Calypso's Guest is a poignant and melancholy short story, a futuristic retelling of Homer's The Odyssey . It's been years since I've read the original, but I do believe that the narrator is meant to be the nymph Calypso, attempting to convince Odysseus (the visitor who has crash-landed on the narrator's planetary prison) to stay with him instead of returning home to the family he's left behind.

Greer's writing is beautiful and he does a wonderful job of conveying the loneliness and heartbreak that the narrator experiences after his loss of “Odysseus.” And, although this story is a short one, Greer also manages to paint a vivid picture of the circumstances that led to the deliberate marooning of our nameless narrator on a desolate planet. The world-building is excellent, and love the idea of the planet and its flora and fauna having been shaped and formed by mechanical beings.

While the story is lovely, it ends much as the original does – favorably for Odysseus but not so much for the abandoned Calypso. Still, this short read is atmospheric and well-written, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone eager for an innovative retelling of Homer's epic tale.

Eloquent writing and an intriguing setting. The story is very evocative of Greek mythology, but set in a futuristic space world. Good premise and plot. And it's a refreshingly quick read.

But however much I wanted to like this, I have to admit that I wasn't a big fan of the format. The story jumped around a good bit, making for a rather confusing start.

Good, but not great (which is probably due, in part, to the constraints of novellas).

Beautiful and melancholic. Romantic but not overly flowery and sad without being devastating. I have read Less, and it was wonderful to see the short story come to life. I loved the spinning of a Greek myth into a futuristic tragedy.

I wasn’t expecting to be so immersed in a world in just 20 pages. Vivid imagery and a gripping story make for a quick and emotional read.

This might be one of my favorite short stories. It's a sci-fi, Fantastic Planet-like retellings of the Odyssey, with queer longing. It feels tragic, but tells such a complete story in a short time, with a world that I would love to see more of.

If you like Greek mythology, you should check this out

In this twist on "The Odyssey", a man alone on a planet wants for nothing—a veritable army of robots does his bidding, creates just about anything he could ever ask for, can build and rebuild the world to his specifications.

But: he's been there for centuries, alone, and he can never leave. He'll be there for centuries more. And it's only when someone else crash-lands on his planet that he gets a brief—and doomed to be temporary—respite.

Though it spans some seven years—and stretches beyond those years—this is a short story, and I would have read and read and read. By the time we meet the unnamed narrator, our Calypso, he is resigned to his fate; he has found a certain peace in his prison, but it is a prison nonetheless, and he has long since lost interest in exploring its boundaries or seeking (a futile) escape.

There's a certain hopelessness to this story—in the narrator's resignation, and in the futility of his hope that he will no longer be alone. I imagine it will frustrate some readers, but if you can sit in that futility (it took me a while to understand why he would not have bothered to explore the rest of his planet, his prison), it's a fascinating read. The narrator's exact circumstances are not always detailed (presumably he cannot be killed, but can he be injured? How badly? Are there any creatures on his island that he must fear?), but it does make one thankful for mortality, no?

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

<blockquote><I>You saved him. Surely you should have been the one to send him {away}.</i>

What is a person except this heap of loss? Otherwise&mdash;what wasted breath.</blockquote>

<I>The Odyssey</I>'s Calypso passage, between two men and in outer space instead of among Greece's islands. Beware of asking the gods for favors because the answer might be yes. Few things in life hurt more than getting what you ask for because no thing, not a person a place a thought a feeling, no thing is fully knowable. And it's what you don't know about a thing that will stab you and leave you to bleed slowly, weaker with every loss, yet never granted the gift of oblivion.

Like everything of Author Greer's I've read, it does a fine job of filling time agreeably in terms of writing. The way it ends is in the myth it retells and is exactly what one would expect from a man of later middle years whose life is accelerating the process of takings-away that aging represents. If you already like his stuff, this will not disappoint.

Homer in space...........

Greer gives us his variation on a theme by Homer, part of the Odyssey in space.

