Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating - 4.5 stars
Review: The Iliad was not quite what I expected. It doesn't have the lyricism and imagery of other epic poems such as Paraside Lost or the Inferno. Its metaphors are sometimes crude and very wordy. It is also an extremely violent book -- large sections of the text are devoted to describing the deaths of warriors in graphic detail. It is also sometimes repititious, which is partly a result of having evolved from an oral tradition in which repitition allowed the poet more time to improvise the next segment of poetry.However, it is still a powerful poem. The story is not what you might expect. There is no Trojan horse, no golden apples. It starts in the ninth year of the siege of Troy as Achilles, enraged by the actions of Agammemnon, breaks from the Argives and sulks in his tent. This sets in motion a chain of events that will result in a clash between himself and the great Trojan hero Hector. All of this unfolds next to a second tale - the fighting amongst the Olympian gods as they determine the destiny of Troy and the heroes from both armies fighting for it. The Iliad unfolds novelistically. We start with the rage of Achilles in the plains of Troy. Gradually, slowly, the background is revealed - the reason for the Argive invasion of Troy, the reason for the rage of Achilles. It is only very late in the book that the reasons for Hera's hatred of Troy and the tight bond between Patroclus and Achilles is explained. Although there are many characters in the book, Achilles is the most powerful. Passionate, temperamental, arrogant, brutal and courageous. In many ways, he comes across as the villian. He is opposed by Hector -- also arrogant and brutal, but a family man. Hector is both admired and loved by the Trojans. Achilles is admired by the Greeks, but not loved. The characters of Patroclus, Odysseus and Agamemnon are also well-defined. The Odyssey is a completely different sort of work. Whereas the Iliad is grand in scope and tells many overlapping stories, the Odyssey is tightly focused on the story of Odysseus's return to his beloved Ithaca. The Iliad is about war and glory, the Odyssey about home and family. One is clearly the work on an older Homer, assuming they come from the same author at all. The Odyssey is more descriptive, less crude in its imagery and the narrative line is cleaner, mostly because of the narrowed subject matter. One wonder if Homer intended it as part of a series of poems about the Greeks returning from troy. The Odyssey was again not what I expected. It start with Odysseus's son, Telemachus, watching Penelope's suitors devour the fruits of his father's kingdom. Telemechus leaves on a voyage to find word of his father. This segues into Odysseus's return from a seven-year stay with Calypso. He is shipwrecked on Phaeacia, where, after being received by the King of Phaeacia, he unfolds the tale of the journey that landed him on Calypso's isle. The last half of the book deals with eventual return to Ithaca and his dealing with Penelope's suitors. Homer's style is still songlike and lyrical. His description of the journey to the underworld is especially vivid. And Odysseus is expanded into a complex character - cunning, brave, suspicious - and of course the tragic flaw that creates the Odyssey - proud. Fagles translation is probably the most unique you will run across. It translates the poems into vivid, song-like language that probably best reflects what the poems sounded like when Homer sang them. I find some fault with his occasionaly use of modern idiom (the overuse of phrases like "cut -and-run", etc.). But it is an easier and more enjoyable read than the more classic translations that favor more stilted prose. Also, read the introductions. Although they are long, they are fascinating, especially in the discussion over the debate on the origins of the Iliad and the Odyssey. It will also help you appreciate some of the phrases used repeatedly in the poems ("swift-footed Achilles", "long-haired Argives", etc.").
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating - 4.5 stars
Review: The Iliad was not quite what I expected. It doesn't have the lyricism and imagery of other epic poems such as Paraside Lost or the Inferno. Its metaphors are sometimes crude and very wordy. It is also an extremely violent book -- large sections of the text are devoted to describing the deaths of warriors in graphic detail. It is also sometimes repititious, which is partly a result of having evolved from an oral tradition in which repitition allowed the poet more time to improvise the next segment of poetry. However, it is still a powerful poem. The story is not what you might expect. There is no Trojan horse, no golden apples. It starts in the ninth year of the siege of Troy as Achilles, enraged by the actions of Agammemnon, breaks from the Argives and sulks in his tent. This sets in motion a chain of events that will result in a clash between himself and the great Trojan hero Hector. All of this unfolds next to a second tale - the fighting amongst the Olympian gods as they determine the destiny of Troy and the heroes from both armies fighting for it. The Iliad unfolds novelistically. We start with the rage of Achilles in the plains of Troy. Gradually, slowly, the background is revealed - the reason for the Argive invasion of Troy, the reason for the rage of Achilles. It is only very late in the book that the reasons for Hera's hatred of Troy and the tight bond between Patroclus and Achilles is explained. Although there are many characters in the book, Achilles is the most powerful. Passionate, temperamental, arrogant, brutal and courageous. In many ways, he comes across as the villian. He is opposed by Hector -- also arrogant and brutal, but a family man. Hector is both admired and loved by the Trojans. Achilles is admired by the Greeks, but not loved. The characters of