I often prefer The Odyssey to The Iliad. The former is more interesting structurally, with a greater variety of things and characters within it. The latter often feels like bros broing out. That being said, I appreciate the epic quality of the story and the terrifying ways in which the gods meddle in people’s lives. War Music isn’t a strict translation. It’s sort of poem inspired by The Iliad. Why’s there a helicopter on the cover, you might ask? One of the things that makes this book sort of interesting is the way in which Logue throws in modern metaphors to emphasize things within the story. In a way, it sort of ties the absurdity and bloodthirstiness of war from ancient times directly to the absurdity and bloodthirstiness of war today. The sad thing about this book is that it’s unfinished. An epic project that surpassed the author’s life. There’s a ghost that haunts this book. A ghost of what might have been and reading it, I felt a kind of bone-deep sorrow. But time runs ever on. I think this is a worthy read for any fan of The Iliad, but I’ll probably be going back to The Odyssey next time.
(I read this book at the recommendation of Max Read, who has a newsletter that I like with pretty solid book suggestions.)