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ratings: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Genre: Travel Writing / Literary Criticism / Cultural History / European History

Book Review:
Nicholas Jubber's ''Epic Continent'' is a brilliant and original book that does something I've never seen before: it uses Europe's great epic poems as a map for a physical and cultural journey across the continent. Jubber, an award-winning travel writer, takes us from Turkey to Iceland, following the footsteps—or the flight paths—of heroes from Homer's Odyssey, the Song of Roland, Beowulf, the Nibelungenlied, and the Icelandic sagas. But this is not just literary tourism. Jubber meets people today whose lives are still shaped by these ancient stories, showing how the themes of migration, nationhood, religious conflict, and violence remain painfully relevant in our own time. Kapka Kassabova calls it ''compelling, thought-provoking, and courageous,'' and that's exactly right. Jubber writes with immense ability and deep sensitivity, making this a book that will appeal to lovers of travel writing, literature, and history alike. A genuine epic in its own right.