Patroclus, Odysseus and Agamemnon are also well-defined. The Odyssey is a completely different sort of work. Whereas the Iliad is grand in scope and tells many overlapping stories, the Odyssey is tightly focused on the story of Odysseus's return to his beloved Ithaca. The Iliad is about war and glory, the Odyssey about home and family. One is clearly the work on an older Homer, assuming they come from the same author at all. The Odyssey is more descriptive, less crude in its imagery and the narrative line is cleaner, mostly because of the narrowed subject matter. One wonder if Homer intended it as part of a series of poems about the Greeks returning from troy. The Odyssey was again not what I expected. It start with Odysseus's son, Telemachus, watching Penelope's suitors devour the fruits of his father's kingdom. Telemechus leaves on a voyage to find word of his father. This segues into Odysseus's return from a seven-year stay with Calypso. He is shipwrecked on Phaeacia, where, after being received by the King of Phaeacia, he unfolds the tale of the journey that landed him on Calypso's isle. The last half of the book deals with eventual return to Ithaca and his dealing with Penelope's suitors. Homer's style is still songlike and lyrical. His description of the journey to the underworld is especially vivid. And Odysseus is expanded into a complex character - cunning, brave, suspicious - and of course the tragic flaw that creates the Odyssey - proud. Fagles translation is probably the most unique you will run across. It translates the poems into vivid, song-like language that probably best reflects what the poems sounded like when Homer sang them. I find some fault with his occasionaly use of modern idiom (the overuse of phrases like "cut -and-run", etc.). But it is an easier and more enjoyable read than the more classic translations that favor more stilted prose. Also, read the introductions. Although they are long, they are fascinating, especially in the discussion over the debate on the origins of the Iliad and the Odyssey. It will also help you appreciate some of the phrases used repeatedly in the poems ("swift-footed Achilles", "long-haired Argives", etc.").
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best literary works I have read.
Review: The literary expertise of the ancient Greeks is something to truly be marveled over. Anyone with an appreciation of epic tales would be well justified in buying this book to keep as their own.
Rating:
Summary: A Man of many twists and turns
Review: The question is not should you read Homer but what translation to read. The Iliad and The Odyssey have surivived longer than any other western story because they speak to us, even today, powerfully of life and are deep enought to speak differently at diferent points in our own life. Both books teach us lessons from our forgtten past and tell us how men and women should live their lives. The Iliad opens with the strugle between Achilles and Agamenon. Anyone who works in an office can recognize these characters and their struggles as they occur today on the smaller stage of our cubicles. What will draw you to Fagle is the words. He opens the Odyssey not by saying Odysseus is devious but by saying "He is a man of many twists and turn". This implies not just that Odysseus is devious but that his trip home will not be a straight path. It's also a beautiful phrase that captures Homer better than any more formal and literal translation. All I can say is that I love these books and this is the translation I enjoy the most.
Rating: 
Summary: More interesting as a historical document than poetry
Review: This poem is the first contribution to western literature. The plot deals with a short part of the Greek Trojan War. Archilles the Greek warrior has had a dispute with another Greek Agamemnon the leader of the expedition over the spoils of war. He is upset that he has not been given a particular slave girl. He withdraws from the fight in a sulk. This leads to a considerable advantage to the Trojans. It means that their champion Hector is able to dominate the battlefield. Archilles's friend Patroclus decides to use Archilles's armor in battle to swing the tide for the Greeks. He meets Hector in battle and is killed. Archilles hears of the death and is enraged. (To the modern reader one suspects that Archilles swang both ways.) He meets Hector in battle and kills him. He drags the body of Hector around the city of Troy to further humiliate him. Hectors father Priam meets Archilles and buys his sons body so that it can be given a good funeral. It is rather hard for someone reading an English translation to understand the original beauty of the language. One can only look at the story and how it is told. The Iliad is a tale that is bound up in the history of the ancient world. Alexander the Great traveled to Archilles tomb. Ancient Greeks and Romans admired him and the poem formed the basis of countless statues and pictures. To the modern mind the story comes across strangely and the characters are flawed. Archilles the main character is willing to betray his countrymen over an argument. He allows his passion to control his life. His decision to enter the fray again is the result of another outbreak of bad temper. His treatment of Hecotor's body suggest vindictiveness and lack of control. The people in the poem act in a way that would have been inconceivable for Romans or Chinese. In fact the Trojans come across as the more virtuous and deserving. Still the work is a classic of the highest importance in understanding the basis of our culture. It is a work populated by heroes a world in which gods also intervene in the affairs of men and are subject to the same temper tantrums as the mortal characters. As an a work in English it is however difficult to see as a work of art or literature. The characters act more like some people down at the local pub having a brawl rather than rational men.