First of all I have to do full disclosure, I come from and live on the islands that claim to be Ogygia so I'm very familiar with this part of the Odyssey, the pining Calypso and the restless Ulysses.

I enjoyed Greer's take, he got the pining and the restlessness down to a T and his embellishments where to the point.

An ARC gently provided by author/publisher via Netgalley.

there wasn’t much to work on, with it being so short — the writing was. good, and i liked the premise, but i do wish it had been fleshed out more.

Calling all Greek Mythology retelling lovers - THIS IS FOR YOU!

Take Odysseus' time stranded on Calypso's island and make it sci-fi. This short story hits my two favourite genres, 1) Greek mythology retelling 2) Hard sci-fi with robots, a desolate planet and spaceships.

We're introduced to an immortal human who has been exiled to a desolate planet. He's been alone for centuries when a spaceship crashes and a lone survivor emerges. Without a way off the planet, the two men slowly grow their friendship, while one never gives up trying to get off the planet.

I read this in one sitting and loved every minute of it. Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for this advanced reader copy.

This book is best read on a boat that you made by hand, while traveling towards an island full of mangoes. Leave your AI robots at home for this one, you're going to want to journey on your own.

Calypso’s Guest is a brief but poignant retelling of the Odyssey, from Calypso’s perspective, set in space. It’s a love story and a treatise to loneliness, and it’s incredible how much emotion is packed into so few pages. Absolutely lovely.

Thank you Andrew Sean Greer, Amazon Original Stories, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

There have been so many retellings of the Odyssey over the years, so to make it stand out and stick with the reader is a huge challenge, and it’s one that Greer triumphs in!
In this sci-fi retelling of the story of Calypso and Odysseus so much is packed into just twenty pages, but the story never feels rushed or compromised to fit into the small size. The beautiful writing allows the reader to know and understand the thoughts and actions of (a genderbended) Calypso and from the first page you’re left hoping he gets his happily ever after.
While Greer makes huge changes to the world in which Calypso’s Guest is set, the story itself doesn’t stray far from the original Greek myth, so it’ll be a familiar tale for fellow greek mythology nerds- but rest assured it’s still well worth the read!
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-copy! This is an honest review. Calypso’s Guest: A Short Story will be released on August 22nd 2023!

An episode from the Odyssey, as told by the nymph Calypso, if Calypso had been a unnamed man cursed with immortality and imprisoned on a terraformed planet named Calypso, and if Odysseus had crashed there in his spaceship and been marooned.

I liked Greer's "Less" a great deal, this short story was a Read Now on NetGalley, and like a fool I assumed that since "Less" has a hopeful/happy ending I could expect "Calypso's Guest" to have at least a happyish ending too. Apart from the noted modifications, the story hews pretty closely to the source material, which is to say that from the unnamed narrator's point of view the end is anything but happy. A beautifully written evocation of love and loneliness and of a cruel trap laid by gods who care nothing for human hearts. Consequently, it broke mine.

4 " a melancholic interplanetary syncretic (b)romance" stars !!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Amazon Original Stories for an ecopy. I am providing an honest review. This will be released 22 August, 2023.

Today was a perfect day. Mildly sunny, very breezy and oh so comfortable. I spent the day with my love. We marinated mushrooms, pickled onions and cucumbers, sundried tomatoes and eggplants and I made four types of jam. We worked quietly side by side and listened to Lana Del Rey, Sufjan Stevens, Nina Simone and Sarah Brightman. I would tickle his side and he would nuzzle my neck and I felt blessed and joyous.

While we lunched or had wine I read my sweetheart this story. We both teared up and were so very touched.

This is an elegant melding of soft science fiction, greek mythology, dys-utopian fiction and a yearnful romance. This would make an absolutely beautiful prequel. Hint hint Mr. Greer....there are two middle aged boys here that adored this story and want so very much more. There is some jam and veggies here for you if you do...

If it is possible...this lovely story made me fall a little deeper in love with my sweetheart.

With gratitude....