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The Iliad and the Odyssey
Thrilling comic-strip action, with monsters, mighty heroes and even mightier gods and goddesses.
The Iliad tells the story of the war between Greeks and Trojans; the love between Helena and Paris; Achilles and Hector's deadly combat; the Trojan Horse... The Odyssey depicts the perilous voyage home of the Greek warrior Odysseus; his struggles against the one-eyed Cyclops; the terrible Sirens; the dreadful, six-headed Scylla... These classic Greek stories have been retold with lively text and a dramatic cartoon style, making them accessible and fun for young children.
The Iliad tells the story of the war between Greeks and Trojans; the love between Helena and Paris; Achilles and Hector's deadly combat; the Trojan Horse... The Odyssey depicts the perilous voyage home of the Greek warrior Odysseus; his struggles against the one-eyed Cyclops; the terrible Sirens; the dreadful, six-headed Scylla... These classic Greek stories have been retold with lively text and a dramatic cartoon style, making them accessible and fun for young children.
40 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2006
About the author
Marcia Williams
74 books51 followersMarcia Williams began to develop her distinctive comic-book style at an early age: "When I was about ten and wrote home to my family from boarding school," she says, "I never wrote normal letters. I tried to tell my family about what I was doing in a way that was more fun. Also, my parents didn't let me read comic books, so I decided to create my own."
This former nursery school teacher blends her storytelling skills and humorous illustrations with well-known figures and stories from literature. Her unique style has produced such vivid works and action-packed books as GOD AND HIS CREATIONS: TALES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT. "Working on the Old Testament was a joy," Marcia Williams says. "The tales are so rich, it is always possible to find something new within them. Yet, at the same time, they have all the comfort of the familiar." The artist also found pleasure in creating CHARLES DICKENS AND FRIENDS, which presents five retellings of classic Dickens tales. Of her inspiration for this book, she tells of a teacher she once had "who was extremely fierce and angry . . . except when she read the stories of Charles Dickens aloud. Through her, all his characters lived, and I was transported to their Victorian world. I hope that readers will also enter the wonderful world of Charles Dickens through this book."
With BRAVO, MR. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE! and TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE Marcia Williams introduces young readers to the world of William Shakespeare's plays. Another classic she has made much more accessible to children--and more appreciated by them--is THE ILIAD AND THE ODYSSEY. "My mother read me classics, but until I got older I never found them interesting," she says. "If I could make these stories more accessible, I realized, kids wouldn't have to wait until they were grown-up to appreciate them."
Marcia Williams traveled extensively as a child and was educated in Sussex, England, and Switzerland. During her varied career she has worked as an interior designer and has assisted cartoon artist and designer Gerald Scarfe in making papier-mâché and cloth sculptures.
This former nursery school teacher blends her storytelling skills and humorous illustrations with well-known figures and stories from literature. Her unique style has produced such vivid works and action-packed books as GOD AND HIS CREATIONS: TALES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT. "Working on the Old Testament was a joy," Marcia Williams says. "The tales are so rich, it is always possible to find something new within them. Yet, at the same time, they have all the comfort of the familiar." The artist also found pleasure in creating CHARLES DICKENS AND FRIENDS, which presents five retellings of classic Dickens tales. Of her inspiration for this book, she tells of a teacher she once had "who was extremely fierce and angry . . . except when she read the stories of Charles Dickens aloud. Through her, all his characters lived, and I was transported to their Victorian world. I hope that readers will also enter the wonderful world of Charles Dickens through this book."
With BRAVO, MR. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE! and TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE Marcia Williams introduces young readers to the world of William Shakespeare's plays. Another classic she has made much more accessible to children--and more appreciated by them--is THE ILIAD AND THE ODYSSEY. "My mother read me classics, but until I got older I never found them interesting," she says. "If I could make these stories more accessible, I realized, kids wouldn't have to wait until they were grown-up to appreciate them."