Rating:
Summary: The Bible before the Bible
Review: This set of books by Homer was the guiding light of Western culture for about 1000 years: from ~700 B.C. until ~300 A.D. and beyond, until it was replaced by the Old and New Testaments in cultural importance. The philosophers were not nearly so important as Homer. In Egypt, more than half the scraps of papyri (dating from the time of Greek dominance in the area) found with segments of books written on them are parts of Homer's works. Plato and Aristotle account for less than ten percent, playwrights make up the remainder. It was thought good to memorize both epics. Education focussed on them almost exclusively as did art, and other works of literature tended to base themselves on them or to echo them strongly. In the poems was seen the art of persuasive speaking and bravery: the two most important attributes for a person living at that time. We can still learn the same from the epics today. About half of the epics are eloquently and powerfully worded speeches, their other half describes a brutally tough, nearly merciless, view of the world which instills first fear and then courage in a reader (if read with full absorption). I could almost not bear to read the Iliad the first time due to the utter violence and gore of many of the scenes. But now, having read it for the seventeenth time, and having considered the real state of affairs in most of the world even today, I have accepted all the unfairness, loss, early death and carelessness experienced by the characters as all too indicative of the human condition. The complacent incompetence and/or lack of care displayed by both leaders and gods in the epics is frighteningly realistic and all too telling of how power really does work in our world. The pure mercilessness of the epics and the total solitude of individuals in the face of dangerous forces is a cruelly real portrayal of our human lives. This set is not for somewhone who wants to read a cute fantasy story where the good beat down the bad and everyone lives happily ever after, enough to fill a summer's afternoon. These are books for the tough minded, for the ambitious and if I may be permitted to say so, for those of a powerful intellect (of which the reviewer is perhaps the exception that proves the rule). They were written as convincing tales for the Greeks about their Mycenaean warrior ancestors whom they expected to be stronger, braver and cleverer than themselves. Only the greatest of storytellers and the keenest observers of human affairs can provide such an epic for a people while at the same time create an exciting read (or listen, in Homer's time). This set is a holder of wisdom and not of fine words only. It is of the greatest benefit for the serious reader. A note on the translation: I have compared sections of this set with the originals. These translations are not word-for-word. Be this as it may, there is often more to desire in a translation than mere rigid attention to exactness if one wishes to create a modern classic and not merely a dusty reference book for some scholars. The greeks themselves continually made new versions of the Iliad, updating the language for the reading public (never discarding the original of course, which was memorized, studied, quoted etc). The Romans as well had their line by line translations into up-to-date latin. We need ours too. This set by Robert Fagles with his most excellent sensitivity to the force and passion of the English language fulfills this need for us. The original still sits there for reference and for those sufficiently skilled among us for reading, but these wonderful translations are necessary so as to make the Iliad useful for english speakers in our english speaking lives. The epics of Homer have carried in them the essence of our Western soul from our very beginnings as a civilization and now Robert Fagles has equipped us with their majestic thunder and bright flash so that they are ever ready for us if ever we wish to be reinvigourated by them.
Rating:
Summary: The best translation of Homer I've read.
Review: This translation of Homer's classics 'The Iliad' and 'The Odyssey' is so clear and accurate that the brilliance of the classic really seems to shine through. The first tale, The Iliad, recounts Greece's capture of Troy and the death of Achilles and the tragic return home of Agamemnon. The second, The Odyssey describes the long journey home of Odysseus, who, for years, had been enslaved on an island. I especially recommend Fagles' version to student or readers either unfamiliar with, or intimidated by Homer's work. It's easy-to-read and demonstrates why Homer is one of the greats.
Rating:
Summary: Epic Style
Review: What distinguishes the Fagle's Translation of Iliad from dozens of other great translations, is he put the sense of "epic" into its English version. I read and reread it, I can not get over how it achieves to give you a sense of solidity and all encompassing grandeur, in a scale that evokes heroism ,fate, courage, beauty, adventure in every line. I do not read Greek, but I can only imagine if an ancient bard who sang these lines in an amphitheater would want to achieve, what Fagle's translations does in reading all by yourself, alone.
Rating:
Summary: Epic Style
Review: What distinguishes the Fagle's Translation of Iliad from dozens of other great translations, is he put the sense of "epic" into its English version. I read and reread it, I can not get over how it achieves to give you a sense of solidity and all encompassing grandeur, in a scale that evokes heroism ,fate, courage, beauty, adventure in every line. I do not read Greek, but I can only imagine if an ancient bard who sang these lines in an amphitheater would want to achieve, what Fagle's translations does in reading all by yourself, alone.
Rating:
Summary: Truly Cinematic!
Review: When I read these back in high school, snooze. The Classics? Perfect for falling asleep. I just happened to spy this set while at a book store (sorry Amazon) several months ago. I was dubious, but on a "literature" kick and out of reading material. I picked this set up on a whim, a vague feeling, a notion. That day, the Fates smiled upon me. Robert Fagles does an absolutely awe-inspiring job on the translation: the text is clear and accessible to the modern reader while retaining all the poetry and rhythm of the "original".; couple this with engaging, action-packed stories and you have a page turner that will keep even the most jaded high-schooler enthralled. I was amazed myself; there are scenes (not chapters or passages, scenes!) in the Iliad that will absolutely captivate the most avid Jerry Bruckheimer-loving, explosion-craving video gamer. Likewise with The Odyssey. I was glued to the hammock for days. Characters that are larger than life, thundering across blood-soaked plains; you can hear the shouts, the swoosh of spears and clang of swords, the cries of the wounded. You can feel the ground shake. Feel the tension. I think my enthusiasm is starting to speak for itself... Buy these. You will not be disappointed.
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