Rating: 
Summary: Good for a Greek student, bad for everyone else
Review: I had to read this over the summer for my English class. Frankly, I think that a much better translation could have been chosen. Greek is not based on word order, as is English, and thus two words, say "big man" are often separated in a sentence. Lattimore, rather than taking the logical route and putting the words together, often translates them in the order that they appear in the text! So then that sentence becomes: "the man, walking across the field, big, kills another man." As you can see, this often leads to confusion, as it is hard to tell which words modify one another. It also sounds very awkward and unpoetic. Indeed, I feel that Lattimore steals the poetic beauty away from Homer's masterpiece. I wish I could read Greek to experience it in its original form!Despite its monotony and confusion, however, I suppose this translation would be excellent for someone studying the text rather than reading it for the sake of reading, since it is basically word by word.
Rating: 
Summary: Certainly a Worthy Study
Review: I have respect for Homer's "Iliad." To be sure there are powerful images, dramatic confrontations, beautiful passages, and deep psychological insights. But in all honesty, I feel Homer lacks the genious of Aeschylus or Sophocles. Do not get me wrong. "The Iliad" IS an important and worthy study. I just can't say it matches Sophocles' Trilogy or Aeschylus' Trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: The Spirit is Willing, but the Flesh is Weak
Review: I leave up to the legions of rave Lattimore fans to praise his masterful translation, but most of them forgot to mention this edition itself.
It's awful.
The margins are virtually nonexistant, making taking notes nearly impossible. The text is microscopically small--the spaces between lines are so tiny that it's enormously difficult to read the cypher that Indiana University Press has printed this book in. The line breaks are numbered in groups of 5, which makes finding which line you're on very hard: splitting into groups of 4 (like almost every other play, or poem ever written is) would have made this work that much easier to enjoy.
Get Lattimore, but don't get this terrible edition.
Rating: 
Summary: Goddess, sing of the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus
Review: I long ago determined that the world of those interested in the Classical Literature of the Ancient Greeks that when it comes to Homer's epic poems there are those who prefer the "Iliad" and those who prefer the "Odyssey." My choice is for the story of the rage of Achilles. From Achilles fateful confrontation with Agamemnon over Briseis of the lovely arms to the magnificently emotional ending where King Priam comes to beg for the body of his slain son, Hector, from Achilles, I find this story has greater resonance than the tale of Odysseus. The epic story also seems to me to be more classically Greek, with the great hero who acts out of anger, comes to regret his folly, and seeks to make amends with a great deed. Achilles is similar to Hercules in this regard, and although they are both strictly considered demi-gods, the Achaean hero ultimately seems more human. Plus, Achilles stature is enhanced by his opposition to the noble Hector. Add to this the fact that all the gods and goddesses of Olympus are actively involved in the proceedings and I am convinced the "Iliad" is the more worthy book for inclusion into most classes dealing with Classical Mythology or the Ancient Greeks. The Lattimore translation is certainly above average, although my personal preference is for that by Fagles. I also like to use the "Iliad" as part of a larger epic involving the plays of Euripides, specifically "Iphigenia at Aulis" and "Trojan Women," as well as relevant sections from the "Aeneid" and other sources on the Fall of Troy. But the Iliad remains the centerpiece of any such larger tale, mainly because of the final dramatic confrontation when King Priam goes to beg back the body of his son from the man who killed him. Not until Steinbeck writes "The Grapes of Wrath" is there anything in Western Literature offering as stunning an end piece.
Rating:
Summary: Enough criticism--what does it really mean?
Review: I will not pretend to know much about the form and structure of this epic, for I am not an English major. However, this translation of the Iliad has put me on the path of rediscovering my interest in the humanities. The vivid yet blunt description has forced the reader into this world which revolves solely on glory and honor. The Iliad itself offers insight into the very questions that surround our existence: "Fate is the same for the man who holds back, the same if he fights hard. We are all held in a single honour, the brave with the weaklings. A man dies still if he has done nothing, as one who has done much." Iliad, 318-20 This is a segment from Achilleus' statement in Book 9. I feel that this captures a very important question which hovers constantly on the edge of my mind: why are we here? What is our purpose if we are to all die eventually? Is it to capture glory and honor? If it is, does that mean this honor transcends onto our children? And even if it does, why is that important to us? Why do we strive for glory when it will be taken from us when we pass on? I do not study religion, so I will not pretend to be well versed in it--but these are issues which can be drawn from the Iliad, issues which have been explained in various ways by the world's several mainstream religions which have been in existence for thousands of years. All of this and more is plainly exposed, in all of its simplicity. The reader only has to pick up the book and ask the questions. Answers? You will find none here. A deeper respect and curiousity for what it means to be human? You might find yourself asking more questions.
Rating: 
Summary: The Anchor of Western Literature
Review: I wish that I could say which translation of the Iliad was the best, but as this is the only version I've read, this is all I can review. Lattimore's translation is good and easy to follow, but it seemed to resemble prose more than poetry. If you are looking for more than that, I've heard the Alexander Pope or the Chapman version to be excellent.
