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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
I was reminded of this book today and found a review I'd written but never posted back in 2011 in my Google Docs so I figured - may as well post it.
Chasing Odysseus takes place in the aftermath of the Trojan War. The Herdsman, who are a gentle, cattle herding people whose main purpose in life is to feed the Trojans, are blamed for letting the Greeks into Troy. Naturally, this upsets them so they decide that the only man who can possibly know the truth and restore justice is Odysseus. So they end up following Odysseus around and through their eyes, we see the "real" story of the Odyssey.
I'd give kudos to Gentill for doing one of those "the villain is the real hero" stories that I adore, except it's really more of a "the hero is the real villain" stories that I find smug and annoying. It's like the author is going "everyone is wrong but I, and I alone have the truth and that beloved, iconic character? They're EVIL."
It seems the book was written by making a list of all major events in The Odyssey, and then designating them as ‘mostly wrong’ or ‘half right’. The real stories go along the lines of "those nasty Greeks got what they were deserved", "delusional Odysseus is delusional" and "those poor, innocent women having to put up with Odysseus". Case in point: Circe, who holds Odysseus ransom for years? Is actually sick of him within a week and he's the one that's fallen in obsessively love with her.
The main characters are pretty basic, broadly defined characters. You have three brothers - the wisecracking one, the handsome one, and the serious one - and you have their one sister. The sister's characterisation is a quiet, frightened girl who occasionally does great and brave things. Her name is Hero, and as her brothers constantly say, she is aptly named.
Why not just name all the characters by their role in the story? Who needs names when we can just call Odysseus Antagonist and the brothers Funny, Hot, Serious? I mean, that’s basically all the characterisation we get.
Anyway, Hero’s heroic moments remind me more of Lisa Simpson in "I am the lizard queen!" mode than anything else. It comes out of nowhere and it largely consists of her throwing up her hands and shouting.
It gets tiring fairly quickly. I guess it's fun if you hate Odysseus and this feeds your hate but I'd like to see more than just "haha you thought you knew the story - WRONG!" all the time.
Chasing Odysseus takes place in the aftermath of the Trojan War. The Herdsman, who are a gentle, cattle herding people whose main purpose in life is to feed the Trojans, are blamed for letting the Greeks into Troy. Naturally, this upsets them so they decide that the only man who can possibly know the truth and restore justice is Odysseus. So they end up following Odysseus around and through their eyes, we see the "real" story of the Odyssey.
I'd give kudos to Gentill for doing one of those "the villain is the real hero" stories that I adore, except it's really more of a "the hero is the real villain" stories that I find smug and annoying. It's like the author is going "everyone is wrong but I, and I alone have the truth and that beloved, iconic character? They're EVIL."
It seems the book was written by making a list of all major events in The Odyssey, and then designating them as ‘mostly wrong’ or ‘half right’. The real stories go along the lines of "those nasty Greeks got what they were deserved", "delusional Odysseus is delusional" and "those poor, innocent women having to put up with Odysseus". Case in point: Circe, who holds Odysseus ransom for years? Is actually sick of him within a week and he's the one that's fallen in obsessively love with her.
The main characters are pretty basic, broadly defined characters. You have three brothers - the wisecracking one, the handsome one, and the serious one - and you have their one sister. The sister's characterisation is a quiet, frightened girl who occasionally does great and brave things. Her name is Hero, and as her brothers constantly say, she is aptly named.
Why not just name all the characters by their role in the story? Who needs names when we can just call Odysseus Antagonist and the brothers Funny, Hot, Serious? I mean, that’s basically all the characterisation we get.
Anyway, Hero’s heroic moments remind me more of Lisa Simpson in "I am the lizard queen!" mode than anything else. It comes out of nowhere and it largely consists of her throwing up her hands and shouting.
It gets tiring fairly quickly. I guess it's fun if you hate Odysseus and this feeds your hate but I'd like to see more than just "haha you thought you knew the story - WRONG!" all the time.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Chasing Odysseus is actually a really well weaved story around the original Odysseus myth. It follows the tale of the Odyssey, but tells it in a completely different light. It was really impressive and even though I was supposed to read it in 2011 for a grade 6 class, I feel like I can genuinely appreciate it as an adult.
