The world’s greatest war novel...
If Homer’s ODYSSEY is, as many have maintained, “the world’s greatest adventure story,” then The ILIAD can justly be called “the world’s greatest war novel.” The terrible and long-drawn-out siege of Troy remains among one of the classic campaigns and the heroism and treachery of the combatants have been unmatched in song and story.
W. H. D. Rouse's “plain English” translation here is the best and nearest contemporary English equivalent to the epic that Homer’s audience heard at their banquets.
“Dr. Rouse’s admirable ILIAD has the same qualities of a swiftly moving novel in which the language is essentially that of the present day... This is certainly the version for those who want to know what Homer is about.” - The Times Literary Supplement