At its heart, the Iliad is just a great story. The heroes are the very largest of life and there are many scenes that exemplify a very real human essence within all of them. The Trojan War is presented in graphic, gory detail. There are moments of reprieve, however, with dialogues between Hektor and his wife Andromache and between Achilles and a variety of people. By the end, this book will help you get some of that ever-elusive 'wisdom'.
What struck me as kind of curious is that some reviewers call this an 'anti-war' book. I wasn't left with this impression. This isn't Euripedes we have here. Sure, at times Achilles subverts the Heroic code of the Homeric era, but the book ends (*spoiler alert*) with him gleefully killing Hektor, thus sealing the fate of Troy. The Iliad is too big a text to be simply 'anti-war' or 'pro-war'. It succeeds in the rarest way of literature: all sides are presented, and the reader will have to decide what to take from the book. One thing I'd like to mention: parallels abound throughout the story. Look for them. There are many layers to this story, which is why we still read it today.
Rating:
Summary: Realistic violence, realistic egos, fantasy gods
Review: I've never seen violence and battle handled this way anywhere else. A paragraph in The Iliad might start with a description of a relatively minor wound to an extremity, a hand or a foot. The paragraph will go on to describe a series of increasingly horrific wounds, leading up to the poor guy who was sliced in half or something. It's like a song building to a crescendo. Then the author goes on to discuss the family members of the deceased. The point is clear. War is hell, and people suffer, both on the battlefield and back at home. It's easy to understand the egos involved in this story. Acchiles is understandably insulted, infuriated, when his prize lady is taken from him. What is he, chopped liver? So he decides not to fight anymore for an army that will treat him with so little appreciation. The gods in the story are the same. They are as human as we are. In today's world, we just assume that the Greek gods were fables, myths, with no basis in reality. But we take the current gods much more seriously. Who's to say that ten thousand years from now there won't be a civilization on earth that thinks of our religions the way we think of the ancient Greek religion? Today's intensely held beliefs may be tomorrow's mythology. That's the way it went for the ancient Greeks, and history does tend to repeat itself. Let me put it this way. Isn't it reasonable, if we were made in God's image, for God to share our faults? Isn't it reasonable, looking at all of the amazing things in the Universe, to believe that there is more than one God, that perhaps there are quite a few? I see nothing all that childish or unreasonable in the religion of the ancient Greeks.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent story, but translation had no energy
Review: If you are seeking solely to read for pleasure, this is not the translation you want. Lattimore is brutally literal, sacrificing smooth, flowing syntax for an attempt to duplicate every word of Greek in English. Certainly, if you are interested in the problems of Greek translation, this is an advantage, and you do probably acquire a more thorough understanding of Homeric society and culture with this method, but I still prefer the only other translator I have read, Samuel Butler, who, despite his dubious 1900-era language, does manage to infuse some vitality into the text. You will have to entertain yourself when reading Lattimore. Regardless, the Iliad is a great story and has a very moving final chapter. I would like to see it on the silver screen someday.
Rating:
Summary: a true masterpiece
Review: It sounds trite to call the work a masterpiece, but once you study the poem, it's easy to see how its richness lies in the details. Homer (or the collection of poets called Homer -- no one is still quite sure) recounts the last year of the Trojan War, but makes every line count with incredible heroic/epic similies, memorable epitets, and detail worthy of a great master. What makes the poem enjoyable though is the humanness of its heros -- no one who's read the poem can forget the image of the great Hektor going out to battle who scares his tiny son to death with his helmet. Homer lets us inside Troy to see their families, their women, their children, their culture -- and the Trojans were the enemy! Sure, there are many long battle scenes and formulaic parts, but it's worth reading through them to get to the great passages. If you've not read Homer before, read a simple overview of the Judgement of Paris and the Trojan War (D'Aulair's Greek Mythology is very simple and easy to follow) and buy a guide like the Twayne's Masterworks or Bloom's Notes. Remember, the ancient listeners already knew the plot, so you're not cheating if you read the basic plot before reading the chapter itself. You're just doing as the Romans, er, Greeks do. In this case, I'd recommend the Lattimore since it's by far the closest to the dactylic hexameter of the Greek -- he really hits the nail on the head in this translation.
Rating:
Summary: A return to the origins!
Review: It's difficult not to give 5 stars to "The Iliad" of Homer. I must admit it was not an easy reading, mainly because I've read a version in verse. However, it was a wonderful journey to the origins of the Western Civilization, its myths, heroes, wars and more. I always wanted to read it, but always postponed it for any reason. It took me two months to read it because it's not like a fiction novel you could read today. It's history, it's mythology, and among it the story about Achilles, Agamemnon, Athena, Apollo, etc. Wonderful book. Anyone who's interested in learning its roots should read it.
Now I look forward for "The Odyssey".
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