Books like 'The Essential Homer'
Readers who enjoyed The Essential Homer by Homer also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy military, war & conflict classics myths university historical-fiction epic high-school war
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Genghis: Bones of the Hills by Conn Iggulden, Richard Ferrone
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsYes, you do recognize the author's name. Conn Iggulden is the coauthor of the bestselling Dangerous Book for Boys. He's also responsible for a magnificent trilogy of historical epics on Mongol empire maker Genghis Khan (1162-1227)...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization epic historical-fiction medieval war action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Genghis: Lords of the Bow by Conn Iggulden]()
Genghis: Lords of the Bow by Conn Iggulden
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsGenghis unites Mongol tribes to cross the Gobi Desert and fight the Chin - gleaming cities, soaring walls, and canals. Laying siege to one fortress after another, Genghis cunningly crushes each enemy differently, overcoming moats, barriers, deceptions, and superior firepower—until his army calls the Emperor in Yenking to kneel...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization epic historical-fiction medieval war action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Conqueror by Conn Iggulden]()
Conqueror by Conn Iggulden
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsFrom a young scholar to one of history's most powerful warriors, this novel tells the story of Kublai Khan - an extraordinary man who should be remembered alongside Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte as one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever known...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization epic historical-fiction medieval war action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield]()
Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsAt Thermopylae, a rocky mountain pass in northern Greece, the feared and admired Spartan soldiers stood three hundred strong. Theirs was a suicide mission, to hold the pass against the invading millions of the mighty Persian army.Day after bloody day they withstood the terrible onslaught, buying time for the Greeks to rally their forces...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization classics epic historical-fiction myths university war 20th-century -
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![Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden]()
Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsHe was born Temujin, the son of a khan, raised in a clan of hunters migrating across the rugged steppe. Temujin's young life was shaped by a series of brutal acts: the betrayal of his father by a neighboring tribe and the abandonment of his entire family, cruelly left to die on the harsh plain...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization classics epic historical-fiction medieval myths war action-adventure -
![Fall of Kings by David Gemmell, Stella Gemmell]()
Fall of Kings by David Gemmell, Stella Gemmell
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsDarkness falls on the Great Green and the Ancient World is fiercely divided.On the killing fields outside the golden city of Troy, forces loyal to the Mykene King Agamemnon mass.Among them is Odysseus, fabled storyteller and reluctant ally to the Mykene...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization classics epic historical-fiction myths retellings war action-adventure -
![Mahabharata by William Buck]()
Mahabharata by William Buck
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFew works in world literature have inspired so vast an audience, in nations with radically different languages and cultures, as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, two Sanskrit verse epics written some 2,000 years ago... -
![Killer of Men by Christian Cameron]()
Killer of Men by Christian Cameron
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsArimnestos is a farm boy when war breaks out between the citizens of his native Plataea and and their overbearing neighbours, Thebes. Standing in the battle line - the wall of bronze - for the first time, alongside his father and brother, he shares in a famous and unlikely victory. But after being knocked unconscious in the melee, he awakes not a hero, but a slave...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization historical-fiction myths war action-adventure adult audiobook book -
![Khan: Empire of Silver by Conn Iggulden]()
Khan: Empire of Silver by Conn Iggulden
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe Great Khan is dead—and his vast empire, forged through raw courage, tactical brilliance, and indomitable force, hangs in the balance. Now, with the sons of Genghis Khan maneuvering for supremacy, the very qualities that united the fierce Mongol tribes threaten to tear them apart.Genghis’s tough and canny heir, Ogedai, is on the verge of becoming the new Khan...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization epic historical-fiction medieval war action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Lord of the Silver Bow by David Gemmell]()
Lord of the Silver Bow by David Gemmell
