Fresh off reading Homer’s The Iliad and currently reading The Odyssey, I thought it would be nice to go back and listen to a story set before and involving characters briefly seen or mentioned in the latter two novels, Jason and the Argonauts. I was mistaken.

I remember reading this story when I was younger, but it seemed much more interesting then. Perhaps it’s because my taste has matured, but given that I like The Iliad and The Odyssey, I’m saying it’s something else. In hindsight, I probably mixed this story up with others because I remember it containing more mythical elements and creatures. What does it contain? A lot of the author, Apollonios of Rhodes, telling the reader about lineages, the geographical history of locations, and the story at hand. There’s a bit of showing, as well, just not as much as I’d like. Yes, Homer mostly does the same thing in his novels, but he manages to intersperse them through some action or other scenes of emotional weight. I didn’t feel any of that here.

There’s the ever-present third-person omniscient point of view in this story, as in Homer’s novels. The thing about it is that, in The Iliad and even The Odyssey, you have the benefit of being introduced to the characters beforehand, from what I recall. Here, you’re suddenly in someone’s head, navigating their thoughts. Sadly, you never really hit on their feelings.

It’s an average story. Homer does them better. This one is fast-paced as the characters jump from island to island, meeting new people and getting involved in many situations in search of the Golden Fleece, which makes things complicated, especially with the POV. Unfortunately, I found the distance Apollonios kept me from the characters meant I didn’t get attached, and got bored fast.