As someone who has read the Odyssey multiple times and enjoyed it, I found this book to be a nice spoof on the epic poem. I always love twisted fairytales and once I got over constantly thinking “they didn’t have that on Ancient Greece”, I found myself chuckling at the story and appreciating the creative with the inclusion of a variety of storybook characters.

We follow our Odysseus, whose name is Otis Seehus, home after the famed Trojan War. Anxious to get back to his Penelope, Otis’s choice not to wait for his war ship proves to be a downfall that leads him to treacherous obstacles. Back on Ithaca, Otis’s son Mac has been waiting years for his father’s return. Things are getting dangerous for him around the castle as his mother’s suitors become more and more impatient for her to give up waiting for Otis to returns and marry one of them. With some unlikely hope, Mac ventures out to find his father before it’s too late.

Join a motley crew of fairytale characters for Otis’s journey home. If you’ve ever wondered how Peter Pan, Robin Hood, and Snow White’s evil queen could fit into an epic Greek poem, this is how.
If you’ve read the Odyssey before, leave your preconceived notions about the story at the door and just enjoy this fun read that borders on National Lampoon/Harvard Lampoon level parody.