Marcia Williams traveled extensively as a child and was educated in Sussex, England, and Switzerland. During her varied career she has worked as an interior designer and has assisted cartoon artist and designer Gerald Scarfe in making papier-mâché and cloth sculptures.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 3, 2024
Although how Marcia Williams in her 1996 juvenile graphic novel The Iliad and the Odyssey verbally retells Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey (and which are titled Ἰλιάς and Ὀδύσσεια in Ancient Greek) is very basic and as such also quite massively abridged, yes, Williams' presented text for The Iliad and the Odyssey does (in my humble opinion) decently and generally sufficiently engagingly (although sometimes with for me personally annoying and groan-worthy artificial humour) provide the main and necessary facts regarding the legend and mythology surrounding the Trojan War and of Odysseus' long, convoluted, dangerous but ultimately triumphant return from the battlefields of Troy to his home kingdom of Ithaca, so that young readers from about the age of eight to ten or so should get a more than adequate and suitable introduction to both The Iliad and The Odyssey.
However and indeed, The Iliad and the Odyssey is also not in any manner a narrational treatment that would or even should replace Homer and his original texts, albeit The Iliad and the Odyssey certainly does really well reducing all of the information from the lengthy and often longwinded The Iliad and The Odyssey into a children’s version of picture book length. But we’ll, I must point out that while my inner child has textually rather enjoyed and also appreciated The Iliad and the Odyssey as a retelling, as a story, for my older adult reading self, Marcia Williams has perhaps cut out just a bit too much, and furthermore and very much annoyingly, that the absence of supplemental information in The Iliad and the Odyssey on Homer, on The Iliad and The Odyssey as epics, on Greek mythology and on Homer's place in Greek mythology, history, world literature etc., that there are no sources, no suggestions for further reading and the like being provided by Williams in The Iliad and the Odyssey, yes, this really and hugely frustrates me and has certainly also quite negatively affected potential reading joy and academic, intellectual appreciation.
Now I do wish I could rate The Iliad and the Odyssey with more than two stars (since The Iliad and the Odyssey most definitely is a pretty decent retelling of Homer for a young audience, for the above mentioned eight to ten year olds). However, I for one just cannot and will not ignore Marcia Williams' providing neither a bibliography nor in fact any supplemental information whatsoever and for two that for me on an aesthetic level and with regard to The Iliad and the Odyssey functioning as a graphic novel, sorry, but Williams' artwork just does not visually work for me at all. For most certainly, I do tend to find the accompanying cartoons for The Iliad and the Odyssey much too busy, too caricature like in concept and feel and thus not being ever really visually appealing to and for my eyes (although yes, I really, I truly consider it rather laughable and ridiculous how some PURITANICAL MORONS seem to have issues with the occasional scenes of illustrated, of depicted nudity in The Iliad and the Odyssey even though this is actually Marcia Williams being culturally, historically authentic and accurate regarding ancient Greek culture, but well and no, me appreciating the latter also does not in fact make me enjoy Williams' artwork enough to consider upping my rating for The Iliad and the Odyssey to three stars).
However and indeed, The Iliad and the Odyssey is also not in any manner a narrational treatment that would or even should replace Homer and his original texts, albeit The Iliad and the Odyssey certainly does really well reducing all of the information from the lengthy and often longwinded The Iliad and The Odyssey into a children’s version of picture book length. But we’ll, I must point out that while my inner child has textually rather enjoyed and also appreciated The Iliad and the Odyssey as a retelling, as a story, for my older adult reading self, Marcia Williams has perhaps cut out just a bit too much, and furthermore and very much annoyingly, that the absence of supplemental information in The Iliad and the Odyssey on Homer, on The Iliad and The Odyssey as epics, on Greek mythology and on Homer's place in Greek mythology, history, world literature etc., that there are no sources, no suggestions for further reading and the like being provided by Williams in The Iliad and the Odyssey, yes, this really and hugely frustrates me and has certainly also quite negatively affected potential reading joy and academic, intellectual appreciation.
