The Lost Books of the Odyssey

Have you felt guilty for not wanting to tackle The Odyssey? Is it too confusing, or dull, but you feel like an idiot for admitting that and then you're at a cocktail party and it's all talk about the Trojan war (and you don't even know where Troy was located)? You've got the basic story, maybe something you picked up in high school, but wouldn't you like to say something witty (without having to do the work)? Well, Zachary Mason comes to your rescue with an amusing overview (and underview) of Homer's Odyssey, Well, sort of. Don't take it as gospel truth on how things happened over Odysseus' 20 years of fighting and traveling.

Like any collection of shorts, The Lost Books of the Odyssey is uneven, but then, I suppose, The Odyssey itself was disjointed, given that it originated in the oral tradition. What Zachary Mason has done here is tell the side stories he imagines--or amuses himself imagining-- as part of Odysseus' battle at Troy and his long voyage home. Sometimes he tweaks the events, sometimes he tells a new story. So Achilles was unbeatable (thanks to his mom dipping him in the river Styx)? Well, in Mason's version, it was because he was a Golem, created by Odysseus under threat of death. Agamemnon insisted that Odysseus convince Achilles to fight the Trojans or the king would slaughter Odysseus' family. When, to his horror, Odysseus discovers that the great hero had died some time ago (snake bite to the vulnerable heel), Odysseus brings a mud figure to life instead. All goes well, and no one suspects (even though this Achilles seems a bit indiscriminate as to whom he kills), until the Golem falls in love, of sorts, and starts to go a bit gaga.

This is the sort of humor Mason brings in. Odysseus is wily and brave--in most of these--though sometimes he's a bit cowardly--it's not like he wanted to go to war in the first place--but doesn't want to admit to it. He disguises himself as poet a la Homer in "The Iliad of Odysseus" and invents songs about the "hero" Odysseus. These become increasingly popular, songs with titles like "Feint Toward the Heart and Slash the Hamstring." When he returns to Ithaca--as king--Odysseus is 'most generous when [bards] had my songs word-perfect."

My favorite story might be "The Second Assassin" in which Mason imagines that Agamemnon's court is so steeped in bureaucracy that his order to have Odysseus killed (heroes are trouble to a weak king) ends up going to the bravest, strongest man in the kingdom. That is, Odysseus receives news that he must kill Odysseus. Odysseus read [the orders], his face closed, and thanked the messenger, commenting that the intended victim was in for a suprise, and that he was morally certain that no problems would arise on his end. Then, as required, Odysseus sends back regular updates on his progress with the assasination ("I walk among people who know him anbd his habits"). Mason has a lot of fun with this one.

We find out the origin of Circe the witch, we meet the Cyclops and hear his side of the story, we meet a few other characters, seemingly unimportant to the original. Some stories are better than others, though I think with even only a passing knowledge of The Odyssey, this book would be entertaining. You probably do get a lot more out of it if you really know the original story.
In the end, we see the aged Odysseus, setting out again, as Tennyson so well captures in his beautiful poem Ulysses. Only this time, the left-over Ithacans--ancient sailors, still spoiling for adventure--discover that the city of Troy has been turned into a sort of theme park. The old men enjoy themselves actually, free of the demands of a 10-year war that made them miss so much originally. Odysseus even manages to exorcise some demons there. Now he can die a happy man.

Zachary Mason has done what I bet a lot of people have imagined. Wouldn't it be great to take a classic and rewrite it so that it's fun? Or fill in the missing parts, reimagine the bits you didn't like originally. After all, The Odyssey has great bones. Think of the potential.