Book Review
Title: Chasing Odysseus (Hero Trilogy #1)
Author: S. D. Gentill
Genre: YA/Mythology/Retelling
Rating: ***
Review: I have read Chasing Odysseus before and only gave it one star but I felt that was quite harsh as I was reading it during a time where I wasn’t really enjoying retellings, so I decided to give it another go. The synopsis doesn’t give much away about what happens during the book and honestly I can’t remember much so I am basically going in blind which is the best thing. We are introduced to Pentheselia who is abandoning her daughter, Hero with Agelaus as she can’t fit in with the other Amazon’s her mother rules over, she has previously abandoned three other children with Agelaus including their son, Machaon. The other two boys also come from the Amazon tribe, Lycon and Cadmus but they do not tolerate men so Agelaus now has 4 children to care for but through this conversation we learn of the upcoming Trojan war as Odysseus has sought council with Agelaus and Pentheselia also mentions that the Greeks have united behind Agamemnon. Agelaus was the one who raised Paris until his father claimed him and comments that his stealing of Helen of Troy was due to his passionate heart, having an outsiders view on these events was quite nice. After a decade of living with Agelaus, the war is coming to an end so it is decided on the next trade run Hero will be allowed to go which she hasn’t before as it wasn’t safe for her to leave the safety of the Herdsmen. I really like the building of the bonds between the siblings and how Odysseus is mentioned as an almost mythical person not as the main character.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Cadmus and Hero are heading to trade some bulls for grain and the time spent in the market is amazing until they hear news that Troy has fallen to the Greeks and we know that the offering left at the gates of the city was the Trojan horse. Agelaus, Machaon and Lycon head into the city through the secret tunnels and head for the Palace hoping at least some of the royal line has survived and they have. A son of the King and his cousin have survived but Agelaus is immediately accused of betrayal Troy to the Greeks and is killed while Machaon is flogged. Obviously, both Cadmus and Hero are unaware of their brother’s beating and father’s death but they are riding home as fast as they can. Upon returning they learn of their father’s death and drive of the Prince in order to claim their father’s body and bury him. Hero offers her hair to the Gods and asks them to watch over her father’s soul and for once her brothers don’t tease her for her religious ways. A few nights later Hero gets to meet Pan, the God of the Herdsman, and he tells them that the Herdsmen will be marked as traitors to Troy forever, unless they can get Odysseus to claim his deed and remove the stain from their aid. To aid their quest Pan offers them his ship and says he will watch over his people in their absence but Hero is also consumed by a desire for vengeance and once they have caught up with Odysseus then they will go after the Prince that accused them and killed their father.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, the story is very character driven which isn’t normally the kind of book I enjoyed but I was getting into a bit more than the first time I read it. The siblings find Odysseus and the Greeks in Cicone where they have plundered the land and people. Lycon and Hero are sent into the hills to gather the Cicone men to fight against the Greeks, while Cadmus and Machaon uses their intellect and wit to prevent the Greeks from leaving and free the women who had been chained up during the battle. Afterwards, Odysseus is spared but he and his remaining men flee but the siblings pursue them. They are caught up in a storm sent by Zeus, to blow Odysseus off course and prevent him from returning home as Cicone was a land belonging to Apollo and the siblings know that the Gods are on their side especially with all of Hero’s praying. By the time they catch up with Odysseus again it is on an island filled with strange fruit that corrupts the minds of those that consume it, by the time Lycon realises this Hero has eaten a lot. However, Odysseus makes an appearance and Hero terrifies him and Lycon manages to convince Odysseus she is a witch and flee with island. When their brothers find them they take a still mad Hero to their ship and set off once more after the destroyer of Troy but every time they seem to encounter him something prevents them from getting what they want from him and I have a feeling Hero might be critical to their quest.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, the siblings find the islands of the Cyclopes where they treat Hero, curing her of the lotus fruit poison as a favour from one Herdsman to another. Lycon and Hero stay with them while Machaon and Cadmus will head to the neighbouring island to see if he can speak with Odysseus. The following morning they are greeted with the racket from Polyphemus, the half cyclopes son of Poseidon and considering the story told in The Odyssey we can see where are getting into the meat of the story now. As Odysseus evades them the siblings give chase and eventually come upon a family who had housed him and the father has granted the Greeks the favour of the wind so the siblings have no choice but to stay and try and tell their tale. After recounting what really happened in Troy, the family still believe Odysseus and the siblings fate now rests with the Gods who will either damn them or prove their story true. All the while Odysseus is getting closer and closer to home and a place where the sibling might never be able to reach him and save their people from condemnation.