The Guardian has reviewed the audiobook of Homer's The Odyssey, narrated by Game of Thrones actor Anton Lesser, praising it as a "truly fantastic journey" and awarding it Audiobook of the Week. The review notes that the epic — often considered unfilmable because of its gods, monsters and vast scale — lends itself well to audio, allowing listeners to imagine its sorcery, beasts and storms rather than relying on CGI. The timing is notable, as Christopher Nolan's blockbuster film adaptation, starring Matt Damon, is due in cinemas the following week.

First published in 2006 and based on Ian Johnston's admired translation, the recording runs for 12 hours and 45 minutes and is available via Naxos. Lesser is said to bring gravitas and texture to the story of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his struggle to return home after the decade-long Trojan War, facing the wrath of Poseidon and the goddess-nymph Calypso, who keeps him captive for seven years. Meanwhile, back in Ithaca, his wife Penelope fends off suitors while their son Telemachus searches for his missing father. The piece also flags two further listens: Daniel Levitin's Music as Medicine and Joyce Carol Oates's Butcher.