The Iliad by Homer

[Fengo]

A good friend of mine (also in high school) has long been highly interested in Ancient Greece, and frequently obsesses over it and tells me about it. One of the things he once mentioned was the epic poem by Homer that told of a story near the end of the Trojan War involving heroes like Achilles, Odysseus, and Hector. I ordered a copy on Amazon after Christmas, and have been slowly making my way through it until I finished it.

The Iliad is a very good read, though some parts can be a bit repetitive. It is surpringly very graphic (surprising much in the way District 9 was) for an ancient poem, with stomach gouging and limb chopping and broken skulls with brains flying. The gods interfere in battle at their own leisure, and inspire the armies to rage on. The pride of Achilles, greatest hero of the Greek army, has been wounded by High King Agamemnon (leader of the Greek army), so he sits out about three quarters of the book, but after his close friend Patroclus is killed in battle filling in for him, he gets up to go stomp Patroclus' murderer, Hector, into the ground. The Iliad was very entertaining, and if you like Bronze Age Greek history, you'll eat it up. If you're a nose-picking gamer who doesnt't like reading, just go watch "Troy" starring Brad Pitt.

9/10

[Ronn]

The Iliad's a great book, ancient greek mythology is pretty damn cool if you ask me. If you like the Iliad i'd recommend that you read the Odyssey; it's in the exact same style as the Iliad (also by Homer) and it follows the journey of Odysseus as he travels back from Troy to his island of Ithaca.

[Fengo]

The Iliad's a great book, ancient greek mythology is pretty damn cool if you ask me. If you like the Iliad i'd recommend that you read the Odyssey; it's in the exact same style as the Iliad (also by Homer) and it follows the journey of Odysseus as he travels back from Troy to his island of Ithaca.

I actually bought the Odyssey along with the Iliad. I'm a little ways into it already.

[Chinook]

red it a couple years ago
was pretty good
the movie is a little more bearable if i dont say