The Rage of Hercules: An Odds Bodkin Musical Story [Audio CD]

Odds Bodkin (Author)

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Audio CD
• Publisher: Rivertree Productions Inc (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 188241232X
• ISBN-13: 978-1882412327
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 5.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,968,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable, educational, July 21, 2001

By 

Orrin C. Judd "brothersjudddotcom" (Hanover, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rage of Hercules: An Odds Bodkin Musical Story (Audio CD)

Okay, quick, do you remember all of the twelve labors of Hercules ? I sure as heck couldn't; which is one of the nice things about Odds Bodkin's oral version of the myth of Hercules. Bodkin is a well known storyteller, particularly here in New England, who accompanies himself on twelve string guitar. That's one other nice thing about this cd set, that it is reminiscent of how these stories and legends would have been presented when they were first being concocted, though the teller would probably have been blind and playing a lute or something.

For the purposes of this setting, Bodkin imagines Hercules has died and Hades and Persephone prevail upon him to relate the story of the twelve labors before he can leave the underworld. Here they are (as listed at the Perseus Digital Library) :

Labor 1: The Nemean Lion Labor 2: The Lernean Hydra Labor 3: The Hind of Ceryneia Labor 4: The Erymanthean Boar Labor 5: The Augean Stables Labor 6: The Stymphalian Birds Labor 7: The Cretan Bull Labor 8: The Horses of Diomedes Labor 9: The Belt of Hippolyte Labor 10: Geryon's Cattle Labor 11: The Apples of the Hesperides Labor 12: Cerberus

Bodkin mixes thrills and humor in the telling and also, being "socially conscious", has an ulterior motive here, the whole epic is sort of structured around Hercules trying to learn how to control his rage. You may recall that the labors were assigned to him as a way of purging his conscience after he accidentally murdered his family in a Hera-induced blinding rage. I guess this is Odds Bodkin's way of preventing another school shooting, a noble enough cause,nd for the most part he keeps it fairly subtle, though he does go a mite overboard when he has Hercules finally get control of his fury only after spending a few years cross-dressing (you'll have to give it a listen to find out) and getting in touch with his feminine side.

Hercules does lead a pretty violent life, so the recording is not suitable for young children, but any teenage boys who watch wrestling are certainly old enough for this. You don't have to inform them that they're also getting a healthy dose of their cultural heritage in the process.

GRADE : B-