ODYSSEUS COMES HOME FROM THE SEA

. . . but not in first class style. Although the author follows the general structure of the Odyssey, her adaptation excludes some of the more flavorful episodes and retains more of the Ithacan sequence without establishing a strong sense of excitement or suspense. Some epithetic repetition, the strategic olive tree, the telltale scar, the contrast between Eumaeus and Melanthius, the unique status of bards--all these elements are present, if diluted, and the godly intervention is kept to a minimum except in clear cases of Athene-an misty-veiled cunning. Odysseus is still a master deceiver and teller of tales (to Eumaeus, Laertes, Penelope) but other Greek heroes of the Trojan war are either ignored or briefly mentioned and the pantheon is in effect irrelevant. Less successful than the other Crowell Hero Tales, perhaps because it selects from a single entity without retaining the subtle strengths of the whole. Of the other extant (and longer) juvenile versions, Colum has the edge for this age group despite the inflected suffixes.