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsHe is a man of many names. Some call him the Golden One; others, the Lord of the Silver Bow. To the Dardanians, he is Prince Aeneas. But to his friends, he is Helikaon. Strong, fast, quick of mind, he is a bold warrior, hated by his enemies, feared even by his Trojan allies. For there is a darkness at the heart of the Golden One, a savagery that, once awakened, can be appeased only with blood...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization classics epic historical-fiction myths retellings war action-adventure -
![Lifemarked by David Estes]()
Lifemarked by David Estes
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe Four Kingdoms and the fatemarked face the most powerful army the world has ever seen...In Phanes, Roan Loren, the Peacemaker, has high hopes for a united response to the threat from the Horde, but swiftly realizes the only true ally he has is his arch nemesis, Bane... -
![Shield-Maiden: Gambit of Shadows by Melanie Karsak]()
Shield-Maiden: Gambit of Shadows by Melanie Karsak
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA kingdom at war.A conflict forged in the tragedies of the past.A shield-maiden thrust into the heart of all.Just when Ervie was beginning to break free of the shadows that plagued her, the Gauls set fire to her world. With King Harald murdered, the warhorn calls for revenge. From Skagen to Grund, the Vikings will rally to avenge the heinous attack... -
![The Gates of Athens by Conn Iggulden]()
The Gates of Athens by Conn Iggulden
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEvoking two of the most famous battles of the Ancient World—the Battle of Marathon and the Last Stand at Thermopylae—The Gates of Athens is a bravura piece of storytelling by a well acclaimed master of the historical adventure novel.In the new epic historical novel by New York Times bestselling author Conn Iggulden, in ancient Greece an army of slaves gathers on the plains of Marathon . .Categorized as:
ancient-civilization historical-fiction myths war action-adventure adult audiobook book -
![Tom Swan and the Last Spartans: Part Two by Christian Cameron]()
Tom Swan and the Last Spartans: Part Two by Christian Cameron
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsFifteenth-century Europe. Tom Swan is not a professional soldier. He's really a merchant and a scholar looking for remnants of Ancient Greece and Rome - temples, graves, pottery, fabulous animals, unicorn horns. But he also has a real talent for ending up in the midst of violence when he didn't mean to...Categorized as:
historical-fiction war medieval military historical fantasy fiction violent-conflict -
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![A Question of Honour by Wayne Grant]()
A Question of Honour by Wayne Grant
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn this rousing conclusion to The Saga of Roland Inness, King Richard has called up Roland and the legendary Invalid Company to serve in his grinding war against King Philip of France. It's a conflict where brutal mercenaries ravage the land and take no prisoners and where a king's favour is for sale... -
![War Music: An Account of Books 1-4 and 16-19 of Homer's Iliad by Christopher Logue, Homer]()
War Music: An Account of Books 1-4 and 16-19 of Homer's Iliad by Christopher Logue, Homer
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn his brilliant rendering of eight books of Homer's Iliad, Logue here retells some of the most evocative episodes of the war classic, including the death of Patroclus and Achilles's fateful return to battle, that sealed the doom of Troy...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization classics epic historical-fiction myths retellings war 21st-century -
![Lion of Macedon by David Gemmell]()
Lion of Macedon by David Gemmell
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsOver and again, the aged seeress Tamis scried all the possible tomorrows. In every one, dark forces threatened Greece; terrible evil was poised to reenter the world. The future held only one hope: a half-caste Spartan boy, Parmenion. So Tamis made it her mission to see that Parmenion would before the deadliest warrior in the world -- no matter what the cost...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization classics epic historical-fiction myths retellings war action-adventure -
![Defiant Unto Death by David Gilman, Martin Zhouf]()
Defiant Unto Death by David Gilman, Martin Zhouf
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFRANCE: 1356. Ten years ago, the greatest army in Christendom was slaughtered at Crécy when Thomas Blackstone and his fellow archers stood their ground and rained death on the steel-clad might of French chivalry. Blackstone left that squalid field a knight. Now, Blackstone commands a war band and has carved out a small fiefdom in northern France...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization historical-fiction medieval war action-adventure adult audiobook book -
![God of Vengeance by Giles Kristian]()
God of Vengeance by Giles Kristian
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsNorway AD785. A land of petty kingdoms and ambitious men...When King Gorm betrays Jarl Harald and puts his family to the sword, he makes a terrible mistake. He fails to kill Harald's youngest son, Sigurd. Hunted by powerful men and hiding in a sacred fen, Sigurd believes the gods have turned their backs on his family. His kin are dead or captured... -