Now I do wish I could rate The Iliad and the Odyssey with more than two stars (since The Iliad and the Odyssey most definitely is a pretty decent retelling of Homer for a young audience, for the above mentioned eight to ten year olds). However, I for one just cannot and will not ignore Marcia Williams' providing neither a bibliography nor in fact any supplemental information whatsoever and for two that for me on an aesthetic level and with regard to The Iliad and the Odyssey functioning as a graphic novel, sorry, but Williams' artwork just does not visually work for me at all. For most certainly, I do tend to find the accompanying cartoons for The Iliad and the Odyssey much too busy, too caricature like in concept and feel and thus not being ever really visually appealing to and for my eyes (although yes, I really, I truly consider it rather laughable and ridiculous how some PURITANICAL MORONS seem to have issues with the occasional scenes of illustrated, of depicted nudity in The Iliad and the Odyssey even though this is actually Marcia Williams being culturally, historically authentic and accurate regarding ancient Greek culture, but well and no, me appreciating the latter also does not in fact make me enjoy Williams' artwork enough to consider upping my rating for The Iliad and the Odyssey to three stars).
September 26, 2023
A relatively brief retelling of the famous Greek legends, done more comic-book style. I guess I’ve gotten more used to graphic novels with the kids lately, because the style looked a bit dated to me. And some of the added text in the panels made the content a bit more mature than I would have preferred for the ages of my kids, but that was easy enough to skip. The retelling did hold my boys’ attention better than I anticipated, enough for me to read both stories in one sitting instead of splitting them like I’d originally planned.
March 20, 2016
Cartoony.
March 19, 2017
The Iliad and the Odyssey, by Marcia Williams, is the retelling of the two most famous epics, by the same names. The Iliad starts with the marriage of king Peleus and the goddess Thetis, which later have a child by the name Achilles. In Troy, king Priam and Queen Hecuba also have a child, by the name of Paris. Paris grows up and eventually steals Helen, the wife of king Menelaus. This then sparks the Trojan War which sends various leader, including Odysseus, to defend the honor of Menelaus marriage. After the events of the war, The Odyssey takes place and focuses on Odysseus’s journey back home to his wife and son. On his way back home, he encounter different foes that halt him, and his crew, and send them astray. These setbacks, however, are not enough to stop Odysseus from reaching the people he loves.
The book does really well in reducing all the information from the original epics into children’s sized version. However, the way this book is written can make it tricky for some readers to follow, especially younger readers. On one page, someone can be getting married and quickly after, some goddesses can be fighting out of nowhere. Though this does happen often, the illustrations does a very good job at describing what’s happening.
The book is written in a comic-esque style. The characters in the illustrations have dialogue but underneath every panel, there’s about 1-2 sentences of text. There’s an enhancing interaction between the text and the illustrations but in the opposite direction- the text enhances the illustrations. Because the illustrations have dialogue, the reader has a small idea of what’s happening, but no enough to know what the story is about. This is where the role of the main text comes in; it explains what the illustrations are representing and
Because the odyssey is such a long story, this version is separated into sections, each with its own title. The title is found on the top in each page and is linked to what will happen in that section; if the reader has a hard time understanding what’s happening, the title will always hint towards the main focus/goal in that section.
Overall, the tone the book is comical. All of the illustration are done in watercolor, in a very cartoony style; all the characters have wonky looking noses, lips and hair, which are bound to make anyone laugh and question the sanity of the illustrator. Because this is a comic styled story, the gutters allows passage of time/change of scenes very quickly and relies on the reader to understand that. Most of the transitions between the panels are action-to-action and scene-to-scene; there’s a lot to cover so the book focuses on the main event and action sequences that occurred in the original epics.
All of the text and illustrations have a large border around them. Depending on what’s happening, the border changes. If the section is depicting a Cyclopes eating troops, the border will have skulls. If the section is about love, the border will have small hearts and flowers all around. These small details make the whole book more interesting to look at.
The book does really well in reducing all the information from the original epics into children’s sized version. However, the way this book is written can make it tricky for some readers to follow, especially younger readers. On one page, someone can be getting married and quickly after, some goddesses can be fighting out of nowhere. Though this does happen often, the illustrations does a very good job at describing what’s happening.
