Title: The Adventures of Ulysses
Author: Bernard Evelin
Narrator: Todd Haberkorn
Length: 4h 30m
Format: Full length story
Age group: 10+
The Odyssey, as most know, is Homer’s epic tale of the Greek hero Odysseus’ voyage home after fighting in the Trojan war. On his desperate quest to return to Ithaca after ten years away from his wife and young son, Odysseus (or Ulysses, as he is also known) is both aided and thwarted by the gods whom he has pleased or unknowingly angered along the way. This makes for a tale that is chock-full of adventure on the high seas, with Odysseus and his men pitting their strength and wits against the many strange and dangerous creatures they encounter on their decade-long journey.
The Adventures of Ulysses, by Bernard Evslin, is a vivid retelling of The Odyssey for tweens and teens. The book was originally published in 1969 without any frills, so it may appear a bit dry visually and I would not push it on the reluctant reader (there are many other illustrated versions of The Odyssey, which I will post before long.) However given the vivid descriptions, it makes for a wonderful audiobook. And this version read by Todd Haberkorn (or a superb older one narrated by George Guidall, which I unfortunately cannot find easily accessible online, but may be available through your library) is just fantastic. Evslin jump-starts the action without delay, and both Haberkorn’s and Guidall’s voices effortlessly illustrate this epic, with all its conflicts, desperation and pathos.
Note: As with most Greek myths there are episodes of quite graphic violence (a hot iron plunged into the eye of Polyphemus, the Cyclopes, for example). Also, there are allusions to Ulysses’ seduction by Circe etc., but most of that just went over the concerned heads at the time we listened to this.
Access: The link above is through Audible at Amazon.com. Depending upon where you live in the world, you can likely also access this audiobook for free through your public library and other resources that I am blogging about, like Hoopla.
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