Lost on the Blood-Dark Sea

Lost on the Blood Dark Sea is not just a modern retelling of Homer’s Odyssey. It’s a re-imagining of the ten long, murderous years it took Odysseus to return to Ithaca after the end of the Trojan War. Whereas Homer’s epic is told solely from the point of view of Odysseus, many voices swell the choir of this offering, some, like Elpenor, who were characters in the original, and some who are invented for the purpose of giving Cooperman’s collection a whole chorus of characters. But while a classical Greek tragedy’s chorus all spoke with one voice, in Cooperman’s rendering of the Odyssey characters offer differing, sometimes clashing points of view and commentary on the action, to move the story forward and to offer a panorama of viewpoints. While nothing can rival the majestic poems attributed to Homer, Cooperman’s telling of the classic story offers a ripping yarn and vivid characters, all caught in the nets of fate, frailty, and the best, though not always successful, efforts of humans to survive.