Odyssey of a Slave

I'm pleased to welcome Carlyn Craig as a guest writer for the Quirky Audio Books Blog.  Carlyn shares some interesting information about the Odyssey of a Slave Trilogy.  

Patrick Bowman’s Odyssey of a Slave Trilogy is a bold re-imagining of Homer’s Odyssey and the Mediterranean world that inspired it some three thousand years ago. The young adult reader already familiar with the landscape of Greek myth and legend and the reader looking for an entertaining introduction can both enjoy this trilogy, which begins in the smoking ruins of Troy, in the wake of the Greek sacking of the city, (courtesy of the “Trojan Horse”). 

Fifteen year old Alexi tries to escape, but caught and is taken as a slave by Odysseus himself, to serve on his ship for the return trip to Ithaca. This is the Odyssey of Homer, but the adventures are Alexi’s own. He negotiates between his status as a slave and the demands on a hero, as one adventure succeeds another. Alexi is forthright and brave, and ready for anything. He be-devils his Greek slave-masters with his acerbic wit, and usually outshines them in tough situations with his ingenuity and adaptability. As their relationships develop, they slowly begin to find the humanity in each other. In Bowman’s hands, Alexi never comes across as a modern boy in ancient dress. He’s a fascinating young character who is of his age - an age very, very different from our own.

Alexi and his captors encounter the lotus-eaters and the Cyclops, enjoy Circe’s dubious hospitality, and endure the wrath of Aeolus and Poseidon, driven along by Patrick Bowman’s lively and erudite prose. Bowman spices his tale liberally with ancient Greek phrases and concepts, creating a three dimensional experience of ‘the age of heroes’. The adventures of young Alex bring the world of Odysseus to life from a new angle, and possess their own unique lessons and delights. Bowman has succeeded in weaving a world in which natural forces, humans, gods, and demi-gods contend for mastery in every situation, and he has given us a fine young hero to root for.

Gerard Doyle, Trilogy Narrator

This trilogy is narrated by the much-acclaimed Gerard Doyle, who earned an Earphone and Best Voice in Youth (2013) for his recording of the first book in this series, Torn from Troy. “His facility for accents and characterizations and his ability to set time and place by just the slightest vocal nuance make it almost impossible not to listen to him. … A delightfully original introduction to Homer’s ODYSSEY, read by a master craftsman.” (AudioFile Magazine, 2013)

Patrick Bowman, Trilogy Author