A parody of the Odyssey: In Stickman Odyssey: Book Two, The Wrath of Zozimos by Christopher Ford

 By Daniel Santiago - September 2024


 


Image: Goodreads 

Before I start, If you like Greek Mythology with some humoristic twist, Stickman Odyssey: Book Two: The Wrath of Zozimos by Christopher Ford is a book that will take your attention and might be liked. While i was reading it i found that it has a lot of humour that is in every page you turn, is like a mix of mythology and slapstick cartoon comedy, that talks about the adventures of Zozimos, the incredible unfortunate hero.

 Know before i got more into it, I expect that the hero journey was a book for all type of people, adventure and fights, but i didn't expect that Ford uses humour on this book, not just to be funny also to joke about dramatic or important moments of the original odyssey, and the absurdity of the gods to Zozimos. This book is read as a constant series of humour of inside jokes about the chaos of ancient Greek stories. 

What makes this parody so effective, is the constant exaggeration and irony. In the book Zozimos was facing terrifying monsters and beasts and then an absurdly inanimate object defeats him and causes him to fall into a trap due to its own arrogance. Ford takes advantage of important mythology moments to make fun of it, like in one occasion Zozimos was making a very brave speech about a fight but then he fell with his own feet, reminding us that this is not an ordinary epic hero. 

The funniest moments are perfectly timed, making even the most serious situations fun and funny moments. 

This book also makes it more funny because it's illustrations of drawings with stick - man figures. Ford makes this book in such an absurd way. We can't take Zozimos and this book seriously because of his simple drawings. 

But one of my favourite comedy elements is the use of modern day language and references like breaking the fourth wall or the speech of the characters that it looks like a 2024 millennial speak. Is so incredible how Ford took an ancient Greek myth and turned it into a modern story. Zozimos' sarcastic comments about the situations he finds himself in, combined with the goofy secondary characters, create a funny and humorous dynamic. 

Despite all the humour, The Wrath of Zozimos is not forgotten, that it offers a concrete story that goes straight to its point. The balance between comedy and action keeps you attached to the story the whole time. You will laugh and will be serious at times even when he's obviously not a heroic character at all. 

This book is for all types of people taking in mind that have: Humour, Adventure, Friendship and Loyalty, Self-Discovery and some Dramatic moments.

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