marathon of legends
An odyssey through Greek mythology. Brilliant - all hail Stephen Fry
All stars
Most relevant
I listened again to Mythos, Heroes and Troy in anticipation of Odyssey coming out. Obviously the books are great and it’s fantastic to have an engaging retelling of them which will make these stories engaging for more people. However, what I do find frustrating is how he glamorises and dramatises some parts of the story which should not be and also the way he depicts the female characters vs the men. All the women come across in a negative way with no introspection into a good side of their character vs a bad side. However he does this continuously with the male characters. E.g he manages to make us feel empathy for Polyphemus and he misses out totally that Elpenor was drunk and climbed the roof, instead suggesting he was young and it was a silly mistake.

Obviously love but by book 4 realised Stephen fry comes across as a slight misogynist

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Not only do you get an enjoyable and accurate interpretation of the Odyssey, but also précis of the Aeneid and Oresteia, all of which follow on from the Trojan war. You don’t need to know anything about the Trojan war to enjoy this. Even if you’re not a Greek aficionado, you’d enjoy the different stories told as Stephen Fry really brings the characters to life. Couldn’t have enjoyed this more!

Enjoyable way to get into Greek literature

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If your a fan of the previous works you'll love this too. If you've never read/listened to the other books, you'll still love it. Highly recommend the entire series.

A wonderful end to the story

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Book, and Audiobook, of the year. I will be re-listening to this again, and again.

Worth the wait

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Loved it but probably my least favourite of the series, I found it less easy going and accessible than the other 3. Wonderfully narrated as always though, will probably give it a re-listen in the future.

Excellent, but not the best of the 4

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