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The Odyssey
- Narrated by: Ian McKellen
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
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The Odyssey
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The Iliad & The Odyssey
- Written by: Homer
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 28 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 12
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Story5 out of 5 stars 12
Little is known about the Ancient Greek oral poet Homer, the supposed 8th century BC author of the world-read Iliad and his later masterpiece, The Odyssey. These classic epics provided the basis for Greek education and culture throughout the classical age and formed the backbone of humane education through the birth of the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great classic to revisit in audio format
- By Love Prime Delivery on 2021-08-23
Written by: Homer
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- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 22
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 17
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Story5 out of 5 stars 16
The publication of a new translation by Fagles is a literary event. His translations of both the Iliad and Odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and have become the standard translations of our era. Now, with this stunning modern verse translation, Fagles has reintroduced Virgil's Aeneid to a whole new generation, and completed the classical triptych at the heart of Western civilization.
Written by: Virgil
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- Written by: Homer, Richmond Lattimore - translator
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 22 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 29
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 29
The Iliad is one of the most enduring creations of Western Civilization and was originally written to be recited or chanted to the accompaniment of various instruments. Properly performed, this work today is just as meaningful, just as powerful, and just as entertaining as it was in the ninth century BC, and it casts its spell upon modern listeners with the same raw intensity as it did upon the people of ancient times.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Very Well Done
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Written by: Homer, and others
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- Argo Classics
- Written by: William Shakespeare
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- Length: 98 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 7
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
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All of the Shakespeare plays within the Argo Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Some serious Errors in Release
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Written by: William Shakespeare
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- Penguin Classics
- Written by: Robin Kirkpatrick - translator, Dante Alighieri
- Narrated by: Jot Davies, Robin Kirkpatrick, Kristin Atherton
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- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 2
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The Divine Comedy describes Dante's descent into Hell with Virgil as a guide, his ascent of Mount Purgatory and his encounter with his dead love Beatrice, and finally, his arrival in Heaven. Examining questions of faith, desire and enlightenment, the poem is a brilliantly nuanced and moving allegory of human redemption. This major translation is published here for the first time in a single volume.
Written by: Robin Kirkpatrick - translator, and others
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Ovid's sensuous and witty poetry brings together a dazzling array of mythological tales, ingeniously linked by the idea of transformation - often as a result of love or lust - where men and women find themselves magically changed into new and sometimes extraordinary beings. Beginning with the creation of the world and ending with the deification of Augustus, Ovid interweaves many of the best-known myths and legends of Ancient Greece and Rome, including Daedalus and Icarus, Pyramus and Thisbe, Pygmalion, Perseus and Andromeda, and the fall of Troy.
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The Iliad & The Odyssey
- Written by: Homer
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 28 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 12
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 12
Little is known about the Ancient Greek oral poet Homer, the supposed 8th century BC author of the world-read Iliad and his later masterpiece, The Odyssey. These classic epics provided the basis for Greek education and culture throughout the classical age and formed the backbone of humane education through the birth of the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great classic to revisit in audio format
- By Love Prime Delivery on 2021-08-23
Written by: Homer
-
The Aeneid
- Written by: Virgil
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 16
The publication of a new translation by Fagles is a literary event. His translations of both the Iliad and Odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and have become the standard translations of our era. Now, with this stunning modern verse translation, Fagles has reintroduced Virgil's Aeneid to a whole new generation, and completed the classical triptych at the heart of Western civilization.
