The Lost Books of the Odyssey is a fascinating and seductive debut book. It retells the traditional Homeric tale of the hero Odysseus and his arduous return trip following the fall of Troy. In it the Trojan War is retold alongside flashbacks as Odysseus travels from Troy to Ithaca. The chapters flow with witty turns or neat bows, more in the style of a short story writer.

The book is a deft and subtle translation of Greek literature for the present day. Personhood, storytelling, memory, and self-awareness are some of the subjects it examines. According to how much light the story decides to shed, Mason's characters can change shape and become elusive, just like the ones in Homer's original.

The traditional Homer stories are transformed into new episodes, fragments, and revisions using beautiful prose, a vivid imagination, and stunning literary skill. When read as a whole, these additions expose the timeless Greek epic to countless resonant interpretations. The Lost Books of the Odyssey is It is laced with wonderful wit, elegance, and playfulness.

I found that it was worthwhile, but only for those who have already read Homer's original epic saga. ( )

This story and clever alterations of it are a perfect base for existential exploration. Seems like a big return for a small investment. ( )

Basically a collection of apocrypha (big plus) that are highly reminiscent of Italo Calvino (big plus). The language is lovely and I find this so quotable. However, there are several especially in the beginning that read like great ideas which were never developed. If you gave me the sketch, I would read the story - but the story isn't there, only the sketch. In the end, I dig it. It's different and creative and I love the idea. Whatever negatives I have, they're worth it. ( )

This read like a dream sequence. While I didn't think it was quite cohesive enough for me as a work, it was beautifully written. ( )

This book consists of 44 chapters in which the events of The Odyssey are pulled apart and put back together again in different ways. We get new views of Polyphemus, Calypso, Circe, Penelope, Telemachus, Pallas Athena, and more as the story changes from the familiar narrative: Penelope is dead, Penelope has remarried, the Trojan War runs on repeat for infinity, and so on. It is a book to warm up to; the first couple of chapters take some getting used to, but overall I enjoyed this retelling a great deal. Some of them had particularly good twists. And now I think I’m going to have to re-read The Odyssey to see what “actually” happened. ( )