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, the siblings continue to follow Odysseus even when he makes contact with Circe after all his men and Machaon’s siblings have been turned into animals. As Lycon and Cadmus tries to protect Circe she releases the siblings and tells them that she release Odysseus in three days and will be sending him to the realm of Hades to get the answers he seeks and from there he will travel home. On the boundary of the Underworld, Odysseus learns that the Gods favour and he will only make it home if he remembers not to steal from the God who protects an island he will come to land on and he leaves. Before taking off after him the siblings stop and make a sacrifice to Hades and speak with their father, Agelaus and their brother, Paris who are content in the Underworld and tell them to live life to the fullest while they can and that they will see each other again one day. After this, the spirits of the siblings have been lifted and they take off after Odysseus once more.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, when the siblings catch up to Odysseus once more, Machaon and Cadmus go to talk to Odysseus but rather than listening to them, he takes them as oarsmen for their ship. Lycon witnesses this and knows he has to go after his brothers and he tells Hero is anything goes wrong to return to the Cyclopes island where they will know how to find her. She tries to protest and Lycon replies with most realistic line in the novel, that the brothers can die once but she can suffer over and over at their hands. As Odysseus gets closer to home he ends up bedding another Goddess and doesn’t want to leave this one but she wants him gone. The siblings help her by tricking him into thinking he needs to return to Troy and claims his deeds before he can return home to the glory and gold that is owed him and he immediately sails back to Troy but gets distracted again. However, the siblings rescue a bard who is a friend of the Princess of the island and they agree to help the siblings find Odysseus and complete their quest.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, the siblings finally with some help from people who have the skills, wit and weight behind their names coax the truth for Odysseus about the fall of Troy and they know now the Prince is to blame for the fall of the city as he was spited at not being given Helen of Troy after Paris’ death. The siblings can now head home and free their people from the stain of betrayal but I was a bit upset that we didn’t get to see this scene considering how hard the siblings worked for it. I was also hoping for Hero to take a more action packed role than she did in this novel as she is the one the author focused on the most out of the siblings. Upon reading this book again I do agree that my initial rating of one star was harsh but I still felt let down by this book by the time we reached the conclusion as there was tons of set up and little reward.
Title: Chasing Odysseus (Hero Trilogy #1)
Author: S. D. Gentill
Genre: YA/Mythology/Retelling
Rating: ***
Review: I have read Chasing Odysseus before and only gave it one star but I felt that was quite harsh as I was reading it during a time where I wasn’t really enjoying retellings, so I decided to give it another go. The synopsis doesn’t give much away about what happens during the book and honestly I can’t remember much so I am basically going in blind which is the best thing. We are introduced to Pentheselia who is abandoning her daughter, Hero with Agelaus as she can’t fit in with the other Amazon’s her mother rules over, she has previously abandoned three other children with Agelaus including their son, Machaon. The other two boys also come from the Amazon tribe, Lycon and Cadmus but they do not tolerate men so Agelaus now has 4 children to care for but through this conversation we learn of the upcoming Trojan war as Odysseus has sought council with Agelaus and Pentheselia also mentions that the Greeks have united behind Agamemnon. Agelaus was the one who raised Paris until his father claimed him and comments that his stealing of Helen of Troy was due to his passionate heart, having an outsiders view on these events was quite nice. After a decade of living with Agelaus, the war is coming to an end so it is decided on the next trade run Hero will be allowed to go which she hasn’t before as it wasn’t safe for her to leave the safety of the Herdsmen. I really like the building of the bonds between the siblings and how Odysseus is mentioned as an almost mythical person not as the main character.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Cadmus and Hero are heading to trade some bulls for grain and the time spent in the market is amazing until they hear news that Troy has fallen to the Greeks and we know that the offering left at the gates of the city was the Trojan horse. Agelaus, Machaon and Lycon head into the city through the secret tunnels and head for the Palace hoping at least some of the royal line has survived and they have. A son of the King and his cousin have survived but Agelaus is immediately accused of betrayal Troy to the Greeks and is killed while Machaon is flogged. Obviously, both Cadmus and Hero are unaware of their brother’s beating and father’s death but they are riding home as fast as they can. Upon returning they learn of their father’s death and drive of the Prince in order to claim their father’s body and bury him. Hero offers her hair to the Gods and asks them to watch over her father’s soul and for once her brothers don’t tease her for her religious ways. A few nights later Hero gets to meet Pan, the God of the Herdsman, and he tells them that the Herdsmen will be marked as traitors to Troy forever, unless they can get Odysseus to claim his deed and remove the stain from their aid. To aid their quest Pan offers them his ship and says he will watch over his people in their absence but Hero is also consumed by a desire for vengeance and once they have caught up with Odysseus then they will go after the Prince that accused them and killed their father.