Tower of Iron Will

It is hard to pin down why Argo is not a particularly satisfying read. It is unfair to compare any author to Homer, although the style, antiquity, and subject matter of this book invite the comparison. Apollonius is at his best when he is describing scenes like Medea's indecision over whether to go to Jason or obey her father. Unfortunately long sections of the book read like this line from page 180. "Later on, the Bacchiadae, whose native place was Ephyra, settled there too, and the Colchians crossed to an island opposite, only to leave it at a later date and pass over to the Ceraunian Mountains where the Abantes lived, to join the Nestaeans, and so reach Oricum." Beg pardon?

The biggest let down for me was Jason himself. He may be the subject of one of the most popular heroic legends of Ancient Greece, but he doesn't come across as much of a hero. He frequently despairs of completing his quest and returning home and one of his crew men has to encourage him, when as captain he should really be the one encouraging his crew. Most of the great deeds of the journey are performed by other heroes, such as the defeat of the harpies by Zetes and Calais or Tiphys steering the ship through the clashing rocks. Jason's greatest moment, passing the trail of Aeetes, is only made possible by the magic of Medea, not by Jason's cleverness, courage, or strength. Jason is basically just the guy whose existence sets the story in motion and then the other characters provide the great accomplishments.