If you've ever read Homer's
Iliad, you probably remember the Catalog of Ships at the beginning. It's an exhaustive record of the contingents the Achean army deployed against Troy, naming the commanders, their hometowns, the number of ships in each contingent, and more. Not to put too fine a point on it, it's a
snoozefest. It makes you dread what's next. But of course, if you come to this point only to abandon the
Iliad in frustration, you'll miss the fabulous war epic that follows, chockablock with action, drama, and romance.
