Take a photo of a barcode or cover
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery, Excrement
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A bit lengthier than my usual reads but oh god, I do love me some Greek Mythology. It's not just the stories being interesting—but the truth it holds and tells which are still relevant in modern society. A lot to learn on how wars tear apart human beings, the hate, the anger, the jealousy etc. etc. At times, it does get boring due to the length of it; however, the satisfaction after finishing it is worth it. But, at times, it's also tough to understand but eh, you'll get it somehow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Murder, War
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment
Minor: Incest
adventurous
dark
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Note: The Iliad has been translated many times, and for this review, I read the 1898 Butler version. YMMV with different translators.
I read The Odyssey back in junior high and recall generally enjoying it, so I was excited to pick up this… prequel? Earlier installment?
Whatever you wish to call it, The Iliad is, as of this writing, the oldest book I’ve reviewed! Written sometime in the 7th or 8th century BC in what’s now known as Greece, the book has a long and storied history and has been the inspiration for innumerable other works of literature and art. Which, of course, created quite the expectation going in, an expectation that this book sadly failed to live up to.
The Trojan War has been raging for years, with a coalition of various kings and princes from different kingdoms besieging the city of Troy to help recover King Menelaus’ wife, Helen, from her abductor Paris. However, a dispute over the fate of several captive women leads one of the attackers’ greatest fighters, Achilles, to swear off fighting until he’s given restitution. The declaration leads to further involvement from the gods, who each have their own stake in the war, and might finally bring some progress in the endless stalemate.
The Iliad is another one of those books that’s really more of valuable piece of history (actual history, in this case, rather than fandom history like Ian Watson’s Draco) than it is a fun story to read on its own. Somewhere in the pages an interesting story lurks, but for the majority of the book it’s hidden behind a series of repetitive battle scenes. Characters are introduced, given a paragraph of exposition about their history, relatives, and previous feats, and the summarily killed. Rinse and repeat for dozens of pages.
I did enjoy the Olympus segments however, watching the gods and their shenanigans and the influence of those shenanigans on the lives of those on earth. “Mortal lives are a game in the hands of immortals” is a favorite literary device of mine and this is one of the most classic examples of it. The latter half of the story improves greatly as well, focusing on a few characters and taking the time to develop them beyond their battle prowess. If the story had started around the 50% mark, this would have easily been three stars for me, but by the time I got there, I was so bored that I was having to fight the urge to skim and didn’t get as much out of it as I might have otherwise.
Ultimately while I do recommend The Iliad for those with any curiosity whatsoever about the influences of modern literature, it’s an academic exercise, not something I would be interested in ever reading again for the sake of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Slavery, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A must if you like greek or roman mythology - it is not necessarily very gripping as it contains only a small part of the trojan war, not even including the Trojan horse or the Curse of Achilleus but nonetheless it is an interesting read.
I liked the message that came through, which basically wasthat war is pretty bad. Both sides seem to win at some points before changing the tide to the complete opposite multiple times. Both Achilleus and Priam loose some of the most important peoples of their ranks: Hektor and Patroklus. But even through the fog of war humanity perseveres: the Iliad does not end with the fall of Ilios, but with the Argives and Trojans making a temporary ceasefire to mourn their fallen heroes.
Some passages have aged like fine whine while others are a slog to go through (looking at the Catalogue of Ships) but particularly the end does get somewhat thrilling. The historical part of it intrigued me as well and made me lookup the backstories of some of those things on wikipedia.
The prose was okay to read although the origin as a poem does shine through rather well (can't count how many times "master of the war-cry", "son of peleus" and others came up).
I liked the message that came through, which basically was
Some passages have aged like fine whine while others are a slog to go through (looking at the Catalogue of Ships) but particularly the end does get somewhat thrilling. The historical part of it intrigued me as well and made me lookup the backstories of some of those things on wikipedia.
The prose was okay to read although the origin as a poem does shine through rather well (can't count how many times "master of the war-cry", "son of peleus" and others came up).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, War
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Misogyny
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual violence, Slavery, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s a classic. What else can I say.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, War
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wasn't expecting to like this as much as The Odyssey but it equalled it or came very near to doing so. Epic mythology brought to life in verse (unlike The Odyssey which I read in prose) by Robert Fitzgerald's accessible and very readable translation but which still manages to capture the grandeur of the events unfolding in the narrative. I was taken aback by just how gory this poem is; brains getting splattered, skulls being shattered, eyes gouged, etcetera. The excitement of powerful warrior-gods battling it out while grounded by themes of loss and the devastation of war made this a compelling read. There are a lot of names, however it is not necessary to know or remember them all, only the important ones. If needed though, there is a glossary and index of names in the back of the edition I read (Oxford's World's Classics).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is what my mind would go to if someone asked me to think of a “classic”. It is honestly so timeless and is just as entertaining now as it probably was back in Ancient Greece. I absolutely can see why it has stood the test of time. This book is definitely long, but most of it was interesting war scenes, which I really liked reading about. I specifically sought out this translation by Emily Wilson after hearing about it on tik tok, and this has been the first time where I have consciously paid attention to the style of translation. Wilson does such a good job of taking a book mostly about war and violence, and describing each new fight and battle in an engaging way that I did not find repetitive. I also of course loved her portrayal of the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus.
I also found myself very interested by how the Greek Gods were interacting with mortals and with each other. They really just come across as people with superpowers, and it was intriguing to see the way they picked sides in the Trojan war.
Overall I think everyone should read the Iliad and the Odyssey at least once in their life, and I would highly recommend reading Emily Wilson’s translation of the Iliad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, War
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
How to rate the Illiad? This is an ancient tale of ego, war, and love. These heros are fundamentally flawed just like every human has ever been. You cheer for them just as much as you mourn the carnage. I choose Emily Wilson's translation because you can tell how much she worked to make it feel poetic.
This was a very slow read for me. I finished a couple books while taking my time disgusting this classic but I needed to know how the the gods planed to mettle in the war (most unfairly). I can say it was worth pushing through. I would recommend an audio version given it was originally a verbal story and would be better disgusting.
This was a very slow read for me. I finished a couple books while taking my time disgusting this classic but I needed to know how the the gods planed to mettle in the war (most unfairly). I can say it was worth pushing through. I would recommend an audio version given it was originally a verbal story and would be better disgusting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, War
Moderate: Child death, Slavery