Lombardo's Odyssey offers the distinctive speed, clarity, and boldness that so distinguished his 1997 Iliad . "[Lombardo] has brought his laconic wit and love of the ribald . . . to his version of the Odyssey . His carefully honed syntax gives the narrative energy and a whirlwind pace. The lines, rhythmic and clipped, have the tautness and force of Odysseus' bow." —Chris Hedges, The New York Times Book Review