Written by: Virgil
-
The Iliad
- Written by: Homer, Richmond Lattimore - translator
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 22 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 29
The Iliad is one of the most enduring creations of Western Civilization and was originally written to be recited or chanted to the accompaniment of various instruments. Properly performed, this work today is just as meaningful, just as powerful, and just as entertaining as it was in the ninth century BC, and it casts its spell upon modern listeners with the same raw intensity as it did upon the people of ancient times.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very Well Done
- By Hmackdad on 2019-01-10
Written by: Homer, and others
-
Shakespeare: The Complete Works
- Argo Classics
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- Length: 98 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 7
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
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Story4 out of 5 stars 7
All of the Shakespeare plays within the Argo Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Some serious Errors in Release
- By Michael Legedza on 2021-08-06
Written by: William Shakespeare
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The Divine Comedy
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- Narrated by: Jot Davies, Robin Kirkpatrick, Kristin Atherton
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- Unabridged
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The Divine Comedy describes Dante's descent into Hell with Virgil as a guide, his ascent of Mount Purgatory and his encounter with his dead love Beatrice, and finally, his arrival in Heaven. Examining questions of faith, desire and enlightenment, the poem is a brilliantly nuanced and moving allegory of human redemption. This major translation is published here for the first time in a single volume.
Written by: Robin Kirkpatrick - translator, and others
-
Metamorphoses
- Penguin Classics
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- Narrated by: Martin Jarvis, John Sackville, Maya Saroya, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Ovid's sensuous and witty poetry brings together a dazzling array of mythological tales, ingeniously linked by the idea of transformation - often as a result of love or lust - where men and women find themselves magically changed into new and sometimes extraordinary beings. Beginning with the creation of the world and ending with the deification of Augustus, Ovid interweaves many of the best-known myths and legends of Ancient Greece and Rome, including Daedalus and Icarus, Pyramus and Thisbe, Pygmalion, Perseus and Andromeda, and the fall of Troy.
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The Iliad
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Harold Bloom is Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University, Berg Professor of English at New York University, and a former Charles Eliot Norton Professor at Harvard. He has written more than 20 books of literary criticism. From a lifetime of writing and teaching about literature, this great scholar exhorts readers to consider the pleasures and benefits of reading well.
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In the 6th century AD, the Near East was divided between two venerable empires: the Persian and the Roman. A hundred years on and one had vanished forever, while the other seemed almost finished. Ruling in their place were the Arabs: an upheaval so profound that it spelt, in effect, the end of the ancient world. In The Shadow of the Sword, Tom Holland explores how this came about.
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Not accurate about Christian history
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This brilliant new treatment of the world's oldest epic is a literary event on par with Seamus Heaney's wildly popular Beowulf translation. Esteemed translator and best-selling author Stephen Mitchell energizes a heroic tale so old it predates Homer's Iliad by more than a millennium.
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I enjoyed this
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Finnegans Wake is the greatest challenge in 20th-century literature. Who is Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker? And what did he get up to in Phoenix Park? And what did Anna Livia Plurabelle have to say about it? In the rich nighttime and the language of dreams, here are history, anecdote, myth, folk tale and, above all, a wondrous sense of humor, colored by a clear sense of humanity. In this exceptional reading by the Irish actor Barry McGovern, with Marcella Riordan, the world of the Wake is more accessible than ever before.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent performance, by the readers, a must listen!
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The year is 1327. Franciscans in a wealthy Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, and Brother William of Baskerville arrives to investigate. But his delicate mission is suddenly overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths that take place in seven days and nights of apocalyptic terror. Brother William turns detective, and a uniquely deft one at that. His tools are the logic of Aristotle, the theology of Aquinas, the empirical insights of Roger Bacon-- all sharpened to a glistening edge by his wry humor and ferocious curiosity.
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5 out of 5 stars
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This Fransican brother recommends it!
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Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, is a tragedy that has been enjoyed for centuries. This drama is an absolute must for any scholar, student, drama lover, or classical literature fan. Here, you will find the unabridged and complete version of the work.
Written by: Sophocles
Publisher's 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.
What the critics say
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What listeners say about The Odyssey
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Troy Dimock
- 2018-09-18
What can you say about "The Odyssey"...