![The Nine by Terry Cloutier]()
The Nine by Terry Cloutier
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsNine men ride into the tiny farming village of Corwick one morning in early March. When they ride back out again, no one is left alive except for Hadrack, a helpless eight-year-old boy. The crimes committed by those nine men will ultimately bring two conflicting religions and two nations to the brink of war...Categorized as:
historical-fiction ancient-civilization war medieval fantasy fiction historical action-adventure -
![Sevenfold Sword: Guardian by Jonathan Moeller]()
Sevenfold Sword: Guardian by Jonathan Moeller
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe quest of the Seven Swords nears its end, and dark powers rise to seize the world. Ridmark Arban has learned the terrible secret at the heart of the Seven Swords. Now he need only escape Urd Maelwyn, the grim city ruled by the dark elven tyrant known as the Confessor. But few who enter Urd Maelwyn ever leave alive... -
![Legend by Nicole Conway]()
Legend by Nicole Conway
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn a war of gods and tyrants, the will of the dragonrider must never falter.Captured and tortured by the brutal tyrant, Argonox, Reigh’s worst fears have now been realized. Argonox has successfully twisted his mysterious dark power for a truly evil purpose—reanimating the long-deceased legendary dragonrider, Beckah Derrick, and her monstrous king drake... -
![The Trials of Daphne Holdfast by Christopher Mitchell]()
The Trials of Daphne Holdfast by Christopher Mitchell
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDaphne Holdfast is a young captain assigned to defend an isolated fort far behind enemy lines.Promoted due to her family’s connections and mistrusted by the garrison’s officers, Daphne must find the strength to unite her troops and repel the advancing enemy hordes.She has one advantage – she is an elite vision mage, endowed with supreme fighting skills... -
![Red Branch by Morgan Llywelyn]()
Red Branch by Morgan Llywelyn
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn a land ruled by war and love and strange enchantments, Cuchulain -- torn between gentleness and violence, haunted by the croakings of a sinister raven -- fights for his honor and his homeland and discovers too late the trap that the gods have set for him in the fatal beauty of Deirdre and the brutal jealousy of King Conor...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization epic historical-fiction myths retellings war action-adventure adult -
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![Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley, Maria Dahvana Headley]()
Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley, Maria Dahvana Headley
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsAn Irish Times and Vox Best Book of 2020A new, feminist translation of Beowulf by the author of The Mere Wife...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization classics epic historical-fiction medieval myths retellings university -
![Sons of Thunder by Giles Kristian]()
Sons of Thunder by Giles Kristian
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe sequel to Giles Kristian's acclaimed historical debut, Raven: Blood Eye, this brutal, bloody and unputdownable novel continues the story of the Viking Raven and his warrior brotherhood.Never betray a Fellowship and expect to get away with your life...Raven and his Wolfpack of Norsemen have been double crossed... -
![The Saxon Shore by Jack Whyte]()
The Saxon Shore by Jack Whyte
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsMerlyn Britannicus and Uther Pendragon---the Silver Bear and the Red Dragon---are the leaders of the Colony, lifeblood to the community from which will come the fabled Camulod.But soon their tranquility is in ruins, Uther lies dead from treachery, and all that is left of the dream is the orphaned babe Arthur... -
![Rise of Kali: Duryodhana's Mahabharata by Anand Neelakantan]()
Rise of Kali: Duryodhana's Mahabharata by Anand Neelakantan
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsTHE MAHABHARATA ENDURES AS THE GREAT EPIC OF INDIA. While Jaya is the story of the Pandavas, told from the perspective of the victors of Kurukshetra, Ajaya is the tale of the Kauravas, who were decimated to the last man. From the pen of the author who gave voice to Ravana in the national bestseller, ASURA, comes the riveting narrative which compels us to question the truth behind the Mahabharata...Categorized as:
epic historical-fiction myths retellings war action-adventure adult alternate-history -
![Dark Prince by David Gemmell]()
Dark Prince by David Gemmell
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsThe chaos spirit had chosen the child Alexander to be its human host. But Parmenion, most powerful warrior of ancient Greece, had won a small victory over the darkness that sought to rule through Alexander. The boy's soul had not been destroyed by evil, but instead had merged with it -- and now Parmenion aided Alexander in the battle between light and dark that constantly raged within him...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization classics epic historical-fiction myths retellings action-adventure adult -