The book is written in a comic-esque style. The characters in the illustrations have dialogue but underneath every panel, there’s about 1-2 sentences of text. There’s an enhancing interaction between the text and the illustrations but in the opposite direction- the text enhances the illustrations. Because the illustrations have dialogue, the reader has a small idea of what’s happening, but no enough to know what the story is about. This is where the role of the main text comes in; it explains what the illustrations are representing and
Because the odyssey is such a long story, this version is separated into sections, each with its own title. The title is found on the top in each page and is linked to what will happen in that section; if the reader has a hard time understanding what’s happening, the title will always hint towards the main focus/goal in that section.
Overall, the tone the book is comical. All of the illustration are done in watercolor, in a very cartoony style; all the characters have wonky looking noses, lips and hair, which are bound to make anyone laugh and question the sanity of the illustrator. Because this is a comic styled story, the gutters allows passage of time/change of scenes very quickly and relies on the reader to understand that. Most of the transitions between the panels are action-to-action and scene-to-scene; there’s a lot to cover so the book focuses on the main event and action sequences that occurred in the original epics.
All of the text and illustrations have a large border around them. Depending on what’s happening, the border changes. If the section is depicting a Cyclopes eating troops, the border will have skulls. If the section is about love, the border will have small hearts and flowers all around. These small details make the whole book more interesting to look at.
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July 5, 2026Ya le gustaría a Nolan
March 5, 2020
I picked this up from the library because we are reading about Ancient Greece and I wanted to introduce the Iliad and the Odyssey to our children. I found the text very easy to read and the pictures to be funny (note: there are nudes but you don't see anything). The entire story is told in a comic book format which makes the epics very relatable to younger readers.
The best thing - our son said he can't wait to read other versions of the poems. I love books that make us want to read more books!
The best thing - our son said he can't wait to read other versions of the poems. I love books that make us want to read more books!
July 28, 2018
The book was quite a good one. What I liked about it was that the writer made the story very concise and easy to understand. She achieved this by using short and long sentences together and by not having big leaps in place or time all the time. Also her vocabulary and sentence structure also made the story very concise.
August 11, 2023
Nudity: look over illustrations carefully if you are cautious about nudity with your kids. Just odd to have so many naked parties, etc. in a book for kids.
September 23, 2025
quick, fun sunmary of the epic mythology!
Want to Read
October 7, 2025A
Read
September 10, 2013I had read both of these when I was younger, and I never understood the stories to their full potential. My favorite of the two is the Odyssey. I think it's a story of self worth and if children can read it at a young age then they can start recognizing the importance of it. I also think by outlining the key components of the tragic hero, it allows for deeper analysis on the characters individually and as a collective unit.
July 30, 2013
This was very Aussified and the drawings were somewhat dodgy.
It seemed to show that clothing was optional in that time but then it makes note of it later showing with Odysseus not wanting women to see him naked but I'll have to look into that.
It's a very VERY brief overview. I'll have to read the actual books though they seem pretty stupid stories.
It seemed to show that clothing was optional in that time but then it makes note of it later showing with Odysseus not wanting women to see him naked but I'll have to look into that.
It's a very VERY brief overview. I'll have to read the actual books though they seem pretty stupid stories.
December 19, 2014
The great book uses illustrations to tell the ephic story from Aincien Mythology. Some of the images are beautiful, however some other are very confusing and difficult to understand. In addition, each illustration has small comments that sometimes don't make sense. Even though, the story is very interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2016
My highschool let us read this book as part of our requirements in our English class, previously I dont have any liking of this book but when I go over it again when I find it in one of the stock boxes in the attic I now appreciate it more on how Homer's Iliad has been written. I can say this is an epic tale that we grew about and knowledge of this story shoudl not be missed at all.
August 14, 2014
unfortunately I have read the book in my childhood and probably missed the things that Homer actually tried to convey, besides the mythical Gods. Nonetheless pretty binding book.
September 10, 2023
生动简洁地呈现两部史诗中的重要事件，孩子爱读就是最好的评分标准
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews