The Iliad

Rating:
Summary: All of the Adventure, No Romance
Review: I've read four different children's versions of the Iliad. It would be unreasonable to expect any of them to live up to the grandeur of the original. Each author has his/her own spin to the story, created when s/he chooses what aspects of the story to cut and what to retain. Mr. McCarty has chosen the high adventure aspect of Homer's classic. Cassandra is completely missing, as is most of the 'touchy-feely' stuff, but the battle scenes sing with the poetry of the original. It's clear that Mr. McCarty knows the story well, since his language retains the rhythms and imagery found in the Iliad. Read it for the adventure, but keep in mind that you're not getting the whole story.

Rating:
Summary: All of the Adventure, No Romance
Review: I've read four different children's versions of the Iliad. It would be unreasonable to expect any of them to live up to the grandeur of the original. Each author has his/her own spin to the story, created when s/he chooses what aspects of the story to cut and what to retain. Mr. McCarty has chosen the high adventure aspect of Homer's classic. Cassandra is completely missing, as is most of the 'touchy-feely' stuff, but the battle scenes sing with the poetry of the original. It's clear that Mr. McCarty knows the story well, since his language retains the rhythms and imagery found in the Iliad. Read it for the adventure, but keep in mind that you're not getting the whole story.