![All Day Permanent Red: The First Battle Scenes of Homer's Iliad Rewritten by Christopher Logue]()
All Day Permanent Red: The First Battle Scenes of Homer's Iliad Rewritten by Christopher Logue
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSetting down her topaz saucer heaped with nectarine jelly, Emptying her blood-red mouth—set in her ice-white face— Teenaged Athena jumped up and shrieked: "Kill! Kill for me! Better to die than live without killing!" Who says prayer does no good? Christopher Logue's work in progress, his Iliad, has been called "the best translation of Homer since Pope's" (The New York Review of Books)... -
![The Mahabharata by Jean-Claude Carrière]()
The Mahabharata by Jean-Claude Carrière
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA unique dramatization of India's greatest epic poem, fifteen times longer than the Bible, The Mahabharata has played to enthralled audiences throughout Europe, the Far East and America. Regarded as the culmination of Peter Brook's extraordinary research into the possibilities of theatre, the production has been hailed as the 'theatrical event of this century' (Sunday Times)... -
![Bound by Blood by Mia West]()
Bound by Blood by Mia West
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHe’ll do anything for the man he loves.Even the unthinkable.Bedwyr has everything he could want. He’s come back from a devastating injury, and he’s a warrior again, regaining his father’s respect battle by successful battle.Best of all: he has Arthur... -
![Battle For Empire by Sam Barone]()
Battle For Empire by Sam Barone
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBattle For Empire is the latest novel in Sam Barone’s six part series, a bronze age historical saga in the tradition of Conn Iggulden, Bernard Cornwell, and Jean Auel.In Dawn of Empire, Eskkar the warrior and Trella the slave girl come together in a mighty struggle to survive a barbarian invasion and build mankind’s first walled city...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization epic historical-fiction war action-adventure adult book fiction -
![Captain of the Guard by Ron C. Nieto]()
Captain of the Guard by Ron C. Nieto
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOren Trevaine has never shaken the feeling that he’s not good enough, but he’s determined to avoid the same fate for his men. Oren’s first task as Captain of the Guard is to transform his unruly, undisciplined soldiers into a formidable army—if only they would cooperate.But Oren will need to act fast because the snow is melting with the budding of spring... -
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![The Three Kingdoms, Volume 2: The Sleeping Dragon by Luo Guanzhong]()
The Three Kingdoms, Volume 2: The Sleeping Dragon by Luo Guanzhong
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThis exciting new translation will appeal to modern readers who find the twists and turns of Game of Thrones so compelling.The Three Kingdoms is an epic Chinese novel written over six centuries ago...Categorized as:
historical-fiction classics ancient-civilization war myths fiction fantasy action-adventure -
![Daughters of Bronze: A Novel of Troy by A.D. Rhine]()
Daughters of Bronze: A Novel of Troy by A.D. Rhine
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSong of great sorrow. Even greater love. Lost between the timeless lines of Homer’s epic, the women of Troy finally stand to be counted. Their story is one you’ve never encountered, and it will change the fate of Troy forever... -
![Sevenfold Sword: Champion by Jonathan Moeller]()
Sevenfold Sword: Champion by Jonathan Moeller
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRidmark Arban is the Shield Knight, the defender of the realm of Andomhaim. The realm is at peace after a long and terrible war, but dark powers threaten other lands. And when a mad elven wizard comes to the High King's court, Ridmark finds himself fighting not only for his own life, but for the lives of his family. For the quest of the Seven Swords has begun.. -
![The Armour of Achilles by Glyn Iliffe]()
The Armour of Achilles by Glyn Iliffe
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe siege of Troy is in its 10th year, in the third book continuing from King of Ithaca and The Gates of Troy The Greeks, with Achilles at their head, have inflicted numerous defeats on the Trojans, but Troy itself still stands. Dispirited, bitter, and frustrated by the war, Odysseus and his men think lovingly of home... -
![Hereward: End of Days by James Wilde]()
Hereward: End of Days by James Wilde
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEngland, 1071. Five years have passed since the crushing Norman victory at the Battle of Hastings. The country reels under the savage rule of the new king, the one they call 'the Bastard.' The North has been left a wasteland villages razed, innocents put to the sword, land stolen. It seems no atrocity is too great to ensure William's grip upon the crown... -
![The Children of Llyr by Evangeline Walton]()
The Children of Llyr by Evangeline Walton
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsIn stark, gaunt prose, it chronicles the years of Bran the Blessed - he who was so vast a man that no house could hold him nor ship bear his bulk - and of the tale of his beloved sister Branwen, his brother Manawyddan, and of his half-brothers Nissyen and the ghastly Evnissten... -