This is actually my second purchase of this particular version of this audiobook. My first was during university with the tape version bought through my campus bookstore. It is basically the identical version that is presented here today. Which means as with the original tapes there are some problems. There is some audio level mistakes, some pops, and blips over the presentation of the material but nothing that really overall hinders the recording. Everything is understandable especially if you are following along with the written work (which for me, actually really helps me to understand). And with this version being digital, it is much easier to take on the road with you. Its a lot harder to find a tape player that works in a vehicle these days.
As for the story, The Odyssey is one of those stories you either love or you hate. Its long, and windy and is written in epic poetry using lots of hyperbole, metaphors, and invocation but when you understand the story it becomes thrilling. You rise up with Odysseus and come crashing down with him in every movement. The amount of suffering one man goes through to return home is outrageous and you hope that something good happens to him only to realize that there is too much story left for something not to happen. You feel with the characters even though their stories are usually told through others. And that was the point of these stories. To be told to others, to entertain others and to teach and that is what The Odyssey does. It teaches numerous themes through the stories that it presents and you can find those themes in countless stories because of The Odyssey. Overall I give The Odyssey a high regard. It is one of those stories everyone has to read, everyone should read even if they battle through it because it is worth it in the end.
#Audible1
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2018-09-28
Reading & Story - good. Recording quality-lacking.
The quality of the recording wasn’t very good. The volume of Ian McKellen’ voice would change after each musical interlude and at times it sounded like the recording was taped over another recording.
But the reading was good and so was the story.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Wade Nutt
- 2021-05-20
I only have one complaint
That weird digital pan flute sound clip that plays every so often, it sucks, and in no way benefits the story. Its obnoxious.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ashtin Corkum
- 2023-01-10
Excellent use of a credit
I adore this book. The narration can’t be beat.
If only he would narrate the Iliad.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nix
- 2022-07-15
Eminently listenable
You had me at ‘Sir Ian McKellen reads The Odyssey’! I’m thrilled to have this audiobook. Of course Sir Ian’s narration is fantastic, and I enjoy the translation. It’s easy to listen to and engrossing and I suspect Robert Fagles had a pretty good sense of the language and context when he decided to use phrases like “playing fast and loose”; it isn’t stuffy or dry like one might expect. Absolutely loved it!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JWB
- 2021-11-12
Really good narration.
It really was well read. The only downside was the music between chapters and other places; that could have been done without with no loss at all.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Justin
- 2021-06-07
Ian Mcellen brings this story to life!
A classic tale that is wonderfully read by Ian Mcellen, he brings the story to life!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2020-11-03
Audio is choppy and low quality
Sir Ian McKellen was a great choice for narrator and he does a great job at keeping my interest vested.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Arthurian Tapestry
- 2012-05-06
Beautiful recording marred by audio problems!
First of all, this is a beautiful recording and translation of the Odyssey. For those, wishing to attempt Homer's epics, I highly suggest you start with the excellent Fagles rendering of the Iliad, also available here on audible and free of the quality problems that plague this file.
What mars this book has nothing to do with the narration or translation, but with the quality of the audio file itself. There is an earlier review here that states that the speed of the recording has been slowed down in one of the chapters. It even sounds like a different narrator. Some files sound pristine and clear, every OTHER file sounds like they recorded it through a closet wall. I found myself adjusting the treble on my speakers constantly.
I contacted Audible, and although they did respond, they wanted specifics. All they have to do is to have an actual listener sit down and listen to these files on bigger sound system than that of a laptop or e-reader. I have yet to see a resolution.
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202 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vic
- 2014-06-13
Fagles yes, McKellen yes, Production NO!
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
The narration is excellent, as is the translation; however, the production is terrible. The first thing I noticed is that in many places the recording skips or hiccups. This is absolutely unacceptable. As others have stated, if an actual human had checked this recording before it was offered for sale then these glitches would have been caught and hopefully corrected. As others have stated, the pitch also varies in places which is a shame because the narration is superb.
Hey Audible - ummm Amazon - I know you don't care but we pay for these recordings with real money. This is the age of options and you might find that your customers have gone elsewhere because you stopped caring. Maybe that's why, after being an Audible member since 2006, I canceled my membership.