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, the story is very character driven which isn’t normally the kind of book I enjoyed but I was getting into a bit more than the first time I read it. The siblings find Odysseus and the Greeks in Cicone where they have plundered the land and people. Lycon and Hero are sent into the hills to gather the Cicone men to fight against the Greeks, while Cadmus and Machaon uses their intellect and wit to prevent the Greeks from leaving and free the women who had been chained up during the battle. Afterwards, Odysseus is spared but he and his remaining men flee but the siblings pursue them. They are caught up in a storm sent by Zeus, to blow Odysseus off course and prevent him from returning home as Cicone was a land belonging to Apollo and the siblings know that the Gods are on their side especially with all of Hero’s praying. By the time they catch up with Odysseus again it is on an island filled with strange fruit that corrupts the minds of those that consume it, by the time Lycon realises this Hero has eaten a lot. However, Odysseus makes an appearance and Hero terrifies him and Lycon manages to convince Odysseus she is a witch and flee with island. When their brothers find them they take a still mad Hero to their ship and set off once more after the destroyer of Troy but every time they seem to encounter him something prevents them from getting what they want from him and I have a feeling Hero might be critical to their quest.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, the siblings find the islands of the Cyclopes where they treat Hero, curing her of the lotus fruit poison as a favour from one Herdsman to another. Lycon and Hero stay with them while Machaon and Cadmus will head to the neighbouring island to see if he can speak with Odysseus. The following morning they are greeted with the racket from Polyphemus, the half cyclopes son of Poseidon and considering the story told in The Odyssey we can see where are getting into the meat of the story now. As Odysseus evades them the siblings give chase and eventually come upon a family who had housed him and the father has granted the Greeks the favour of the wind so the siblings have no choice but to stay and try and tell their tale. After recounting what really happened in Troy, the family still believe Odysseus and the siblings fate now rests with the Gods who will either damn them or prove their story true. All the while Odysseus is getting closer and closer to home and a place where the sibling might never be able to reach him and save their people from condemnation.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, the siblings continue to follow Odysseus even when he makes contact with Circe after all his men and Machaon’s siblings have been turned into animals. As Lycon and Cadmus tries to protect Circe she releases the siblings and tells them that she release Odysseus in three days and will be sending him to the realm of Hades to get the answers he seeks and from there he will travel home. On the boundary of the Underworld, Odysseus learns that the Gods favour and he will only make it home if he remembers not to steal from the God who protects an island he will come to land on and he leaves. Before taking off after him the siblings stop and make a sacrifice to Hades and speak with their father, Agelaus and their brother, Paris who are content in the Underworld and tell them to live life to the fullest while they can and that they will see each other again one day. After this, the spirits of the siblings have been lifted and they take off after Odysseus once more.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, when the siblings catch up to Odysseus once more, Machaon and Cadmus go to talk to Odysseus but rather than listening to them, he takes them as oarsmen for their ship. Lycon witnesses this and knows he has to go after his brothers and he tells Hero is anything goes wrong to return to the Cyclopes island where they will know how to find her. She tries to protest and Lycon replies with most realistic line in the novel, that the brothers can die once but she can suffer over and over at their hands. As Odysseus gets closer to home he ends up bedding another Goddess and doesn’t want to leave this one but she wants him gone. The siblings help her by tricking him into thinking he needs to return to Troy and claims his deeds before he can return home to the glory and gold that is owed him and he immediately sails back to Troy but gets distracted again. However, the siblings rescue a bard who is a friend of the Princess of the island and they agree to help the siblings find Odysseus and complete their quest.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, the siblings finally with some help from people who have the skills, wit and weight behind their names coax the truth for Odysseus about the fall of Troy and they know now the Prince is to blame for the fall of the city as he was spited at not being given Helen of Troy after Paris’ death. The siblings can now head home and free their people from the stain of betrayal but I was a bit upset that we didn’t get to see this scene considering how hard the siblings worked for it. I was also hoping for Hero to take a more action packed role than she did in this novel as she is the one the author focused on the most out of the siblings. Upon reading this book again I do agree that my initial rating of one star was harsh but I still felt let down by this book by the time we reached the conclusion as there was tons of set up and little reward.
I loved this book, because of the Mythology within it. It was well written, with great characters and the connection to the Odyssey myth cycle was really well done.
'Chasing Odysseus' is essentially a retelling of Homer's 'Odyssey' from a new perspective. The protagonists of the story are a young girl called Hero and her three brothers, raised by the herdsman Agelau. When their kinsmen are falsely accused of betraying the city to the Greeks, Hero and her brothers set out to reveal the truth of the matter. In order to do so they must seek out Odysseus and find a way to make him admit the herdsmen's innocence. This task turns out to be easier said than done and has them chasing the Ithacan king literally to Hades and back, with many adventures in between.
