The Odyssey by Bernard MacGregor Walker Knox, Homer, Robert Fagles (2005, Unabridged, Compact Disc)

While the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens whose singing lure sailors to certain death, the beautiful Circe who turns men into swine, and the constant Queen Penelope are no strangers to most people, few know of these characters from the text of The Odyssey itself and fewer still have read Homer’s epic from cover to cover. Everything about this audiobook is designed to assist those who want to do so. The wily Odysseus sails inexorably home to Ithaca to the rhythmic ebb and flow of Robert Fagle’s straightforward modern translation. The melodic voice of Sir Ian McKellan is a treat, and although he narrates in his own voice with little or no differentiation among characters, his dramatic interpretation and timing ensure that when Odysseus sets foot again upon Ithaca – about halfway through the poem – the real action has yet to begin. His build-up to Odysseus’ fateful confrontation with Penelope’s suitors and his recounting of the battle are thrilling. For the educator or advanced reader, a scholarly 112-page booklet by Bernard Knox, Director Emeritus of Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies, accompanies the audio.