The Lost Books of the Odyssey

An inventive reimagining of Homer's ancient tales of Odysseus, Zachary Mason's debut, The Lost Books of the Odyssey, approaches the Trojan War and its key players as a set of variables to be moved about and reconfigured. This is quite fitting since the author is, interestingly enough, a computer scientist. While Mason's allegedly calculated method of taking on Odysseus's exploits might initially seem baffling, what it does to intriguing effect is open doors of possibility in these renowned episodes of Greek mythology--What if Odysseus encountered his doppelganger? What if he made up The Odyssey himself? These questions, among others, are asked, if not answered, by Mason in 44 vignettes consisting of imaginative pared-down prose. Many of these episodic pieces are fashioned as literary "alternate takes," with some leading down fascinating, albeit brief, paths of their own, as with "Guest Friend," where our hero uses both his wits and his storytelling skills to avoid imminent death by arrow-wielding assassins. Though Mason's liberal use of The Odyssey could be viewed as lazy and/or arrogant, his writing is often so engaging and thoughtful that such notions aren't likely to linger. Impressively, The Odyssey isn't required reading prior to sifting through The Lost Books, allowing Mason to freely riff on the epic without being beholden to it.