Despite having read 'The Odyssey' and having often been disappointed in modern authors attempts to rework old classics I found this book extremely refreshing and addictive. Although I had some idea of the lands or events that were likely to appear in the next chapters I was nearly always surprised and often delighted at the twists Gentill added to the tale. The character of Odysseus, and his actions throughout the story paint the Ithacan king in a decidedly less favourable, but possibly more believable light, than the mighty hero depicted in 'The Odyssey'. On the other hand, Hero and her brothers Machaon, Cadmus and Lycon are very human and endearing characters and it is easy to sympathise with their plight.
There are also some genuinely witty and humorous parts in the books (some great one liners) where I found myself actually laughing out loud. By necessity the book touches upon some more serious content such as the bloodshed and gritty realities of war. For instance, she doesn't try to gloss over the treatment of women taken as prisoners and we are fully aware that the reason Hero's brothers are worried about her being captured by the Greeks is not because they fear they will teach her unladylike turns of phrase. Gentill somehow manages this without becoming explicit or alternatively insulting the readers intelligence.
Overall I found this book to be a extremely enjoyable read and will be eagerly awaiting the next book in the trilogy. I would recommend it to anyone whether they have read 'The Odyssey or not.
Despite having read 'The Odyssey' and having often been disappointed in modern authors attempts to rework old classics I found this book extremely refreshing and addictive. Although I had some idea of the lands or events that were likely to appear in the next chapters I was nearly always surprised and often delighted at the twists Gentill added to the tale. The character of Odysseus, and his actions throughout the story paint the Ithacan king in a decidedly less favourable, but possibly more believable light, than the mighty hero depicted in 'The Odyssey'. On the other hand, Hero and her brothers Machaon, Cadmus and Lycon are very human and endearing characters and it is easy to sympathise with their plight.
There are also some genuinely witty and humorous parts in the books (some great one liners) where I found myself actually laughing out loud. By necessity the book touches upon some more serious content such as the bloodshed and gritty realities of war. For instance, she doesn't try to gloss over the treatment of women taken as prisoners and we are fully aware that the reason Hero's brothers are worried about her being captured by the Greeks is not because they fear they will teach her unladylike turns of phrase. Gentill somehow manages this without becoming explicit or alternatively insulting the readers intelligence.
Overall I found this book to be a extremely enjoyable read and will be eagerly awaiting the next book in the trilogy. I would recommend it to anyone whether they have read 'The Odyssey or not.
3.5 stars.
This is definitely a book to read if you enjoy Greek mythology and particularly retellings.
The story follows four siblings who are chasing Odysseus as he attempts to return home after the fall of Troy. This provides a fascinating reimaging of the events of Homer's [b:The Odyssey|1381|The Odyssey|Homer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390173285s/1381.jpg|3356006].
It was done extremely well, following the same journey without being repetitive, and developing various characters in alternate ways. I particularly enjoyed the relationships between the siblings, Hero's devotion to the pantheon managed to be a very amusing aspect of the story without mocking the concept of faith. I thought the portrayal of Odysseus was excellent, and a subtle but pointed reminder of how the person telling a story frames the narrative.
There were two things that I found a little frustrating:
Firstly, I was confused as to the age of the main characters, and some points it seemed like the brothers were young men, at others teenagers, and sometimes Hero seemed very young. It didn't hugely matter, was just unclear and therefore a bit distracting.
Secondly, and it's a bit nitpicky, there was a particular description used for near every transition about Eros' finds on the horizon and it seemed like the sort of thing an editor should have picked up. The first one I actually paused and thought about what a great description it was, but by the third time I found it jarred me out of the story.
This is definitely a book to read if you enjoy Greek mythology and particularly retellings.
The story follows four siblings who are chasing Odysseus as he attempts to return home after the fall of Troy. This provides a fascinating reimaging of the events of Homer's [b:The Odyssey|1381|The Odyssey|Homer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390173285s/1381.jpg|3356006].
It was done extremely well, following the same journey without being repetitive, and developing various characters in alternate ways. I particularly enjoyed the relationships between the siblings, Hero's devotion to the pantheon managed to be a very amusing aspect of the story without mocking the concept of faith. I thought the portrayal of Odysseus was excellent, and a subtle but pointed reminder of how the person telling a story frames the narrative.
There were two things that I found a little frustrating:
Firstly, I was confused as to the age of the main characters, and some points it seemed like the brothers were young men, at others teenagers, and sometimes Hero seemed very young. It didn't hugely matter, was just unclear and therefore a bit distracting.
Secondly, and it's a bit nitpicky, there was a particular description used for near every transition about Eros' finds on the horizon and it seemed like the sort of thing an editor should have picked up. The first one I actually paused and thought about what a great description it was, but by the third time I found it jarred me out of the story.