The Odyssey
By Homer, Emily Wilson
Why this book?
When we are talking about adventure books with morally grey characters, there is simply no way to bypass this one. The Odyssey can be considered the book that started it all - the epic sea adventure genre, as well as the morally grey protagonist theme. And, my being a lover of classics, this book is one of my favourites along with the Iliad, for various reasons.
One of the major reasons is, of course, the protagonist - Odysseus the King of Ithaca - a mischievous hero who prefers to use his intelligence and wits to get through any situation, unlike his war comrades who instead rely on their noble heroism. However, it doesn’t mean that Odysseus is weak - as seen in the Odyssey, he is quite a skilled fighter. What makes him morally grey is that he does not consider it immoral to trick others for his personal gain. That doesn’t make him repulsive, however - rather likeable and interesting. At least, he remains my favourite Greek mythical hero to this day.
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