100 Pages A Day...Stephanie's Book Reviews

After the Trojan War Telemachus waits everyday for the return of his father, Odysseus.  Telemachus spends two decades of his childhood waiting, slowly growing into a man who only wishes that his father was there while he was growing up.  Homer was born blind, but she has not wasted any of her childhood with idleness.  She has soaked up any knowledge useful to her and has become proficient in math, science, history, geography and medicine.  Homer has befriended Telemachus as he keeps vigil for his father at the coast.  Telemachus acts as Homer's eyes, telling her of the sights around her.  Meanwhile, Homer has picked up on Telemachus' moods and the root of his pain.  Also befriending Telemachus are a chrompath and a timekeeper, two mythical creatures.  When Odysseus returns home a hero to the town of Ithaca, Telemachus finds out that the father that has been absent for twenty years is not what he expected.  The Trojan people have also not forgotten Odysseus and the horse that destroyed their people.  The Trojans enact revenge on Odysseus that sends Telemachus and Homer on a adventure of their own. 


Based on Greek mythology, Telemachus and Homer features action, adventure and fantasy. I was most impressed by the characters and the relationships that they found with one another.  Although Homer is blind, she is fiercely independent, logic driven and the voice of reason. Homer has the ability to find the best course of action and to believe in Telemachus.  Telemachus lacks confidence and believes that he lacks strength, with Homer's guidance and belief in their friendship, Telemachus is able to become as much of a hero as his father.  I also had a soft spot for the mythical creatures, Amaryllis the chrompath, a winged creature with a hippopotamus face with the ability to heal and Manos, a grumpy Timekeeper with the body of a hairy turtle.  Together they added a fantasy feeling as well as some comic relief.  The adventure aspect of the story is also well done, sending Telemachus on a quest to save his father that he was about to run away from.  The settings were also interesting, Hera's garden and Troy after the war were vividly described and I was able to picture them. A few minor things bothered me with this story, but not enough to ruin it; there were several small editing errors in my copy as well as the fact that it was told from a third person point of view, as many myths are, not allowing me to fully grasp the characters motivations.