Relentless action! - Rated 
The Iliad is a masterpiece and one of the foremost achievements of Western Literature. However to me it is also a high-adrenalin, non-stop thriller, depicting battle scenes to surpass any Holywood Movie. I would recomend this book to anyone simply as a thrilling tale of one epic fight!
One of the most important works of literature ever - and a damned good read too - Rated
This is the third time I've read this. Well, the third time I've started reading it, and the second time I've finished it. The first was when I was at school, when we had to translate the first book from Latin into English. I hated it because I resented "wasting my time" on Latin - something that I deeply regret now. The second was an English prose translation, and I hated it, for reasons that I shall enumerate later. This time was, again, an English prose translation and this time the things that I hated previously were merely irritating.
But on to the work itself. It is a story of a small part of the final stages of a war in antiquity between the peoples of Greece (confusingly called by three different interchangeable names none of which is "Greeks" - irritation number one) and the Trojans, who are these days thought to be Hittites living in what is now Turkey. This took place (and there is some archaeological evidence for the war of the story being at least partially based on real history) in the late 1100s BC, when bronze was still the metal of choice with iron being rare and valuable - at one point a noble defeated in combat says "take me alive ... and you shall have a ransom ... of gold, bronze and wrought iron". There are no iron weapons. The story concentrates on relationships between people, interspersed with bloody combat, the most important relationship being between Agamemnom, leader of the Greek army, and Achilles, his mightiest warrior. Agamemnon dishonours Achilles, who then instead of fighting goes and sulks in his tent. His absence allows the Trojans, lead on the field by Hector, to almost drive the Greeks into the sea, while the Greek leaders spend at least as much time sulking, arguing, and trying in vain to patch up Agamemnon and Achilles' relationship. Eventually, Achilles permits his close friend Patroclus to fight wearing Achilles' armour. Hector kills Patroclus and so Achilles' desire for personal revenge overcomes his hatred of Agamemnon, so he rejoins the fight, which immediately swings back in the Greeks' favour, and kills Hector. The story ends not with the famous wooden horse and the sacking of Troy (that is covered in other Homeric-era works), but with the funeral of Patroclus and the ransoming and funeral of Hector's body, and the hitherto cold-hearted Achilles thawing somewhat. While the details are obviously archaic, the broad outline - a war serving as background for a study in human weaknesses and stupidity, punctuated by colourful battle scenes - wouldn't be out of place in the ouevre of many a modern writer.
Another strand throughout - less important, but it still adds depth to the tale - is the human players' petty jealousies and bickering being mirrored amongst the gods. They aren't the wise all-knowing beings that modern readers might expect, they are mirrors of humanity, subject to all their faults and while powerful they are still limited by Fate. While they do interfere in the affairs of men, they cannot, when someone is fated to die, do anything about it.
But on to the irritations. There are three major ones. First, characters are not referred to by consistent names. Sometimes Achilles is Achilles, but at others he is "the son of Peleus", for example. This makes it harder for the reader - or in Homer's time the listener - to keep track of who's doing what to who, at least at first. Perhaps this was done to maintain the poet's desired meter in the original, but no modern writer would do it.
The second is that some of the battle scenes degenerate into something similar to the Bible's Book of Begats. These are often of the form X slew Y son of Z, who [biographical note, sometimes quite lengthy], and his armour rang rattling around him. Then X slew P son of Q, who [another biographical note], and his armour rang rattling around him. Then X slew A son of B and C, who [oh god, another biographical note about a minor character whose only appearance is when he gets killed here], and his armour rang rattling around him. If some bard was to narrate that part of the tale at one of my feasts, I'd be shouting "Get on with it!". Again, no modern writer would expect to get away with this - if he tried it, his editor would slap him down.
And finally, there's so much waffle. As the poem was originally delivered orally, I presume that the bard was paid by the hour, and repetitive waffle served to fill his wallet without much work, while also serving to make the story seem comfortable and familiar to the audience. But even so, some of the waffle is really over the top. For example, at one point Hector is looking for his wife Andromache, so asks his women-servants "women, tell me, and tell me true, where did Andromache go when she left the house? Was it to my sisters, or to my brothers' wives? or is she at the temple of Minerva where the other women are propitiating the awful goddess?". Of course, if this episode ever happened, what Hector actually said was "do you know where my wife is?". At another point, Menelaus, brother of Agamemnon, after pausing during the battle to take his freshly dead victim's armour (valuable booty! - remember, bronze, while being a useful substance for armour and weapons was also highly valued), he hangs around for even longer to make a great speech, wittering on for almost a page before rejoining the fray. In reality, he would have said "Hah!". But silliest of all, at a few points, someone will be going on and on and on about how he just killed someone, or how he's about to kill someone, and one of his colleagues will shout "Get on with it!" - only his version of "Get on with it" will be more like "Meriones, hero though you be, you should not speak thus; taunting speeches, my good friend, will not make the Trojans draw away [blah blah long speech blah]".
But those are just irritations. Since the last time I read it, I have gained a greater appreciation for the era and the text, so they no longer really spoil it for me. I can ignore them, skipping over the most tedious bits. I commend this work to you.
Long but fascinating - Rated 
Long winded at times, especially when listing men dying in battle, or crews of ships, complete with family histories and quirks, and it does only cover a few weeks when the Greeks are laying siege to a town, but it is epic in style.
The interaction between the lead characters, the detail and depiction of war in all its brutality, and especially how the Gods intervene and are accepted and sacrificed to continually makes it fascinating. The gulf between their culture and ours is palpable.
The extras in this edition - maps, history, cast - help put the story into proper context.
My favourite part was when the Gods were given a green light to join in the battle and flock to the scene. Just the idea of it is amazing.
Penguin have destroyed a classic - Rated 
To be quite honest its hardly worth them calling this the Iliad. They have ripped the poetic beauty out of this Epic and condensed it into a dusty and boring prose. No one would ever consider changing Shakespeares or Byrons poems into novels; why why why have they treated Homer so abominably. This is not an epic anymore and resembles in no way the sonourous verse of Homer. If you want to read a decent version of one of the best poems written, read a differnet translation. I suggest Robert Fagles: his translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey are wonderful and capture all the poetic force of Homer. Please do not waste your money on this pathetic rendition of a wonderful poem.
The best story of all time - Rated
I absolutely love the Iliad. It is a passionate narrative covering the most significant part of the Trojan war; the events leading up to Hector's death. It is a pulsating story where Gods and heros throw themselves passionately into the conflict to give their own side an advantage. It is a tragic story of gory violence, passionate speeches, heroic deeds and divine intervention.
In my view it is also one of the most significant books ever written on the nature of religion and spirituality, demonstrating the duality and ambiguity of the divine. In the story, the Gods have an influence over just about everything that happens, supporting and hindering both Trojans and Greeks in their own interests. In this world, the Gods are both fallible, selfish, vulnerable and not all powerful. It is a lessons that followers of the modern monotheistic religions would do well to learn from.
For those interested in Greek Mythology, it should be compulsory reading. The ancient world is brought to life in a way that makes the reader feel he/she is part of a world where Gods and heros really did walk the earth.
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