Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
The Odyssey
- Narrated by: Ian McKellen
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
99p for the first 3 months
Buy Now for £12.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Summary
The Odyssey is literature's grandest evocation of every man's journey through life. In the myths and legends that are retold here, the energy and poetry of Homer's original is captured in a bold, contemporary idiom, giving us an edition of The Odyssey that is a joy to listen to, worth savoring and treasuring for its sheer lyrical mastery.
This audiobook is sure to delight both the classicist and the general listener and to captivate a new generation of Homer's students.
Critic reviews
More from the same
What listeners say about The Odyssey
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- D
- 26-07-16
Beautifully translated & read; poor sound quality
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
This is a recent, wonderful and acclaimed translation and it is beautifully read to boot. These outstanding qualities count for little as the sound quality is so poor that at times one gives up listening out of sheer frustration. The narrative is so muffled that at times it is indistinct and the narrative flow is lost. A real disappointment, not because of a poor text or bad reader, but because of a careless or indifferent presentation. I have tried listening to both the normal and the enhanced downloads and both suffer equally. Someone at Audible needs to look at this as I cannot believe the original would have been released with these obvious faults.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
33 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Guilherme Malzoni Rabello
- 14-09-17
Great translation, great narrator, disappointing recording
Homer, Fagles, and McKellen get all the laurels.
Penguin should burn in Hades for almost spoiling them: the great introduction was not included; the tracks don't match the original chapters (books), which makes navigating back and forward almost impossible; and the sound mixing makes McKellen sound as if he was now recording in the kitchen, then in the bathroom, later with a cold.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
22 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Beth Morgan
- 06-10-16
Strange Chapters
This book is an excellent reading of the Odyssey. The only qualm I have with it is that the chapters do not correlate to the book numbers; as an example, book 5 starts in the middle of chapter 4, which can be somewhat confusing when trying to gauge where in the story you are. Other than that it was great!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kevin Smith
- 21-03-20
A world class performance with terrible production
Sir Ian McKellen's performance of this classic translation is gripping, which is why it is a real shame that it has been so shoddily recorded/produced. Persistent pre-echos, chattering in the background, and a really baffling couple of chapters towards the middle that are pitched down so much you could mistake McKellen for Barry White, severely hamper what otherwise would be an incredible audio book.
There are parts that are unlistenable and parts where you won't be able to stop listening. All that said, I couldn't recommend this reading even for all it's obvious merits when I'm sure there are other great readings of this story not marred by a lazy or incompetent production team.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- dave
- 12-04-19
chapter 5 sound levels 👎 and....
Ian McKellen is the perfect voice for telling stories, and the book itself is incredible, nearly 3000 years old and written so beautifully..... but chapter 5 sound levels are not good, quiet and muffled..... also even worse I've just noticed in chapter 6 in between Ian reading you can hear the faint voice of somebody else talking, come on Audible this is not acceptable!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- scott
- 15-03-18
The greatest story ever written!
A timeless masterpiece superbly written and brilliantly narrated. Some issues with the sound quality but didn't diminish the enjoyment.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 04-02-21
There is no sound
Something is wrong with this audiobook there's no sound caming out when I play it
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ecgtheow
- 12-03-19
Well read but with some audio problems.
McKellen is excellent. The epic itself is excellent. Audio issues throughout, such as audible playback chatter (guess the recording booth wasn't soundproof).
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- colin monteith
- 14-06-18
Wonderful version of Homer
Thoroughly enjoyed this bewitching and beautifully narrated tale. I was transported to ancient Greece and enthralled from start to finish
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 18-09-17
an interesting but long and hard listen
I did enjoy it but felt it had become a chore by the end as it is very drawn out and repetitive (in a poetic way) as time went on. can be hard to listen to and required concentration but you Will learn about Greek mythology.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful