The Iliad by Homer: Review by Natalie K.

The Iliad is an epic poem by an ancient Greek writer called Homer, about the war between Greece and Troy. It's set in and around the city of Troy. There are hundreds of characters, but the major characters are Achilles, Menelaus, Agamemnon, Helen, Paris, Hector, and the gods. Achilles is a Greek hero, Menelaus and Agamemnon are kings, Helen is the Greek king's kidnapped wife, Paris is the kidnapper, Hector is prince of Troy, and the gods are, of course, the gods. It started when Paris stole Menelaus' beautiful wife Helen. The king got mad and decided to attack the Trojans, so he sent a fleet after them. But when they got there, their best fighter, Achilles, got all whiny and decided not to participate. This poem is super long- don't read it if you have ADHD. I'm not even to the part with the horse yet and I've been reading for 3 months! In spite of that, there are still many exciting parts while the Trojans and Greeks fight. Once the Greeks were losing and they woke up in the middle of the night. Some of them decided that they had to do something, so they went out in chariots to the Trojans' sleeping front lines. On the way they met a cowardly soldier who told them where some Trojan allies were camped. Then the Greeks went and stole some horses and slaughtered the sleeping allies, causing chaos among the Trojans. I thought a weird thing about this poem was how Homer didn't try to sugar-coat how jealous and greedy the Greeks were. A little argument about loot causes a whole army to sit out most of the battle. You would think Homer would try to give the Greeks a good reputation, but he just lets them be jerks and doesn't modify the story in their favor. That was weird for me because I'm used to most book characters being "Mary Sues", meaning that they are completely perfect and beautiful and smart and kind and everyone loves them. It was the complete opposite in The Iliad, though.

I'd recommend this to someone who loves to read and wants a big challenge that'll look good on your college application. I wouldn't recommend this to people who don't like violence and blood and gore. Also, there is a tiny bit of adult themes, but those are mostly references. If you're thinking of reading this, read a little first to see if you hate it, love it, or don't care either way. Personally, I liked it, but some people might not. So if you're brave, willing, and crazy enough to read it, you should definitely read The Iliad!