![The Skystone by Jack Whyte]()
The Skystone by Jack Whyte
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsHow do you find a new way to approach a story as familiar as any in the English language? If you're Jack Whyte, you begin your retelling of the Arthurian saga by taking one giant step backward to the latter days of the Roman Empire in Britain, sometime between the first breaching of Hadrian's Wall and the legendary days of King Arthur... -
![The Prow Beast by Robert Low]()
The Prow Beast by Robert Low
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Oathsworn have become feared and respected throughout the Viking world. Their name goes before them and men cower in their presence, but they soon discover that fame comes at a price... -
![Grail Knight by Angus Donald]()
Grail Knight by Angus Donald
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn 1200 A.D., much in England has changed. Richard the Lionhearted has died and his duplicitous brother John has taken the throne. The Earl of Locksley has been outlawed by his old enemy, now the king, and Sir Alan Dale has had the estates granted to him by Richard I taken away again. But still Alan Dale lives comfortably with his beloved wife pregnant with their first child... -
![The Light Bearer by Donna Gillespie]()
The Light Bearer by Donna Gillespie
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHer name is Auriane. She is a warrior, a priestess, and a threat to the powers of Ancient Rome. This breathtaking saga from acclaimed newcomer Donna Gillespie unveils a fascinating world of pagans and slaves, warriors and nobles--and the extraordinary life of a legendary woman they called the Light Bearer...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization epic historical-fiction war action-adventure book fiction historical -
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![The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge]()
The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsPauline Gedge, the award-winning Alberta writer known primarily for her novels set in ancient Egypt, such as Child of the Morning and Stargate, has also essayed the field of British history, as in this early work The Eagle and the Raven, originally issued in 1978...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization classics epic historical-fiction medieval myths war action-adventure -
![The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic by Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa]()
The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic by Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsGrowing from an oral tradition of ballads based on historic events in India, the Mahabharata was passed down and extended through the centuries, becoming the longest poem ever written. R. K. Narayan provides a superb rendition in an abbreviated and elegant retelling of this great epic... -
![The Adventures of Robin Hood by Joseph Walker McSpadden]()
The Adventures of Robin Hood by Joseph Walker McSpadden
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe classic story of the man who robbed from the rich to give to the poor comes alive with vibrant illustrations from celebrated artist Greg Hildebrandt. Escape to Sherwood Forest and join the jolly Fellowship of the Greenwood with these rollicking tales of the celebrated archer and gentleman thief... -
![Hannibal: Enemy of Rome by Ben Kane]()
Hannibal: Enemy of Rome by Ben Kane
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe first in a brilliant new series set during the Second Punic War, from the bestselling author of The Forgotten Legion Chronicles. In the First Punic War, the Roman legions defeated and humiliated Carthage, their only serious rival for power in the Mediterranean. Now a brilliant young Carthaginian general, called Hannibal, is out for revenge...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization historical-fiction myths war action-adventure adult audiobook book -
![Memorial: A Version of Homer's Iliad by Alice Oswald, Eavan Boland]()
Memorial: A Version of Homer's Iliad by Alice Oswald, Eavan Boland
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsIn this daring new work, the poet Alice Oswald strips away the narrative of the Iliad—the anger of Achilles, the story of Helen—in favor of attending to its atmospheres: the extended similes that bring so much of the natural order into the poem and the corresponding litany of the war-dead, most of whom are little more than names but each of whom lives and dies unforgettably and unforgotten in...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization classics historical-fiction myths retellings war 21st-century adult -
![The Iliad/The Odyssey by Homer]()
The Iliad/The Odyssey by Homer
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 61 ratingsGripping listeners and readers for more than 2,700 years, 'The Iliad' is the story of the Trojan War and the rage of Achilles. Combining the skills of a poet and scholar, Robert Fagles brings the energy of contemporary language to this enduring heroic epic. If 'The Iliad' is the world's greatest war story, then 'The Odyssey' is literature's greatest evocation of every man's journey through life...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization classics epic high-school historical-fiction myths university war
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