You can do better, Amazon!
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165 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Perschon
- 2011-09-15
A masterpiece marred by technical glitches
Both Robert Fagles translation and Ian McKellen's reading are superb. However, at about five hours in, the recording began to exhibit technical glitches related to speed. I re-downloaded the audiobook, but to no avail. No matter how good McKellen is, listening to someone's voice slowed down or sped up is too annoying, especially for a work that already demands so much attention.
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72 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tommy G. Henry
- 2015-07-14
Embarrassingly bad audio
What disappointed you about The Odyssey?
I'm only a few hours in, but the sound quality is on par with AM radio with a few skips thrown in for good measure. Some tracks sound better than others. The fact that other reviewers have noted the poor quality of this book for years and Audible has done nothing about it really tells you something about this company. You'd think with a title this popular they'd address the problem, or maybe the publisher would tell Audible to get their act together. Pretty pathetic. Save your credit and go check this one out from the library.
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
Amazing performance, amazing story.
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64 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Harold
- 2015-10-22
Extremely poor recording
What disappointed you about The Odyssey?
Great story
What about Ian McKellen’s performance did you like?
Great voice. Very pleasant to listen to.
Any additional comments?
Great translation, Great narrator..why not hire an engineer who knows what he is doing?
It is wonderful until about chapter 13, then it goes completely off the rails.
Don't waste your time or money on this one.
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38 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Alan
- 2013-12-06
Some chapter starts/audio issues
Any additional comments?
The 4 star rating in this case is only for the 2005 Penguin Audio audiobook edition of Robert Fagles' 1996 translation of Homer's The Odyssey. This is not a reflection on Fagles' translation or Ian McKellen's narration which are both 5 stars. The lower rating is only due to a few chapter/verse timing issues and the occasional distraction due to the ambience of different recording sessions combined into one audiobook. The recording is from the pre-digital download era and the audio chapters are based on approximate 30 minute timings (1 side of a cassette tape?), regardless of the actual Homeric verses. So the 24 Chapter starts are only occasionally equal to the beginnings of the 24 Verses of the Odyssey. This may or may not be a distraction for some. It is probably not a major issue if you are following along with a print edition.
One segment, Chapters 9 to 12 in the audiobook, middle of Verse 10 to the end of Verse 12 in Homer, has a significant audio issue. The speed of McKellen's reading drops to a deep bass voice at a seemingly slowed down audiospeed, as if the tape slowed down or McKellen was suffering from a serious cold on the day of the recording. This is enormously distracting when compared to the sound of the voice before and after this segment. Again, this is not a deal breaker but listeners should at least be forewarned of this fault.
The audiobook also excludes Bernard Knox's introduction that is available in the Penguin print edition.
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31 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Pamela
- 2014-04-11
Terrible Recording
Would you try another book from Homer (translated by Robert Fagles) and/or Ian McKellen?
I am an avid member of Audible because I want books, professional readers and professional recordings…this recording id terrible. A bad listen.
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27 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Rachel
- 2009-08-22
Ian McKellen is incredible!
This audiobook is absolutely fantastic, and Ian McKellen's narration is first rate (for those of you who don't know who is is, he played Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings movies). It is by far the best audio adaption of a classical text that I have ever heard. Buy it. Seriously
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26 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Huda
- 2010-02-13
Audible made my reading assignment easy
I am a college student and not used to this type of literature. when our teacher assigned this reading, I was overwhelmed because the reading seemed hard to understand and lots of work, but when I read the book with audible, it was fun experience and made my reading easy to read and understand; in fact, I ended up enjoying my book and looking forward for more.
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23 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Stephen Cunliffe
- 2009-11-13
Just about perfect!
The translation is wonderful, and the narration absolutely superb. I cannot imagine a better way to approach this 'classic' of classical literature.
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22 people found this helpful